European International Journal of Pedagogics
38
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
38-43
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
03 January 2025
ACCEPTED
05 February 2025
PUBLISHED
11 March 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue03 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Competency-Based
Approach in Professional
Development of Educators
Fayzullaeva Zulfizar
Asian University of Technologies, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
The development of the modern knowledge
society demands continuous improvement and
enhancement of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of
educators. A highly relevant approach in education
today is the competency-based approach, which aims at
the creative and effective development of pedagogical
mastery within the framework of professional
development. For educators, an individual trajectory of
competency development becomes crucial. This
depends on their field of activity, personal preferences,
and modern innovations. The article presents and
analyzes the system of competencies for language
instructors that contribute to the effective construction
of the educational process in universities and the
acquisition of relevant experience by students.
Keywords:
Innovations, competencies, competency-
based approach, philological disciplines.
Introduction:
One of the main trends in the
development of education in the 21st century is the
formation of a knowledge society, where acquiring and
processing new information, increasing professional
skills, and social integration are the ways to economic,
social, cultural, and democratic development. The key
task of education in this society is to teach individuals
how to learn, not only for a specific period but
continuously throughout their lives. The term "finished
education" is not relevant in a knowledge society, as a
modern specialist must constantly acquire new skills
and improve existing ones, attending various courses
and training aimed at enhancing competencies. We
support the opinion of O. Vladislavlev [1], who states
that "the higher the educational level of people, the
more actively they strive to continue their education."
Moreover, education not only satisfies and develops the
professional and spiritual needs of specialists but also
stimulates the development of new ones.
Thus, in the field of education, there is a tendency of
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European International Journal of Pedagogics
increasing educational needs, which becomes a
powerful mechanism for the development of the
postgraduate education system as a whole and
professional development in particular.
The conceptual idea of this approach is to replace
traditional reproductive education with creative
education, which will contribute to the acquisition of
knowledge, skills, personal development, the
formation of a system of socio-cultural needs, self-
realization, and self-improvement. By competence, we
mean the ability to adequately and quickly integrate
and mobilize the necessary knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and values to effectively (i.e., with ease,
accuracy, and adaptability) solve a professional
practice problem in a specific context and in a complex
situation typical for educators. Mastery of certain
competencies helps eliminate contradictions between
theoretical knowledge and practical activity. Given
this, mastering the correct combination of
competencies and choosing one's development
trajectory allows an individual to achieve professional
and social realization.
The update of educational content and the
development of new state standards are inseparably
connected with the competency-based approach to
the professional development of teachers. To be
competent, in our opinion, means to simultaneously,
comprehensively, and holistically mobilize knowledge,
skills, and motivations in a specific situation in
accordance with the context. Taking this into account,
it is necessary to define the circle of competencies that
a modern teacher of philological disciplines should
possess.
A significant number of scholars have studied various
problems related to the professional development of
teachers: L. Bezglasnaya, V. Titarenko, V. Demidenko
focused on the content characteristics of key teacher
competencies; A. Bodalev, K. Danilova, V. Oleinik, I.
Lerner, A. Markova, M. Skatkin dedicated their works
to analyzing the development of professional
competencies of educators within the framework of
methodological work.
It is important to note that the problem of developing
the competencies of philology teachers within the
system of professional development has not been
sufficiently addressed, which has determined the
choice of the topic of this study.
The goal of this article is to develop the main directions
for improving the qualifications of teachers of
philological disciplines based on the competency-
based approach.
MAIN PART
The professional development plan for language and
literature teachers involves identifying the key
components of the teacher's personality model.
This refers to both the general and professional
competencies of teachers (see Figure 1). We consider
them from the perspective of the modern teacher's
activities and the area of its implementation.
General competencies refer to those that apply to every
teacher. Subject-specific or professional competencies
refer exclusively to the professional competencies in a
particular field. In our opinion, it is the combination of
competencies of the teacher, as presented in Figure 1,
that will contribute to the development of
corresponding competencies in the participants of the
educational process. It should be noted that the existing
competency system must be updated according to the
personality of each teacher of philological disciplines, as
this depends on the professional interests of the
teacher.
