A Study On Teaching Practices With The Orientation Of Developing Learners’ Competencies

A STUDY ON TEACHING PRACTICES WITH THE ORIENTATION OF DEVELOPING LEARNERS’ COMPETENCIES Nguyen Van Hieu (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training) Abstract One of the essential orientations of building new curricula and textbooks in Vietnam is approaching learners’ competencies; therefore, teaching activities in general education schools will change radically in this direction The study used theoretical research methods to systematize, analyze, synthesize, compare and draw conclusio[.]

OF DEVELOPING LEARNERS’ COMPETENCIES

Nguyen Van Hieu

(Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training)

Abstract: One of the essential orientations of building new curricula and textbooks in Vietnam is approaching

learners’ competencies; therefore, teaching activities in general education schools will change radically in this direction The study used theoretical research methods to systematize, analyze, synthesize, compare and draw conclusions from the literature on education towards developing learners’ competencies globally and in Vietnam Following the study’s findings, there have been various studies around this issue; however, the research mainly goes into each element of the teaching process As a result, there is still a lack of a general, methodical, systematic, profound and comprehensive method with all the elements of the teaching process oriented towards developing learners’ competencies for an entire level of education in the general education system, especially at the lower secondary grade Moreover, the researchers have sought to draw out the overall process by illustrating examples

to improve each element of the teaching process in the direction of developing learners’ capability However, there has not been a relatively uniform process developed for teachers to apply in practical general school teaching The results of this study are the foundation for building a comprehensive theoretical framework for teaching in the direction of developing learners’ competencies suitable to Vietnamese practice This theoretical framework will help teachers and education administrators apply to teaching and management practices of high schools in the current context of educational innovation.

Keywords: teaching, competence, competency development, competency-based training, competency-based education.

1 INTRODUCTION

Implementing the Resolutions of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Decision of the Prime Minister of Vietnam, the General Education Program 2018 is built in the direction of developing the quality and capacity of students and creating a learning and training environment to help students: develop in harmony physically and mentally; become active and confident learners; know how to apply active learning methods to perfect their knowledge and skills; practice conscious career choice and lifelong learning; have the good qualities and necessary abilities to become a responsible citizen and a cultured, industrious, creative worker who meets the needs of personal development and the requirements

of developing and protecting the country in the era of globalization and the new industrial revolution (Ministry of Education and Training, 2018) Accordingly, the overall general education program and program of subjects were announced on December 26, 2018; simultaneously, the list of 1st, 2nd, and 6th-grade textbooks was also approved for teaching from the 2019-2020 school year Thus, one of the essential orientations of building new programs and textbooks is to approach learners’ competencies; Therefore, all teaching activities in high schools will have to change towards this approach fundamentally, which is an indispensable and urgent issue in the current period

Newly implemented programs and textbooks have encountered many difficulties, from management

to teaching activities in general education schools In particular, the quality of teachers has significantly affected the effectiveness of the program implementation because most of them are still familiar with the content-based teaching approach In order to successfully implement the new program, school administrators and teachers must fully and deeply understand “competency” and “teaching in the direction

of developing learner’s competencies (competency-based learning).” There have been many studies on teaching in developing learners’ competencies in Vietnam and around the world However, those studies are not highly systematic, complete, profound, and do not have a solid theoretical framework Therefore,

it is necessary to have an overview study to have a foundational overview to develop a theoretical framework of the problem that can be applied to practical research in a specific locality in Vietnam

2 METHODS

The authors utilized different theoretical research methods to systematize, analyze, synthesize, compare, and draw conclusions from research works on teaching to develop learners’ competence in the world and in Vietnam To obtain research materials, we searched and selected documents using a two-step process:

