Teaching by Competencies: Implementing the Approche par les Compétences in the Congolese Classroom

Rationale

The national curriculum has been rebuilt around the competency-based approach (APC) with DIPROMAD and UNICEF, yet teachers trained under the older *humanités pédagogiques* model are widely judged under-prepared to teach and assess by competency. The Framework Law (Art. 52) requires teaching staff to be *qualifié et compétent*, and the DIFORE teacher-training reform is explicitly driven by a *référentiel de compétences du métier*. This course addresses the primary pedagogical retraining need in DR Congo: equipping teachers to plan, teach, assess, and document competency-based instruction. It positions itself as in-service CPD that plugs into SERNAFOR-style module delivery and inspection priorities, suitable for delivery through the CRESD resource-centre channel and creditable toward a teacher's professional record with the Inspection Générale de l'Enseignement.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. From knowledge transmission to competency development

Participants examine the shift from the older content-transmission model to the competency-based approach (APC) that now structures the national curriculum. The lesson opens with a comparison of two classroom scenarios: one focused on rote recall and one on applying knowledge in a situation. Participants identify what changes about the teacher's role under APC, moving from being the sole source of knowledge to a facilitator of learning who designs situations in which learners mobilize knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The activity includes a guided reading of the DIPROMAD curriculum framework document to locate the official definition of competency. Participants then discuss in small groups how their own teaching practice currently aligns with or diverges from the APC model. By the end of the lesson, participants can articulate the core difference between knowledge transmission and competency development and can identify at least three ways their classroom role changes under APC.

Lesson 2. Reading the national curriculum programme

Participants learn to navigate DIPROMAD programme documents and their competency statements. The lesson provides a structured walkthrough of a typical curriculum programme for one subject and one grade level, showing where competency statements appear, how they are organized by learning domain, and how they connect to the broader curriculum framework. Participants practice locating the target competencies for a given term, identifying the associated knowledge and skill components, and noting the suggested time allocation. The activity includes a worksheet that guides participants through extracting the key information from a programme page: the competency statement, the performance criteria, and the suggested learning situations. By the end of the lesson, participants can independently read a DIPROMAD curriculum programme, identify the competencies to be taught in a given period, and extract the performance criteria that define successful learning.

Lesson 3. The anatomy of a competency

Participants deconstruct the concept of competency into its constituent parts: knowledge (savoirs), skills (savoir-faire), and attitudes (savoir-être), and the mobilization of all three in a situation. The lesson uses a concrete example from the Congolese curriculum, such as a competency in mathematics or reading, and shows how each component is specified in the programme document. Participants practice identifying the knowledge, skill, and attitude components of three different competency statements drawn from different subject areas. They then discuss what it means to "mobilize" these components in a situation, as distinct from simply recalling facts or performing a routine procedure. The lesson emphasizes that a competency is demonstrated only when a learner can integrate and apply the components in a new or complex context. By the end of the lesson, participants can analyze any competency statement from the national curriculum into its knowledge, skill, and attitude components and can explain what mobilization means in practice.

Lesson 4. Situations of integration (*situations d'intégration*)

Participants explore the design of the complex tasks that sit at the heart of the APC: situations of integration. The lesson defines a situation of integration as a task that requires the learner to mobilize multiple competencies to solve a problem or produce a product that is meaningful in a real-world or simulated context. Participants examine examples of integration situations from the DIPROMAD programme documents and from SERNAFOR training modules, analyzing what makes them effective: they are complex, open-ended, and require the learner to make choices and combine competencies. The activity involves participants working in pairs to design a situation of integration for one competency in their own subject and grade level, using a template that prompts them to specify the context, the task, the expected product, and the criteria for success. By the end of the lesson, participants can design a situation of integration that aligns with a target competency and can evaluate whether a given task qualifies as an integration situation.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Writing competency-aligned learning objectives

Participants learn to convert curriculum competency statements into lesson-level learning objectives that are specific, observable, and aligned to the competency. The lesson distinguishes between a broad competency statement (e.g., "The learner will be able to solve problems involving measurement") and a lesson objective that breaks that competency into a teachable and assessable step (e.g., "The learner will be able to choose the appropriate unit and tool to measure the length of a classroom object"). Participants practice rewriting three competency statements from the DIPROMAD programme into lesson objectives, using a framework that specifies the action verb, the content, and the context. The lesson also addresses common pitfalls: writing objectives that are too vague, too narrow, or that focus on teacher activity rather than learner outcomes. By the end of the lesson, participants can write lesson objectives that are directly derived from a curriculum competency statement and that are specific enough to guide instruction and assessment.

