Paper Abstract | Going Beyond Skills: The Cognitive Approach as a Breakthrough (Nahas)

Going Beyond Skills: The Cognitive Approach as a Breakthrough

Abstract:

Technical and vocational training and education have emphasized the mastering of skills as an attempt for better efficiency. The fast change in the needed skills due to the rapid evolving new technologies, should make educators more critical of the methods used. The cognitive approach, based on a learner centered approach gives, perhaps, a solution and a remedy. But this is based on a two way approach: (a)The teacher’s attitude and (b) the learner’s concerns.

Using each skill as a "scheme" for concept introduction in specific situations, and linking these schemes into a broad conceptual field, can enable learners to be better prepared for coping with the rapid technological changes.

While planning the curriculum of the University of Balamand Institute of Technology we tried to implement this approach by adopting such a strategy in the design of the courses. This approach contributed for a better integration of the different components of the curriculum . The paper will present some examples which illustrate the organization of one subject, and the interrelation between different subjects.

Author:

Georges Nahas

Georges N. Nahas currently holds the post of Vice President at the University of Balamand (U.O.B.). He was born in Tripoli - Lebanon, in 1945. He is a member of the National Higher Education Committee, and the "Association Libanaise des Sciences de l'Education" (ALSE). He has also been a participating member in the Curriculum Evaluation Forum held by ALSE, and is the Chairman of the Curriculum Design Committee at U.O.B.

His academic interests are varied. Within the field of Education, he has many activities regarding program content, learning process, language of instruction, and conceptualization in the sciences. As for the religious field, his activities are related to comparative religious studies especially the Christian-Muslim dialogue, and various Orthodox thoughts.

Georges NAHAS holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Université René Descartes - Paris V (1994). He holds a D.E.A. in Mathemathics - Topology from the Université de Paris (1969).

His employment record is as follows:

  • Vice President; University of Balamand; 1995 -
  • Dean; Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences; University of Balamand; 1988 - 1995
  • Coordinator; Center for Christian Muslim Studies; University of Balamand; 1995 -
  • Principal of Collège Notre Dame du Balamand; 1975 - 1993
  • Faculty Member; University of Balamand; 1989 -
  • Faculty Member; Université St. Joseph; 1975 - 1984
  • Faculty Member; Université Libanaise; 1970 - 1974
  • Educational Coordinator-Advisor; Collège National Orthodoxe - St. Elie; 1974-1975
  • Teacher - secondary school level; Dar El Nour; 1969 - 1975.

He is fluent in Arabic and French and has good skills in English.

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