Let’s start by analyzing the key competencies of
teachers of philological disciplines. These include:
- Methodological (lingvodidactic) competence
–
This
refers to the ability to plan and organize an innovative
educational process, the ability to plan and evaluate its
implementation. This competence is used by the
teacher in the following ways: developing educational
programs and teaching strategies that promote the
effective flow of the learning process, creatively solving
tasks; choosing innovative forms and methods of
teaching; using didactic materials that help teach and
knowledge that promotes students' experience, helping
them understand specific subject concepts, research,
collaborate, discuss, etc.
- Management competence
–
This refers to the ability to
use a wide range of strategies to organize a student
audience and contribute to their learning and
education. Classroom management strives to build
relationships with students on a basis of trust; dynamic
management of the teacher with the group or small
groups of participants in the educational process helps
to optimally overcome conflicts; adapting the teacher's
practice to the characteristics of the audience, the
learning situation to create opportunities for learning
and internal motivation of students; organizing space,
time, and the educational collective for successful
learning, interaction, and communication; analyzing the
choice of the optimal organizational-didactic system.
- Monitoring competence
–
This is the ability to assess
the results of students' academic activities in
accordance with regulatory requirements with the aim
of improving the educational process and one's own
pedagogical activity. Competence is realized by using
various assessment methods, strategies, and tools for
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improving the ways of acquiring knowledge; adapting
assessment methods to the individual characteristics
of each student; informing parents about the results
and progress of students' academic activities, as well
as the difficulties they encounter in the learning
process.
•
Inclusive competence
–
This refers to the
ability to pay attention to the special needs of students
with physical and mental development challenges,
ensuring equality among students during the
educational process. This competence focuses on using
various educational and sociological strategies to
prevent the isolation and discrimination of students,
ensuring equal opportunities for all students;
regulating educational actions aimed at overcoming
learning barriers and promoting self-education;
identifying and supporting students facing behavioral,
emotional, or socio-economic difficulties, and
collaborating
with
government
services
and
professionals to support specific educational needs.
•
Social competence
–
This is the ability to
establish effective relationships with parents,
collaborate with colleagues, and engage with other
public institutions. The teacher's social openness helps
establish a partnership with parents when making
decisions about their children's success and well-being;
developing professional collaboration with colleagues
(sharing knowledge and pedagogical experience), the
ability to work in a team, and seek professional support
when needed; collaborating with community
organizations to promote the educational goals of
students, and so on.
•
Reflective competence
–
This refers to the
ability for professional self-reflection and continuous
professional
development
during
pedagogical
activities. This competence is aimed at analysis, self-
assessment, and feedback from colleagues regarding
the teacher’s professionalism, improvement, and
development. During their work, the teacher engages
in self-reflection, identifies their learning needs,
analyzes, evaluates, and plans their career, self-
regulates the continuous deepening of pedagogical
and professional knowledge, skills, and abilities,
conducts innovative research, and develops projects
related to educational activities.
•
Information and communication competence
–
This refers to the ability to use information and
communication technologies, as well as social
networks, to form skills in effective communication
and information exchange (knowledge sharing).
Educators implement this competence by selecting
necessary ICT tools in line with educational goals,
ethically and safely using social networks in
educational activities as a managed system for
obtaining and transmitting information, and promoting
knowledge
acquisition
among
students
using
information and communication technologies.
•
Linguistic competence
–
This refers to the ability
to apply knowledge of language (morphology, syntax,
text style, and speech culture) and its norms, the ability
to operate linguistic knowledge in professional
activities, analyze basic linguistic processes, and so on.
•
Literary competence
–
This refers to knowledge
of the history and patterns of literary development, the
ability to understand both the hidden and explicit
meanings of words in a text, the ability to demonstrate
knowledge through quoting and summarizing, the
ability to distinguish values and perspectives expressed
in works of art, the ability to relate the text to external
paradigms, such as history or society, develop students'
linguistic abilities, creativity in perception, the ability to
recognize the leitmotifs of a text, plot, and so on.
- Cultural competence
–
This is the ability to mobilize
intercultural interaction in one's own pedagogical
activities, to differentiate and critically evaluate another
language culture, and to demonstrate tolerance in an
intercultural
professional
environment.
This
competence helps to form a humanistic worldview, an
understanding of national traditions, realities, customs,
and spiritual values; it also helps to develop effective
communication skills, engage in discussions, and share
ideas.
