14.

Competency-Based Language Teaching,

Standards And Cefr
1. CBLT
Competency-Based Language Teaching (CBLT) focuses on what “learners are
expected to do with the language” . This approach emerged in the United States in
the 1970s.  In Competency-Based Education (CBE) the focus is on the “outcomes
or outputs of learning”. The focus on outputs rather than on inputs to learning is
central to the competencies perspective. The characteristics of CBE are described
by Schenck : CBE is outcome based and is adaptive to the changing needs of
students, teachers, community. Competencies differ from other student goals and
objectives in that they describe the student’s ability to apply basic and other skills
in situations that are encountered in everyday life.

There are some principles of CBLT :

1. Language is a vehicle for the expression of functional meaning (functional
view);

2. Language is a vehicle for the realization of interpersonal relation and for the
performance of social transactions between individuals;
3. Language is a tool for the creation and maintenance of social relations
(interactional view)
4. CBLT is built around the notion of communicative competence and seeks to
develop functional communication skills in learners.

According to Auerbach (1986) there are eight key features which are essential for
Competency-Based Language Teaching:

1. A focus on successful functioning in society which means that language is

taught in order to prepare the students for the different demands of the world;

2. A focus on life skills to determine that language is always taught as a medium of

communication in concrete tasks in which specific language forms/skills are
required;
3. Task- or performance-centered orientation. The focus is on what the students
can do with the language and certain behaviors instead of knowledge of the
language;

4. Modularized instruction emphasizes that the competencies which are taught

have to be systematically separated into manageable parts so that both
the teacher and students can handle the content and realize their progress;

5. Outcomes that are made explicit a priori. “Outcomes are public knowledge,
known and agreed upon by both learner and teacher”. Therefore, the students
clearly know what behaviors and skills are expected of them;

6. Continuous and ongoing assessment which means that the students are tested
before the course to determine which skills they lack and after they have had
instructions in that skill they are tested again to ascertain whether they have
achieved the necessary skills or not;

7. Demonstrated mastery of performance objectives. The assessment is based on

the students’ performance of specific behaviors instead of traditional paper-and-
pencil-tests;

8. Individualized, student-centered instruction. The instructions given by the

teacher are not time-based but the focus is on the progress the individual students
make at their own rate. Therefore, the teacher has to concentrate on each individual
students in order to support them in those areas in which they lack competence.

THERE ARE SAID TO BE SEVERAL ADVANTAGES OF A

COMPETENCIES APPROACH FROM THE LEARNER’S POINT OF
VIEW :

1. The competencies are specific and practical and can be seen to relate to the
learner’s needs and interests;

2. The learner can judge whether the competencies seem relevant and useful;

3. The competencies that will be taught and tested are specific and public –
hence the learner knows exactly what needs to be learned;

4. The competencies can be mastered one at a time so the learner can see what
has been learned and what still remains to be learned.

THEORY OF LANGUAGE
 1. Language is a means of achieving personal and social needs : In CBLT
language always occurs as a medium of interaction and communication
between people for the achievement of specific goals and purposes;

2. Language links forms and functions : This assumes that designers of

CBLT competencies can accurately predict the vocabulary and structures
likely to be encountered in those particular situations that central to the life
of the learner and can state these in ways that can be used to organize
teaching/learning units;

3. Language can be broken down into its component parts : CBLT thus
takes a “mosaic” approach to language learning in that the “whole”
(communicative competence) is constructed from smaller components
correctly assembled.

THEORY OF LEARNING

1. Language learning is skill-based : CBLT reflects a skill based view of

learning. Skills are integrated sets of behaviors that are learned through
practice. They are made up of individual components that may be learned
separately and that come together as a whole to create skilled performance;

2. Succesful language performance depends upon practice : Practice refers

to repeated skill oopportunities to use language over time. Practice is
normally accompanied by feedback, allowing the learner to gradually
improve his or her performance.

OBJECTIVES

Since CBLT courses are developed as a response to perceived learners’ specific

goals and needs, need analysis (the process of determining learners’ needs) is the
starting point in developing the objectives for CBLT-based course. Need analysis
procedures may include interviews, questionnaires, observations, tests, analysis
and other is discussed means that further can be in used to determine appropriate
course objectives.

SYLLABUS

A syllabus for a competency-based framework clearly differs from the traditional

approach to developing a syllabus. Instead of selecting a topic or field of
knowledge that one is going to teach (e.g., British History, American Literature, or
poetry) and then choosing “concepts, knowledge, and skills that constitute that
field of knowledge”.

Competency-based Language Teaching “is designed not around the notion of

subject knowledge but around the notion of competency”. Therefore, the focus is
on how the students can use the language instead of their knowledge about the
language. Schenck points out that the teacher provides a list of competencies which
the course is going to deal with, and these are “typically required of students in life
role situations”.

The fact that CBLT is an outcome-based approach also influences the syllabus,
especially the kind of assessment which is used. In contrast to “norm-referenced
assessment which is used in many other teaching approaches and methods,
“criterion-based assessment” is essential for CBLT. Students have to perform
specific language skills which they have already learned during the course. The
competencies tested “consist of a description of the essential skills, knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors required for effective performance of a real-world task or
activity”. These performance-criteria form the basis for the assessment.

TYPES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES

The teacher is free to choose any set of activities.

