2016 Volume 56 Issue 4 Pages 409-420
Recently, the competence-oriented science curriculum has been actively developed in Germany. Furthermore, there is increasing interest in the competence model becoming the basis of science curriculum development. This paper points out some viewpoints to note in developing the competence model in science education in Germany, especially from the aspect of articulation between elementary and secondary education. These viewpoints are as follows: (1) Setting the dimension of action and content in the competence model, (2) Having the common components of these dimensions in the competence model in both elementary and secondary science education, (3) In the dimension of action in the competence model, as the stages of education advanced, making the transition of description of individual competencies based on the actions needed in science learning progress from general to more professional: In the area of competence “Erkenntnisgewinnung”, making the transition of descriptions of individual competencies from those based on basic scientific methods to more professional scientific methods; In the area of competence “Kommunikation”, making the transition of descriptions of individual competencies from those based on general communication patterns to more professional communication patterns using scientific jargon; In the area of competence “Bewertung”, making the transition of descriptions of individual competencies from those based on the metacognitive abilities of science learning of one’s own to the comprehensive understanding of science and the development of social abilities, (4) In the dimension of content in the competence model, as the stages of education advanced, making the transition of descriptions of individual competencies from those based on case examples from daily life to scientific concepts, in this regard, especially in secondary education, through the use of “Basiskonzept”, considering both the systematic acquisition of scientific knowledge in each science subject and connecting scientific knowledge across the science subjects.
