Children are not clay to be moulded but people to be unfolded!
Each individual is an entity with unique emotional, social, intellectual needs, varied personalities, and learning styles who endeavors to attain optimum potential. When this journey is joyful with minimum struggle & frustration, the entire growth process becomes a blissful experience.
Every child comes to the classroom with enthusiasm, curiosity and other idiosyncrasies and the teacher has an important role to empower the students to become aware of their capabilities and areas of improvement, cognizant of the fact that learning has to take place in every class. This can only be possible by providing individual attention.
Enhancing focus
Research says that our attention spans have shown a marked decline over the last few years. Only when all the energies of the individual are one pointed & the child’s attention focused on the current task, can learning happen. It is individual attention which helps the learner to focus and sustain attention, thereby making the available classroom time more fruitful. Scattered attention and energies certainly come in the way of learning.
Identifying talent
There can be only one peak, one 1st rank holder. Does it mean that others in the classroom are underperformers? Is education all about academics? Every child has a spark within, which is waiting to be ignited, and the key to this secret door is individual attention. A close interaction and an observant eye would prevent the creative talents and qualities of the learner, in varied fields of music, art, drama, eloquence, sports from going unnoticed.
Creating interest
Much can be achieved during classroom instruction if the individual learner needs are attended to. Whole class instruction may not provide an equal learning opportunity. It may even lead to disinterest and raise a barrier for further learning. Thus, if the child is provided with a prescribed instruction and assessment program to suit his/her requirements, it will go a long way to sustain the interest.
Making learning student paced
This is where the differentiation in terms of mode of instruction, content, product comes into play. Knowing the individual learner needs, and learning styles will help the teacher to plan her daily lessons making the learning process more personalized & create room for flexibility. The teacher would know exactly who will benefit how, and would provide for effective teaching. Allowing the child to learn at an individual pace enhances self-esteem and elevates self-awareness, the two important ingredients for student success.
Healthy classroom environment
Effective learning requires a congenial atmosphere. Identifying the characteristics of each learner in terms of behaviour, physical challenges, emotional needs would help nurturing the general health of the classroom. Adjusting seating arrangements to provide appropriate facility to a student who has difficulty with vision or easily distracted, helps in better classroom environment.
Ms. Aarti Mulani Teaching Faculty – Senior School, The Aditya Birla Integrated School
