ACTIVE LEARNING AT ROOT OF EDUCATION REFORMS

What is outcome-based education, usually called OBE? And does it go by that name or by other names in different states or localities?

The answers depend on the source. But some common patterns and terminology appear in Missouri and in other states like Kentucky, where school reform efforts have adopted the OBE approach or ones similar to it.

Outcome-based education is a reform approach that claims to introduce first the establishment, then the measurement, of outcomes, or results of the educational process.

"Outcome-based education is the response of the educational community to the widespread demands of the last 10 years or so that we produce measurable results," says Dr. Neyland Clark, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District. "OBE is not the only such reaction, but an important reaction, nonetheless."

Variations of OBE include performance learning and performance-based education. Common to all three is an approach that discards the traditional, passive learning model in favor of what educators call "active learning."

Clark came to Cape Girardeau in 1991 from Kentucky. In 1990, Kentucky's legislature passed the Education Reform Act of 1990, which instituted a variety of OBE called performance-based education. Twenty-four Kentucky high schools have been selected for participation in a project to implement PBE. Clark experienced the early stages of that reform process and continues to watch it closely.

A similar reform effort is under way in some Missouri school districts. In the Columbia School District, Dr. Bert Schulte, assistant superintendent for instruction, speaks enthusiastically of the introduction of what the district calls "performance learning." The new approach is a result of action taken by the Columbia Board of Education in the 1990-91 school year and the subsequent issuance of a report called "Restructuring the Curriculum."

"We are engaged in an effort to make learning much more active than in the past," Schulte said. "Students no longer sit and passively listen as a teacher lectures them with material to be regurgitated for a test. We are upgrading the vigor and vitality of classroom instruction, moving away from passively using pencil and paper, as before.

Active learning, Schulte explained, means getting students directly involved in their own learning, through hands-on experience, touching and doing.

Asked about criticism of performance learning, Schulte said, "A national controversy is raging, but it's over terminology as much as substance. Very few people disagree with active learning, and what criticisms there are tend to be based on the old, passive model of learning.

Gone, under Columbia's new curriculum, is standardized spelling in the early primary grades. "The attempt to standardize spelling at an early age stifles writing, which is the goal. Our experience is that under the new methods, by the time they get to the third or fourth grades, they become much better spellers than students who were under the old, passive learning system. More important, though, is that they are eager writers."

Neyland Clark agrees. "There is research that shows this to be true. We know that the learner who is more active is more effective than the one who is sitting there, passively absorbing information from a lecture. I think we have to look with favor on active learning as opposed to the passive model. When kids get their hands on an active learning process, they will always do better."

STUDENT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Below are the proposed boals and standards that might be adopted for academic performance in Missouri schools.

Goal 1Construct meaning by gathering, understanding, analyzing and applying information, ideas and concepts from the disciplines.Standards for Goal 11. Analyze information, ideas and perspectives encountered in the arts, sciences and humanities, using the library/media center and field research to formulate and support a thesis or interpretation.2. Design and conduct field and laboratory inquiries to gather information, to formulate and test hypotheses, and to study social and natural phenomena.3. Use a variety of technologies and other resources to identify, locate and select information and data.4. Develop and clarify ideas and perspectives by applying information-processing skills learned in the various content areas.5. Organize information and data into useful forms: verbal, non-verbal, symbolic and graphic.6. Evaluate information, ideas, arguments and products to determine patterns, relationships, perspectives, credibility, and cause and effect.7. Apply the processes and knowledge learned from experience and study new situations and tasks.8. Create and refine ideas and products through research and inquiry in the various disciplines and in daily life.9. Produce and evaluate visual and performed products in the practical and fine arts.10. Interpret past and present human experiences, aesthetically and academically.11. Analyze and evaluate the relationship of the arts, sciences and humanities to the development of the individual and civilizations.12. Analyze cultures to understand their relationships to the international community.Goal 2Communicate effectively.Standards for Goal 21. Plan effective verbal and non-verbal communications for a variety of purposes and audiences, anticipating the impact of the message.2. Create communications using a variety of methods, forms and technologies.3. Revise and adjust written, oral and non-verbal language use, style, tone and structure to communicate with different people and different situations.4. Present ideas, opinions and arguments in an organized and convincing way.5. Discuss and respond thoughtfully to the ideas and opinions of others.6. Read, listen to and view various forms of communication to interpret, evaluate and respond to them.7. Express ones emotions, concepts of beauty and personal perceptions of works of the arts, humanities and sciences.8. Use effective communication techniques for multiple workplace situations.Goal 3Solve problems.Standards for Goal 31. Work individually and with others to solve problems.2. Recognize and define theoretical and actual problems encountered in the various disciplines and in life.3. Apply knowledge and skills to analyze past problems and to formulate logical and creative strategies to predict, prevent and solve problems.4. Identify and consider a variety of viewpoints when solving problems.5. Develop strategies to solve existing and potential environmental and social problems.6. Select and apply appropriate strategies to solve current problems or prevent potential problems.7. Select and apply appropriate technology and other resources to solve problems.8. Verify whether a solution addresses the problem to which it was applied.9. Analyze and evaluate the potential or actual results of the solution, considering such issues as aesthetics, ethics and stewardship.10. Analyze and evaluate the process(es) used in solving problems.Goal 4Make responsible decisions individually and within groups as students, family members, workers and citizens.Standards for Goal 41. Make decisions that are informed, reasoned and responsible.2. Understand and apply the principles expressed in fundamental documents shaping the United States constitutional democracy.3. Identify and analyze ways individuals in a variety of roles affect their communities, the state, the nation and the world.4. Identify, analyze and evaluate events, issues and human actions, considering their effect upon individuals, society and the environment through time.5. Establish, monitor and adjust goals and plans of action to meet current and future needs.6. Work as individuals and collaborate with others to accomplish tasks or reach goals.7. Explore and prepare for educational and career opportunities.8. Recognize and practice academic integrity.9. Apply aesthetic considerations when addressing personal, environmental and societal issues.10. Identify and analyze potential risks in daily living and apply appropriate health and safety measures, procedures and practices.11. Consider implications of diversity in our country and in the worlds population when making decisions.