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Matushanskiy G., Kudakov O., Plotnikova N.
THE COMPETENCE-BASED MODELS: EUROPEAN TRADITIONS AND REGIONAL VIEW
В статье модель компетенции рассматривается как комплекс методических, структурных компонентов, направленных на формирование компетенции. Теоретические знания основаны на сочетании навыков, умений, профессионально значимых и личностных качеств, которые обеспечивают эффективное обучение. Согласно определению, представлен набор принципов формирования целей, содержания отбора, организации учебного процесса и оценки образовательных результатов. Эффективность реализации указанных принципов развивает компетенции личности. Ключевые слова: компетентность, компетентностная модель, апробация, критическое мышление.
1. Introduction
A great of number of works (N.Homskiy, R.White, Jh.Raven, I.Zimnya, N.Kuzmina, A.Markova, N.Grishanina etc.) are devoted to the problem of competencies.
In his book, «Competency in modern society. Revelation, development and realization» (2002), Jh.Raven has made one of the first attempts to create the competence-based model of graduates from the institutions of higher education, which conclude thirty-nine competences.
Suggesting the definition of five key competencies (Hutmacher Walo, 1996) he considers that young Europeans should possess the following competencies.
1. Political and social competences, such as taking responsibilities, taking part in supporting and improving democratic institutions.
2. Competencies, connected with life in multicultural society: accepting differences, respecting other people and the capacity to live with people of different culture, languages and religion.
3. Competencies, referred to mastery of spoken and written communication that are especially important for work and social life.
4. Competencies, which are connected with development of information society.
5. Learning ability during the whole life as a basis for lifelong education as used both in private professional and social life (Hutmacher 1997).
Tuning Educational Structures project is the following project of the competence-based model, realized in European schools of higher education. TUNING project reflects the idea that universities do not and should not look
for uniformity in their degree programmes or any sort of unified, prescriptive or definitive European curricula but simply look for points of reference, convergence and common understanding.
2. The competence-based model TUNING
During the working up the competence-based model, firstly, a list of eighty-five different skills and competencies were drawn up.
Tuning distinguishes three types of generic competencies: instrumental, interpersonal and systemic competences. Having instrumental function, competencies include cognitive abilities, capacity to understand and use ideas and thoughts, methodological abilities to contact with society (organization of time, learning strategy, making decisions or solving problems), technological abilities (use of technical devices, information management and computer working), linguistic abilities (oral and written communication or knowledge of the second language).
Interpersonal competencies conclude individual abilities such as to express feelings, to give constructive criticism and self-criticism, and social skills (interpersonal skills and teamwork, devotion to social and ethic values), promoted to social cooperation and collaboration.
Systemic competences are abilities and skills concerning whole systems. They include combination of understanding, sensibility and knowledge; prior acquisition of instrumental and interpersonal competencies.
The final version of questionnaire including thirty competencies was prepared in May 2001. The participants of the project translated questionnaires into eleven official languages of European Union. The research involves seven academic fields like business, pedagogical sciences, geology, history, physics and chemistry and was organized among graduates, employers and academics. The most important generic competencies (according to European respondents' point of view) students, should learn the capacity for analysis and synthesis, the capacity to learn and problem solving, the capacity for applying knowledge in practice, the capacity to adopt to new situations, concern for quality, information management skills, ability to work autonomously, teamwork, capacity for organizing and planning. On the opposite side of the importance scale is understanding cultures and customs of different countries, appreciation of diversity and multiculturalism, capacity to work in the international area, leadership, research skills and skills to develop, manage the projects and speaking the second language.
A large-scale consultation was organized among graduates and the most typical academic competencies were identified as the capacity to learn basic knowledge in different fields, ability to work autonomously, capacity for analysis and synthesis, problem-solving skills, care about quality and success.
Graduates, employers think that six of the above mentioned competencies for most competencies are the most important and put them on the highest level. Usage of other competencies is the reflection of those aims, which were traditionally fulfilled for hundred years. Such competencies like leadership, understanding cultures and customs of different countries, speaking the second language, capacity to contact with specialists in different fields, capacity to work in the international area, teamwork in different subject fields take the lowest place of scale.
3. Russian competence-based model
The research of evaluations of the European model (especially Tuning project) has a great interest among Russian scientists and researchers of State Educational Standards of Higher Education Institutions. Projects of State Educational Standards of Higher Education Institutions (the third generation) are based on the competence-based approach.
