DOCSLIB.ORG

Outcome-Based Education's Empowering Essence

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Outcome-Based Education's Empowering Essence Outcome-Based Education’s Empowering Essence Elevating Learning for an Awakening World Dr. William Spady Outcome-Based Education’s Empowering Essence Elevating Learning for an Awakening World by Dr. William Spady Copyright ©2020 by William Spady, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Published by Mason Works Press; Boulder, Colorado. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, please contact Kathy Mason, Publisher, at [email protected] or write to: Mason Works Press 6525 Gunpark Dr. #370-426 Boulder, CO 80301 Disclaimer: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to its accuracy or completeness. In addition, this book contains no legal or medical advice; please consult a licensed professional if appropriate. First Edition ISBN: 978-0-9983209-3-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911635 Cover and Interior Design by Kathy Mason and Maryann Sperry Published in the United States of America Printed in the United States of America Praise for Outcome-Based Education’s Empowering Essence “Dr. William Spady’s revolutionary book on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) provides extensive future-focused and trans- formational insights into the ongoing, very progressive advancements of OBE across the world. It gives you and educators at all levels paradigm-shifting information and strategies for initiating and applying OBE’s transformational principles in your work, and for empowering the potential and accomplishments of your colleagues, students, and yourself. This amazing resource provides you with impressive current U.S. and international examples of Transformational OBE’s successful application, and these examples alone provide you with tangible, foundational guidance for using advanced ideas and practices to expand your professional experience and effectiveness! Dr. Spady puts major, significant emphasis on authentic assessments that far exceed current educational grading systems and provides readers with explicit guidance for implementing them. These authentic OBE assessments require specific criteria that: 1) truly reflect the creativity, innovation, and mastery of the learner, and 2) transform our educational system into one that fully promotes and extends human potential and performance! The book is a stunning example of how a fellow educator has refined and advanced already powerful ideas over several decades to the benefit of all learners and the system itself.” - Dr. Janet Jones, Founder, Millennial Minds; Director; Vision Into Action Associates; experienced OBE implementer; USA “I am a national advocate for successful learning for ALL of America’s students and have long marveled at the brilliance, creativity, and commitment Bill Spady has brought to Outcome- Based Education and its central place in this never-ending mission. iii Researcher, philosopher, sociologist, historian, thought leader, humorist, and internationally recognized educator, Dr. Spady takes us on a compelling 40 year journey from “educentrism” to deep learner empowerment, and from testing mandates to “real” life- performance capacities. This book should be a ‘MUST-READ’ for every parent, educator, and policy maker in this country because our educational thinking and practices are trapped inside an Industrial Age paradigm, and Dr. Spady’s insights give us a way out. His blueprint is not just about policy, research or practice; it’s about the power of self-directed learning, self-governance, equity, and democracy itself.” - Arnold Fege, President, Public Advocacy for Kids; USA “If you think you know what Outcome-Based Education is, or you have doubts about it, you have to read Chapter 5 of this amazingly insightful book. It’s called, “Stop Calling It OBE, Unless It Is.” I fully agree with Chapter 5 because I live in a country that’s been a poster child for its message. Our National Department of Education remained mired in ALL TEN of the factors that Spady astutely calls ‘The CBO Syndrome’,and it refused to heed his input and change its unworkable policies. They, like similar departments in other countries, insisted on calling their ineffective CBO policies “OBE,” and the rest of the sad story is history. Local educators, however, were eager to learn everything they could about authentic OBE practice. If you really want to learn about Outcome Based Education and its continuing evolution, you should read all of this book’s deeply informative chapters. Very simpy: the exciting life-performance frameworks and models Dr. Spady describes are extremely enlightening. I worked diligently at Bill’s side for several years, explaining the concept, training a capable team of OBE facilitators, and bringing the ‘real’ OBE message to the country. As an evolving futurist, I strongly endorse the book to anyone wanting a roadmap iv for educating our young people for the dramatically dynamic future they face. That’s the legacy Bill and his OBE colleagues will leave the world. They, like the transformational example described in Chapter 10, know that our current outmoded system can’t do it without the significant guidance this book provides.” - Desmond Collier, Owner-Director, Collier’s Corporate Com- munications; OBE expert; South Africa “This is a genuinely awesome book! It carries a coherent message of transformation, hope, and empowerment to parents, educators, and leaders across the world by dramatically expanding our beliefs about