Notes On Outcome-Based Education

Dr. William G. Spady, Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers Outcomes-Based Education 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. This means starting with a clear picture of what is important for students to be able to do, then organizing curriculum, instruction, and assessment to make sure this learning ultimately happens.

Spady: The Keys to Having an OBE System

Developing a clear set of learning outcomes around which all of the systemss components can be focused.

Establishing the conditions and opportunities within the system that enable and encourage all students to achieve those essential outcomes.

Outcomes?

Outcomes are clear learning results that we want students to demonstrate at the end of significant learning experiences.

They are not values, beliefs, attitudes, or psychological states of mind.

Outcomes are what learners can actually do with what they know and have learned.

Tangible and Observable Application.

Outcomes are actions and performances that embody and reflect learner competence in using content, information, ideas, and tools successfully.

(A)ctual doing, rather than just knowing.

Defined according to the actions and demonstration

processes sought.

Uses demonstration verbs in outcome statements.

Often uses the term Exit Outcome, seeking the notion of an ultimate result applied to the end of the

students career in school.

Staked or defined by a community.

From the DepEd K-12 Tool Kit, p. 11

From the DepEd K-12 Tool Kit, p. 11

Exit Outcomes, based on the K-12 Framework

Spady on Establishing Frameworks

Before basing a system on outcomes, states and districts must establish a clear framework of learning that students will be able to master successfully at the culminating point in their schooling careerswhat was just referred to as exit outcomes. Then, districts must proceed to define, organize, structure, focus, and operate their activities based on those culminating outcomes.

OBE in History Apprenticeships and training forms and models over the

centuries.

Contemporary forms: technical training programs in the military, flight schools, ski schools, karate instruction, scuba instruction, and other area(s) of learning where clearly defined competence and performance are essential or carrying out a role effectively.

Other forms of what Spady calls performance credentialing: professional licensure of doctors, lawyers, real estate brokers, and cosmetologists, as well as merit and honor badges for Boy and Girl Scouts.

All share two key things, as per Spady: First, each model is focused on a clearly defined performance result for learners that is not compromised. Second, in each example, WHAT and WHETHER students learn successfully is more important than WHEN and HOW they learn it.

OBE Negotiating with Time Lets review Spady: Second, in each example, WHAT

and WHETHER students learn successfully is more important than WHEN and HOW they learn it.

What do we do with our time-bound (school year, quarter) requirements? Shady responds this way: If time and accomplishments dont mesh, then the term outcome-based directly implies that out-comes must take precedence over time.

For sharing among triads: How do we negotiate with this in our own practices?

Spadys OBE in a Nutshell Outcome-based systems build everything on a clearly

defined framework of exit outcomes.

Time in an outcome-based system is used as an alterable resource, depending on the needs of the teachers and students.

In an outcome-based system, standards are clearly defined, known, and criterion-based for all students.

Outcome-based systems focus on increasing students learning and ultimate performance abilities to highest possible levels before they leave school.

The OBE Pyramid: Key Elements to A Sound Approach

Paradigm

Purposes

Premises

Principles

Practices

Define outcomes

Design Curriculum

Deliver Instruction

Document Results

Determine Advancement

The OBE Paradigm

Implicit in the OBE paradigm is the desire to have all students emerge from the system as genuinely successful learners.

The OBE Purposes

Ensuring that all students are equipped with the knowledge, competence, and qualities needed to be (successful) after they exit the educational system.

Structuring and operating schools so that those outcomes can be achieved and maximized for all students.

The OBE Premises

All Students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day (and) in the same way.

Successful learning promoties even more successful learning.

Schools control the conditions that directly affect successful school learning.

The OBE Principles Clarity of Focus on Culminating Exit Outcomes of

Significance

Expanded Opportunity and Support for Learning and Success

High Expectations for All to Succeed

Design down from Your Ultimate Culminating Outcomes.

Clarity of Focus Guides instructional planning and delivery;

provides a clear picture of learning and prioritizes student success.

It is the starting point of curriculum, instruction, and assessment planning and implementation.

The idea of no surprises: instruction and assessment are transparent.

Varies from teacher to teacher, but focus is found in some minimum standard requirements.

Expanded Opportunity Gives students more than one chance to learn and demonstrate

learning.

Time: concerns amount, frequency, and eligibility of learning dispensation.

Modalities: determines learning styles and approaches for varied learners.

Operations: related to the adherence to the Principles of OBE.

Performance Standards: provision of processes that enable learning; the use of criteria.

Curriculum Access: how the learning structure is rationalized and arranged.

High Expectations Increasing the level of challenge to which students are

exposed and raising the standard of acceptable performance (in order) for them to be called finished or successful.

Raising Standards of Acceptable Performance: Students are held to higher minimum standard than ever before.

Eliminating Success Quotas: Shifting from bell-curves or quota grades to criterion-based systems.

Increasing Access to High-Level Curriculum: eliminating low-level courses, programs, or learning groups from the curriculum.

Design Down

Beginning with the end in mind; mapping back.

Structuring Your OBE

Arranging competencies based on KSAknowledge, attitudes, and skills. These make up your learning outcomes, and are primarily taken from verbs formulated in Blooms Taxonomy.