Now that you are familiar with competency-based assessment and grading, let's look at recommendations for instructional strategies that support notions of competency and target language development. After all, making changes to assessment alone does not improve student performance (Mitchell, 2017). If you haven't already, learn the steps instructors take to convert to competency-based learning in their classroom by clicking Instructor-Level.

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In this step, you or your instructors will:

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• Use communicative language teaching (CLT) strategies

• Actively engage learners

• Emphasize application of knowledge and skills

• Consider "flipping" the classroom

• Provide more personal and relevant instruction to individual students

• "Coach" learners, in addition to facilitate learning

• Provide ongoing professional development opportunities

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The Details

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Use Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Strategies

• Place emphasis on high-quality instruction using the communicative language teaching, or the communicative approach, and its various features (Richards, 2006; Lee, VanPatten, 2003) 

• Hire experienced, credentialed world language teachers only

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Actively Engage Learners

• "In order to acquire second language communicative competence, students need to be actively involved in the learning process" (Dornyei, 2018)

• A recent U.S. Gallup poll (2015) suggests that only 50% of students are engaged in class. Additionally, a CCSSE (2017) poll finds that community college students rank low in active and collaborative learning

• Supported by Kolb's experiential learning theory (2014) as well as Kuh's high-impact practices (2008), conduct regular learning opportunities that increase student engagement: cultural exchanges; nature walks; flying kites; collaboration with content courses; music lessons; community-based projects; pledge system (The Redhill Academy, UK)

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Emphasize Application of Knowledge and Skills

• Learning activities in class should include appropriate use of the language in real-world situations (i.e. role-plays, writing letters to classmates)

• Activities involving conceptual knowledge (i.e. vocabulary within a story or why tourists visit La sagrada familia) or isolated skills (i.e. how to pronounce the /th/ in English), while critical, might better students if minimized or done as homework

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Consider "Flipping" the Classroom

• To maximize in-class time on real-world application of the target language, consider moving instructional content online (i.e invest in textbooks with an online workbook or compensate instructors to develop or locate video materials) (Strategies for Flipping the Communicative Classroom, 2015)

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Provide Personal and Relevant Instruction to Individual Students

• Adapt instruction based on student needs

• Design learning activities for undeveloped students in-class that support a variety of assessed SLOs   

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"Coach" Learners (and Facilitate)

• In addition to designing communicative situations, locate resources and materials for students relative to the SLOs

• Provide individual support, "coaching" students how they can best practice and prepare

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Provide Professional Development Opportunities

• Invest in professional development for instructors (i.e. graduate-level language teaching course or ACTFL or TESOL conference

• Create your own in-house professional development resources (i.e. comprehensive video series or observation of instructors)

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