learners, learning, and how best to educate. I’ve devoted my long career to that end, and welcome such a bold, articulate statement from such a kindred spirit. In short, Outcome-Based Education (OBE), as Bill Spady portrays its essence and evolution, turns everything we’ve been doing in education for the past two centuries on its head – all for the better!! More importantly, Dr. Spady shows how and why implementing authentic OBE can be done more insightfully and powerfully than most people have ever imagined because it’s ‘common sense’ buried under mountains of 19th Century cultural beliefs, capabilities, and practices. That alone should inspire everyone who cares about educating all children for a viable, empowering 21st Century future to examine every chapter of this remarkable book. It’s NOT what most schools are doing now, but Spady explains how we can do it the empowering OBE way, IF we choose. Otherwise it’s business as usual masquerading as educational ‘reform.’” - Alan Rowe, Vice President, Community College - Institutional Effectiveness (ret.), Life Coach, Education Consultant v “In this latest literary and culminating masterpiece, Bill Spady outlines ways to escape educentrism – education’s syndrome of Industrial Age characteristics and operations – and to achieve life performance learning and deep student empowerment. In it he describes and explains the momentous awakenings that occurred over decades of his remarkable career of impactful academic contributions and international OBE influence on several continents. His work continues to bring an untold wealth of practical knowledge regarding educational reform for establishing a culture of authentic student empowerment in academic learning. The opening chapters expose the severe limitations of educentrism and highlight the major differences between Curriculum Based Outcomes (CBO) and ‘Real’ OBE. His treatment of this issue alone makes this a MUST READ BOOK for educators and university students everywhere, especially those in international Quality Assurance agencies, Ministries of Education and other key regional and international academic organizations that aim to establish education based on outcomes. Notably, Spady uses his sociological insights to explain how the current system of schooling leads to institutional inertia that counters the very changes most needed today. His deep, big-picture view of meaningful educational change challenges the time-based credit-hour paradigm that drives ‘modern’ education systems. That paradigm, he argues, is based on a bureaucratic-age culture, industrial-age delivery system, agricultural-age calendar and feudal- age agenda – not on 21st Century realities.” - Wajid Hussain, Director, Quality & Accreditation, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University, Saudi Arabia “William Spady’s empowering life-performance approach to Outcome Based Education has had a far-reaching impact on my work as a veteran teacher of special needs students. It has shifted my students’ perspectives and identities from being ‘children who can’t’ vi to ‘young people who CAN’ – both learn and become contributing people in their families and communities. Those who think that OBE is about standardizing curriculum, teaching, learning, and learners are seriously mistaken. It is exactly the opposite, which is why this book should be read by every educator and parent who wants more from education and children than test scores that satisfy backward-looking policy makers and officials. From cover to cover it is an inspiring ‘education’ for us all.” - Pamela Candido, International Special Needs Consultant, Teacher and Trainer; Permaculture Expert; U.K. and South Africa vii DEDICATION To the memory and spirit of the champions of Outcome-Based Education, known and unknown, honored and overlooked, who used this concept to expand humanity’s awareness, elevate its vision of the possible, and forge a lasting legacy on which educators can proudly
Load more

Recommended publications
  • February 2006 News Update
    DIRECTOR’S COMMENT PETER FROGLEY I trust that by now we are all in full • The LEM Phonics Book of Rules for teachers and parents will soon be swing in our educational programs available and is mentioned in our book for the new year — a year that news section. brings great hope and potential in • We have revised the Alphabet Sheets the Lord! with a view to update our penmanship materials. The privilege we have as educators is immense. It is without doubt one of the • The Elements of Music Volume 3 is in most important tasks anyone can have. the writing stage and should be The shaping of the new generation will available late in 2006. produce the quality of the next. As Christians our task grows greater each year This Issue as our society and even civilisation continues to deteriorate. Our light should News Update brings reports on our shine brighter each year as darkness building project and overseas develop- encroaches on our land. ments, as well as some more tips on using our website. In Exploring Christian Education I continue the study on Projects Humanism with an article on Outcome Progress moves slowly for our production Based Education. We reprint parts of a department, but we do have quite a few newspaper article on phonics and the revisions under way at present health section looks at the biblical instruction on diet and relates it to our • The LEM Phonics workbook for older understanding of the body. students, Pathway to Literacy is now available in a student workbook and Keep educating for the Lord! teacher’s manual.
