Dr. V.K.Maheshwari, M.A. (Socio, Phil) B.Sc. M. Ed, Ph.D.
Former Principal, K.L.D.A.V.(P.G) College, Roorkee, India
Mrs Sudha Rani Maheshwari, M.Sc (Zoology), B.Ed.
Former Principal, A.K.P.I.College, Roorkee, India
“Since we supposedly are teaching individuals, not groups of individuals, it is the function of the school within its budgetary personnel and curricular limitations to provide adequate schooling for every learner no matter how much he differs from every other learner.” Crow and Crow (1973)–
Individual differences are the variations from one person to another on variables such as self-esteem, rate of cognitive development or degree of agreeableness. Historically, psychological science has overlooked individual differences in favour of focusing on average behaviour.
It is essential to understand that the concept of individual differences is the basis upon which one child is compared to another. An understanding of individual differences provides the foundation for recognizing normal variations as well as extreme differences among children and, thus, for identifying those who may have special needs. The existence of these differences constitutes the fundamental premise underlying the development of standardized educational and psychological tests.. In general, understanding of the various developmental levels is enhanced by familiarity with the concept of individual differences
All in all, the study of individual differences helps to understand not only what makes humans similar to one another, but also what makes them different. By considering the variations that can occur from one person to another, one can best understand the full range of human behaviour.
Children develop at different rates. This, in turn, creates variations among individuals (i.e., individual differences). Again, these differences can be either qualitative or quantitative. For children in any preschool classroom setting, the differences in temperament, personality, intelligence, achievement, and physical factors such as height and weight, are noteworthy and reflect a wide range of normal variation. Some children grow rapidly and others grow more slowly. There also are racial and gender developmental variations.
It is important to understand that the concept of individual differences is the basis upon which one child is compared to another. Also, the existence of these differences constitutes the fundamental premise underlying the development of standardized educational and psychological tests. An understanding of individual differences provides the foundation for recognizing normal variations as well as extreme differences among children and, thus, for identifying those who may have special needs. In general, understanding of the various developmental levels is enhanced by familiarity with the concept of individual differences.
The aim of education is to enable each student to attain all-round development according to his/her own attributes. To achieve this, students should be provided with suitable assistance and guidance in accordance with their abilities and learning needs, so that they can develop their potential to the full.
Each student is a unique individual, different in cognitive and affective development, social maturity, ability, motivation, aspiration, learning styles, needs, interests and potential. Apart from this, there are other factors underlying student differences. These include innate differences in intelligence, differences in social and economic background, variations in past learning experiences, and perhaps variations in the level of congruence between the learner and the curriculum. In view of these factors, catering for individual differences is intended neither to narrow the gap between individuals nor to even out their abilities and performance. It should aim for understanding why students are able or unable to learn well and finding appropriate ways to help them learn better.
We have the conviction that all students can learn. To address the needs of students, teachers should provide them with a variety of learning opportunities for effective learning, such as using diversified resources rather than focusing on textbooks, and making use of a spectrum of intelligences and multi-sensory experiences only to tap the different potential of students. Schools can adopt different modes of assessment to find out the strengths and weaknesses of students before deciding on the appropriate curriculum, and learning and teaching strategies for them.
Important variables for building an effective environment:
The important variables include:
A Humane Environment- This is an atmosphere in which each learner is accepted and valued as an individual of dignity and worth. It is one in which caring for self and others is nurtured. It is an ongoing process that requires consistent teacher responsiveness to student’s social and emotional needs.
An Effective Management Structure- Such a structure is one in which there is order and discipline and in which expectations are known. Emphasis is placed on positive approaches and development of self discipline and responsibility. Resources to be used are organised for immediate access. Students know where things are and what to do. Records are kept by both learners and teacher in order that both may be always aware of where the student is has been, is ready next to grow. There is a physical environment in which large group, small group and individual student activities can occur simultaneously as needed. This means that experiences and space are organised so that totally teacher directed partially teacher directed and student directed activities occur at same time without one interfering with the other.