Lesson 6. Planning a unit around a target competency

Participants learn to sequence lessons toward a target competency, building from foundational knowledge and skills toward a culminating situation of integration. The lesson presents a unit-planning template that includes: the target competency, the performance criteria, the prerequisite knowledge and skills, a sequence of lessons that develop each component, and a final integration task. Participants work through an example unit for a Congolese primary subject, such as mathematics or reading, and then plan a unit for their own subject and grade level. The lesson emphasizes the importance of backward design: starting with the desired competency and the integration task, then planning the lessons that will prepare learners to succeed. Participants also consider how to allocate time across the unit, given the realities of the school calendar and the need to cover the full curriculum. By the end of the lesson, participants can plan a unit that is coherently sequenced toward a target competency and that includes a culminating integration task.

Lesson 7. Active and learner-centred methods in large classes

Participants explore active and learner-centred teaching methods that work under the large-class-size realities common in Congolese schools. The lesson presents a menu of methods: think-pair-share, group work with rotating roles, station work, whole-class questioning with response cards, and peer tutoring. For each method, participants discuss how to implement it in a class of 50 or more learners with limited materials and space. The lesson emphasizes that active methods do not require expensive resources; they require careful planning of routines, clear instructions, and efficient use of time. Participants practice planning a 40-minute lesson that uses at least two active methods, and they anticipate the management challenges and how to address them. The lesson also addresses the teacher's role as facilitator: circulating, monitoring, asking probing questions, and providing feedback rather than lecturing. By the end of the lesson, participants can select and implement active methods appropriate for a large class and can plan a lesson that shifts the cognitive load from the teacher to the learners.

Lesson 8. Differentiation for mixed-ability and over-age learners

Participants learn to differentiate instruction to support the wide range of ability levels and ages present in many Congolese classrooms. The lesson presents three types of differentiation: by content (what learners learn), by process (how they learn), and by product (how they demonstrate learning). Participants examine examples of differentiation in a competency-based lesson, such as providing different levels of reading material, offering choice in how learners practice a skill, or allowing learners to demonstrate a competency through writing, drawing, or speaking. The lesson also addresses the specific challenge of over-age learners who may have missed years of schooling and need accelerated support to access grade-level competencies. Participants practice adapting one lesson plan to meet the needs of three hypothetical learners: a struggling reader, a gifted learner, and an over-age learner who is two years behind. By the end of the lesson, participants can plan differentiated activities within a single lesson that allow all learners to work toward the same competency at their own level.

Lesson 9. Formative assessment for competencies

Participants learn to use formative assessment to observe and give feedback on learners' skill-in-action as they develop competencies. The lesson distinguishes formative assessment from summative assessment: formative assessment happens during learning, is used to adjust instruction, and provides feedback that helps learners improve. Participants explore practical formative assessment techniques that work in large classes: observation checklists, exit tickets, thumbs-up/middle/down, one-minute papers, and oral questioning that probes thinking rather than recall. The lesson emphasizes that formative assessment under APC focuses on the process of mobilizing knowledge and skills, not just on the correct answer. Participants practice using an observation checklist to assess learners as they work on a situation of integration, noting not only whether the product is correct but also how the learner approaches the task, what strategies they use, and where they get stuck. By the end of the lesson, participants can use at least three formative assessment techniques to monitor competency development and can provide feedback that moves learning forward.

Lesson 10. Designing competency-based assessment tasks

Participants learn to design assessment tasks that measure whether a learner can mobilize knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a situation, rather than simply recall facts. The lesson presents the criteria for a good competency-based assessment task: it is aligned to the competency statement, it requires the learner to apply knowledge in a new or realistic context, it allows for multiple acceptable responses, and it can be evaluated with a rubric. Participants examine examples of assessment tasks from the DIPROMAD reform and from SERNAFOR modules, analyzing how well they meet these criteria. The activity involves participants designing an assessment task for one competency in their own subject and grade level, including a simple rubric with two or three criteria and three performance levels. The lesson also addresses how to manage assessment in large classes, including using peer assessment and sampling. By the end of the lesson, participants can design a competency-based assessment task with a rubric and can evaluate whether an existing assessment task is truly measuring competency or only recall.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Preparing learners for the ENAFEP and the Examen d'État