    [Show full text]
  • Outcome-Based Approach to Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Geomatics Higher Education: the Hong Kong Experience
    Outcome-Based Approach to Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Geomatics Higher Education: the Hong Kong Experience Steve Y. W. LAM, Hong Kong SAR, China Key words: geomatics, outcome-based education, curriculum, engineering surveying. SUMMARY Over the years of development, the paradigm of outcome-based education (OBE) has evolved from traditional OBE, through transitional OBE into the era of what William Spady refers as transformational OBE. The transformational or rigorous OBE is now a worldwide trend in higher education and has been adopted by local universities in Hong Kong. At subject or curriculum level, essential elements are: (1) identifying the intended learning outcomes for students; (2) the design of curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment to enable students to achieve the intended learning outcomes; (3) the criterion-referenced outcomes assessment; (4) the continual improvements to both subjects and programme. The approach is illustrated in this paper by the design, teaching, learning and assessment activities of an engineering surveying curriculum at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). At programme or university level, work-integrated or coop programmes are being offered to students for all- round development of their professional knowledge and skills, generic competencies, social attitudes and societal values. The success of OBE demands high standard of student learning outcomes and active involvement of all stakeholders – students, faculty, employers, parents, and others. Despite at high cost, the OBE approach offers students the opportunity to develop employability skills, preparing them for effective participation in labour markets, and allows learning and knowledge to be applied and integrated with work time and life time. TS 7D – Good Educational Practices 1/10 Steve Y.
    [Show full text]
  • William G. Spady, Agent of Change: an Oral History
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2011 William G. Spady, Agent of Change: An Oral History John Anthony Hader Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Hader, John Anthony, "William G. Spady, Agent of Change: An Oral History" (2011). Dissertations. 130. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/130 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2011 John Anthony Hader LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO WILLIAM G. SPADY, AGENT OF CHANGE: AN ORAL HISTORY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN HIGHER EDUCATION BY JOHN A. HADER CHICAGO, IL DECEMBER 2011 Copyright by John Hader, 2011 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Noah Sobe for guiding me through this project. I always wanted to write about William G. Spady and his impact on education, but he gave me the idea to let the subject tell his own complex story to the world as an oral history. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Erwin Epstein. I first heard of the African National Congress and their initiative, Curriculum 2005, based on the work of Spady in his course in comparative education.
    [Show full text]
  • Competency Testing: the Hidden Risk of School Reform
    Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality Volume 7 Issue 2 Article 4 June 1989 Competency Testing: The Hidden Risk of School Reform Stephen T. Schroth Follow this and additional works at: https://lawandinequality.org/ Recommended Citation Stephen T. Schroth, Competency Testing: The Hidden Risk of School Reform, 7(2) LAW & INEQ. 265 (1989). Available at: https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/lawineq/vol7/iss2/4 Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality is published by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. Competency Testing: The Hidden Risk of School Reform Stephen T. Schroth* why some people be mad at me sometimes they ask me to remember but they want me to remember their memories and i keep on remembering mine. 1 Improvement of an education system, whether actual or imagined, interests and affects many. Schools shape and define the character of communities, states, and ultimately the nation. Parents desire a quality education for their children because good schools are seen by many as a way to a better life, a road leading away from poverty.2 It is not surprising that parents are upset when they hear their children's schools called inferior. Angry par- ents pressure school boards and state legislatures to improve local conditions. Legislative response to parental concern has produced numerous reform programs. Competency tests are one type of such legislative reform. Competency tests traditionally have been used to identify schools in need of extra help.3 Some states have extended the use of competency tests beyond this by requiring stu- dents to achieve a predetermined test score in order to graduate from high school.4 At least thirteen states now require minimal competency as a * B.A., Macalester College, 1986; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, 1989.
