Developedby Tippelt & Amoros, the Professional Action Competency Model adopts theGerman concept of “Handlungskompetenz”, which is defined as a self-dependentskilled worker who is quick and flexible in adapting to new situations at work.According to this model, competency is defined through action.Thismodel comprised 4 competency areas: ProfessionalAction Competency training model can be applied in my workplace at Temasek Polytechnic.Temasek Polytechnic lecturers are expected to be experts of their disciplines,process a wide and deep knowledge regarding the courses they teach.
They shouldalso possess practical experience to make their lesson more attractive. TechnicalCompetency – Refers to the knowledge and skills required for the job. The lecturersneed to teach ‘technically accurate’ content on the courses they teach. Theymust have the knowledge to answered technical questions from the students and gaugethe students level of technical knowledge and adjusted the presentationaccordingly, especially for those teaching the CET subject as most of them areadult learners who have years of experience working in that field. Besides,they must be able to accurately break down technical/complex concepts in way studentscould understand. MethodologicalCompetency: Refers to the ability to process information and respond with appropriateprocedures on the job. Thisrefer to the ability of lecturers to apply theoretical and experientialknowledge in their practical work with the aim of effective teaching. Lecturersshould be able to integrate the learning techniques, use case study, simulationmethod, authentic learning and ICT into learning design and teaching.
SocialCompetency: Refers to the ability to communicate and collaborate with others onthe job. Lecturersmust be able to collaborate with other lecturers so that they can learn fromone another and grow into better educators (For example, through Communities ofPractice). They can also help to make the school a secure, effective learningenvironment through collaboration for all students. They should have theability to cooperate, communicate and manage conflict situations. For those at-riskstudents, our lecturers need to update the students’ progress to their parents.They need to know how to calmly discuss issues with difficult parents and howto come to decisions that have the best interests of the student in mind. IndividualCompetency: Refers to the attitudes of the worker towards the job.
The lecturersneed to practise self-reflection for improvement in their teaching, Lecturersneed to commit themselves to education and professional development. Subjectmatter knowledge fades, teaching strategies change and new research is alwaysmodifying the way students learn and teachers teach. By furthering theireducation and participating in professional development areas, lecturers can improvethe quality of the education they provide. It is Adaptable, as lecturers areequipped to respond to changes in the workplace (For example, differentlearners’ profile requires different teaching technique, different teaching andlearning technique to teach different subjects effectively, e.g.
simulation andproblem solving);It is Learner-Centric, as lecturersneed not only be experts in their domains/subjects, they must also know how touse different teaching strategies to engage the students. Reflection for improvement ofprofessional practice as lecturers need to reflect-in-action (during the class)and reflect-on-action (through peers’ or students’ feedback or self-reflection) to improve the teaching and learning experience.There is inclusion of contextas it allows considerations on how large the students and the teachingenvironment may affect learning (for e.g.
different setup in the workshop andclassroom)