LOCK-STEP IS THE WAY

We read about people criticizing Outcome Based Education. A strong criticism is that the more capable students are dragged down and have to wait for the slower students. That is the job of the teacher to minimize.

The class can work as individuals or as groups. An experienced teacher will arrange the groups so that there is a spread of capable and less capable students. Sometimes a group of capable students can be set to work. The mastery exercises can be done as a group.

But for achievement tests at the end of the module, the students work alone.

The more practical technique is called lock-step. This name has been part of educational practice for 40 years. It means that the teacher sets a sequence of exercises.

Step 1:  Teacher demonstrates one exercise. Students practise one.  Teacher checks. Students do 5.

Step 2: Teacher demonstrates next exercise group. Students practise. Teacher checks. Students do 5.

and so on.

The students are stopped at regular intervals for teacher checking and demonstration.

The task of the teacher, school or Department is to have sets of mastery exercises with parallel exercises to enable the students to practise the same process a number of times.