(1) Orientation to find the source material

Starting from the document overview content circuit, we format ideas, locate the document source and select the appropriate search engine References are usually available from sources such as: online libraries (books, magazines, audio-visual materials, state documents, theses, theses, ), document centers, and cabinets Specialized books, databases, network directories, search engines (Google, Google Scholar, Scirus); scientific publishers, material intermediaries (websites of scientific publishers that present their publications and distribute materials directly), encyclopedias, specialized glossaries industry, professional forums and websites, personal blogs and especially open sources (Open Access)

(2) Search and select the source material

We use two search methods: Searching information by network directory by category and sub-category, i.e users just need to click on the desired item, then a sub-sub-category, then a sub-sub-category, until you find a website that matches your search needs; or search by “keyword”, that is, type the word you are looking for in the search box, and the directory will perform a search in its entire content, including categories and descriptions (page name, web, summary ) Searching for information through information access machines on the Internet by Entering relevant keywords of the research into the access box; add quotes to collapse search results; add a hyphen before a word to remove them from the search list; in the keyword phrase, accompanied by the name or address of a web page containing similar content that the researcher already knows; Advanced search using specialized engines like Google Scholar

or Google Books

In order to evaluate and select the results, we based on the factors that determine the scientific value of the document such as the accuracy and scientific objectivity of the document; the information disclosure process is organized with strict scientific criticism; Reputation, scientific publishing experience

of the document issuer; Reputation, the scientific experience of the author

3 RESULTS

Education reform is an inevitable trend that is taking place in many countries and many different fields of education Education reforms are evident in the change in curriculum development, which

leads to a change in teaching methods Competency-based teaching is often used with other names as performance-based training or output-oriented teaching - a tool to implement output-driven education In competency-based teaching, teaching objectives are described through groups of learners’ competencies, and this is also the output or requirement to be achieved for learners, which is the issue of interest to researchers around the world and Vietnam

International literature review

The issue of teaching with the orientation of developing learners’ competencies has been researched and implemented early in various countries However, this approach was only formed and developed remarkably in the 1970s in the US, followed by England, Australia, New Zealand, Wales in the 1990s Studies often focus on the nature and model of teaching according to the competency-based approach Accordingly, to teach according to the competency approach, it is necessary to first identify the competencies with the outputs commonly considered the starting point, thereby determining the roles of the learners responsible for producing outputs This teaching model has been studied by many scientific disciplines and is very popular all over the world, with some prominent studies as follows: Elam (1971) has raised six foundational characteristics of performance-based training in the document “Performance-Based Teacher Education: What is the State of the Art?”: teaching is conducted based on performance and individual needs; the process can provide immediate learner feedback; performance competencies are determined based on work analysis; the program contains measurable goals and uses standards performance standards as a reference for performance evaluation

In the study “Handbook for Developing Competency-Based Training Programs,” William (1982) built learner competency profiles and developed tools to assess understanding knowledge and implementation and development of learning packages Accordingly, all teaching activities are aimed at developing learners’ capacity

Boyatzid (1982) and Whetten & Cameron (1995) both said that competency-based teaching needs

to deal with the following three aspects systematically: (i) identifying competencies, (ii) developing these competencies, and (iii) evaluating them objectively It can be seen that this is a teaching model

in which the first starting point is to determine the competency system applied for learners (access to output), from which to design content to develop each learner’s competencies Furthermore, following this direction, Richard and Rodger (2001) argued that the competency approach in teaching focuses on learners’ learning outcomes shall approach what learners are expected to do rather than what knowledge they must acquire This is also emphasized by Paprock (1996) when he argued that the competency approach was based on the learner-centered philosophy, which consisted of fulfilling the policy’s requirements, orientations the real-life; and proving to be flexible, dynamic, and clearly formed

When discussing vocational training according to the performance-based approach, Robert (1987) said that: “Some basic signs to identify a teaching method according to the performance-based approach are: The necessary performance-based competencies to equip learners should be clearly identified, evaluated and announced to learners before teaching; The standards and conditions for assessing academic achievement are specified and announced to learners before assessment.” According to this author in another study, the core content of the performance-based approach is output orientation, teaching and learning competencies, and performance assessment Vocational training follows a competency-based approach that is oriented and focused on the outputs of the training process, paying attention to how each learner can do something in a given professional situation according to the standards (Robert, 1997)