    [Show full text]
  • Educators' Perceptions of the Foundation Phase English Home
    Per Linguam 2018 34(1):17-32 http://dx.doi.org/10.5785/34-1-767 EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE FOUNDATION PHASE ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENT Radhamoney Govender & Anna J Hugo University of South Africa Numerous transitions in South Africa’s basic education curriculum development have been criticised for failing to meet stakeholders’ expectations. Questions have arisen as to whether the latest Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) is functioning effectively in Foundation Phase classrooms and whether it will improve the quality of education and transform the country’s schools. For an in-depth understanding of educators’ perceptions of the Foundation Phase English Home Language CAPS document and workbook, 13 educators from five English-medium primary schools in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, were interviewed. They criticised the structure of the phonics and the highly pressurised programme. In particular, they advocated the return to a more systematic method of teaching phonics and a reduction in the number of assessments demanded. Another issue highlighted by the educators is the over- rigorous pace and rigid structure of the Foundation Phase English Home Language CAPS document, especially for the first two terms of Grade 1. The added value of this study is its bringing on board, for the first time, the views of experienced educators directly involved in the hands-on implementation of the English Home Language CAPS. Keywords: Outcomes-based Education, Revised National Curriculum Statement, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, Foundation Phase INTRODUCTION South Africa’s school curriculum has undergone as many as four transitions since democracy. In 1997, it changed from the traditional Christian National Education curriculum to Outcomes-based Education (OBE).
    [Show full text]
  • Outcome Based Education(Obe)
    OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION(OBE) N.B.K.R. INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY : : VIDYANAGAR (AUTONOMOUS) 1 Contents S.No Name Page No 01. Definition of OBE 3 02. Benefits of OBE 4-5 03. Adaption and removal in different countries 6-8 04. Origin of OBE 9 05. Features of OBE 10 06. Some important aspects of OBE 11 07. 12 GAs of OBE 12-13 08. 4 things about OBE 14-15 09. OBE in modern cloud world 16-20 10. Academic quality assurance 21 2 Outcome-based education Outcome-based education (OBE) is an educational theory that bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). By the end of the educational experience, each student should have achieved the goal. There is no single specified style of teaching or assessment in OBE; instead, classes, opportunities, and assessments should all help students achieve the specified outcomes. The role of the faculty adapts into instructor, trainer, facilitator, and/or mentor based on the outcomes targeted. Outcome-based methods have been adopted in education systems around the world, at multiple levels. Australia and South Africa adopted OBE policies in the early 1990s but have since been phased out. The United States has had an OBE program in place since 1994 that has been adapted over the years. In 2005, Hong Kong adopted an outcome-based approach for its universities. Malaysia implemented OBE in all of their public schools systems in 2008.] The European Union has proposed an education shift to focus on outcomes, across the EU. In an international effort to accept OBE, The Washington Accord was created in 1989; it is an agreement to accept undergraduate engineering degrees that were obtained using OBE methods.
    [Show full text]
  • Australia's Adoption of Outcomes Based Education – a Critique
    Australia’s adoption of outcomes based education – a critique Dr Kevin Donnelly – Director, Education Strategies Published in Issues in Educational Research, 17(2), 2007 http://www.iier.org.au/iier17/donnelly.html Background Over the last year or two, Australia’s adoption of outcomes based education (OBE), sometimes known as Essential Learnings or outcomes and standards based education, has been at the centre of a good deal of public scrutiny and debate. In Western Australia, during 2006, the planned introduction of OBE into years 11 and 12 led to a strident and vocal media campaign, in part, led by The West Australian and The Australian newspapers, that culminated in a parliamentary review and Premier Carpenter taking control of the issue in an attempt to ameliorate some of the more contentious aspects of the proposed senior school certificate. In Tasmania, a similar debate about curriculum reform related to Essential Learnings, led to Minister Bartlett replacing Minister Wreidt as the education minister and a decision, announced in late August, 2006, to re-badge the curriculum as the Tasmanian Curriculum and to modify some of the more problematic aspects of the Essential Learnings curriculum as it was originally designed. At the national level, debates about the impact of outcomes based education on history, literature and music curriculum have also highlighted the fact that school curriculum has become the focus of attention. A number of education activists and academics have also criticised Australia’s adoption of outcomes based education on the basis that OBE does not represent ‘world’s best’ curriculum and that it fails to successfully support teachers in their work (see Berlach 2004, Donnelly 2004, Wilson 2002 and the PLATO website, www.platowa.com).
