“Our job is to
have an educational system where everybody succeeds and everybody learns to
their potential.” – Peter Shumlin, Governor of Vermont
In
the emerging new story, it has become apparent that not all students learn the
same way, making individualization in classrooms more in demand. Drake, Reid,
and Kolohon (2014) define individualization as a teacher modifying instruction
to meet the needs of each individual learner. I remember throughout my high
school experience most of my teachers would give us quizzes at the beginning of
the year to determine what kind of learner each of the students were (visual,
auditory, kinaesthetic). The problem is I don’t recall any of my teachers
actually implementing this information into the classroom dynamic. For example,
all though year by year I was found to be a Kinaesthetic learner I consistently
remember the classroom setting being the teacher stating the material, us as
students listening to what is being taught, and more often then not having no
opportunity to tangibly apply it. This is why I found myself excelling in the
science and physical education setting (both what I am pursuing today), because
there are labs or direct application of what’s being taught. Although I didn’t
necessarily do poorly in my other classes, I always wonder how my grades would
be affected if each teacher utilized this information about me as a student,
and created a more individualized learning plan?
Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2014/02/making-personalized-learning-plans-personal/
The
photo above is a great visual representation of how in a traditional classroom,
students may be consistently asking questions because the delivery of material
does not meet their individual learning style. In "Making Personalized Learning Plans Personal" Renfro (2014)
discusses the importance of the teacher in developing individualized
instruction.
The
importance of individualization is profoundly important when working with
children who have specialized learning needs. For the past two years I’ve
worked as one-to-one support to children who have an intellectual or physical
disability while they participate in a day camp program. I see how most summer
camps are unprepared to integrate these children into their programs, and as
support staff I try my best to modify activities to suit their ability level.
With this, some parents have expressed the same struggle these children face in
the school setting. Horn (2009) indicates that the Individuals With
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states: students individualized education
program (IEP) must include a description of how the child’s disabilities affect
the child’s progress in the general curriculum, the measurable goals that will
be set in order to enable the child to progress in the general curriculum, and
supports necessary for the child to progress through the general curriculum. Developing
a high-quality, universally designed curriculum is the first step, teachers
then need to make modifications to meet the individual needs of specific children’s
goals. Objectives should meet the unique needs of the child, be meaningful to
the child, and be functional in a variety of contexts. A curriculum
modification is simply changing a classroom activity or material to allow a
child to participate this can include environmental support, material
adaptations, special equipment, peer support, and simplification of the
activity. Therefore, all teachers are more then able to implement
individualization within all their classrooms.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXtT05782Y
The video illustrates how various
Edmonton Public Schools do
a variety of lesson plans, applying kinaesthetic, visual, and auditory learning.
The ideal is to touch on everybody’s learning style and once the basics have
been established go from there. If you have a child that is continuing to
struggle you can work more one on one, and those who are excelling can move
onto a more elaborate concept. The main idea is that everything you do as a
teacher is differentiated to meet the needs of each and every student by the
student by the skill; “Diverse needs, diverse learners, and meet it with
diverse teaching.” For further information, and personalized stories from the
Edmonton Public Schools visit Inclusive Learning: Everyone’s In – Learning Guide.
References
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon,
W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and
Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don
Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Edmonton Public Schools.
[edpublicschools]. (2012, September 25). Inclusive
Learning: Everyone’s In – Overview [Video File]. Retreived from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXtT05782Y
Edmonton Public Schools. (2013,
September). Inclusive Learning:
Everyone’s In – Learning Guide. Retreived from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxfb-aS2_8yvNWJQREN5VzlhaWM/edit
Horn, E., & Banerjee, R. (2009). Understanding curriculum
modifications and embedded learning opportunities in the context of supporting
all children's success. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools,
40 (4), 406-415. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2009/08-0026)
Renfro, A. (2014, February 28). Making Personalized Learning Plans Personal.
Retreived from http://gettingsmart.com/2014/02/making-personalized-learning-plans-personal/
