WHAT IS A COMPETENCY-BASED APPROACH?
The development of competencies is at the heart of the DBE program. Defining competency as “the ability to act effectively by mobilizing a range of resources,” a competency-based approach involves the selection and mobilization of acquired knowledge and external resources to effectively carry out tasks and solve problems.
In other words, a competency-based approach should position adult learners to contend with the complexities and challenges of real-life learning situations.
WHAT ROLE DO THE BROAD AREAS OF LEARNING PLAY IN THE DBE PROGRAM?
The DBE Program contains five broad areas of learning: 1) Health and Well-Being, 2) Career Planning and Entrepreneurship, 3) Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, 4) Media Literacy, and 5) Citizenship and Community Life.
Although English Language Arts is inherently tied to Media Literacy, specific courses may prescribe other areas of learning to be reflected in learning situations (e.g. the Broad Area of Learning tied to ENG-4113-3 is Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities).
HOW IS TEXT SELECTION APPROACHED?
Within the Program of Study, every course has prescribed text genres stemming from the families of learning situations associated to that course. For instance, courses in the “seeking and imparting information” family of learning situations will focus on informative and explanatory texts.
Working within the prescribed text genres, teachers should prioritize authentic materials that are appropriate to the educational context and setting.
WHERE DOES GRAMMAR FIT INTO A COMPETENCY-BASED APPROACH?
A list of subject-specific essential knowledge is provided for every course in the Program of Study. Depending on the specific requirements of a given course and adult learners’ prior knowledge, teachers will decide which of the itemized elements need to be taught explicitly and to what extent.
Evaluation
HOW IS THE DEFINITION OF THE EVALUATION DOMAIN (DED) USED?
The Definition of the Evaluation Domain (DED) is meant to ensure coherence between the Program of Study and its evaluation instruments. Anyone developing evaluation instruments, including ministerial and BIM evaluations, must adhere to the DED to ensure consistency and equity in the network.