Individualized Instruction - Jeanne Jarden

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION - Jeanne Jarden

What is Individualized Instruction?

When I was first assigned this model of instruction, I thought “isn’t this just another term for differentiated instruction”? My research would say in one way, yes, Individualized Instruction is often referred to as Differentiated Instruction. And in Special Education or special situations, individualized instruction can be taken to a very organized and coordinated effort amongst educators, counselors, students and parents in the form of an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan. But in the regular Ed classroom, Individualized instruction opens up all sorts of windows for exploring multiple levels of learning; in approaches to learning, abilities brought forth and in speed at which each particular student learns.

Individualized instruction deals with the classroom practices of teaching that recognize the uniqueness of each student learner and then provide support for the individual type of learning of the student. Based on this model of instruction or teaching strategy, teachers can structure learning environments that are specific to the variety of learning styles, interests, and abilities found within a classroom. 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. It provides the opportunity for students to learn at their own pace, in their own way, and be successful.

What Overall Theory of Education Does Individualized Instruction Adhere To?

This teaching strategy seems to fall under the family tree of Constructivism in education. The educational philosophy of constructivism has as its basis the ability of learners to give meaning to new learning based on their prior knowledge (Caine & Caine, 1991). In both classroom situations and in more specific IEP’s, the prior knowledge and experience of a student, as well as the ability of the student, are very determinate in how the student will process the information, as well as how far they take the information

What are the basic Principles of Individualized Instruction?

•  Identify the basic concepts in learner outcomes. With individualized instruction, once the main learner outcome is reached, students that are ready or interested can take the learning to the next level with guidance from the teacher.

•   Monitor and assess student learning throughout the lessons. Pre-assessment, ongoing assessment and post-lesson assessment are crucial. Pre-assessment is very enlightening for individualized instruction in that it help the teacher to determine the level of support needed for an individual student as well as which students may be able to take a lesson to the “next level”. Areas addressed in the pre-assessment can not only gauge ability but interest.

• Create Meaningful Lessons and Activities to Encourage Learning. Teachers are constantly challenged to make lessons interesting and engaging for our students. This is where online technology and individualized education make a great marriage. By outlining the basic learner outcomes of each lesson and then letting each student progress at their own pace, it could be difficult for a teacher to provide additional stimulation or resource beyond the basics for fast learners, as well as finding time to help those that are struggling. By encouraging the faster learner to use the internet to broaden their concept of the learned outcome, we are implementing individualized instruction using wider resources. This also frees the teacher's time a bit to help those that require more assistance.

With Individualized Instruction, teachers have a wider range of options and a broader chance that their students can succeed with either the basic content required or on a higher level. By extending a student's resources and being flexible with the learning styles of each student a teacher is enabling each student to learn at their own pace and with as much assistance (or lack thereof) as is required. Parent should be involved as well and can be provided with resources, prompts for conversations of topics with their children and a list of web resource per topic being studied. As teachers, using current technology enables us to open many learning windows for our students and ensures a more globally competitive future generation of thinkers.

Caine, R. N., Caine,G. (1991). Making connection: Teaching and the human brain. Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Time to Know, 2012, Individualized Instruction,  Retrieved from 

http://vimeo.com/35966016