William Spady

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William G. Spady is an academic, educational psychologist, [1] sociologist and is considered the father of Outcome-Based Education (OBE). [2] He is largely noted for his works that attempt to expand and enhance the philosophical grounding and performance of educators, leaders, educational systems, and learners. [3]

Contents

Background

Spady became a lecturer at Harvard University and the Ontario Institute of Education from 1967 to 1973. [4] He has also worked as a senior research sociologist at the National Institute of Education and as an Associate Executive Director of the American Association for School Administrators. [4] Spady is CEO of IN4OBE, a global network of OBE experts, consultants and visionaries [5]

Spady and OBE

Spady coined the term outcome-based education in 1988 as an extension of the works completed by John Franklin Bobbitt and Ralph W. Tyler. [6] In his conceptualization, Spady described OBE as the reorientation in educational system towards what is essential for all students to be successful at the end of their learning experiences. [7] This primarily entails the identification of what is important for the learners to be able to do so that the curriculum, instruction and assessment are organized accordingly. [7]

Spady's research is still widely cited in nations such as Australia which are still adopting OBE. [8]

Spady also participated in the Task Force on Education Organization created in Minnesota by a 1988 legislative session. [9] The task force's draft for outcomes system followed his approach. [9]

Works

Spady is the author or co-author of nine books. His latest works are Outcome Based Education’s Empowering Essence, published in 2021, [10] Beyond Outcomes Accreditation, published in 2018 [11] and Bringing Heart and Soul to Education, published in 2014. He has also worked for Breakthrough Learning at Dillon, Colorado. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and internet. Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can be completely distance learning, or a combination of distance learning and traditional classroom instruction. Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education</span> Transmission of knowledge and skills

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outcome-based education</span> Educational system based on the desired goals

Outcome-based education or outcomes-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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constructivism (philosophy of education)</span> Philosophical viewpoint about the nature of knowledge; theory of knowledge

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The concept or theory of meaningful learning is that learned information is completely understood and can now be used to make connections with other previously known knowledge, aiding in further understanding. Since information is stored in a network of connections, it can be accessed from multiple starting points depending on the context of recall. Meaningful learning is often contrasted with rote learning, a method in which information is memorized sometimes without elements of understanding or relation to other objects or situations. A real-world example of a concept the learner has learned is an instance of meaningful learning. Utilization of meaningful learning may trigger further learning, as the relation of a concept to a real-world situation may be encouraging to the learner. It may encourage the learner to understand the information presented and will assist with active learning techniques to aid their understanding. Although it takes longer than rote memorization, information is typically retained for a longer period of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open educational practices</span>

Open educational practices (OEP) are part the broader open education landscape, including the openness movement in general. It is a term with multiple layers and dimensions and is often used interchangeably with open pedagogy or open practices. OEP represent teaching and learning techniques that draw upon open and participatory technologies and high-quality open educational resources (OER) in order to facilitate collaborative and flexible learning. Because OEP emerged from the study of OER, there is a strong connection between the two concepts. OEP, for example, often, but not always, involve the application of OER to the teaching and learning process. Open educational practices aim to take the focus beyond building further access to OER and consider how in practice, such resources support education and promote quality and innovation in teaching and learning. The focus in OEP is on reproduction/understanding, connecting information, application, competence, and responsibility rather than the availability of good resources. OEP is a broad concept which can be characterised by a range of collaborative pedagogical practices that include the use, reuse, and creation of OER and that often employ social and participatory technologies for interaction, peer-learning, knowledge creation and sharing, empowerment of learners, and open sharing of teaching practices.

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Global citizenship education (GCED) is a form of civic learning that involves students' active participation in projects that address global issues of a social, political, economic, or environmental nature. The two main elements of GCE are 'global consciousness'; the moral or ethical aspect of global issues, and 'global competencies', or skills meant to enable learners to participate in changing and developing the world. The promotion of GCE was a response by governments and NGOs to the emergence of supranational institution, regional economic blocs, and the development of information and communications technologies. These have all resulted in the emergence of a more globally oriented and collaborative approach to education. GCE addresses themes such as peace and human rights, intercultural understanding, citizenship education, respect for diversity and tolerance, and inclusiveness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passive learning</span>

Passive learning is a method of learning or instruction where students receive information from the instructor and internalize it. It is a method "where the learner receives no feedback from the instructor". The term is often used together with direct instruction and lecturing, with passive learning being the result or intended outcome of the instruction. This style of learning is teacher-centered and contrasts to active learning, which is student-centered, whereby students take an active or participatory role in the learning process, and to the Socratic method where students and instructors engage in cooperative argumentative dialogue. Passive learning is a traditional method utilized in factory model schools and modern schools, as well as historic and contemporary religious services in churches (sermons), mosques, and synagogues.

References

  1. 1 2 Evans, Ronald W. (2014). Schooling Corporate Citizens: How Accountability Reform has Damaged Civic Education and Undermined Democracy. New York: Routledge. pp. xviii, 139. ISBN   9781138788428.
  2. "Who's Who in Outcome Based Education". integraonline.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  3. Spady, William G.; Schwahn, Charles J. (2010). Learning Communities 2.0: Educating in the Age of Empowerment. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education. p. 169. ISBN   978-1-60709-608-5.
  4. 1 2 Killen, Roy. "William Spady: A Paradigm Pioneer" (PDF). SA.gov.au. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. "William Spady: CEO - IN4OBE a global network of OBE experts, consultants and visionaries". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. O'Donoghue, Tom (2017). Understanding Contemporary Education: Key themes and issues. Oxon: Routledge. p. 99. ISBN   9781138678255.
  7. 1 2 Fraser, Barry J.; Tobin, Kenneth; McRobbie, Campbell J. (2011). Second International Handbook of Science Education, Part One. Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1259. ISBN   978-1-4020-9040-0.
  8. "Last December, the School Board approved the hiring of William Spady of ChangeLeaders, .. is sociologist and the self-proclaimed father of OBE" Archived 2006-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 Manno, Bruno (1 August 1994). "Outcome-Based Education: Has It Become More Affliction Than Cure?". American Experiment. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  10. "Outcome Based Education's Empowering Essence". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  11. "Beyond Outcomes Accreditation". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.