 Instructional activites integrate the 4 language skills (listening, reading,

writing, speaking) to emphasize the holistic nature of language;

 Language tasks in the classroom consist of meaningful interchanges that

enhance students’ communicative competence;

 Instructional activities focus on the acquisition of communication skills

necessary for students to function in real life situations;

 Instruction focuses on the development of the receptive skills (listening and

reading) before the development of the productive skills (speaking and
writing);

 A variety of grouping activities are used in the classroom to facilitate

student-centered instruction;

 Instructional activities are varied to address different learning styles

(aural,oral,visual,kinesthetic) of the students;
  Instructional activities integrate language and culture so that students learn
about the US culture in terms of significant and subtle characteristics that
compare and contrast with those of their own cultures;

 Learning activities develop the language necessary for students to access

higher level though processes (analysis,synthesis,evaluation)

 Instructional activities require students to take active roles in the learning

process, transferring critical thinking to real problem-solving situations in
their everyday lives.

LEARNER ROLES

Learners are active participants in the learning process in CBLT.

1. To monitor their learning in reference to the target competencies :

Learners need to develop skills in self-assessment to monitor their learning
in relation to the learning targets;

2. To develop a range of learning strategies : Successful mastery of target

competencies depends upon the ability to use strategies to achieve
communication;

3. To be able to transfer knowledge and skills to new situations : Learners

must be prepared to apply skills learned in the classroom to situations
outside of the classroom and hence be prepared to take risks as they seek to
apply what they have learned.

TEACHER ROLES – Teachers too have an active role in CBLT.

1. Need analyst : The teacher may be required to conduct a need analysis of

his or her students and is able to select suitable competencies based on the
learners’ needs;

2. Material developer and materials resource assembler : The teacher may

be required to assemble suitable materials – including technology-supported
materials – as well as to develop materials to address specific target
competencies;

3. Assessor – The teacher is engaged in ongoing assessment of students’

learning and may need to re-teach skills that have not been adequately
mastered;
 4. Coach – The teacher is also expected to guide students toward use of
appropriate learning strategies and to provide the necessary guidance and
support for this purpose.

2.THE STANDARDS MOVEMENT

An important realization of a competency perspective in many parts of the world

has been through a focus on “standards” which has dominated educational
discussions in many countries. 2nd language teaching, especially ESL in the US was
a late entry in the standards movement. The major benefit of standards is that they
set out clear expectations for all involved in the educational enterprise, including
parents. They provide a ‘common language’ for talking about the process of
teaching and learning. For students, they set clear performance expectations,
assisting them to understand what they should know and be able to do to meet
standards. For teachers and administrators, they provide guidelines for designing
instruction, curricula, assessment; set criteria for program excellence; for
promotion and career advancement.

In the US the Washington-based Center for Applied Linguistics under contract to

the TESOL organization undertook to develop the K-12 ‘school’ standards for
ESL. These were completed in 1997. The ESL standards are framed around three
goals and nine standards.

More recently the TESOL organization have developed the TESOL PreK -12
English Language Proficiency Standards Framework which presents 5 language
proficiency standards and reflects the competencies students need to master to be
successful in specific content areas.

The English language proficiency standards are as follows :

STANDARD 1 : English language learners communicate for social, intercultural

and instructional purposes within the school setting;

STANDARD 2 : English language learners communicate information, ideas,

concepts necessary for academic success in the area of language arts;

STANDARD 3 : English language learners communicate information, ideas,

concepts necessary for academic success in the area of mathematics;
STANDARD 4 : English language learners communicate information, ideas,
concepts necessary for academic success in the area of science;

STANDARD 5 : English language learners communicate information, ideas,

concepts necessary for academic success in the area of social studies.

The standards movement has sought to identify the characteristics of quality

language teaching and to use statements of standards as benchmarks that can be
used to assess the quality of language teaching programs. The standards movement
in itself does not represent a theory of language teaching, but like CBLT reflects a
skill-based approach to language learning. The standards movement is an
attempt to measure and quantify the learners’ mastery of discrete skills and
may combine with any approach that has as one of its components the ability
for skills to be measured. At the level of learner roles, learning strategies and
scaffolding may be involved. In this regard, the standards movement is a type of
competency-based learning : it coulds be said that only the specific skills to be
learned will be different. The procedure will vary according to the specific syllabus
of the program and teaching approach or method chosen.

3.CEFR ( Common European Framework of Reference)

The most influential example of an outcomes-and competency-based approach in

language teaching is the Common European Framework of Reference – a
framework for language teaching and assessment developed by the European
Council of Europe. The CEFR is often combined with Communicative Language
Teaching. CEFR was conceived not simply as a framework for the teaching of
English but in order to promote successful learning of languages within the
European community. The CEFR framework is built around statements of learning
outcomes at different levels of proficiency in relation to the skills of listening,
speaking, reading, writing. It describes six levels of achievement divided into three
broad categories, from lowest (A1) to highest (C2), which describe what a learner
should be able to do in listening, speaking, reading and writing at each level.

Basic user – A1, A2

Independent user – B1, B2

Proficient user – C1,C2

More popularly these six levels have been given the labels :
Mastery – C2 – can converse comfortably and appropriately, unhampered by any
linguistic limitations in conducting a full social and personal life;

Effective Operational Proficiency – C1 – can use language flexibly and

effectively for social purposes;

Vantage – B2 – can engage in extended conversation on most general topics in a

clearly participatory fashion, even in a noisy environment;

Threshold – B1 – can enter unprepared into conversations on familiar topics;

Waystage – A2 – can use simple everyday polite forms of greeting, can make and
respond to suggestions, can say what he/she likes and dislikes;

Breakthrough – A1 – can make an introduction and use basic greeting, can ask
how people are and react to news, can understand everyday expressions.

CEFR is also increasingly being used for the design of courses and published
materials. CEFR may be used in classrooms that have adopted an interactive,
sociocultural and skill-based approach to language learning. The CEFR does not
present a syllabus or procedure, nor does it specify roles for learners and teachers
or instructional materials.