Year 3, No.

39, September 8, 2008

[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
The competency-based approach in education
Rocío A. Andrade Cázares1
The intention of this paper is an overview the reader about the
competence in education, placing
development that this issue has had on our country, but without disregarding the
international trends that are shaping the course of this approach.
Introduction
Education Competencies
in
the
The
The approach by competencies in education, this essay addresses the issue of lis
ted [in Mexico] in the late sixties related to job training
competency-based approach in education, to develop that theme, we use a broad vi
ew of competence, it implies moving away from positions
in the fields of industry, his primary interest was "to link the sector
productive school€especially the professional levels and preparation for employm
ent (and Rigo Diaz Barriga Arceo, 2000:78). However, the notion of competition t
akes a different aspect when the passing of workplace cognitive aspect to promot
e the development of educational skills-intelectualesen where
functionalist and behaviorist to constructivist approach positions.
Lic in Pedagogy and M. in C. Education. Student of the 2nd. Semester Doctorate i
n Education at the University of Guadalajara (enrolled in the PNP CONACYT). His
research is: teaching-learning processes. Into which you insert the subject of h
is doctoral thesis "The university high school curriculum and the development of
skills during the teaching-learning process from high school." E Mails: rocioan
drade@cucea.udg.mx and rocioandrade2002@yahoo.com.mx.
1
link the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, with the aim of providing comp
rehensive training (remember that

53
Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
in general are more focused curriculum development
Research on the issue of skills
Something that becomes problematic in the international and national research ou
tput is provided on the competency approach is that it is written from different
positions in various
knowledge, neglecting the other areas of knowledge). Another antecedent current
competency-based approach is found from the Bologna Declaration (1999) and the T
uning Project (starting with Phase I in 2000-2002), who emphasize their compatib
ility, comparability and competitiveness Higher Education in Europe by offering
to do so, as one of the strategies, establishing
sometimes partially or rushed, which is why it usually falls in uncertainties an
d contradictions about Diaz Barriga (2006), Tobon, Rial, Carter and Garcia (2006
) agree that the building needed theoretical and conceptual
generic and specific competencies of each discipline. Currently, the Mexican Edu
cational System in Basic Education includes the skills approach, this is the cas
e with the Preschool Program Preschool 20042, Elementary Education with communic
ation skills in the area of Spanish and Education Reform High 20 063, and curren
tly the SEP4 proposed the formation of a National High School which is built on
the competence approach to structure common
PEP 2004. RES 2006. 4 Secretariat of Public Education.
March 2
concept of competence.€To mention some authors
Burnier (2001) discusses in his article in a Pedagogy of competence (where propo
sed as the project essential method which in turn takes over from John Dewey and
Celestin Freinet), in contrast Diaz Barriga (2006), questions the competence ap
proach, says it's a costume change and no real alternative, and on the other han
d, Tobon, et. al. (2006), expresses the need to establish the conceptual constru
ction of this approach, stating that the powers are one approach and not an educ
ational theory, but more abundant in the explanation.
of
a
Framework
Curriculum

54
Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
As a result of the foregoing, it is no coincidence that diversity of writings on
the subject at hand, it seems that Burnier (2001), Diaz Barriga (2003 and 2006)
Report states COMIE5 knowledge
With regard to educational research in the eighties and nineties in the States o
f Knowledge COMIE6 in relation to the issue of education curriculum and competen
cies in the high school level (NMS), we highlight the following: In the decade o
f the eighties have not found the word competition (
Perrenoud (2002), Tobon (2006), among others, present different views of the
powers, with certain spots which locate them in an educational vision, but inste
ad there are positions that seek to link areas of work with education. It is imp
ortant to mention that the production of the issue of competencies from the late
nineties is prolific (especially internationally), but such
relation to the curriculum), therefore, the search in this period was referred t
o the relationship that existed between education and work, education and the pr
oductive sector,€attention was given in the review of technology education withi
n which arises the CONALEP and technological institutes. It rescued the developm
ent of curriculum and the different options for developing
diversity of texts and publications suggests a new fashion, and to the multiple
views, you can create more confusion than answers to the doubts that have arisen
. Therefore, at the present time is common to hear several comments from teacher
s regarding the powers, destructive criticism and arguments, but before taking a
position in such discussions would have to determine where you look at the skil
ls (visions, approaches and authors for clarity and then have a say so
software (and curricula), we must remember that the curriculum in a broad sense,
gives rise to changes in the structures of Curriculum,€attention from social de
mands and the labor market. As for the approaches which was in Competence Based
Education (and in the decade of the
€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€
May 6
based).
Mexican Council of Educational Research. See the volumes consulted in the litera
ture.

