THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING IN INDONESIA
CHRISTINA R BROWN
AUSTRALIA
Christina Rafferty-Brown has over twenty years experience in teaching and developing English Language programs and materials in both Indonesia and Australia. She has experience in teaching ELICOS (English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students), ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in Australia and Indonesia. Both ELICOS and ESL are competency-based (CBT) programs. She has developed English Language learning and assessment materials across a range of vocational disciplines.
Her most recent assignment was the design, development and facilitation of a program for a group of Saudi Arabians in the field of English Language Training.
In the last 2 years she has completed 2 x 3-month projects in Indonesia as an adviser for English for Hotel and Restaurant where she was involved in writing English language competency standards and developing English language learning and assessment materials. She was also a Standards Learning Materials and Assessment Adviser which involved the management and training of 50 writers to develop Learning Packages for Hotel and Restaurant.
She is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia and has lived and worked in Indonesia on a number of projects over the last twenty years.
What exactly is Competency Based Training? How does it transfer to the field of English Language teaching.? How can it be successfully implemented into the Indonesian educational system? These are some of the questions, which will be addressed in this paper.
Competency Based Training in English language teaching is currently being used in the Australian TAFE (Technical and Further Education) system. The way in which this impacts on day-to-day teaching will be analysed in detail to enable participants to further their knowledge of the implications of Competency Based training in the field of English language study.
Competency Standards have recently been written for the Hotel and Restaurant sector in Indonesian schools. Through a recent evaluative study the success of this endeavor will be explored. The positive and negative implications of using Competency Based training in tertiary level learning will be outlined and will provide a basis for ongoing discussion.
Competency Based Training was originally developed for Industry. The training is based on what people were expected to do in the workplace. It emphasizes what people can actually do as a result of training looking at output - rather than at simply looking at the amount of training that has been attended looking at input.
This method has some advantages over other methods: it allows trainers to match the training with required job competencies thereby making the training totally relevant to the needs of the employee which in turn increases the motivation of the trainees because they see the direct relevance of what they are studying. It also keeps the trainees task oriented and active. It simplifies the assessment process because the outcomes required are clearly stated in the competency standards.
For employees the obvious advantages are that they know exactly what an employee is competent in and how much extra training may be required in their particular area.
To successfully implement CBT a range of Learning Packages need to be developed. Within these packages there are a number of components: Show OHP 1
Competency Standard Teacher Focused and Student Centered Materials Assessment Tools.
COMPETENCY STANDARDS.
These are standards, which are written about the performance expected in the workplace.
It clearly states what the trainee is expected to do, how well they are expected to perform and how to tell when the trainees performance is at the expected level.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF COMPETENCY STANDARDS.
There is better identification of skill needs and a better understanding of course outcomes. There is a more reliable and consistent assessment of training. The standards help to provide more relevant vocational education and training. This in turn leads to better linking of training , assessment and certification.
A COMPETENCY STANDARD UNIT.
Within the competency standards there are four components.
· Elements, which outline the key activities included in the role.
· Performance criteria, which detail what people must do to display competence.
· Range of variables, which describe the contexts and conditions relevant to the unit.
· Evidence Guide, which describes how competence will be recognized.
This is a form of assessment where evidence of work performed is compared to relevant workplace performance criteria. The assessor then decides whether the performance criteria have been met or not. (Assessors require training to become proficient in this area)
The advantage of this approach is that trainees who are fast learners can show they are competent in certain skills and progress at a faster pace. (this is not applicable when the standards are applied to more abstract subjects) In industry this enables employers to more easily determine who requires more training.
This form of assessment can take many different forms:
Checking both the process used and the finished product.
Observation of the learner performing tasks.
Written tests and essays to measure knowledge.
Oral tests in conjunction with practical demonstrations.
Individual and group projects not necessarily supervised.
Simulations and role-play.
Interactive computer based question and answer exercises.
Assessment can be conducted by trainers, workplace supervisors or industry approved assessors.
These forms of assessment are not new to many of you Im sure - the main difference will be in the content of the test. All will be tailored to match with the learning packages, which have been provided to train learners in their respective disciplines.
This is the formal recognition that the trainee has attained competence in a particular field. Which means they are able to actually demonstrate the performance required in the workplace. The trainee has been assessed against the defined competency standards.
