Individualized
Instruction Strategy
Concept
individualize instruction is to
recognize students varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences
in learning, interests, and to react responsively. Individualized instruction
is a process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing
abilities in the same class. The intent of individualizing instruction is to
maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each student
where he or she is, and assisting in the learning process.
Definition
Individualized instruction strategy
refer to those classroom practices of teaching which recognize the
uniqueness of each student learner and thus provide for adequate tutorial,
guidance, and other support services suited to bring about a wholesome
development in the person (mind, body, and spirit).
Important Features
- Teaching
strategy that connects with individual student's learning strategies.
- Provide
a learning environment that maximizes the potential for student success.
· Students have multiple options for taking in information and
making sense of ideas.
· Differentiated or Individualized Instruction is a teaching
theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be
adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms.
·
Recognizes students’ varying
background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning, interests,
and to react responsively.
Purpose of individualized
instruction
- To
ensure that "no child left behind."
- To
meet the learning needs of all kinds of learners by recognizing the
uniqueness of each individual learner.
· To maximize each student’s growth and individual success by
meeting each student where he or she is, and assisting in the learning process.
Individualizing instruction allows
each student to progress through the curriculum at his or her own pace.
What
Individualized Instruction Is-And Is Not?
A differentiated or an
individualized classroom offers a variety of learning options designed to tap
into different readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles.
In a differentiated class, the teacher uses
·
a variety of ways for students to
explore curriculum content,
·
a variety of sense-making activities
or processes through which students can come to understand and "own"
information and ideas, and
·
a variety of options through which
students can demonstrate or exhibit what they have learned.
A class is NOT individualized or
differentiated:
·
when assignments are the same for
all learners
·
When the adjustments consist of
varying the level of difficulty of questions for certain students, grading some
students harder than others, or letting students who finish early play games
for enrichment.
Characteristics
of a Differentiated Class
Four characteristics shape teaching
and learning in an effective differentiated classroom (Tomlinson, 1995a):
- Instruction is concept focused and principle driven.
·
All students have the opportunity to
explore and apply the key concepts of the subject being studied.
·
All students come to understand the
key principles on which the study is based.
·
Such instruction stresses
understanding or sense-making rather than retention and regurgitation of
fragmented bits of information.
·
Concept-based and principle-driven
instruction invites teachers to provide varied learning options.
- On-going assessment of student readiness and growth are
built into the curriculum.
·
Teachers continuously assess student
readiness and interest, providing support when students need additional
instruction and guidance.
- Flexible grouping is consistently used.
In
a differentiated or an individualized class, students work in many patterns.
·
Sometimes they work alone, sometimes
in pairs, sometimes in groups depending on the nature of tasks assigned—such as
tasks that are readiness-based, interest-based, constructed to match learning
style, and sometimes a combination of readiness, interest, and learning style.
- Students are active explorers.
·
Teachers guide the exploration and
students learn to be responsible for their own work. Not only does such
student-centeredness give students more ownership of their learning, but it also
facilitates the important adolescent learning goal of growing independence in
thought, planning, and evaluation.
Principles of individualizing instruction
- Clarify key concepts and generalizations
- Use
assessment as a teaching tool to extend versus merely measure instruction.
- Emphasize critical and creative thinking
- Engaging all learners is essential
- Provide a balance between teacher-assigned and
student-selected tasks.
Advantages:
- Meeting the needs and interests of diverse learners
- Provides the opportunity for students to learn at their
own pace, in their own way, and be successful.
- Recognizes students’ varying background knowledge,
readiness, language, preferences in learning, interests, and to react
responsively.
- Maximizes each student’s growth and individual success
by meeting each student where he or she is, and assisting in the learning
process.
- Helps in providing for the uniqueness of each child in
terms of his/her particular learning style, talents and potential,
handicaps and deficiencies, etc.
Disadvantages or Problems of
Individualized instruction:
§ Time
constraints and chopped-up schedules are an obstacle.
§ Class size
and teaching load are two of the biggest constraints.
Field trip
strategy by Group 4
Concept
Ø Introduced
in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in Stoke
Newington, London, United Kingdom
Ø A field
trip is a visit to a place outside the regular classroom designed to achieve
certain objectives, which cannot be achieved as well by using other means.
Ø Example
museums, zoos, places of business, farms, nearby colleges, theaters, historical
monuments or buildings, forests, wetlands, nature parks or flower garden
out side the classroom or round of school itself.
Some features of field trip
•
facilitating the learning of
abstract concepts
•
motivating students through increased
interest and curiosity
•
improving long term retention of
concepts
•
teaching scientific method by
example
•
increasing student-student and
student-teacher social interaction
•
developing social consciousness an
increased appreciation for the phenomenon studied
Purpose of Field Trip
•
It enhance the curriculum
•
Renewal (save from boredom and can
refresh a class)
•
Give students experiential learning
experiences
•
Concrete skills such as note taking
•
Involvement in a real world
experience makes learning more meaningful and memorable.
•
Field trips help the students
appreciate the relevance and importance of what they learn in the classroom.
Kinds of field trip
There are three kinds of field trips.
They are:
- Instructional trips : is a visit by a class or group of
classes to a location outside the regular classroom
2.
School contests or festivals: is to
provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills
developed through subject area instruction.(Students involve in that
contest)
3.
Motivational trips: It provides a
motivational incentive for the school, club, group, or class and is related to
improving the school climate. (students going for picnic after contributing to
the school as a motivational trip)
STEPS INVOLVED
Advantage of field trip
•
Hands-on, real world experiences
•
Quality of education, positive
attitudes to learning and motivation towards the subject
•
Improvement of the socialization
between students, which would impinge on the classroom, and development of
rapport between teachers and students
•
Enabling teachers to utilize other
learning strategies such as cooperative learning.
•
Students learn better as there is change
in the teaching method
Disadvantage
•
Time considerations - preparation,
fitting into the school timetable
•
lack of support from school
administrations for field trips
•
Poor student behavior and attitudes
(Or loss over students)
•
Inadequacy of resources and choice
of venue
•
Medical Risk
Role of teacher
·
Planner (Pre and Post planning)
·
Preparing Students before the Trip
·
Provide guidance
·
Act as the evaluator at the end of
the trip.