Projects of the State Educational standards of higher vocational training (State Educational Standards of Higher Education Institutions) of the third generation are carried out with the usage of the competence-based approach. Competencies, developed within the various research schools, are used nowadays. In final documents, competencies are subdivided into two groups: universal and professional. The first group is transferable and less inflexibly connected with an object and a subject of work. The second group reflects professional qualification and is different for preparing different professional directions.
During the planning of State Educational Standards of Higher Education Institutions of the third generation seven spheres of academic competencies, which characterize graduates from high schools, are allocated. The graduates from university have competences not only in one scientific field, but they should be able to carry out research work, develop, have the scientific approach, be in possession of intellectual basic skill, be cooperative and communicative, consider time and social context.
Levels of having competences are expressed in terms of complexity. Four measurements, forming a scale, are offered:
• analysis, i.e. expansion of the phenomena, systems or problems in «sub effects», «subsystems», «subtasks» with some set purpose; the more the ele-
ments included, or the less clearly, what elements of resulting analysis are, the more it is complex;
the synthesizing serving to a definite purpose association of elements in logically connected structure; result of this process can be an artifact, but also the theory, interpretation, model; what anymore number of in-use elements or than resulting structure is more closely, the more difficult synthesis is;
• abstraction, i.e. reduction of some point of view (the statement, model, the theory) to higher level of aggregation therefore it becomes wider applicable, than above a level of aggregation, especially abstract is the point of view;
• concretization, i.e. application of the point of view having the general character to a considered case or a situation; than more than aspects of some situation it is considered, the point of view is especially concrete.
4. Approbation of model TUNING and State Educational Standards of Higher Education Institutions
Within the limits of the given directions per 2007-2008, we carried out researches at universities and businesses of Kazan (Russia). More than 400 respondents participated. The purpose of questioning was to receive the actual information, connected with the competence-based models for further comparative analysis of regional top competencies with the European analogues, and reveal possible tendencies and changes in the given area. The following criterion of selection was used. Just well-known organizations should be taken because of graduates' interest to possible future job placement. To get the representative results it was offered to observe balance between various types of employers. Experts, starting from directors and their assistants to executives of large divisions needed to put ranked assessments to 67 competences.
The primary analysis of the data received during questionnaire has revealed the following fact. From 30 competences (project TUNING) the most important, according to domestic employers, are 8. They are trained on bases of a professional knowledge, the problem-solving, decision-making, work in a team, skills of interpersonal attitudes, ability to put knowledge into practice, ability to study, care of quality. After that, graduate-trainees' competencies insufficiently formed by the professional training schools, are revealed. Among them, it is possible to note abilities to the analysis and synthesis, to criticism and self-criticism, to work independently, to put knowledge into practice, and aspiration to success, economic literacy, readiness to use new ideas and innovations for achievement of the purpose.
Experts (Kudakov, Matushanskiy 2008) noted that the most significant competencies outside of the nomenclature of TUNING questionnaire are sense of duty, discipline, responsibility for results of the professional work, independence of thinking, originality, self-control, openness, ability to induce other people to work together for the achievement of common purposes, ability to listen to other people and to consider what they speak, ability to resolve conflicts and soften disagreements. Graduating students do not have self-confidence, readiness to take a risk, to use new ideas and innovations for achievement of purpose, persistence, ability to criticism and self-criticism, economic literacy.
5. The competence of critical thinking
As the new approach, giving possibility to form necessary competencies of students of Higher Education Institutions, we have chosen the conception of formation of critical thinking skills in organization of educational, students' research activity.
This problem has become more relevant abroad during the last 15-20 years. We should mention (Shakirova 2006) the names of researchers, who study this problem in philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy, such as Edward de Bono, D.Djui, M.Lipman, D.Halpern, D.Kluster, P.X.Jonson, P.Freire, Ch.Temple and others. During the last 5-10 years, it has attracted the attention of Russian scientists (V.A.Bolotov, A.V.Korzchuev, G.B.Sorina, A.V.Butenko, D.M.Shakirova, and L.I.Shragina).
