Competency in Teaching. A Review of Competency and Performance Based Staff Development. A Staff Development Publication.

Overview & Synopsis

In this report, the author reviews the actual and potential use of competence and performance based teacher education (C/PBTE) in regard to further education in England. He describes the concept of further education, reviews existing practices, and makes a number of suggestions for future action. The author first outlines the development and use of this individualized modular system in the United States and then analyzes the arguments for and against such a behaviorist approach to teacher skills. He claims that while much work is needed in adapting this system to the English system, experience elsewhere indicates the C/PBTE removes "some of the mystique and institutional restrictions which surround teacher education." The author notes that the development of these modules in the United States required an investment of $2 million and says that not all of the 100 modules available are relevant to the United Kingdom. He suggests, however, that various bodies, including the further education establishment, could valuably support developmental work based on the modular approach. (Two appendixes to the report describe the tentative approaches that have been made in the United Kingdom in this field, while other appendixes describe modules that are available and how they are used.) (KC)