55
Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
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ninety) is the behaviorist, functionalist and constructivist. Particularly strik
ing is the vagueness about the powers, because there is a unique concept and gen
erally accepted, because it says it is a young field of study. The emphasis is t
o distinguish that not all job skills, which is necessary to restructure the con
cept and speak better professional or academic skills. After reviewing the state
of knowledge of COMIE,€confirms the confusion that already was detected (intern
ational) about the meaning
scope
of
education and
average
Some higher
technological
mention
experience in higher education with competency models but
deepen them. In the nineties, the investigations that are reported with respect
to the high school level are a total of 29 papers in indexed publications which
include, reports of the National Preparatory School, College, Bachelors, College
of Sciences and Humanities and institutions states (Tlaxcala, Jalisco, Puebla,
Morelos and Aguascalientes), according to data provided by Diaz Barriga Arceo, M
onroy and Muria (2003) Another important issue I want to mention is that there i
s limited production in Mexico on the issue of skills, there is more information
in the design behavioral skills job prospects, or approaches from less
polysemic word competition and in relation to its application in education, whic
h is linked to in the workplace. Upper Secondary Education,
curriculum linked education with the firm's productive sector, and educational l
evels, are the concepts through which the search was made in the states of COMIE
Knowledge and with respect to investigations located in the middle level educat
ion in the eighties almost everything is focused on what the die-CINVESTAV7 repo
rted in
€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€
7
functionalist, there
constructivist
production, although at the present time include the proposals that the
Media Secretariat for Higher Education in Mexico.
Educational Research Department Research Center and Advanced Studies of National
Polytechnic Institute.
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Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
Some contributions on competencies
competition in order to be clear about what this means:
The powers are much more than an expertise in context, then go beyond the level
of performance and involve commitment, willingness to do things with quality, re
asoning, management of a conceptual foundation and understanding (Tobon, et. Al.
2006 : 100).
With regard to publications of the competencies approach in education, there are
several contributions that speak of powers in the levels of basic education, up
per middle, upper and
graduate design aspects related to curriculum, end profiles, skills, skills of t
eachers, among others that are located in a more generic approach. The powers in
the
With
relationship
to
the
contributions
Recent comes at a working meeting in Buenos Aires,
conceptualization of competence as a basic Tuning Project in Latin America.
education, diversify example, it is common nowadays to refer to in academic curr
iculum design competency, evaluation of learning and developing skills
The education,
concept
of
competition, as a
Networking
presents
conceptual wide, which refers to training of the citizen, through new approaches
, such as meaningful learning in different areas: cognitive (knowledge), psychom
otor (know-how, skills), affective (ie being, attitudes and values) ... covers a
whole set of skills that are developed through processes that lead to the respo
nsible person be competent to perform many actions (social, cognitive, cultural,
emotional, employment, production), why
skills for the use of Information Technology and Communication€give rise to the
issue of competence. In recent years from the formation of the European Higher E
ducation Area and European Tuning Project (and in Latin America), articles on th
e topic of skills are increasing. And all this is relevant to include some conce
ptualizations of the term
designs and demonstrates its ability to solve a given problem within a specific
context and changing ... (Paper

57
Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
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Buenos Aires, 2005, cited in Beneitone, Esquetini, Gonzalez, Marty, and Siufi
The failure of model performance because ... next stop has essentially failed in
Wagenaar, 2007: 36). Therefore, one can say that knowledge as the accumulation o
f knowledge is not significant, its value lies in the use made of it, therefore,
schools should rethink this perspective
methodological€which is ultimately what allows him to transform into the reality
, but
deepen
methodological
mainly on the methods of how to do, not join the exchange and the model floats o
ver their players
educational programs from the skills development and its application to real lif
e situations, from approaches focusing on learning where the student to particip
ate in its construction and so it makes sense to learning activities, from metho
ds
main (teachers and students) and is configured only in halos sociological, epist
emological and philosophical very necessary, but still no way for action, action
to pedagogy, and in pedagogy, with the didactic methodology, rowed to how to co
nduct the teaching-learning process to make students competent in multiple direc
tions (Ruiz Iglesias, 2000: s / p). Some authors such as Bernal Guerrero (2003);
€Minte Münzenmayer and Claveria Villalobos (2006); Tobon, et. al. (2006)
teaching designed with the aim of strengthening (core, and develop skills and
generic
specific
transverse).
Some difficulties for the development of competency-based approach in education
It is appropriate at this point to mention about the difficulties of bringing th
e skills approach to practice, as pointed out by Ruiz Iglesias (2000)

