Outcomes Based Education
Education Queensland promotes the practices and philosophy of 'Outcomes Based Education'. O.B.E. places the learner and their needs as the 'hub' of Curriculum planning and teaching methods used in our lessons. We may well claim that this is nothing new for effective teachers and this may be true, however....... Lessons can now be directed towards assisting students in developing specific identified outcomes (per syllabus) utilizing whatever context we believe best suites outcome development and student interest.
Work programs are likely to be less content focussed and more 'skill' focussed with more room for student negotiation.
Enhanced student performance is anticipated as students become more engaged in areas of interest and their own learning.
Steve Smith has developed a '3 legged Chair ' model of Queenslands approach to implementing OBE. Click here to download the model.
Click here to download a simplified perception of 'Outcomes Based Education'
Another perception of using an 'Outcomes Approach' appears below.
(Source: QSCC Sourcebook guidelines)
Outcomes approach
Judgments to determine the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency with
which an outcomes approach to education is embedded in programs, units and
activities will include considering the extent to which:
• there is a clear focus on learning outcomes;
• students are aware of the reasons for learning what they are learning;
• it is recognised that all students can succeed;
• students are given time to produce work of a high standard;
• there is a focus on current knowledge of child and adolescent development;
• students are provided with opportunities for self-assessment so that students
can monitor their own progress;
• a wide range of teaching strategies is used to cater for the developmental
differences, prior knowledge and skills of students;
• there is a learner-centred approach to learning and teaching;
• barriers to demonstration of outcomes by students are identified and
overcome;
• the different backgrounds, interests, prior understandings, experiences and
learning styles of students are valued;
• students are provided with opportunities to progress and demonstrate core
learning outcomes in more than one context;
• there is sufficient flexibility in the curriculum to cater for the different
characteristics and learning needs of students;
• planning of experiences which promote learning and of assessment occurs at
the same time;
• assessment is seen as a learning opportunity and is used to inform future
planning;
• clear expectations of student performance have been established.