Competent or Humanizing Teachers?

Abstract

This articles deals with the notion of competence, which is criticized for its ambiguity in meaning, importance, applicability and true scope. Competence is particularly significant today, when a considerable number of European universities and several in Latin America have drafted and implemented curriculum designs based on competence. However, not everyone understands the term the same way. Consequently, administrative and teaching practices continue to suffer from a curriculum guided by more functionalist objectives. Even the dimension of the “being” seems to fade, derailing the possibility of empowering the more humanizing side of professional training.

It is, therefore, crucial to reflect on the scope of competence from a more humanist standpoint, particularly when referring to a teacher’s performance. Accordingly, this article explores the etymological roots of the concept in an effort to capture its original essence, and several proposals are put forth to help resolve this critical issue by reorienting the concept to refer to a competent teacher from a humanizing perspective.