Balancing old and new: Integrating competency-based learning into CALL teacher education

Abstract

The idea of competency-based, or mastery, learning has been around for decades, but it has recently been receiving more global attention as a foundation for English language teaching and learning. Because technology use can be integral to the attainment of competency, language teachers who use computerassisted language learning (call) in their classrooms should be aware of the principles and practices that can lead to competency. This paper argues that, for this to happen, call teacher educators and other professional development providers need to use a competency approach to make sure that the teachers in their classrooms are as prepared as they can be to engage their English language learners (ells) actively in mastering language, content, and technology. After presenting this position, the paper provides a detailed definition and description of competency-based learning and suggests ways that it can be integrated into call teacher education. An outline of some of the benefits and challenges of this approach in teacher education completes the discussion in this paper.

Engaging Students With Some Learning Platforms: English Teachers' Perception

“…Those engagement factors are in line with Egbert & Shahrokni (2019). Some principles are dealing with the task engagement process.…”

Investigating Competency‐Based Learning Implementation at the Northern Border University (NBU): A Descriptive Analytical Study

“…After reviewing relevant literature Kris & Yvonne, 2014;Williams, Moser, Youngblood & Singer 2015;Richard & Bedard-Vorhees, 2016;Fowler, 2018;Parson, Childs, & Elzie, 2018;McDonald, 2018;Sturgis & Casey, 2018;Egbert & Shahrokni, 2019;Ralf, et al, 2020;among others)…”

“…They work with their students as facilitators who lead discussions, guide their learning, answer their questions and help them apply the knowledge they acquire. On the other hand, student roles change from passive recipients to proactive knowledgeproducing ones (Egbert & Shahrokni, 2019). Thanks to the practical reusable learning resources available any time when required, students in competency-based learning are responsible for their own learning and for moving forward toward mastery.…”

Non-Native Teachers Investigating New Englishes

“…Preparation of teachers for technology-mediated teaching and building their digital literacies, or CALL teacher education, is a topic broadly researched in the literature. Studies have investigated, among others, approaches to and modes of instruction (Bauer-Ramazani, 2006, Egbert, 2006Egbert & Shahrokni, 2019), characteristics of the training process (Kessler, 2006(Kessler, , 2007, the role of virtual communities in teacher training (Arnold et al, 2007) or ICT skills buildup as a prerequisite for L2 teacher education (Desjardins & Peters, 2007). The end product of the training, teacher digital-pedagogical literacy, makes teachers ready to plan, organize and assess technology-mediated teaching.…”