Thus, teaching activities here are associated with professional practice, not mere theoretical learning (access to content)

The steps of building educational programs of Wiggins and McTighe (1998) also clearly demonstrate teaching activities according to competency approach, specifically: 1) Determine the desired outcome (of the training/retraining course) with the question: “After finishing the course, what specific tasks can learners do?”; 2) Identify the corresponding expressions (learning results of learners at the end of the course) with the question: What must learners show in tests and assessments?”; 3) Design learning and teaching activities, with the question: “In order to do that test and assessment, what and how must learners learn?” As a result, this approach came from the learner, not the teacher, or to be precise; these educators wanted to align teaching with standards - encouraging the selection of goals and standards

as evidence for assessment right from the start of building a program These are the development requirements of the program according to the competency approach, and teaching activities must also follow this approach This method has resulted in increased practicality and better response to learners’ needs and society’s needs With the Education Reform Act of 1998 (http://www.Nc.uk.net - About the National Curriculum), the UK has developed an educational program aimed at helping students acquire, develop and apply knowledge and skills; while encouraging students to think creatively and critically

to solve problems; providing students with the opportunity to practice to become creative, resourceful, innovative people, to become good workers and citizens in the future… (Moon, 1998) It can be seen that the competency-based approach has been clearly demonstrated when the program’s goal is the output standard, with the indicators being the student’s competencies This is an educational “principle” that proved to be strong and coherent enough to identify and protect the core values of awareness and culture that students need to acquire At the same time, it is also sensible and flexible so that teachers can

be proactive in choosing different teaching methods to develop students’ abilities In the early years of the twenty-first century, EU countries discussed the concept of key competence and emphasized that the important goal of the European education system is to help young generations to succeed in the face of the challenges of the information society and derive maximum benefit from the opportunities that society creates Therefore, there is a need for a change in educational policy, a review of program content and teaching methods, and a need to pay attention to core competencies, namely life-oriented competencies with the goal of life-long active participation in society (as cited in Do, 2010a, 2010b, 2011)

Further findings into the analysis of the advantages of competency-based teaching compared to other approaches, author Kerka (2001) concludes that: (1) Competency-based teaching allows individualization

of learning: based on specific competency goals, learners will supplement their deficiencies to complete that goal; (2) Teaching according to competency approach with a focus on outputs; (3) Competency-based teaching creates flexibility for learners in achieving outcomes, in ways that are appropriate to individual characteristics and circumstances; (4) Teaching according to competency approach creates favorable conditions for assessment Weddel (2006) proposed a model of building educational programs according to the competency approach with the starting point of assessing learners’ needs, the tasks that learners have to perform in reality, from which to choose the required competencies and skills of learners after completing the course This is the basis for defining the course purpose and the objectives

of the specific lessons, as these goals and objectives are the basis for the performance assessment of learners’ competencies to achieve at the end of the course Reconciling the competencies of learners after the course with the identified initial output standards will be a necessary step for developing more and more complete programs and teaching methods to meet learners’ and society’s needs The above four components interact with each other, clearly showing which approach the program follows, the

teaching activities follow that approach Ananiadou and Claro (2009) emphasized the competencies that need to be formed in learners such as creativity/innovation; critical thinking; problem-solving; decision-making; continuing education; co-operation; information technology and media; research and Q&A; civil rights; flexibility and adaptability; productivity; leadership and responsibility These are competencies associated with real life According to Allan (2012), the selection of teaching content is often based on basic criteria such as the content must be meaningful to learners and society’s needs and interests; highly useful in learners’ lives; accurate and constantly updated; suitable to the cognitive and psychological development level of the learners; appropriate to the actual context of the educational environment, economic and social conditions of the country and the role of government This is considered a competency-based teaching model with a clear theoretical and practical basis with specific instructions

