"The more traditional approach "

I read with interest a part of Donnelly's book where he pits Spady's views of OBE against "a more traditional approach". He does this all through the book, but this caught my eye.

"The more traditional approach to curriculum is based on the belief that not all students are equally motivated or have the same ability and, as a result, some will pass and some will fail. Classes are streamed in terms of ability or interest and students are regularly assessed to ensure they focus on what is being taught. Those students needing help are easily identifiable. Learning is often accidental in the sense that good teachers take the opportunity, when covering a particular topic or task, to explore ideas and responses as they arise" (Donnelly, 2007, pp.34-35).

Mmmm... Firstly, everyone knows, whether they are of the traditional or other persuasion, that students are unequally motivated! Secondly, the reference to ‘ability’ is something I personally can’t come at. Usually ‘ability’ is only measured by tests, and can, from my point of view, only be truly referred to as ‘achievement’. Thirdly, are students not regularly assessed by adherents of OBE??? Of course they are!

Anyway, my interest was piqued by the statement “Learning is often accidental in the sense that good teachers take the opportunity, when covering a particular topic or task, to explore ideas and responses as they arise”. WHY would good traditionalist teachers instigate learning that was accidental??

I don’t get it. Isn’t this what Donnelly accuses OBE adherents of??