TOWARDS COMPETENCE-ORIENTED TEACHING

Example of good practice in Technical School Slavonski Brod

Mirjana Onukijevi, Technical School Slavonski Brod, Croatia
mirjana.onukijevic@skole.hr

Summary
Contemporary
school
system
of
vocational education provides insuficient
acquiring of competences needed for the labour
market because both market of education and
educational programmes fail to modernize
quickly enough. Developing educational plans
and programmes of vocational education
demands of school to become more flexible and
relevant concerning competences and learning
outcomes. Putting learning outcomes in the focus
point demands adjusting learning proces to
change from teaching into learning. This paper
will
present examples of creating and
implementing modernised vocational curricula in
Technical School Slavonski Brod. Modernised
educational curricula are the result of
implementation of the EU funded projects.
Activities of achived goals of three implemented
projects Modernization of school curricula of
vocational schools increased material and
technical capacities of school following new
knowledge and technologies, modernised
curricula and improved teachers' competences
for teaching by putting focus on students and
learning. Implementation of new curricula in
mechanical engineering and electrotechnics
inludes teaching orientated towards acquiring
competences which results in improved quality
of education. Finaly, this ensures bigger
horizontal and vertical flow in education and
students' competences needed for labour market.
Key words:
modernisation of school curricula, students'
competences, teaching focusing on students and
learning
1.

Introduction

Time is the expansion of knowledge which is

the base of development of society. School is the
reflexion of the changing society. The demands put
on the school ask of it to adapt and change
following the development of the new technologies.
There are ever more knowledge that students have
to apply in their life in the shortest possible period.
It is a great challenge, especially for the vocational
schools in Croatia, having in mind the existing

vocational curricula and the possibilities of their

changes. Contemporary school should be more
functional in order to answer the demands in
economy: both to know and to apply knowledge.
This is the reason why teaching should be changed
into active learning. This would make possible for
economy to lean on to the level of competence of
students that matches the goal and type of the
school.
2.

Modernisation of vocational curricula

To modernise vocational curricula in order to

enable acquiring relevant competence of students
and to connect new learning contents with the
learning outcomes became the imperative in
school development. Technical school in
Slavonski Brod took that course since 2010
through implementation of 3 EU funded projects.
2.1. SB Solar demonstration centre
The goal of this project was to improve
professional, material and technical conditions of
TSB for development and implementation of
new curricula through development of
demonstration centre for solar systems. We
developed new curricula for qualifications in
vocational fields of electrotechnics and
mechanical engineering: elective course in the
third class Management of solar systems and
LED lightening and the training course for adult
education Specialist for solar systems. New
curricula were developed by analysing
technology and the professional training of the
teachers, associates, institutions stakeholders in
the process of introducing new technologies into
our community (HEP, Faculties, private
companies, etc.). Professional knowledge in the
field of solar energy was acquired on the
Institute in Germany, study visits to companies,
manufacturers and educational institutions. For
dissemination of new knowledge to citizens and
training our students we made: Handbook
Management of solar systems and LED
lightening,
author
doc.dr.sc.
Ljubomir
Majdandi, dipl.ing. and Workbook with
exercises Management of solar systems and
LED lightening, author Steve Arsoski, dipl.ing.
of electronics. The new elective course provides

our students with the chance of learning and

applying new technologies that follow the labour
market demands.
2.2. Slavonica Mehatronica
The goal of this project was to improve professional
and technical capacities of 7 schools in Slavonia
region for training of competences through
development of capacities of training staff and
applying CNC technology. The outcomes of this
project were three new elective courses
(CAD/CAM, CNC technology and Robotics). They
were the result of the team work of the lecturers of
Faculty for mechanical engineering in Slavonski
Brod and the teachers of the 7 high schools, using
for defining the learning outcomes the market
analyses of 400 entrepreneurs. The new curricula
are written for implementation of practical training
and skills oriented training for vocations in
mechanical engineering. The prerequisite for
connecting theoretical and practical knowledge in
teaching students was the professional training of
teachers form mentioned vocational educational
fields, as well as improving technical capacities
(equipping of practice centre).
2.3. Navigator
Our behavioural education project was concerned
with providing easier and more suitable approach to
education and social inclusion of children and
youth with behavioural disorders and ADHD
syndrome by improving technical and professional
capacities of educational institutions in BrodPosavina county.
After the completion of training of teachers,
educators, doctors and professional associated
about Behavioural disorders, Marta Meo methods
and ADHD syndrome, published were new
curricula for professionals in education, parents and
professional assistants at universities. Knowledge
and competences acquired through these trainings
are applied in Counselling centre Navigator in
Technical school. Published manuals are a great
help to all stakeholders of professional training for
prevention and detection of behavioural disorder.
Through the implementation of these 3 projects,
Technical school wrote 8 new curricula, 5 of which
in the educational field of mechanical engineering
and electrotechnics. This is the way our schools
answers to ever growing demands of contemporary
life and the need for the lifelong learning. Through
these projects we made co-operation with various
institutions in our local community that are
important for the development of the programme
and the curricula of our school. This will enable our
school to easily adapt to the changes of the labour
market, new technologies and the changes in the

