Isn't teaching for excellence better than teaching for competence?

1. 86

   Docmoposted 14 years ago

   Isn't teaching for excellence better than teaching for competence?
   
   Is the target driven culture and the quest for getting everyone to pass assessments pushing teachers to teach just for competence?  Is their enough passion to teach excellence?
   
   

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2. 72

   Vishaaaposted 14 years ago

   Yes you are right. Fortunately all my teachers didn't drive me to focus on a target or try to compete. They always tried to teach me what I should know exactly in the subject as well as made me search what I could add for that.
   
   I love them.

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3. 66

   ThunderKeysposted 14 years ago

   Teaching for fluency is the ultimate way to teach for competence and excellence. The best way to do this through a fully implemented direct instruction framework.

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4. 60

   Pierre Savoieposted 14 years ago

   Teachers who don't want to do the effort to reform education, who don't want to let go of their fat-cat unions, always start shifting targets from the concrete to the abstract.  "Teaching excellence" is vague, but education is failing at the basics, like teaching how to read and write at a competent level.  Ironically, getting kids to master their own language was a source of PRIDE, but  now nationalism is a dirty word and we are leaving the unhealthy impression that they can text-message on their phones any way they want and that's communication.  No way!  Teacher education has fallen under neglect, we NEED nuts and bolts targets and we need them fast before the Western World goes out of business.

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5. 61

   Middlespecialistposted 14 years ago

   The answer is that they should be teaching for excellence, but that the public education system does not reward it.  Competence is defined as the ability to pass a paper and pencil test, which is not really a good assessment of employability.  Employability should be the number one goal of public education (there are other goals as well). 
   
   Teachers spend most of their time coaching students to pass those tests.  More and more they are becoming test technicians. Teachers with passion will have to find another way to express it.  There is little room for it in today's classrooms.

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6. 70

   onegoodwomanposted 14 years ago

   Before execellance comes competance.
   
   
   The teachers' hands are tied by so many factors, rules, laws, restrictions.  Teachers have become an easy target.  If you desire excellence, put it on the backs of the students.

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7. 59

   Joan1posted 14 years ago

   I fully agree with middlespecialist.
   
   Nowadays the teachers job is to pass a set bar.
   It has nothing to do with readying you for employment.
   They don't care what the students strengths and weakness is.
   Everyone is treated as they are the same.
   
   So even to say that they are teached for competence is in most cases not really true.

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8. 63

   Dennis AuBuchonposted 13 years ago

   Teaching for excellence will result in competence.  Excellence is a high level evaluation of an individual in our education system.  You cannont have excellence without having competence.  These two terms are interrelated.  You can have competence but excellence may not be reached dependent upon the level of competence attained.
   
   It is true that our educational system is being evaluated on the bases of test results students achieve in a given educational institution.  Test results do not reflect whether a student has competence or excellence only that tests have been passed.
   
   I believe teachers should strive for excellence from their students but pointing out the fact than not achieving it does not mean you are not competent.  Students must be given the right perspective as this is important when they enter society looking for jobs.  They must feel competent that they can meet the criteria fo today's job market with the subjects they are now being taught.
   
   Great question

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9. 71

   iviskeiposted 13 years ago

   Teachers should teach for excellence, but because of state testing and school requirements, they often just try to get by on competency. They hold back students who are already competent, and force students who aren't competent to keep up even if they aren't retaining anything.

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10. 69

    sofsposted 13 years ago

    Is Education for excellence even a reality in the current scenario? Are teachers, students and the educational system geared towards excellence in education .. here is why they are not.. read more

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