- Research competence
–
This is a comprehensive
personal-professional quality of a specialist that reflects
the motivation for scientific inquiry, mastery of the
methodology of pedagogical research, and the personal
qualities of the researcher, such as unconventional
thinking, the ability to approach problems creatively
and innovatively.
- Lifelong learning
–
This competence is related to self-
organization in learning, motivation to continuously
acquire new knowledge, and the implementation of
innovative methods in practice. It also includes the
ability to independently search for and assess the
educational and scientific significance of information,
and more.
- Innovative and creative competence
–
This refers to
the ability to generate original ideas, solve learning
situations quickly, think flexibly, and break free from
professional activity templates.
Thus, the competencies analyzed above form a unique
system of knowledge, skills, and abilities that a modern
teacher of philological disciplines should possess. The
development of teacher competencies in the process of
professional growth facilitates the acquisition of new
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information in the field of subject teaching
methodologies, the development of models for solving
learning situations, and the effective engagement of
students in acquiring knowledge, independent search,
and forming their own relevant competencies.
RESULTS
The acquisition of new information is facilitated by
various forms of learning, which should focus not on
passive information acquisition, but on active
interaction and the practical development of the
teacher's professional skills.
The most popular forms of learning today include
interactive lectures, seminars, independent work,
workshops, training sessions, conferences, webinars,
and round tables. Let us analyze the appropriateness
of using these learning formats for professional
development.
Lectures remain an immensely popular form of
learning in formal education. In adult education,
students are taught interactive lectures instead of
traditional ones that are purely informational. A
positive aspect of such a lecture is that it allows for the
integration of collective knowledge and experience,
broadens the perspectives of the participants, deepens
the understanding of the problem, and defines the
content and pacing of the material delivery according
to the audience’s specific nee
ds.
Preparing such lectures is a painstaking process. Based
on the topic, the lecturer chooses a problematic issue
that the listeners are somewhat familiar with,
identifies new ways to solve it, and forecasts potential
discussions that may arise during the acquisition of
new knowledge. An interactive lecture should be
closely aligned with the students' needs, enriched not
only with new information but also with examples, and
encourage the exchange of experiences, development
of analytical thinking, and personal approaches and
evaluations of professional situations.
The main features of professional communication
between the teacher and students in professional
development courses during an interactive lecture are:
the teacher acts as a conversational partner, striving to
share knowledge and experience; the teacher is
interested in forming judgments among the students;
the lecture is structured around comparing different
perspectives on solving educational problems,
revealing the essence of conflict resolution; during the
presentation of the material, the teacher asks
questions, provides answers, encourages students to
reflect and find possible solutions, and so on.
A popular form of learning today is also the seminar,
which aims to delve into significant and typical
problems of professional activity. The effectiveness of
seminar sessions lies in the following aspects: focusing
attention only on specific, core issues of the topic;
creating an atmosphere of free expression of thoughts,
overcoming the fear of making mistakes when
discussing any issue; developing the ability to argue
one's point of view by supporting it with facts; applying
theory to practice when solving situational tasks.
There are many types of seminars that should be used
during teacher training courses. In our view, the most
effective are: seminar-discussion, seminar-action-game,
research seminar, case-seminar, etc. The seminar-
discussion is aimed at discussing urgent educational
issues that concern teachers and contributes to the
development of a general direction for implementing
new principles of educational reform. This type of
seminar allows us to identify gaps in the understanding
of how the educational process works in schools
between scholars and practicing teachers, who, due to
their experience, can warn against potential problems
that may arise from the introduction of theoretical
knowledge, developments in events, and provide
recommendations on how to avoid them.
The practical game-action seminar involves recreating
any pedagogical situation presented by the teacher
through psychological role reorientation. This helps
activate the thinking activity of teachers, practice non-
standard
educational
situations,
overcome
communication barriers that arise in groups of
unfamiliar people, and develop creativity.
Another widely used method today is case study, which
involves a comprehensive analysis of a professional-
pedagogical situation, discussed during an open
discussion, and helps develop decision-making skills
among case study participants.
The advantages of this method include its close
alignment with the realities of a teacher’s practical
activities, the development of the ability to
independently and creatively solve situations, and the
skill of analyzing and testing one's own views and
actions. Case studies differ from seminars and practical
sessions primarily in the number of alternative ways to
solve a problem and the variety of skills developed.