society. Education of all stakeholders, exchanging

of experience and good practice will mean more
efficient use of potentials of all stakeholders
included in education, development of their
competences and motivation for improving
educational process.

3.

Changes in teaching

Introducing competence based approach and

emphasizing learning outcomes is a novelty that
changes the approach to the existing planning and
programming of educational processes. The basic
question of education is: What do students need to
learn and why? How do we know that they have
learned it? How can we help them learn it? New
paradigms of learning and teaching have the goal to
direct the teaching towards the students and to
enable them to develop personal possibilities, to
develop confidence, self-initiative and teach them
about democracy. This approach in educational
process makes students to be active participants. To
satisfy requirements, teachers need the lifelong
training and improvement of their own knowledge
and work methods. Professional training can
contribute to improving teachers competences.
That was the reason each of these projects included
activities of professional training of teachers
competences: the methods for active work,
encouraging critical and creational thinking, solving
problems and applying knowledge. Professional
trainings were held from 2011 till 2014.
Table 1 Professional training of teachers
No.
Professional
Number of
training
participants
/lectures
1.

2.

3.
4.

Contemporary
methods of
teaching and
training
Developing
creativity of
students
New teaching
methods
Behavioural
disorders and
ADHD

Number
of
classes

30

42

50

48

50

48

25

150

Professional trainings were followed by the stage of

implementation of acquired knowledge and skills in
educational process. The first step was making The
plan included various educational strategies that the
teacher wants to use (when, where, why and with
what support) and the questionnaire for selfassessment. After the period of planning was the

time for class participations. Class participations

were organised in co-operation with other teachers
of that vocational field, the pedagogue and the
school headmistress. The goal of class
participations was encouraging teachers for
implementation of new teaching methods and
training in the class, exchange of good practice and
self-assessment of work. The evaluation of the
classes included 50 teachers and all 754 of our
school. The analyses and the evaluation of
implementation process done by the stakeholders,
students and teachers, as well as feedback express
satisfaction with the student orientated teaching
methods and their active participation in the class,
as well as the need of the teachers for teaching for
acquiring competences. All participants recognised
the influence of training on the quality of learning
results.
The teachers, in order to successfully
embrace the new roles, have to be ready for
changes and the lifelong learning. During this
process they need support and continuous
individualized approach to professional training. In
the Plan of professional development teachers
proposed and required additional professional
training to empower their teaching competences.
Successful changes, schools success and the
success of teachers depend on the quality of
continuous professional growth and training.

4. Instead of conclusion
Poveati profemjenu CNC tehnologije
Encouraging
new
and
innovative
approaches to educational material and teaching
methods in vocational schools will secure
coherence of vocational education with economic
changes, e.g. labour market and will provide
students of vocational schools with high-quality
education. Teachers can develop their competence
through continuous quality professional trainings,
research, projects, self-assessments and gaining
experience in different parts of their lives. Only
through interaction of life in the classroom and
life outside the classroom can competences
required for creating modern educational process
be achieved.

5.

Literature

1.

Matijevi, M., Nastava usmjerena na uenika,

kolske novine, Zagreb, 2011.
Peko, A., Uiti kako pouavati U
Pedagogija - prema cjeloivotnom
obrazovanju i drutvu znanja. Previi, V.,
oljan, N., Hrvati, N.,(ur), Hrvatsko
pedagogijsko drutvo, Zagreb, 2007.
Navigator, projekt Tehnike kole (online)
2013.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

www.ipa-tssb-navigator.com/ipa-navigatorprojekt/
Slavonica Mehatronica, projekt Tehnike
kole (online) 2012.
http://ipa-slavonica-mehatronica.com/
SB Solar, projekt Tehnike kole (online)
2010.
http://ipa-sb-solar.com/aktivnosti.html
Zakon o hrvatskom o hrvatskom
Kvalifikacijskom okviru, Ministarstvo
znanosti, obrazovanja i sporta, Zagreb, 2013.
Terhart, E., Metode pouavanja i uenja,
Educa, Zagreb, 2001.