All of this means that the Certification in a competency based system means that the trainee has not simply attended a program but can demonstrate that they have achieved the defined competencies.
This is only a brief overview of Competency Based Training and the reasons for its development. It has proven to be a very satisfactory program within the vocational education sector.
The question must now be How does it transfer to the field of English language training?
This is not an easy question to answer. There are many people who believe that competency based training is an inappropriate methodology to use in the language area because it is a far more abstract field which defies being blocked into easily identifiable skills. There is also some dispute as to whether competence in a narrow field means competence in English language in a more general sense.
However despite the possible limitations of this approach it does contain some positive elements which can be of great benefit in the field of English language instruction.
It can provide clear parameters within which teachers or trainers can develop relevant curriculum for their area. It clearly outlines what is required of the trainee or student on completion of the program. This will prevent students being given programs that have little or no relevance to their particular areas of study or work. For example: if a group of agricultural students want specific training in writing reports for their area of research the a program can be developed which relates very specifically to this area of need. It may be that they will require a general English program before commencing this specialized program - this too can be incorporated into the competency based approach An assessment can be given which will ascertain the General English language level of the learner.
The method used for developing a standard for this area and appropriate package will be developed by English Language teachers working closely with the subject specialists in the field of Agriculture. In this way the English language requirements of the Agricultural programs will be clearly understood before any standards are written. This close liaison differentiates this approach from many others, which work on a general view of what may be required. It is hoped that by using this approach there will be a much closer link between what is required in the specialized field and what an English language program offers. There are obvious benefits of adopting this approach. One of the most important is that students see the relevance e of what they are studying and the problems of motivation are markedly reduced. English becomes part of their study rather than an extra study they are required to complete. This can be an exciting development for the both students and lecturers. We all know that for many undergraduate students there can be a degree of resentment about doing English that has very little connection with the demands of their chosen areas of study. By developing the program in tandem with the demands of their chosen subjects the English language acquired can be seen to consolidate the information they are required to understand in their specializations.
Let me give an example.
The following is an example of a type of competency-based program for the vocational stream of a TAFE institute in Victoria. You can see that the format is not exactly the same and when you develop your own competency standards you will need to agree on a suitable format appropriate for the Indonesian academic environment.
Communication in the workplace 2
Compulsory Learning Outcome 2
2. Give and respond to simple instructions in order to complete a routine and familiar workplace task.
You can see that the Learning outcome is broad enough to encompass many workplace scenarios it is not specific to one area e.g. automotive.
This allows the teacher to develop material specific to their area but with a clear view of the outcome the student will need to respond to simple instructions in order to complete a routine and familiar workplace task.
In the same way Learning Outcomes could be developed for the tertiary level students - there are certain generic requirements. The ability to conduct research, the ability to write a report, the ability to present their scientific findings in specific format etc.
These can be used as the Learning Outcomes but will contain information related specifically to their area of study i.e. a student of engineering could develop a report for a lecturer which contains appropriate engineering terminology but is also in the required format set by the department. Once again this will consolidate their learning in this area. It may be necessary to present information in an oral presentation students will need to be trained in presentation skills and will need to practise their presentation in English but with an engineering content. The language skill will be their ability to adequately present information in an oral presentation with appropriate introductions, adequate information, clarity of expression etc.
The whole approach requires a greater cross-referencing with specific departments and therein lies both its strength and its weakness. I was involved in a project in Jakarta in 2000 and 2001, which involved writing Competency Standards for the Hotel and Restaurant Industry. I know nothing about Hotel and Restaurant so where to start???
The first step was to approach the industry and ask for their specific requirements of graduate students. The Hotel industry had been complaining for some time that students were graduating without the appropriate language skills to work in the industry. They were happy to provide information with regards to their specific requirements because they saw this as their opportunity to give input to something they considered to be of vital importance. In this way I was very fortunate to have a great deal of assistance in gauging the requirements of the industry.
The next step was to consult with Industry specialists in this field those people involved in writing learning packages for the Hotel Industry not necessarily those currently working in the industry. They were sometimes able to see the bigger picture of what was required for employment..
Writing of the standards came next. This was achieved through close liaison with both industry and subject writers to evaluate the relevance of what was required for English language learning. This can be quite a complex area you are asking for opinions on the relevance of a list of assumed competencies.