Thus, research around the world has focused on analyzing the role and importance of competency-based teaching and providing a teaching model to develop learners’ competencies In general, the proposed models follow a structure: starting from practice (learner needs), determining required capacity (output standards), determining resources and ways to create results those outputs assess the ability of learners to achieve However, there is a lack of research that goes into the design and organization of teaching and testing and assessment according to the learner’s ability approach

Literature review in Vietnam

In Vietnam, in the early stages of the educational reform process, education was considered only

as “the process of acquiring knowledge”; Therefore, the most important thing is the knowledge to be imparted, and the educational program is just an outline of the content of the knowledge to be taught

As a result, teachers also only need to find appropriate methods to convey that knowledge best, invisibly pushing learners into a passive position in receptivity Since 2000, the general education program has been renewed, leading to a change in the entire textbook for the high school This is the renewal of textbooks which is considered the “most methodical” since the August Revolution However, according

to the main content approach, the program is still heavily built on transmitting knowledge and basic skills, not focusing on helping students apply the knowledge they have learned in practice Although the general education objectives have mentioned some common competencies such as problem-solving, cooperation, creativity, the subject program has not yet described indicators and levels of need

to achieve specific competencies The requirements for recognition, understanding, application based

on the standardization of knowledge and skills have not been understood and expressed consistently between topics in the subject and between different subjects Some standards of knowledge and skills are not suitable with the general cognitive level of students and the objectives of the program of some subjects In this approach, knowledge is both the “material”/“input” and the “result”/”output” of the educational process Therefore, students have to learn and memorize a lot, but the ability to apply it to life is extremely limited (Ministry of Education and Training, 2013, 2014) Vietnamese educators have faced many difficulties in designing educational programs in the context of the rapidly increasing amount

of knowledge for each subject, including interdisciplinary knowledge; and educational managers, when evaluating educational programs, only limited to a few factors such as updating knowledge content feasibility, logic and pedagogy Therefore, to match the context, in recent years, there have been various research works towards building programs according to the learner’s competency approach and along with teaching activities according to this approach Even before the promulgation of Resolution No 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 (Central Executive Committee, 2013), along with studies on program

development according to the capacity approach, many works research has focused on teaching in the direction of capacity development from many different angles in order to concretize the program, because whatever approach the program follows, the teaching activities must follow that approach Research on the need to switch to competency-based education to train high-quality human resources, first of all, Nguyen (1996) with the topic “Access to competency-based vocational training implementation and development of professional standards” It can be considered that this is the first work that comprehensively studied the vocational training system according to competency implemented in Vietnam, contributing

to clarifying the theory and practice of the problem, especially the construction stages of the program and development of national vocational skills standards Despite not exactly aiming to develop learners’ competencies, author Thai (2001) has pointed out the importance of teaching methods in training people and the limitations of schools in using teaching methods; from which giving a perspective on innovative teaching methods, especially using active teaching methods in organizing teaching activities towards learners Nguyen (2006) also made the point that in the process of teaching, the subject must vividly and specifically express the ideas of the program, and at the same time must know how to design and organize the program’s spirit towards individual learners In the studies on building educational programs oriented towards the development of learners’ competencies, authors such as Do (2010a, 2010b, 2011), Luong (2011a, 2011b, 2011c), Cao (2011), Phan (2012), Nguyen (2013),… initially oriented the teaching method corresponding to the approach proposed by the program Accordingly, along with the change in the goals and contents of the program in the direction of developing learners’ competencies, the organization of teaching and assessment activities also changes in this direction In particular, on August 15-16, 2013, the Ministry of Education and Training (2013) held a scientific conference, “Some general issues on building general education programs after 2015”, which attracted the attendance of many participants of educational researchers and educational managers at all levels There have been nearly 50 reports that provided insights

on the viewpoints, goals, requirements, contents, methods, educational evaluation under the competency-based approach in different fields and subjects of the general education program after 2015

