Over-Tested and Under-Prepared Using Competency Based Learning to Transform Our Schools

The curriculum-driven instructional model has been the standard method of teaching for more than a century, but it is consistently failing to produce well-educated citizens and lifelong learners. Pressured by standardized testing and rigid pacing guidelines, teachers are forced to cover too much content too quickly, without being able to meet the needs of individual students. In this powerful new book from acclaimed author and speaker Bob Sornson, you?ll learn how shifting from curriculum-based instruction to competency based learning can help students become more successful, confident, and engaged learners. Topics include:

• Understanding the curriculum-driven model and the problems with "cover and sort" methodology;
• Making the transition from curriculum-driven to competency based learning;
• Identifying crucial learning outcomes and giving students all the time and instruction needed to fully master these outcomes;
• Building a positive teaching and learning environment;
• And more!

Each chapter is short and easy to digest, and provides compelling research, strategies, and anecdotes to inspire conversation and action. Teachers, administrators, and community leaders will all find helpful resources and arguments for re-working our current educational system into a new, dynamic model of teaching and learning.

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Reader’s Guide

Introduction

1. Looking Back, A Parent’s Remembrance

2. Informed Instruction Leads to Competency, Part One

3. The Curriculum Driven Model

4. Standardized Delivery of Instruction

5. Failing to Meet Society’s Learning Needs

6. Making the Case for Change

7. Giving up Unproductive Mental Models

8. When Coverage is Enough

9. Personalized Learning and Competency

10. Principles of Instruction Leading to Competency

11. Teaching Differently

12. Identifying Crucial Outcomes

13. Planning Instruction to Meet Students’ Needs

14. Self-regulation and Intrinsic Motivation

15. Building a Positive Environment for Learning

16. Creating a Learning Organizational Culture

17. Learning for Understanding and Application

18. Masters of the Trade: Game Designers

19. State Competency Based Learning Initiatives

20. Competency Based Learning in Post-secondary Education

21. Competency Based Learning in Secondary Schools

22. Competency Based Learning in Elementary and Pre-schools

23. Teacher Education: Building Pathways to Skills That Matter

24. Distracted by the Debate Over What to Cover

25. Defending Curriculum Driven Instruction

26. Transitioning from Curriculum Driven to Competency Based Learning

27. Informed Instruction Leads to Competency, Part Two

28. Conclusion: The Spirit of Transformation

Appendix 1: Organizational Self-Assessment for Readiness to Implement Competency Based Learning

Appendix 2: Resources for the Further Study of Competency Based Learning

Study Guide

References

Bob Sornson is the founder of the Early Learning Foundation and is a former classroom teacher and school administrator. He works with schools and education organizations across the country, focusing primarily on developing comprehensive programs that support early learning success.