{"id":5026,"date":"2018-07-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/summer-reading-on-competency-based-education\/"},"modified":"2020-02-05T13:05:58","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T18:05:58","slug":"summer-reading-on-competency-based-education","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/summer-reading-on-competency-based-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Reading on Competency-Based Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Is it summer yet? It feels like the rate of districts turning to competency-based education is increasing (I just returned from a meeting in Michigan where I learned of at least eight districts advancing toward a competency-based system), and certainly our rate of learning is. Although I actually hope that everyone disconnect for a few weeks during the summer and not think about competency education, I did promise to provide an updated summer reading list. I\u2019ve organized the list into categories: learning sciences; for newbies seeking to understand what competency education is; building commitment; preparing for implementation; and thinking ahead on the issues and challenges in the field of competency-based education.<\/p>\n

For Everyone: Let\u2019s Become Experts on the Learning Sciences<\/strong><\/p>\n

The more I delve into the learning sciences (I\u2019m in my third\u00a0year and just starting to feel that I know enough to be able to critique, question, and apply it), the more I realize that it might be a valuable entry point into the process of challenging the underlying beliefs upon which the traditional system rests. We created a summary of some of research informing competency-based education<\/a> in Levers and Logic Models<\/a>. However, my recommendation is to take the time to read NeuroTeach<\/a>. It is structured to help you become conscious of the practices aligned with mind, brain, and education (MBE) research.<\/p>\n

I also recommend that everyone become familiar with the framework of Building Blocks for Learning<\/a> (I think this will become a common language before long). It organizes the skills and mindsets for healthy development, school readiness, mindsets for self and school, perseverance, and independence and sustainability into one framework. These are the skills and mindsets that we need to develop for students to take ownership and be advocates for their education. These are the skills for lifelong learning. These are the skills for making a successful transition to adulthood. You might want to start with the white paper<\/a>. However, I think anyone who considers themselves a leader in a district or school or in the field of competency-based education should become familiar with the research in the two papers upon which Building Blocks for Learning is based:<\/p>\n