Teaching Skill- -These are the basic elements. The teacher must teach. The teacher’s task is to motivate and captures the attending behaviour of each students, to teach to provide monitored practice and to ensure that learning develops to the application level.This requires that a teacher consciously principles of learning, diagnosis, prescription , conferencing, and evaluation as she/he continue to work towards improving of instruction.
General Areas of Individual Differences:
Cultural and geographic environment
Many studies have led to the conclusion that individuals differ in respect of nature, physical traits, interest and personality, etc. Such a difference is only natural since their cultural and geographic environment is distinctive. In school the differences that the children exhibit is the outcome of their different families and their communities. Attitudes towards education and authority differ in each family, culture and class.
The differences of attitudes results in differences among children. Besides these attitudes, the child’s emotional, social, aesthetic and moral development is influenced by his family and the neighbourhood.
Intelligence:
Individuals are seen differing in considerable measure in respect of their general intelligence. Children who are either above or below this level of intelligences require special educational methods and conditions.
Special Abilities
The individual’s differences in respect of special abilities, in addition to the general intelligence, are also important since special professions and specialized fields of vocation all need certain specific abilities. Abilities of this kind are concerned with mental, artistic, personality or motor ability.
Alacrity in Learning
This difference is dependent upon their maturity and educational background. Differences in the alacrity of learning result in benefits accruing from formal education.
Difference in the quickness or alacrity in learning is visible not only in children of different ages but also among children in the same age group.
Motor Ability
Till the individual attains adulthood, his manual dexterity, rate of muscular movement and resistance to fatigue develops continually. In this manner, the same individual in different ages and different individuals in the same age group manifest considerable differences in manual dexterity.
Sex Differences
Makneimer and Terman discovered the following differences between men and women:
(i) Women have greater skill in memory while men have greater motor ability.
(ii) Female handwriting is superior while men excel in mathematical logic.
(iii) Women show greater skill in making sensory distinctions of taste, pain, smell, etc., while men show greater reaction and consciousness of size-weight illusion.
(iv) Possessing greater linguistic ability women are superior to men in languages, similitude’s, word building, compositions and use of long sentences etc. On the other hand, men are superior in physics and chemistry.
(v) Women are more susceptible to suggestion while there are three times as many colour-blind men as there are women.
(vi) Women are better than men in mirror drawing. Faults of speech etc., in men were found to be three times of such faults in women.
(vii) Young girls take interest in stories of love, fairy tales, stories of the school and home and day-dreaming and show various levels in their play. On the other hand, boys take interest in stories of bravery, science, war and scouting, stories of games and sports, scouts stories and games of occupation and skill.
Difference of Interests
As has been pointed out, the difference in sex leads to a difference in interests. Similarly, factors such as family background, level of development, differences of nationality and race, etc., cause difference of interests. Economic differences are seen causing differences in the children’s interests, tendencies and character, etc.
Personality
One specific person may exhibit the main broad characteristics of one class of personality, he cannot be said to belong to only that class of personality as the differences between various personalities are so subtle and minute that it is not scientifically feasible to divide them into classes
Educational Implications of the Psychology of Individual Difference
In the real world the teacher in a classroom meets students who like the dolls in a row are connected. Because of age, years in school or some other common criterion, a group is formed and a classroom identity is established. Then when students begin to interact, their individuality comes through. No two are alike. There is variability found in student’s emotional social and physical reaction as well as their intellectual readiness to learn specific concepts or skills.
The notion that individuals differ in various abilities, capacities and personality characteristics, compels the teachers to pay attention on the following facts:
1. In any group there are individuals, who deviate from the norms of the group. Along with the average, the presence of very superior and extremely dull is equally possible in his class.
2. Every teacher should try to have the desired knowledge of the abilities, capacities, interests, attitudes, aptitudes and other personality traits of his pupils and in the light of this knowledge should render individual guidance to children for maximum utilization of their potentialities.
3. It is wrong to expect uniformity in gaining proficiency or success in a particular field from a group of students. On account of their subnormal intelligence, previous background, lack of proper interest, aptitude and attitude some students have to lag behind in some or other area of achievement.
