Abstract:

Competence is an individual's ability to complexly use knowledge, and skills and express attitudes in solving problems in changing real-life situations. The goal of the competence approach is proficiency, where the learner wants and is able to learn throughout his life, knows how to solve real-life challenges, creates innovations, and develops various personality traits that help to develop into a happy and responsible personality. One of the essential tasks, when reviewing the content of education, within the framework of the educational reform School 2030, is to reduce fragmentation and fragmentism, as well as the passive acquisition of knowledge detached from real-life situations, and isolated development of skills. Continuity, systematicity, and integrity are the basic principles on which the creation of new content is based.

In order to achieve the goal of providing every learner with modern proficiency education, it is essential to improve the approach to learning together with the content, strengthening the shift of emphasis from the transfer of ready-made knowledge to the management of learning, where learners learn by going deeper. The competence approach emphasizes the acquisition of values, attitudes, and general skills so that the learner knows how to act in unfamiliar situations.
The aim of the article is to analyze the methodology of implementing the competence-based approach in Latvian and Lithuanian schools, based on educational documents and expert opinions.

Research methods: theoretical - literature analyses, content analyses of the curriculum of the subjects ‘Technology” and ‘Design and Technologies’; empirical – experts interviews on the education reform process.

The study results show an actualization of the different competencies in the subject "Design and technologies". In the case of Latvia, the basic education standard specifies general skills applied to all subjects. The Lithuanian subject "Technology" guidelines list the competencies to be learned that are closer to the specifics of the subject, such as a healthy lifestyle and cultural competence.

Keywords:

Competence, competency-based approach, study subject ‘Design and Technologies’, the curriculum of the subject, expert interviews.