Core competencies for pain management: results of an interprofessional consensus summit.

ObjectiveThe objective of this project was to develop core competencies in pain assessment and management for prelicensure health professional education. Such core pain competencies common to all prelicensure health professionals have not been previously reported.MethodsAn interprofessional executive committee led a consensus-building process to develop the core competencies. An in-depth literature review was conducted followed by engagement of an interprofessional Competency Advisory Committee to critique competencies through an iterative process. A 2-day summit was held so that consensus could be reached.ResultsThe consensus-derived competencies were categorized within four domains: multidimensional nature of pain, pain assessment and measurement, management of pain, and context of pain management. These domains address the fundamental concepts and complexity of pain; how pain is observed and assessed; collaborative approaches to treatment options; and application of competencies across the life span in the context of various settings, populations, and care team models. A set of values and guiding principles are embedded within each domain.ConclusionsThese competencies can serve as a foundation for developing, defining, and revising curricula and as a resource for the creation of learning activities across health professions designed to advance care that effectively responds to pain

Connecting key competencies and social inquiry in primary social studies pedagogy: initial teacher education students' planning decisions and reflections.

Over 2007-2009 we have worked with the national curriculum's key competencies to establish their place and purpose in the social sciences learning area. As a result, our initial teacher education (ITE) primary social studies programmes involve pedagogy that conceives key competencies as analogous to social inquiry thinking and skills processes. Our team was keen to research ways ITE students identify and embed key competencies in their social inquiry planning decisions. The research also sought student reflection of how engagement with key competencies might influence their future social studies teaching and learning. The article offers a storying of ways the curriculum element of key competencies has been developed, implemented, researched and reflected upon within ITE primary social studies curriculum

Developing the knowledge-based human resources that support the implementation of the National Dual Training System (NDTS): evaluation of TVET teacher's competency at MARA Training Institutions

Development in the world of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) on an ongoing basis is a challenge to the profession of the TVET-teachers to maintain their performance. The ability of teachers to identify the competencies required by their profession is very critical to enable them to make improvements in teaching and learning. For a broader perspective the competency needs of the labour market have to be matched by those developed within the vocational learning processes. Consequently, this study has focused on developing and validating the new empirical based TVET-teacher competency profile and evaluating teacher’s competency. This study combines both quantitative and qualitative research methodology that was designed to answer all the research questions. The new empirical based competency profile development and TVET-teacher evaluation was based upon an instructional design model. In addition, a modified Delphi technique has also been adopted throughout the process. Initially, 98 elements of competencies were listed by expert panel and rated by TVET institutions as important. Then, analysis using manual and statistical procedure found that 112 elements of competencies have emerged from seventeen (17) clusters of competencies. Prior to that, using the preliminary TVET-teacher competency profile, the level of TVETteacher competencies was found to be Proficient and the finding of 112 elements of competencies with 17 clusters was finally used to develop the new empirical based competency profile for MARA TVET-teacher. Mean score analysis of teacher competencies found that there were gaps in teacher competencies between MARA institutions (IKM) and other TVET institutions, where MARA-teacher was significantly better than other TVET teacher. ANOVA and t-test analysis showed that there were significant differences between teacher competencies among all TVET institutions in Malaysia. On the other hand, the study showed that teacher’s age, grade and year of experience are not significant predictors for TVET-teacher competency. In the context of mastering the competency, the study also found that three competencies are classified as most difficult or challenging, twelve competencies are classified as should be improved, and eight competencies are classified as needed to be trained. Lastly, to make NDTS implementation a reality for MARA the new empirical based competency profile and the framework for career development and training pathway were established. This Framework would serve as a significant tool to develop the knowledge based human resources needed. This will ensure that TVET-teachers at MARA are trained to be knowledgeable, competent, and professional and become a pedagogical leader on an ongoing basis towards a world class TVET-education system

Model of professional retraining of teachers based on the development of STEM competencies

The article describes a methodology for organizing lifelong learning, professional retraining of teachers in STEM field and their lifelong learning in Volodymyr Hnatiuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University (Ukraine). It analyzes foreign and domestic approaches and concepts for the implementation of STEM in educational institutions. A model of retraining teachers in the prospect of developing their STEM competencies and a model of STEM competencies were created. The developed model of STEM competencies for professional teacher training and lifelong learning includes four components (Problem solving, Working with people, Work with technology, Work with organizational system), which are divided into three domains of STEM competencies: Skills, Knowledge, Work activities. In order to implement and adapt the model of STEM competencies to the practice of the educational process, an experimental study was conducted. The article describes the content of the scientific research and the circle of respondents and analyzes the results of the research