Once opinions are asked for then controversy arises and a great deal of discussion. Decisions on which competencies to include then had to be explained to panels from the industry itself. They then had to be formally approved by the industry.
Once this was accomplished a team of writers had to be employed to produce classroom materials that would aid the teachers to teach the subject. In Australia a teacher would be given the Standard incorporating the Learning Outcomes and would be asked to produce their own material to achieve this outcome. Australian teachers are accustomed to developing programs and utilizing a number of resources. They are also accustomed to collaboration with other teachers to produce materials. They have access to computers, copiers, and a vast range of resources. The adoption of the Competency Based Method requires resources and extensive input from teachers
Herein lies my anxiety about the adoption of this approach in Indonesia. It is well known that many teachers work at 2 or 3 jobs and have little time to spend on development of resources unless this is their specific task. The number of resources is often limited and varies greatly from institution to institution. Collaboration between lecturers to produce resources is difficult to organise because of the constraints of time and money. It is more usual for a teacher to use a single text and work through from beginning to end. If I am not mistaken in these statements it is clear to see that if Competency Based Training is adopted there will need to be financial input form the government to enable this change of approach to be successfully implemented.
A committee will need to be established to approve the Competency Standards, which will first need to be written by a team of English Language Specialists, and subject specialists from the various disciplines.
Lecturers will need to be released from duties to develop a considerable bank of material to enable lecturers from all universities to provide adequate information for the development of subject specific programs. This means release for English language teachers and those in other disciplines.
Clear guidelines and appropriate training will need to be provided to ensure that quality Learning Packages are developed which will adequately respond to the requirements of the Competency Standard.
Training will need to be provided to teachers/lecturers of English language so that they fully understand the requirements. There is often initial misunderstanding of what the Standards actually mean and of how to successfully teach towards them in the classroom.
Because of the lack of resources it is even more crucial for Indonesia to spend the money to develop a comprehensive bank of resources able to be accessed by universities adopting this approach.
As I mentioned before, I was involved in the writing of the English Language Competency Standards for Hotel and Restaurant. Once the Standards had been written and approved a one-month intensive training program was provided for teachers and trainers throughout the Indonesian archipelago to introduce them to the notion of CBT and to develop materials. Teachers were given resources and asked to use them as a base for developing classroom materials with an Indonesian orientation, which would be made up into a booklet, which would then be made available to a range of schools in Indonesia. In a short evaluative study it was found that teachers were very happy with the practical orientation of the materials and their interactive nature but that they still utilised their normal classroom materials simply because the materials produced were not adequate for a full program.
The second program I ran for writers of material for Hotel and Restaurant in their subject specific areas e.g. Indonesian cooking. Standards were already available but material had to be produced to enable teachers to teach towards these standards. A training program was put into place and the writers were given specific packages to produce these were subsequently checked by subject specialists and proofread by a native speaker of English. Both English Language and Subject Specialist monitored their relevance to the specific Competency Standard. These packages were then distributed and utilised by a number of institutions.
Effectively what I am trying to say is that given the right resources, given the manpower, given appropriate training and support from the department of Education, Competency Based Training can succeed but, in order to succeed, a great deal of time and effort is required to produce a user friendly, viable and relevant program for the specific needs of the Indonesian tertiary system. If the government acknowledges this and stands firmly behind the implementation of this program with financial support then using CBT in English Language Learning for improving the professionalism of undergraduates of Indonesian Universities could become a reality.
PACKAGE Competency Standard
- Elements
- Performance Criteria
- Range of Variables
- Evidence Guide
Competency Based Assessment
Competency Certification
Communication in the workplace 2
Compulsory Learning Outcome 2
2. Give and respond to simple instructions in order to complete a routine and familiar workplace task.
OHP 4 (1)
STEPS IN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING COMPETENCY STANDARDS
Liaise with Industry to establish English Language requirements.
Liaise with subject specialists to crosscheck English Language requirements.
Write the Standards
Present to an Industry panel for Industry approval.
OHP 4 (2)
Select and train a team of writers to develop learning materials.
Train teachers in the use of these standards.
Trial the Learning Packages in a number of institutions to ensure their validity in the academic environment.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the packages.
Rewrite if required.