Individual Differences – Meaning, Definitions, Types and Causes

Accommodating Individual Differences in Schools and Classrooms

To provide adequate schooling or learning experiences for every learner according to his individuality is not a simple task. However, the following suggestions can prove helpful for the teacher in this direction.

1. Proper knowledge of the Individual’s Potentialities

The first step in making provisions for the individual differences is to know about the abilities, capacities, interests, aptitudes and other personality traits of the individual pupils. For this purpose, help from intelligence test, cumulative record card, interest inventories, attitude scales, aptitude tests and measures for assessing personality traits should be taken.

2. Ability Grouping

In the light of the results derived from various tests of knowing individual differences in terms of individual potentialities in various dimensions, the students in a class or area of activity can be divides into homogeneous groups. Such division can prove beneficial in adjusting the method of instruction to varying individual differences.

3. Adjusting the curriculum

To meet the requirement of varying individual differences among the pupils, curriculum should be as flexible and differentiated as possible. It should have the provision for a number of diversified courses and cocurricular experiences so that the pupils may get opportunity to study and work in the areas of their own interests and abilities. It should provide adjustment to suit the local requirements and potentialities of students of different groups.

4. Adjusting the methods of teaching

To make provision for the varying individual differences, adjustment with regard to the adaptation of methods of teaching is also most essential. Every teacher should be somewhat free to formulate his own plan and strategy and adapt instructional procedure which he finds most suited to the particular types of pupils under him. He should try to follow a different procedure or method of instruction suiting the requirements of varying ability groups of his pupils.

5. Adopting special programmes or methods for individualizing instruction

Schools may also adopt special programmes or methods of teaching like Dalton plan, the Winnetka plan, the Project Method or use programmed learning material for enabling the students to learn with their own individual pace.

For the purpose of individualizing instruction a few practical measures can also prove beneficial.

i. The student strength of the class or section should be made as small as possible.

ii. The teacher should try to pay individual attention to the group under instruction.

iii. The teacher should keep in view the individual difference of his students while engaging them in drill or practice work in the class-room or assigning home-task.

iv. In case where ability grouping is not possible and more specifically under the prevalent system of class teaching, special coaching and guidance programme for both the dull and the gifted children are most helpful.

Thus, the problem of individual differences can be tackled with multi-dimensional tasks. The teacher, school authorities, the parents and the Government as well as voluntary agencies –all should join hands to meet the individual requirements of children who possess tremendous individual differences.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Scroll to top
You cannot copy content of this page. The content on this website is NOT for redistribution