1. Understand what is meant by ‘key competences’ also often referred to as ‘21st century skills’, and why developing them at school is so important in today’s world; 

2. Understand that the definition of competences as well as national and international frameworks vary but share common points; 

3. Be familiar with the basic key principles for teaching and assessing key competences, and self-assess your current practice and identify areas for improvement; 

4. Be familiar with how various countries across Europe have implemented a key competence approach in school education, particularly in Ireland which is the case study country used throughout the course.

1. Understand the principles behind Project Based Learning, including inquiry-based and problem-based methods;

2. Be familiar with the preliminary checklist, basic steps and strategies recommended to design a Project Based Learning activity;

3. Understand how to set-up a collaborative problem-solving task;

4. Understand the cognitive and social skills learners need to apply and teachers need to observe during a collaborative problem-solving task;

5. Be familiar with a range of Project Based Learning examples developed by teachers and students from different countries, targeting various competences and age levels;

6. Be able to design a Project Based Learning Plan to effectively develop one or more of learners’ key competences or transversal skills.

The P21 Framework represents both 21st century student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom.

1. Be familiar with the three major approaches to student assessment (summative, formative and self-assessment) and understand that all types of assessment of key competences need to be valid, reliable and fair;

2. Understand that the assessment of key competences needs to measure students’ reasoning processes, understanding of interconnections, and problem-solving skills;

3. Be familiar with a range of innovative tools and approaches, both ‘low-tech’ and ‘high-tech’, which are effective at measuring students’ reasoning processes and ability to solve complex problems;

4. Understand the importance of classroom-based formative assessments for assessing key competences;

5. Be familiar with the evidence required for assessing collaborative problem solving, and how teachers can use rubrics and developmental progressions to interpret their observations of learners’ skills and behaviour.

This video outlines good practice in assessing key competences, by explaining what should be measured and which tools are most effective, depending on the purpose of the assessment and the competences being assessed. The use of innovative tools such as portfolios and e-assessments are discussed, and the importance of classroom-based formative assessment is highlighted.