Implementing Key Competences in Basic Education： reflections on curriculum design and development in China

Yang Shi Qing

There have been many attempts to define competence and there is no shortage of detractors who found the term simply undesirable. We are aware that some people consider that the use of the term should be opposed outright in view of what they see as its contamination by more conservative economic interests， concerned with little more than the improvement of human capital.

1. Incorporating Key Competences in the Chinese School Curriculum

The reference to competences， understood as a way of defining educational intentions， was introduced almost simultaneously in the curricula of basic， compulsory and higher education， although the origins， method of approach and role differed at both levels. It is worth pointing out， ?that the term was not new in China， as it had been used since the 1990s to define educational intentions in vocational training， the introduction of the idea of competence in basic education has given rise to a debate that did not take place when it entered the field of vocational training.

2. Implementing Key Competences in Chinese Education

Although it would have been possible to establish sequenced key competences for each stage， all students must have developed by the end of basic， compulsory schooling. The basis for this decision lies in the novelty of a curricular approach grounded in competences and the advisability of proceeding cautiously and gradually.

Level 1： Integration of elements in curricular design via the relational definition of each key competence

In our view， the relationships between skills， knowledge and competences are complex rather than linear. The model which would best describe the mutual interdependence which constitutes a competence is what we could call the “model of over-determination”. Skills condition the acquisition of knowledge which， in turn， conditions the development of competences， which in turn conditions the development of skills. Skills serve as the basis for the acquisition of competences.

Level 2： Integration of the activities and exercises that generate the curriculum via a structure of shared tasks

Tasks mediate the formative value of curricular designs， making the transformation of the selected culture into skills or competences feasible. Appropriate task-solving enables students to develop practical frameworks， both cognitive and communicative， which， once consolidated， will be converted into competences and skills.

Level 3： Integration of the different teaching models and methods that govern the schools curriculum

Dewey， one of the greatest authorities to have influenced， reminded us that the old philosophy of “one thing or the other”. Hence， Dewey called for a new principle of integration that would determine the educational value of the different forms or models of teaching and， on the basis of that value， the construction of the most appropriate educational practice. Level 4： Integration of the criteria and instruments to assess the learning of key competences

The work undertaken by students throughout the education process is an excellent indicator of the level attained in the development of their competences. The necessary condition for them to attain this value is that these may be integrated in the tasks structure developed in the curriculum.

Level 5： Integration of the different forms of curricula： formal， non-formal and informal

Schools shall promote educational commitments shared by families or legal guardians and schools themselves， which contemplate activities which parents， teachers and students agree to develop in order to improve the academic performance of students. This shared commitment implies a new idea of participation which， rather than remaining within the confines of the public management of the school， actively involves families in its success.

3. Conclusion

The crucial requirement for the implementation of a curricular model geared towards the development of students key competences is undoubtedly the adoption of an integrated curriculum development model. Of the various implications this has， we would emphasize the need for teachers to work in a cooperative and coordinated manner which takes account of their privileged position in the educational community.

References：

[1]Bernstein，B.Pedagogy， Symbolic Control and Identity[J].Theory， Research，Critique，1996.

[2]Rychen，D.S.&Salganik， L.H.（Eds）Defining and Selecting Key Competencies[J].2001.

【作者簡介】Yang ?shiqing， DianJiang Middle School.