    [Show full text]
  • Outcome-Based Education: Defining the Language Arts Curriculum
    DOCUMENT RESUME .ED 380 808 CS 214 770 AUTHOR Battistini, Jan, Comp.; Smith, Carl B., Ed. TITLE Outcome-Based Education: Defining the Language Arts Curriculum. Hot Topic Guide 56. INSTITUTION ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, Bloomington, IN. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Apr 95 CONTRACT RR93002011 NOTE 86p.; All of the articles and book chapters included in this, and any other, Hot Topic Guide are reprinted with the express permission of their copyright holders. AVAILABLE FROMDistance Education/ERIC-REC, Indiana University, Smith Research Center, Suite 150, 2805 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47408-2698 ($15, prepaid, using Mastercard, Visa, or check made payable to ERIC/REC). PUB TYPE Information Analyses ERIC Clearinghouse: Products (071) Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Annotated Bibliographies; *Curriculum; Educational Philosophy; Elementary Secondary Education; Instructional Effectiveness; *Language Arts; Public Schools IDENTIFIERS *Educational Issues; *Outcome Based Education ABSTRACT One of a series of educational packages designed for implementation either in a workshop atmosphere or through individual study, this Hot Topic guide presents a variety of materials to assist educators in designing and implementing classroom projects and activities centering on the topic of outcome-based education. The Hot Topic guide contains guidelines for workshop use; an overview/lecture on outcome-based education; and nine articles (from professional and scholarly journals) and ERIC documents on outcome-based education. A 44-item annotated bibliography of items in the ERIC database on outcome-based education is attached. (RS) *******k*****************************it******************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that an be made from the original document.
    [Show full text]
  • Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 380 910 EA 026 634 AUTHOR Spady, William G. TITLE Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers. INSTITUTION American Association of School Administrators, Arlington, Va. REPORT NO ISBN-0-87652-183-9 PUB DA1E 94 NOTE 212p. AVAILABLE FROMAmerican Association of School Administrators,1801 North Moore Street, Arlington, VA 22209 (StockNo. 21-00488; $18.95 plus postage). PUB TYPE Books (010) Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)(120) Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Competence; *Competency Based Education; Educational Change; Educational Philosophy; Educational Planning; Elementary Secondary Education; Outcomes of Education; Performance; Program Iniplementation; Standards IDENTIFIERS *Outcome Based Education ABSTRACT Outcome-based education (OBE) means clearly focusing and organizing everything in an educational system around what is essential for all students to be able to do successfully at the end of their learning experiences. This book examines the issues critical to understanding and implementing OBE. Chapter 1 addresses a range of issues related to the meaning of the term "outcome-based education." It defines key terms and concepts and describes the foundations of genuine outcome-based models. The second chapter links current interest in OBE to global socioeconomic changes. Chapter 3 examines some important issues surrounding thr, meaning of outcomes andhow they are derived. Four major trends are identified in the fourth chapter-- classroom reform, program alignment, external accountability, and system transformation. Chapter 5 shows how the effects of OBE on students and schools depends on which implementation approach is used. Common misconceptions about OBE are clarified in the sixth chapter. The final chapter discusses future directions of.
    [Show full text]
  • The Paradigm Trap
    The Paradigm Trap Getting beyond No Child Left Behind will mean changing our 19th-century, closed-system mind-set. By William Spady If you don’t like the federal No Child Left Behind Act, don’t blame President Bush, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Rep. George Miller, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, or her predecessor, Rod Paige. Well, not entirely anyway. And if you’re a supporter of the legislation, which the president signed into law five years ago this week, this is an opportunity to rethink your assumptions about its nature, purpose, and potential impact. As the nation’s premier education law heads toward its scheduled reauthorization this year, here are some thoughts on its history and impact to consider. —Patti Raine The No Child Left Behind Act is the natural extension of a paradigm that has defined, shaped, and sustained our public education system for over a century. The paradigm took form in the late 19th century, during the optimistic adolescence of America’s Industrial Age, and it embodies the leading ideas of that bygone era: a subject- structured curriculum, an age-based grade-level grouping and promotion structure, a time-based and time-defined form of organization, and a decidedly uniform pace of instruction, from September into June. All of these elements combined to mimic the much-admired factory assembly lines of the day, and within a few decades this industrial-age model of education became so institutionalized, legalized, internalized, and reinforced that it has been virtually impossible to change. We simply know it as “school,” and most Americans have spent at least 12 of their most formative years in it.