4. All students cannot be benefited by one particular method of instruction and a uniform and rigid curriculum.
Teacher’s Role in Knowing Individual Differences:
The challenge to the teacher is to accept each learner, no matter what the individual pattern is like. Then, it is the teachers task to help each child grow and learn as as he/she can.
Knowing the presence of individual differences the teacher is not perturbed at the failure of some of his students since such failure is only to be expected from below-average students.
This can help him to form the proper attitude towards the brilliant and the dull-witted students. It is only too evident that very good results cannot be expected from dull-witted or mediocre students.
The teacher does not come to expect successes that are impossible. Individual difference makes it clear that all aspects of the personality are mutually related and to develop any one aspect it is essential that all the aspects be developed
The objective of modern education is the harmonious development of the child. In this connection, the knowledge of individual differences can be quite helpful to teacher.
Any effort to bring all or a majority of the students in the class to the same level is futile since some 50 or odd percentage of them will in variably remain below this level.
Improvements in atmosphere, method of teaching, and the apparatus of education cannot lead to the satisfactory teaching of all students since their individual ability to learn differs widely.
Provisions for ‘individual differences’ in Schools
Individualization of instruction is important because it represents a conscious effort to reach desired goals for students. It is not and should never, an end in itself.
Realization of the above facts or some more of their nature makes us think that we must have some provision for the wide individual differences among our pupils in our schools.
How can we accomplish this task is a pertinent question to be asked at this stage. In fact, to provide adequate schooling or learning experience for every learner according to his individuality is not a simple task. However, the following suggestions can be helpful for any teacher:
Proper knowledge of individual personalities-
The first step in making provisions for individual differences is to know abilities, capacities, interests, aptitudes and other personality traits of individual pupils. For this purpose, frequent assessment in the form of intelligence tests, cumulative record card, interest inventories, attitude scales, aptitude tests and measures for assessing personality traits shall be carried out.
Ability grouping-
In the light of 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 divided into homogeneous groups. Such divisions can prove beneficial in adjusting the method of instruction to varying individual differences.
Adjusting the curriculum-
To meet the requirement of varying individual differences among the pupils, the curriculum should be as flexible and differentiated as possible. It should have the provision for a number of diversified courses and curriculum 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.
Adjusting the methods of teaching-
Considering the varying individual differences, adjustment with regard to the adoption of methods of teaching is very effective. Every teacher should be somewhat free to formulate his own plan and strategy and adopt different instructional procedures which he finds most suited to different pupils. He should follow different procedures or methods of instruction to suit the requirements of varying ability groups of his pupils.
Adopting social programs or methods for individualizing instruction-
Schools may also adopt some social programs or methods of teaching like the Dalton plan, the Winnetka plan, project method or use programmed learning material for enabling students to learn at their own individual pace.
Other causes of individualizing instruction-
For the purpose of individualizing instruction a few practical measures can also prove beneficial:
• The student strength of the class or section should be made as small as possible.
• The teacher should try to pay individual attention to the group under instruction.
• 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.
• In case where ability grouping is not possible and more specifically under the prevalent system of class teaching, special coaching and guidance program for both the dull and the gifted children are most helpful.
Once a program is set in motion, the teacher has to decide at each decision point what is best to do. The teaching climate will never be totally responsive to students’ needs. If a teacher has management and teaching skills, however, it is possible to more nearly approximate an ideal arrangement. Vital procedures include knowing how content to be taught is structured, and then organizing it for instruction. Next, identification or development of appropriate resource materials is done. This is followed by development of ongoing, simple but accurate record keeping systems kept both by teachers and students. These records should be designed to provide immediate feedback. Finally, formal and informal interaction patterns, including conferences need to be established to ensure that students and teachers have oral as well as written feedback. With these components initiated, students and teachers know where they are and have necessary foundation for making wise decisions about what next to do.
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.
“Each mind has its own method”
Emerson, 1841
“In a world as empirical as ours, a youngster who does not know what he is good at will not be sure what he is good for”
Fridenberg, 1959