Here's a breakdown of its key characteristics:
Core Principles:
* Focus on Outcomes: The curriculum is designed around clearly defined, measurable learning outcomes. These outcomes specify the competencies learners should acquire (e.g., "can participate in a casual conversation," "can write a formal email," "can understand news reports").
* Competency-based assessment: Assessment is directly aligned with the learning outcomes and measures learners' ability to perform the targeted tasks. This often involves authentic tasks and performance-based assessments, rather than just traditional tests.
* Real-world relevance: Learning activities are designed to simulate real-life situations where the target language is used. This promotes authentic communication and encourages learners to apply their knowledge in meaningful contexts.
* Learner-centered approach: The approach often incorporates learner autonomy and allows learners to choose activities and focus on areas where they need improvement.
* Modular design: The curriculum may be broken down into smaller, manageable modules, each focusing on a specific competency. This allows for flexibility and progression based on individual learner needs.
* Integration of skills: The four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) are integrated and developed in a holistic manner, reflecting how they are used together in real-life communication.
* Emphasis on communication: Fluency and communicative competence are prioritized over grammatical accuracy. Making oneself understood is paramount.
How it differs from traditional approaches:
Traditional language teaching often focuses on:
* Grammar-translation: Rote learning of grammar rules and vocabulary, with limited focus on practical application.
* Audio-lingualism: Repetition and drills to develop habits of correct pronunciation and sentence structure.
* Communicative language teaching: While communicative, it doesn't always explicitly define and measure the competencies learners acquire.
A competency-based approach moves beyond these by:
* Clearly defining achievable competencies: Providing learners and teachers with a clear understanding of what is expected.
* Focusing on practical application: Ensuring learners can use the language in real-world situations.
* Employing authentic assessment: Measuring learners' ability to perform tasks relevant to their target language use.
Challenges of a Competency-based Approach:
* Developing clear and measurable competencies: Requires careful planning and consideration of the target language use contexts.
* Designing authentic assessment tasks: Can be time-consuming and require creative approaches.
* Balancing fluency and accuracy: Finding a balance between allowing learners to communicate freely and encouraging accurate language use.
In summary, a competency-based approach to language teaching provides a structured and outcome-focused framework that aims to equip learners with the practical skills and abilities to use the language effectively in real-world contexts. It prioritizes communicative competence and learner autonomy, aligning learning and assessment with the actual needs and goals of the learner.