Connect the components of CBE back to Essential Learning Questions

Video Transcription

In this tutorial, we'll examine the relationship between competency based education and the five essential learning questions.

We'll begin with a review of the five CBE design principles and a review of the five essential questions. And finally, we'll look at the connections between the two. Let's get started.

Let's begin with a summary of the five competency based education design principles, as identified at the 2011 iNACOL Summit.

First, students advance in their learning paths upon mastery of the current skill.

Second, learning objectives should be explicit and measurable. This helps students take ownership of their learning.

Next, assessment needs to be meaningful. Rather than being a frightening experience for students, it should be a positive learning experience that helps them grow.

Students should receive rapid, differentiated support if they are struggling along their learning paths.

And finally, the learning outcomes that are emphasized in CBE should include application and creation of new knowledge.

Next, let's recall the five essential learning questions, based on the work of the DuFours, who are perhaps best known for their work in the research and development of professional learning communities.

The first essential question asks, what do students need to know and what should students be able to do?

Next, how will I, as the teacher, help them get there?

How will I know if students are not making progress?

What will I do if they're not making progress along their learning paths?

And finally, what will I do if they already have demonstrated mastery of the current skill?

Now let's look at the connections between CBE and the essential learning questions. Here's the list of the five essential learning questions.

For question one, what do students need to know and be able to do, we can see a definite connection to the idea that learning objectives need to be standards-based, explicit, and measurable.

Learning question two, how will I help them get there? This is what we're thinking about when we help each student design his or her own unique learning plan.

Question three, how will I know if they are there? Assessment in CBE needs to be meaningful, so that we can have an accurate measure of whether or not students have mastered the current skill.

Question four, what will I do if they are not there? The design principles of CBE tell us that we need to offer timely, differentiated support if students are not making progress along their learning paths.

And finally, question five, what will I do if they are already there? The answer is clear in CBE. Upon mastery of the current skill, a student advances to the next skill on his or her learning path.

In this tutorial, we reviewed the five design principles of competency based education and the five essential learning questions, as outlined by the DuFours. Then we looked at the connections between CBE and the essential questions.

To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the Additional Resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.

Thanks for watching. Have a great day.