Competence, it seems, is one of those hard-to-define concepts that we tend to take for granted; it is so easy to define such an attribute on our own terms, based on our own experience. If we are happy with our new living room, the decorator was competent; if our child is doing well in school, the teacher is competent; if not, the reverse must be true. The problem with basing our ideas of competence on our own limited experience is that we may inadvertently undermine our children's competence by thinking in the same 'box'. This article will focus on defining competence and recognizing it; then the next article will talk about way in which we can foster competency in the children we care for every day.
One of the most meaningful phases I have come across is 'Look at the quality of the task performance, rather than just at the task itself'. In other words, look at the course taken rather than at the end result...the course is much more important in a child's learning than the end result (this is one of the reasons why open-ended toys and activities are so much more meaningful than the type that have specific end results or 'do' things). Now, I can almost hear you all crying out, "But how do we know? What do we look for, specifically?". It is dangerous, I feel, to be too specific when it comes to children...but there are some behaviors/attributes that you can observe in a competent child. For the purposes of early childhood development, competence is defined as : The ability to problem solve; self reliance; confidence in personal ability; self-directed and initiated involvement in the world. Try not to be too strict in thinking about these concepts; they often are blurred together. A child who has problem-solving abilities is more likely to be self reliant, and a child who is confident in their abilities is more likely to to be self-directed, and so on. If we break these categories down, we find the following:
A physically competent child will challenge themselves and practice skills; not require alot of adult assistance;be aware of their body in relation to space, objects, hazards.
A socially competent child will express NEGATIVE, as well as positive, feelings toward others; will attempt to work out conflicts appropriately; innitiate contact with peers and familiar adults; show preference for familiar adults; use the adult as a resource.
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