Preparing the 21<SUP>st</SUP> Century Teacher for the Implementation of Outcomes-Based Education: The Practical Reality

Abstract

Teaching and learning in contemporary education systems are experiencing a paradigm shift. There is a move from the traditional teacher-centred teaching, to student-centred education. Outcome-based education is a process of curriculum design that starts with a clear picture of what is important for students to be able to do, then organizing curriculum, instruction, and assessment to make sure that learning ultimately takes place. At the centre of outcome-based education is the learner. How best can the learner learn? What is the role of the teacher in making sure that learning takes place? How do we prepare teachers for the successful implementation of outcome-based education? How do we take care of every learner's needs? These are pertinent questions that this paper addresses. The study was carried out in Botswana using a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interview questions were adopted to collect data from twelve teachers purposively selected from three technical colleges in Botswana. Relevant documentary analysis was used to augment the data that was collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings of the study revealed that different stakeholders understand the role of teachers in the implementation of outcome-based education differently and that teachers should be adequately prepared if outcomes-based education is to be implemented successfully in Botswana. The study concludes that the teacher recruitment exercise in the 21 st century should be geared towards hiring teachers who are equipped with the necessary skills needed for teaching 21 st century learners.

Four Cs of Outcomes-Based Teaching and Learning: A Literature Review

“…Also, teachers facilitating teaching and learning should cater to different types of learners in various situations. (Borsoto et al, 2014;Iloanya, 2019). In addition, OBE is humanistic because educators prioritize student improvement (Bustamante, 2015).…”

Development of dynamic OBE model to quantify student performance

“…However, OBE was criticized as limiting the students' learning potential to explore knowledge that is not pre‐defined by the CO. It also discourages poorly performed students who have self‐learning difficulties [8]. CQI could address this in OBE, where the weakness of OBE shall be identified and improved from time to time to ensure the practicality of OBE assessment.…”