However, since Resolution No 29-NQ/TW was issued (November 4, 2013), the new educational administrators and scientists officially have a clear legal basis for organizing the implementation experiments Since then, the phrase “Teaching in the direction of quality and competence development”

is quite well-known and frequently repeated in professional activities at the general education school level Competency development-oriented teaching is one of the specific contents of the overall process

of radically and comprehensively renovating education and training at the general education level, which means gradually changing from a learning style that emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge to

a learning style that emphasizes the application of knowledge Many textbooks, topics, theses, scientific articles, etc have gone into each subject area at different levels and levels with research aimed at developing specific or general core competencies) for learners In general, the studies focus on changing the elements of the teaching process (objectives, methods, teaching content, testing and assessment, )

in the direction of developing learners’ competencies, with some studies are as follows:

- Studies on lesson design oriented to develop learners’ competencies:

According to T N Nguyen (2014), in order to design a teaching plan to develop students’ capacity, lecturers need to: (1) Identifying the objectives of the subject and the needs of the learners; (2) Analysing the course content and program; (3) Identifying knowledge related to the lesson; (4) Planning teaching methods and techniques to promote students’ capacity; (5) Preparing teaching aids

to suit the lesson; (6) Anticipating student activities that take place during the lesson Although not

recommending the process, Do et al (2015) have outlined the requirements of the lesson designed according to the competency approach, in which: Lesson objectives are oriented towards describing learning outcomes and expectations rather than the content of knowledge imparted by the teacher; The desired abilities/competencies formed in learners are clearly defined, observable and measurable, which are the standards for evaluating outcomes; Promote the interaction between teachers - students and between students - students; Create a friendly learning environment where students can feel comfortable, interested, confident; Emphasize on activities of inquiry, discovery, and experience, especially applying knowledge to solve real-life situations; Focus on developing higher-order thinking abilities; Emphasize

on self-learning activities through exploiting, searching and processing information; The teacher’s prominent role is to change learners; At the end of the lesson, students feel they have changed and know how to change/reinvent themselves… (p 12) Authors Le and Phan (2016) put the process of planning to develop learner’s capacity including the following steps: (1) Identifying the competencies to

be trained, define and describe the competencies structure ; (2) Identify the training object; (3) Identify the unit of knowledge to be applied as a capacity training tool for learners in teaching; (4) Developing

a process of competency-based training for learners in general education teaching In particular, for each active teaching method, the author also proposes a process to design teaching activities to form and develop students’ competencies According to Meier and Nguyen (2016), in competency-based teaching, changing the concept and way of building tasks and exercises plays an important role, that is, competency-based exercises The advantages of competency-based exercise are: (1) The focus is not

on individual components of knowledge or skills but the coordinated application of different individual achievements on the basis of learners acquiring a new issue; (2) This approach is not oriented towards abstract learning content, but always follows students’ life situations, “challenges in life.” Learning content is situational, contextual, and practical; (3) Competency-based teaching is stronger towards students and preconditions than content-based teaching (p 207) Meanwhile, Nguyen (2017) suggested concrete steps to design lessons, including (1) Selecting the problem of the lesson and determining the objectives of the lesson according to the requirements of competencies development; (2) Selecting the core teaching content for the lesson in order to meet the requirements for competencies development; (3) Designing learning activities to convey the core content (in class, at home); (4) Designing questions/ exercises suitable to the requirements to be achieved in terms of competence at each level, designing a converging tool to evaluate learning results in the process; (5) Making adjustments in the lesson after the students have completed the lesson (in class, at home) Going into specific competencies, author Quach (2019) proposed a process of designing teaching plans in the direction of developing creative competencies for students, including the following steps: (1) Determining the goal of the lesson learned; (2) Choosing teaching methods; (3) Teacher and student preparation; (4) Designing activities of teachers and students; (5) Evaluation and learning from experience In addition, Doan (2017) also introduced and analyzed teachers’ skills in designing lesson plans to develop learners’ competencies, including goal writing skills, skills in identifying activities, and teaching methods

