CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND UTILIZATION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES AS A COMPONENT OF COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM FOR 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The revision of the Nigerian Basic Education curriculum in 2009, was to meet the demand of international best practices in education for the 21st century. This was to take into consideration the needs of the Nigerian society as well as those of the learner. Thus, the new curriculum was fashioned in line with the attributes of a competency-based curriculum. Teachers, being the protagonist for the implementation of this curriculum, need an understanding and the ability to act on its various components for effectiveness. This paper explore the importance of the understanding of learning outcomes, within competency-based curricula, as well as the ability for its effective utilization, aimed at fostering 21st-century skills. The article examines how learning outcomes can be used to attend to the diverse needs of learners and align with real world applications. It emphasizes best practices for incorporating learning outcomes effectively into a competency-based curriculum, enumerates challenges in the use of learning outcomes for preparing students for 21st-century skills, and proffers ways forward in the use of learning outcomes, enhancing the efficacy of competency-based curricula. It is hoped that bringing basic education teachers into contact with these implementation skills, would go a long way to achieving the objectives of a competency-based curriculum.