The main requirements for the content of the case
include the presence of: information and a clear
description of events that allow for a comprehensive
evaluation of the behavior of both the teacher and the
students in circumstances that are close to reality; a
problem situation that suggests multiple solutions and
makes even experienced practitioners think; goals that
are achieved through discussion and the analysis of the
proposed situation under the guidance of the teacher.
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With the help of cloud technologies, participants in
professional development courses can familiarize
themselves with individual topics related to their
professional field, complete individual assignments
with a practical focus, write their diploma work, and
pass ongoing assessments.
In European countries, project-based technologies in
the context of independent work are given significant
attention. In our view, this type of activity allows
teachers to develop their creative and innovative
abilities. It is advisable to use different types of
projects, specifically: research projects
–
which have
the structure of a scientific study aimed at analyzing a
specific pedagogical problem; informational projects
–
gathering and processing information on a relevant
topic and presenting the results; creative projects
–
writing various genres of written work, creating films
or trailers, filming a lesson, etc.; role-playing
–
demonstrating written performance, and so on. The
successful implementation of these projects is based
on the educational institution's focus on the interests
and needs of the teacher, who is capable of creating an
original educational product that can be used in
professional practice. The public orientation and use of
the final product become the driving force behind the
creative work through the search and research
problem-solving process. Therefore, independent
work is aimed at deepening knowledge and improving
the qualifications of experienced educators. A
systematic combination of theoretical material,
research work, and assessment of results contributes
to updating the content and forms of education and
training for youth, as well as critically analyzing the
innovative courses offered by the instructor.
Master classes are a short-term form of professional
development for teachers. They are an effective way
to enhance a teacher’s professional skills through t
he
exchange of experience, teaching methods, and
creative practices. The advantages of master classes
include: practical focus; interactive interaction
between participants; and active independent work by
teachers. A master class consists of four stages:
receiving new information, assimilating it, applying it
practically, and reflection. In the first stage, the teacher
presents their pedagogical experience on a chosen
topic. In the second stage, participants take on the role
of students, assimilating the information received. In
the next stage, the teachers are divided into groups
and develop their own lessons or their elements
related to the topic. The final stage is focused on
reflection, analysis of the acquired knowledge, and the
possibility of applying it in their own professional
practice.
CONCLUSION
Recent advancements in science have confirmed that
more and more new discoveries, technologies, and
progressive ideas depend on the intellectual potential of
humans. The development and enrichment of human
capital is a priority task for any developed country
aiming to take a leading position in the world, build a
civil society capable of solving global human challenges,
such as environmental pollution, the fight against
incurable diseases, the depletion of life-sustaining
resources, and so on, with its intellectual capacity,
creativity, and perseverance.
Undoubtedly, lifelong learning is the driving force that
can contribute to the economic growth and
development of a country. New demands on the
education system, the creation of personalized
educational environments, affect the pedagogical
preparation of teachers. The teacher plays a leading role
in shaping the personality. They are capable of
unlocking the creative potential of students, organizing
interactive learning, increasing student interest in the
subject, demonstrating the practical application of
knowledge, and developing students' skills.
Given the new social demands on the teaching
profession, it is essential to focus on teacher
professional development courses, which are now built
on a competency-based approach. We have identified
that the key competencies for teachers of philological
disciplines that need to be developed include general
competencies (management, monitoring, inclusive,
social, reflective, informational-communicative, ethical,
communicative, creative, research, lifelong learning)
and subject-specific competencies (methodological,
literary, cultural, philological, etc.).
The content of training programs facilitates the
development of these competencies, which, in our view,
should not only address innovative teaching methods
but also incorporate the latest technologies to make the
educational process modern, interesting, and diverse.
We believe the most productive forms of course
organization for teachers of philological disciplines
include interactive lectures, seminar discussions,
educational role-playing seminars, research seminars,
case seminars, master classes, workshops, etc. Thus, the
variety of forms for organizing and acquiring knowledge,
as well as the ability of teachers to choose appropriate
educational modules and institutions for professional
development, all contribute to developing professional
skills, mastering innovative technologies, and applying
them in practice, thus educating and nurturing an
intellectually rich human capital.
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