Critical thinking appeared on the stage of summing up, assessment of process and the result of learning activity, i.e. on the stage of the task's performance diagnostics, task solution, assessment of activity results or behaviour, confirmation of conclusion, searching the most efficient ways of problem solving tasks. Criticism, self-criticism and self-appraisal are very important on the first step of problem training like the step of analysis of problem situation and formulation of problem. Having critical thinking skills, the students find their own ways of problem-solving and confirm them with reasonable, well-founded arguments. They also realize that different ways of problem-solving can exist, and try to prove that their ways of problem-solving they have chosen are more logical and efficient than others. P.H. Ennis defines critical thinking as an acceptance of reasonable solutions about how you should deal and what to believe in.
The formation of critical thinking is a process of education and teaching, as a result of which, natural personal qualities like intellectual curiosity, recep-
tivity, self-reliance, independence, communication, freedom of thoughts' expression, taking the liberty of idea expressing are developed and become actual. We have analyzed the interconnection of basic concepts such as reflexion, negation, criticism, self-criticism, argumentation, proof, disproof, appraisal, self-appraisal, evaluative opinion and consider that critical thinking skills are grounded on them. Reflexion is connected with skills to comprehend one's activity and realize plans and rules, according to which, a person acts. Criticism and criticality show the skill in defending one's convictions and finding replies when somebody objects, analyzing information, opinion for appraisal and checking up reliability.
The analysis of each of the listed concepts has allowed us to reveal critical thinking skills, realizing in practical activities. Reflection is connected with skills to comprehend the actions and to realize those schemes and rules, according to which the person operates. Criticism and criticality are shown in skill independently to defend the belief and to find answers to objections, to analyze the information, opinion for assessment and validity check. Criticality is concluded not only 'assessment', but also skills of dialectic thinking -skills to use of scientific methods, principles and rules of logic (the argument, the proof, a refutation) reasonably. Self-criticism is connected with criticism, but has its features, because it is shown in skill to analyze the belief, arguments for a critical appraisal and correction, a self-assessment and self-correction, to use such personal qualities as inquisitiveness, observation, relaxedness, boldness, and tactfulness. Assessment and a self- assessment are connected with the organization of control and self-control and include skills to compare results and purposes, problems, activity plan, to make decisions, connected with irrelevance reduction at work. Value judgement is shown in ability to compare, generalize, and concretize different and own opinion.
Ability to form creative and critical thinking and to train students defines a level of teacher's professional competence. Efficiency of students activity depends on how the teacher will manage to train students to think critically, provide perception, memorization, understanding, judgement and other thinking processes. Thus, the critical thinking is necessary in formation of professional competence of the teacher, which also directs students to a channel of critical thinking. As thinking is social and it is shown in public performances, discussions, disputes, so decision of group problems when teachers and students cooperate, is more preferable than individual classes.
According to this fact, the following conclusion is made. The formation of critical thinking of students is shown in knowledge and promotion of assumptions, hypotheses and search of the most efficient ways of problemsolving, checking for mistakes and disadvantages during the study and public life with the purpose of their overcoming, creates an atmosphere of interaction, trains correct perception of criticism (Plotnikova N., 2007).
6. Conclusion
In the present article the results of thesis analysis of development of the competence-based models, which have led to integrated model TUNING, realized in the European higher schools are given. The comparative assessment of key competencies recommended by the Council of Europe and applied to the Russia's labour market, is considered. The general and special assessments of the importance of competencies' formation considered by higher school graduates in the European Union and Russia are revealed. As an illustration, the formation of integrated competencies of critical thinking in the process for preparing a professional-specialist is analyzed.
References
1. Raven Jh. Competency in modern society. Revelation, development and realization. Moscow: 2000. P. 281-296.
2. Hutmacher W. Key competencies for Europe //Report of the Symposium Berne, Switzerland 27-30 March, 1996. Council for cultural Co-operation (CDCC) a //Secondary Education for Europe, Strasbourg, 1997. №11.
3. Kudakov O., Matushanskiy G. Adequacy of basic concepts of the competence-based approach of labour - market requirements. / XI World theoretical and practical conference «Competence - based approach to professional-cultural formation of specialists». 2008.
4. Shakirova D. Thinking, intellect, talent: theory and technology questions. Kazan: The Centre of innovation technique, 2006. P. 27-32.
5. Ennis R.X. Taxonomy of critical thinking and abilities' place // Critical thinking news. 1985. №12.
6. Plotnikova N. Formation of critical thinking and teamwork skills in the process of students' training. // Educational Technology & Society. 2007. №9(4). P. 306-314.
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