    [Show full text]
  • The 'New Paradigm' of Outcomes-Based Education in Perspective SPT Malan
    ISSN 0378-5254 Tydskrif vir Gesinsekologie en Verbruikerswetenskappe, Vol 28, 2000 The 'new paradigm' of outcomes-based education in perspective SPT Malan OPSOMMING INTRODUCTION Uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys (UGO) word deur Education is aimed at creating teaching and learning sommige as 'n paradigmaskuif in die onderwys ge- environments that would bring about desired changes propageer. Die doel van die artikel is om hierdie in learners, whether to be more knowledgeable, better aanspraak toe te lig teen die agtergrond van veral skilled or to influence their attitudes and values pos i- vier onderrig- en leerbenaderings, naamlik doelwit- tively. The essence of teaching and learning is to gerigte onderrig, bevoegdheidsgebaseerde leer, be- plan teaching events (contents, strategies, etc) and to meesteringsleer, en kriteriumgerigte onderrig en as- ascertain to what extent learners have acquired the sessering. intended competences. Teen die agtergrond van die voorgemelde benade- Uncertainty about the desired learning outcomes and rings word getoon dat UGO nie 'n paradigmaskuif failure to assess outcomes properly could end in a meebring nie. UGO kan ten beste beskryf word as 'n situation where learners only attained pseudo- eklektiese onderwysfilosofie wat op die beste ele- knowledge, pseudo-skills, pseudo-attitudes and mente in hierdie onderwysbenaderings berus. Oor- pseudo-values. On completion of their studies these eenkomstig die behoeftes en eise wat aan 'n nuwe learners are awarded a certificate inherently implying demokratiese Suid-Afrika gestel word, is die elemen- that they have attained certain competences whereas te egter in 'n visioenêre raamwerk saamgevoeg om in fact they have not. Disenchantment with education aan die land se mensekragbehoeftes en werkvereis - in this regard is obvious - but not a new phenomenon.
    [Show full text]
  • The Abcs of OBE:Whats Wrong with 'Outcome Based Education' (IP-1-1994)
    The ABCs of OBE:Whats Wrong with 'Outcome Based Education' (IP-1-1994) January 1, 1994 Issue Paper By Dwight Williams Throughout America, the federal government is imposing a new educational program called "Outcome Based Education" (OBE). Under OBE, students no longer earn grades based on their mastery of a curriculum. Instead, students are evaluated on whether they have attained various "outcomes," many of them vaguely-defined. In this Issue Paper, education analysts Dwight Williams and Edward Lederman break through OBEs layers of jargon to explain what OBE really means. Part One, by Williams, analyzes OBE in detail. Part Two, by Lederman, puts OBE in the context of the education consultation complex. The weight of the evidence suggests that OBE degrades student learning. OBE prohibits successful students from moving on to more advanced material until every student in the class has mastered the current material. Although theoretically intended to promote group learning, the effect has been to slow advanced students, while slower students slow down even more. OBE denigrates traditional motivations for learningsuch as test scoresbecause under OBE no student is allowed to fail. OBE is often presented to parents in a disguised form, under a variety of names, such as "standards-based" education. OBE proponents such as Mrs. Clinton and Labor Secretary Reich see education as the production of group-oriented, other-directed corporate employees, rather than well-informed, skeptical, individualist citizens of a republic. Although OBE jargon uses attractive terms such as "critical thinking," those terms are redefined to mean their opposite. For example, "critical thinking" means the use of emotion, rather than logic, to make politically correct decisions.
    [Show full text]