Participants learn to align classroom competency-based assessment with the national examinations that learners must pass: the ENAFEP (Examen National de Fin d'Études Primaires) at the end of primary and the Examen d'État at the end of secondary. The lesson presents the format and content of these examinations, showing where they already reflect competency-based expectations and where they still rely on recall. Participants analyze sample examination questions to identify which competencies they assess and which they miss. The lesson then explores strategies for preparing learners without narrowing the curriculum to test preparation: using examination-style questions as integration tasks, teaching test-taking strategies within the context of regular lessons, and ensuring that the full range of competencies is taught even if some are not directly tested. Participants practice adapting one of their unit plans to include explicit preparation for the relevant national examination. By the end of the lesson, participants can identify the competency demands of the national examinations and can plan instruction that prepares learners for both the examination and for genuine competency.

Lesson 12. Teaching mathematics for competency

Participants focus on teaching mathematics through problem-based numeracy, as prioritized by the UNICEF/DIPROMAD math-and-language reform. The lesson presents the shift from teaching mathematics as a set of procedures to teaching it as a tool for solving real-world problems. Participants examine examples of competency-based mathematics lessons from the DIPROMAD programme, analyzing how they build from concrete experiences to abstract concepts and how they require learners to reason, communicate, and justify their thinking. The activity involves participants planning a mathematics lesson that uses a problem-based approach, starting with a realistic situation (such as calculating the cost of school supplies or measuring a classroom) and guiding learners to discover the mathematical concept. The lesson also addresses common challenges: learners who lack foundational numeracy skills, limited materials for manipulatives, and the need to cover the full curriculum. By the end of the lesson, participants can plan a mathematics lesson that develops a competency through problem solving and that connects mathematical concepts to learners' lives.

Lesson 13. Teaching reading and writing for competency

Participants focus on teaching literacy as an applied competency, not as a set of isolated skills. The lesson presents the DIPROMAD language reform's approach to reading and writing: learners read to understand, interpret, and respond to texts, and they write to communicate meaning for a purpose and audience. Participants examine examples of competency-based literacy lessons that integrate reading, writing, speaking, and listening around a meaningful topic. The activity involves participants planning a literacy lesson that develops a reading or writing competency through a task that has a real communicative purpose, such as reading a community notice and writing a response, or reading a story and retelling it in their own words. The lesson also addresses the transition from the national language to French as the medium of instruction, showing how literacy competencies developed in the first language transfer to the second language. By the end of the lesson, participants can plan a literacy lesson that treats reading and writing as applied competencies and that connects literacy learning to learners' lives and communities.

Lesson 14. Using SERNAFOR modules and CRESD resources

Participants learn to locate, evaluate, and adapt official in-service training materials produced by SERNAFOR and available through the CRESD resource centres. The lesson presents the SERNAFOR module catalogue, showing the range of topics covered and the format of the modules. Participants examine one complete SERNAFOR module on a competency-based teaching topic, analyzing its structure: learning objectives, content, activities, assessment tasks, and facilitator notes. The lesson then guides participants in adapting a module for their own context: selecting the relevant sections, adjusting the examples to fit their subject and grade level, and planning how to use the module with colleagues in a school-based professional learning community. Participants also learn how to access the e-FOAD distance-learning platform and the CRESD resource centres in their sub-division. By the end of the lesson, participants can locate a SERNAFOR module relevant to their teaching needs, evaluate its quality and relevance, and adapt it for use in their own classroom or for leading a professional development session.

Lesson 15. A personal APC action plan and inspection readiness

Participants synthesize their learning from the course into a personal action plan for implementing the competency-based approach in their own teaching, and they prepare to document their APC practice for the pedagogical inspection. The lesson provides a template for the action plan that includes: the participant's current level of APC implementation, specific goals for improvement, concrete actions to take in the next term, resources needed, and a timeline. Participants draft their plan and receive peer feedback. The lesson then addresses what the Inspection Générale de l'Enseignement looks for during a pedagogical inspection visit: evidence of competency-based lesson planning, use of active methods, formative assessment practices, and learner engagement. Participants practice assembling a portfolio of evidence that could be presented to an inspector, including lesson plans, samples of learner work, assessment rubrics, and a reflective journal. By the end of the lesson, participants have a completed action plan for implementing APC in their classroom and a clear understanding of how to document their practice for the pedagogical inspection.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.