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):

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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:

1. 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.