match what was stated by Ruiz Iglesias (2000), regarding the powers are devoid o
f pedagogy and somehow although not stated clearly how the latter is presented.
Due to the lack of connection between the skills of pedagogical theories have pr
oblems in training
58
Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
teachers, the landing of the approach itself powers and especially to assess stu
dent learning.€There is no point in designing the curriculum and based on the co
mpetence approach, but is
lentos8 these curricular reforms are, because according to the goal of the Secre
tariat for High School (SEMS), competency curricula are effective in Mexico from
the 2008-2009 school year.
understand the changes required in teaching, because otherwise they will do the
same is being done and make the same mistakes (to simulate a practice not applic
able) for
then say that the competence approach is not useful. Another difficulty for the
development of competency-based approach is that there is polysemy on the very c
oncept of competition, this situation leads one hand to various interpretations
as to what can be understood and how to interpret that term, and this is observa
ble in different literature that circulates in this issue.€One difficulty for ot
her relevant in the educational aspect, and that has to do with the development
of competency-based approach is at present the process of training teachers in t
he high school level, new approaches are made from the curriculum, without Howev
er, the processes of teacher education to address
The skills of educators
It starts from the precept that "no one gives what he has" for that reason, it i
s essential to prepare the curricula teachers working with competency-based appr
oach, reform the curriculum, required to be socialized to the education communit
y to everyone is aware of what the changes are being proposed, such action is ev
en more imperative if apart from
changes in the curriculum is a new approach that supports the teaching practice.
For this reason, teacher training and socialization
€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€
8
In this regard the proposal is in the process of SEMS ANUIES and regarding the d
evelopment of a Diploma in "teaching competencies in the NMS," for which institu
tions will be selected who will participate as trainers.

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Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
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curriculum are the basis for a model curriculum change (regardless of the promot
ion), in this case the competence approach requires a prior hard work and with t
eachers (before beginning work on a curriculum development officer). The term of
teaching skills, is mentioned in the international arena in documents such as P
errenoud (2005), Bar (2007), Calzada and Addin Trocones
own for teaching or disciplinary type). Emphasis is also€the powers of guardians
(or virtual environments) as well as in managerial skills, it is important
Moreover, the analysis of teaching skills from the logic of the governing docume
nts of educational policy, this is the case with the guidelines of UNESCO (2008)
, OECD (in Gómez Vázquez, 2007), as well as laws or educational documents of dif
ferent countries. However, it is necessary to
Fernandez (2007), Fernandez, M. (2007), Sánchez Ortega (2007), Sarramona (2007),
Vázquez Gómez (2007), UNESCO (2008), amongst others, and Mexico is addressed in
the National Education Plan 2001-2006, Diaz Barriga (2005 ) in the Education Se
ctor Programme 2007-2012, Villalobos Gutiérrez Torres Parés (2007) and by SEP th
rough the documents of the Reformation of the National High School (2008), among
others. The proposals around
noting that each level has its own needs with regard to what is required of a te
acher, but in general stated that the pedagogical function is a constant, but th
ere are issues that require different skills, such as dealing with students acco
rding to their age, management methodology should be based on the type of studen
t and their characteristics, therefore, not enough to know (and be an eminence i
n the art at the best), it is necessary to put knowledge in relation to the othe
r, ie establish a mediation process as well as an educational environment conduc
ive
teaching skills, are a function of various types with some points of convergence
and divergence others, especially when referring to the different educational l
evels are discussed and considered necessary for those engaged in teaching (whet
her they are training

60
Year 3, No. 39,€September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
learning (where the teacher-student relationship is essential). The competent te
acher is that you have acquired and gradually perfected
3. Develop
and
do
evolve
heterogeneity; 4. Involving students in their
learning and work, 5. Teamwork 6. Participate in school management, 7. Inform an
d involve parents, 8. Using new technologies, 9. Addressing the duties and ethic
al dilemmas of the profession, 10. Organize training. This proposal Perrenoud pu
t it in the context of primary education in 1997, however, in the book published
in 2005, clarifies that these are not specific to
gradually its capacity to know (to know the content and processes to which they
apply, students and their institutional and cultural environment) ... that cogni
tive ability€or the cognitive dimension of personal and professional competence
involves the ability to understand the world because, otherwise, the educational
function would lose its ultimate meaning: the account (realized in the consciou
s, cognitive sense of the term) of man-world of men among themselves and the man
himself and with himself (Vázquez Gómez, 2007:4950). On the subject of
professor of elementary or middle level, which are generally those that have any
teacher, and those that are desirable for the profession.
powers, it is important to rescue what he proposes Philippe Perrenoud (2005:10),
in his text "ten new powers for
teaching ", where families have the following powers: 1. Organising student lear
ning, 2. Managing the progression of states that are competency-based approach i
n education, represents significant challenges to the teaching and teaching-lear
ning process,€under which involves

Conclusion
learning;
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Year 3, No. 39, September 8, 2008
[Ide @ s CONCYTEG]
break with practices, ways of being, thinking and feeling from a rationality tha
t is conceived that the function of school is to teach (accumulated knowledge),
to reproduce forms of life, culture and ideology of the dominant society, throug
h a education system that weights loaded curricula content and
competency curriculum, in order that teachers teaching methodology to incorporat
e aspects
strengthen the development of skills in the teaching-learning process.
teaching of the theory without practice. The competency-based approach is propos
ed as an alternative for curriculum design and development of teaching-learning
from a constructivist support considering the development of skills and know-how
in practice€but motivated in meaningful learning that is transferred to real li
fe situations, which involves the resolution of problems. In Mexico, in relation
to competency-based approach there is still much to say and to investigate, in
order to clarify positions and make a difference in terms of research output, as
well as the need to work on the the
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