The Global People competency framework: competencies for effective intercultural interaction

This Competency Framework explains the competencies that are needed for effective intercultural interaction. In contrast to the Life Cycle Model for Intercultural Partnerships (see the Global People Toolbook) which presents the competencies by stage (i.e. key competencies are identified for each stage of a project life cycle), the Competency Framework presents them by clusters. Intercultural competencies can be grouped into four interrelated clusters, according to the aspect of competence they affect or relate to: - Knowledge and ideas - Communication - Relationships - Personal qualities and dispositions We overview these four clusters in Section 2. In Sections 3 – 6, for each competency cluster, we list the key component competencies, along with descriptive explanations of each of them. We also provide case study examples from the eChina-UK Programme to illustrate one or more of the following: - How the competency manifests itself; - Why the competency is important or is needed; - How the competency can be displayed in behaviour; - What problems may occur when the competency is not present. The Competency Framework is thus useful for those who wish to gain a systematic, in-depth understanding of intercultural effectiveness and the competencies need to achieve it

Developing a validated instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies : meeting the demands of the 21st-century

The main objective of this study is to develop a self-report instrument to measure pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies in education. The questionnaire items of this instrument are based on an existing comprehensive framework and were created with input from experts in the field. The data were collected from a sample of 931 final-year pre-service teachers in Flanders (Belgium). A first subsample was used for an exploratory factor analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A two-factor structure of ICT competencies was identified: (a) competencies to support pupils for ICT use in class and (b) competencies to use ICT for instructional design. This two-factor structure was confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis. Recommendations are made on how this reliable instrument can help assess the level and progress of pre-service teachers’ ICT competencies

Building Cross Cultural Competencies.

The Building Cross Cultural Competencies project was developed with the aim of equipping undergraduate students at the University of York with skills to work in the globalised world, while at the same time assisting with the induction and orientation of international students, new to the institution and to study in the UK. The inspiration for the programme dates back to 2006, when one of the authors visited three Universities in New Zealand and Australia. These Universities were perceived to be further down the route to internationalisation (as defined by Knight 2003) than was the norm in the UK at the time. Innovations observed at Massey and Waikato Universities in New Zealand and the University of Sydney, Australia, were redesigned and redeveloped for use at the University of York, with the agreement of the staff involved at those institutions. In particular, a cross cultural communication module and two distinctive peer mentor schemes provided the nucleus of the idea for a new initiative at York that would span the employability and internationalisation agendas This paper identifies how the project redesigned and developed ideas taken from Australian and New Zealand Universities for use in a UK context. It makes links to the literature on student adjustment and institutional adaptation; peer teaching and cross cultural communication skills. It will also consider the problems and difficulties experienced as the project progressed

Developmental guidance and student acquisition of social competence.

In a changing world, it is increasingly important to articulate what are the social emotional competencies that students leaving secondary schools need to acquire in order to be effective learners and citizens and how schools can facilitate the acquisition of such competencies. There is an emerging consensus that CASEL [1] has identified five of those core competencies. They are a) self-awareness, b) self-management, c) social awareness, d) relationship skills and e) responsible decision-making. There is not, however, a consensus as to how schools can facilitate the acquisition of these competencies. This paper will argue that each community needs to articulate the competencies they expect from their children and ensure that their schools implement a program of developmental guidance that helps them acquire these competencies. Developmental guidance is a combination of curriculum that teaches these competencies, experiences through which students can put them into practice, a systematic approach to developing and implementing a post-secondary plan for each student, and a way to assess the success of such an approach. In the same way that competence in literacy and numeracy is developed over a child’s career in school through a series of increasingly complex coursework, we need to implement systematic developmental guidance in all schools so that we more effectively prepare our children to take their place in a world that is changing as a result of technological and social developments. There are several barriers to implementing effective developmental guidance programs. One is the lack of consensus as to the role of schools in providing such training. Another is the lack of consensus as to what are those desired competencies. A third is the lack of resources made available to support such implementation.Accepted manuscrip

An exploration of hospitality management competencies in Turkey through content analysis of the job ads

This paper reports on the hospitality management competencies required to be assigned to a management position in Turkey. The study found out a number of competencies with top priority ranging from 82.1 to 21.4 percent extracted from job ads on the most browsed career websites in Turkey by employing a content analysis as the research method. These core competencies were delineated in the five domains of Sandwith’s Competency Domain Model in order to discover how they pertained to the theory. The in-depth analysis rendered the whole range of domains particularly leadership, technical and interpersonal, partly conceptual/creative and administrative. The study concluded that recruiters mainly look for managers with leadership, technical and interpersonal competencies in Turkey