Compentency Matrices

[Kromkowski@aol.com]

Myron wrote:

"Moral:  Do not try to make of the competency matrix more than it can 
deliver.  There are issues of character which are not covered."

Kohlberg, Powers, et al. would suggest that character (moral/ethical) 
development is very similar to cognitive development.  So why can't there be 
a Competency Matrix for character development?

I have to confess, I still don't get the full import of the ostensible 
"differentness" of the use of CM as a pedagogy vs. the strawman "traditional 
method" that Myron sets up in the archived paper. By this, I mean, that 
"teacher as mediator" seems to be very similar to what the Socratic method 
(in its original form, cf Meno) was suggesting.  So maybe I've just been 
lucky and have not exposed in my life (or paid much attention) to the 
so-called "traditional way of teaching". Secondly, I can see the whole tool 
of CM, degenerating the same way that Drucker's ideas of MBO have.  I guess, 
I need to continue to think more about this.  But again, I think for the DEN 
to incorporate this idea it really should be systematically directed at the 
question of the hypothetical good manager in Deming's view. 

John David Kromkowski Kromkowski@aol.com

Moderator's $0.02 USD:  I risk going tangential, which is my job to prevent...
The Competency Matrix model is more parallel with Knowle's andragogy than 
traditional pedagogy -- which, in my mind, makes it an excellent model for
adult education and training.  The process is more specific, learner engaged,
and effectively assessed...  these are all within the "diffferent learners" 
that Deming referred to so often.  On JD's second comment - I have seen the
competency matrix work quite well -and- I have seen it degenerate -- in the 
latter case - I believe the aim was missing.
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