The educational system has to be changed to fix the complexity of modern life and need to prepare students to solve problems and to enter the digital world. All nations has started to introduce competences based programs in their school systems. In Europe a framework for education was developed to respond the needs of the modern society. This framework includes 8 competences and various transversal skills regarding personal development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment.

An international research organization Keyconet was created to monitor the development of competence learning in Europe. It conducts researches and studies on how each European state is introducing key competences in their national curricula. It also furnish guide lines, resources and recommendations to support teachers and it is based on the collaboration of all the educational stakeholders. 

Nowadays, routine work is being done by robots and new technologies so people are required to do manual and cognitive non routine work that’s it is necessary to adapt the school system to prepare students to find their place in the world. 

Hoskins and Crick state that competence could be defined as a complex combination of knowledge, skills, understanding values attitudes and desire which lead to effective embodied human action in the world in a particular domain. Being competent means to apply an effective combination of knowledge , skills and attitudes to successfully react to a situation  or solve a problem in the real world. Each nation has given importance to certain competences according to their culture or philosophical ideas in their educational systems. Nowadays it is important to elaborate a common framework of competences to which each European nation must refer to. 

 

Ways of thinking includes :creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, decision making and learning to learn

Ways of living in the world includes: local and global citizenship cultural awareness, life and career skills personal and social responsibilities

Ways of working includes: collaboration and communication

Tools for working includes: information literacy and ITC literacy

Learning to learn competence is the most important competence to develop. It necessary to learn how to improve further knowledge, skills and competences. Learning to learn is the ability to pursue and persist in learning. This competence includes the awareness of one’s learning process and needs and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to lean successfully.

The educational system has to be changed to fix the complexity of modern life and need to prepare students to solve problems and to enter the digital world. For this reason all nations members of the European Community decided to develop a common framework of competences necessary to long-life learning.

Learning to learn competence is the most important competence to develop. It necessary to learn how to improve further knowledge, skills and competences. Learning to learn should be taught in schools to make students more and more independent in their studies. Teachers should guide them to be aware of their learning styles and should teach them methods by which they can improve their learning.

My name is Antonella . I’m from Italy and I actually teach foreign languages in a secondary school.

I’m interested in PBL. I think it can involve my students more than the “traditional lessons”.

I actually haven’t got any idea on how to apply PBL to my school subject.

I started these  courses (PBL and New Competences )in order to find some new idea.

And moreover students could be discouraged in doing the activities because they have problems with the use of English language. It is so hard to make them speak in English or to make them follow a lesson in English language..!!!

It is a problem solving and collaborative approach. Students are involved in an authentic research and debate. They must solve a problem proposed by the teacher, in groups and produce an authentic answer to the question. To do this it is necessary that the question should be a non google-able question. This means that students cannot find an answer researching the web or looking up in books and encyclopaedias. Examples of non google-able questions are: “What was the most important cause of our city's growth?" "How can we best convince teenagers to be healthy eaters?" How can we design an airplane wing that is light and will support 25 pounds without breaking?"

Non google-able questions are also called driving questions because they should lead the students to research and to find answers and solutions. 

Teachers are involved in the process and should follow the students’ progress. They act as tutors monitoring the work of the students and they must also furnish them instruments for self- assessment.

There will be a final evaluation of the students’ works because it is necessary to give grades at the end of the course, however giving the students the necessary instruments ( assessment-grid)  to check their works, they will be able to evaluate their own work and to focus on the main points necessary to complete their tasks. Moreover the final evaluation will be clearer and the students will ask less question about their evaluation.

 

Step 2. Having defined the topic, in discussion with the class break it down into different tasks. Discuss which technologies to use and how they will be integrated 

Step 3. Plan well, set goals, define outcomes. 

Step 4. Proceed to put pupils into small groups with responsibilities for a particular task. 

Step 5. Create a tangible artifact that addresses the issue, answers questions, and makes learning visible and accountable. 

Step 6. Arrive at a conclusion...take a stand...take action. 

Step 7. Document, justify, and share conclusion with larger audience. (parents, school etc) 

 

I also believe that the most important part of assessment is what it is called “ valutazione in itinere” which mean to assess the students’ learning process and their progress during the developing of a project.

The hardest part was to complete the learning activities as I haven’t used PBL or CPS as they were described in the course.

I usually pay attention on the way student learn trying to do different activities to raise their interest and curiosity. I use ITC resources when it is possible, especially interactive whiteboards to show them videos, images and slide shows. Many of my students are dyslexic, so it is necessary to use images to help them to learn.

I always start debates and discussion in the classrooms to let students express their opinion and to make them practice English.

My questions are not only focussed on contents but I always try to make them use their competence in foreign languages asking a personal opinion or questions in which they have to think before giving an answer. 

I am also a good observer but I never structured my observations using a rubric to evaluate their participation, their motivation, their social skills and so on….

One of the most interesting topic of the course was the description of  the differences between individual work and group work and the differences between group work and collaborative work. Group work is not a synonym of collaborative work!  

It was also interesting the description of CPS in all his aspects made by Professor Griffin and also the rubrics he proposed, are very useful to assess all the social and cognitive elements involved in CPS.

I have started teaching two years ago and "I know that I know nothing"  and my aim is to be a good teacher.