In general, these studies are in-depth, step-by-step analyses with specific examples in each field/ subject, as well as recommending the skills that teachers need to design lessons that can fully target the development of learners’ competencies However, the theoretical issue (process) has not been concretized

in teaching practice, or theory has not yet been associated with the practice Therefore, more research is needed on lesson design in the direction of developing learners’ competencies

- Studies on the organization of teaching activities in the direction of developing learners’ competencies

In the study “Teaching in the direction of developing learners’ competencies in natural - social

subjects in primary school,” Duong (2014) presented a way to organize teaching with examples The aim is

to develop creative, functional, and practical applications in teaching natural and social subjects in primary

school Dang and Nguyen (2014), with “Organization of teaching for the comprehensive development of

competencies for the young generation,” proposed three primary activities in schools to develop three core

competencies for students: cognitive activities, exchange activities, and practice improvement activities;

At the same time, some approaches were proposed to help students understand “what to learn for - what to learn,” learners must master “how to learn,” that is, to organize their learning effectively to have actual and sustainable competencies However, according to T N Nguyen (2014), whether or not the teaching time can promote learners’ competencies depends on the teaching organization of the teachers, so the organization

of teaching for learners needs to be organized in a detailed script by the teacher before going to class, as well as having to practice some skills by themselves such as: Understanding the subject’s qualifications, capacity, individual circumstances, needs, interests; organize and guide learning activities for learners; handle situations arising during teaching hours; assign learning tasks, give feedback to learners; using teaching aids… (p 43)

According to Le and Phan (2016), in order to organize the formation and development of students’ competencies in teaching, it is necessary to apply active teaching methods such as problem-solving, projects, case exercises, discovery teaching, group teaching; as well as active teaching techniques such as brainstorming, tablecloths, puzzle pieces, XYZ, mind maps, lightning bolts, fish tanks, ball bearings; and a variety of teaching methods and media The author also proposed the teaching process and illustrative examples for each of these teaching methods

When teaching in the direction of developing performance competencies, teachers must innovate teaching methods in a positive direction This innovation is reflected in the following four fundamental characteristics: (1) the teacher is the one who organizes and directs learners to conduct learning activities such as observation, discussion, experiment so that learners can promote their creative potential, and

at the same time can creatively apply known knowledge in learning or practical situations; (2) Focus

on training learners with methodological knowledge so that they know how to self-study; (3) Enhance the coordination of individual learning with cooperative learning under the motto of enabling learners

to think more, do and discuss more; (4) Focus on assessing learning outcomes according to lesson objectives throughout the teaching process, developing learners’ self-assessment and mutual assessment skills (Le, 2016) In terms of teaching organization, teachers must also have skills in using teaching methods, communication skills, language use, and pedagogical situation handling skills (Doan, 2017) According to the definition, in the study “Organizing teaching according to the orientation of competency development for pedagogical students in current educational innovation”, Nguyen (2019) analyzed the concept, characteristics, and teaching methods in the direction of developing learners’ competencies At the same time, the study provided some necessary competencies to carry out teaching

in the direction of competency development, some methods of organizing teaching in the direction of competency development for pedagogical students (problem raising and solving teaching organization, project-based teaching organization, micro-level teaching organization), with each method processed by the author with detailed and specific steps

In general, the researchers focused on innovating the way teaching is organized with methods, measures, and techniques towards developing specific competencies; in which, the authors also mention the skills of organizing teaching activities in the direction of developing learners’ competencies

- Studies on testing and assessment in the direction of developing learners’ competencies

Author T N Nguyen (2014) observed that in the past, it was often only focused on testing and evaluating learners’ knowledge, but not testing and assessing learners’ competencies; thereby comparing the purpose of the assessment according to the content approach and the competency approach (p 43)

Vu (2015) also affirmed that the development of integrated standards, criteria, and assessment forms

is the preferred trend in assessing students’ learning outcomes according to the competency approach Evaluating student learning outcomes is the process completed by lecturers during the teaching process

in order to make appropriate decisions to support and encourage students promptly Therefore, the tendency to shift from evaluating the final results to evaluating the whole learning process is the choice

of teaching according to the competency approach

According to B N T Nguyen (2014), the assessment of students’ competencies is the assessment

of the ability to apply, perform specific and practical tasks and develop higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) of students, not only limiting to the level of separate assessment of knowledge, skills, and attitudes H T Nguyen (2014) proposed that teachers must evaluate in many forms and through many tools to assess students’ ability to meet the requirements Thus, assessing students in the direction of competencies development is the assessment of the ability to synthesize knowledge, skills, and attitudes to perform a learning task associated with the actual context Nguyen et al (2016) asserted that competency assessment is a particular form of student assessment, with three primary characteristics: (1) The evidence to be collected must be provable, where learners can follow specific criteria and standards; (2) The assessment method comes from the behavioral criteria of the competency standard; (3) The assessment results must help the evaluator to identify the student’s position on the path of competency development and plan pedagogical interventions that can improve the learner’s competencies (p 197)

In their research, authors Le and Phan (2016) thoroughly presented and analyzed the concepts, roles, characteristics, classification, testing, and assessment of learners’ competencies; from there, giving the process, criteria, tools, and development path to evaluate learners in the direction of competency formation and development This is a reasonably complete, comprehensive, and profound study, providing teachers and administrators with theoretical and practical issues in the current educational reform context

According to Doan (2017), in competency development oriented teaching, teachers guide students

to develop self-assessment skills to self-regulate their learning, creating favorable conditions for students

to learn and participate in the mutual assessment Accurate self-assessment and timely adjustment

of activities are essential competencies for success in life that schools must equip students with The examination and assessment of students’ learning results are based on the learning process, not just on the content of a subject or lesson Therefore, the combination of the teacher’s assessment, the student’s assessment, and the self-assessment can adequately identify the student’s learning activities and the teacher’s teaching activities (p 101)

Thus, in parallel with the research on innovation in lesson design, organization of teaching activities

in developing learners’ competencies, the testing and evaluation stage is also an area of interest for researchers As these three stages have a close relationship, they support each other in the teaching process In general, the studies focus on forms, criteria, and assessment tools for learning activities to develop learners’ competencies

IV CONCLUSION

On the basis of an overview of research works in the world and Vietnam on teaching in the direction

of developing learners’ competencies, we draw out some outstanding issues as a basis for further studies

as follows: (1) As the researches mainly delve into each element of the teaching process; there is a lack of research in a general, methodical, systematic, profound and comprehensive manner with all the elements

of the teaching process oriented towards the development of learners’ qualities and competencies (objectives, content, methods, forms, testing, assessment, facilities and equipment for teaching activities) for a whole school level at the general education system, especially at the lower secondary level; (2) The studies all seek to process and give examples to illustrate the process to improve the effectiveness

of each element of the teaching process in the direction of developing learners’ competencies However, there is still no relatively unified process for teachers to apply in general education school teaching This study will synthesize and generalize to present the most common problems to help both teachers and administrators in the general education system to have better management measures to achieve the goal

of developing students’ competencies

The above research results are the basis for building a theoretical framework of teaching in the direction of developing learners’ competencies in the most comprehensive terms suitable to Vietnamese practice This theoretical framework will help teachers and education administrators apply to teaching and management practices in each general education school in the current context of educational innovation

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