Teachers’ Accommodation to Student’s Needs
In a single classroom, there are several different types of students. A course functions best when an instructor accommodates all of those types. In every class, students have different learning styles, level of comprehension, and goals. Moreover, there is often a percentage of high achieving students and non-high achieving students. While there is a grey area, some people just move faster than others, and some need help catching up. It is important to cater to each individual student’s needs, because “Every student is different and students all prefer different types of instruction, and learning under a preferred learning style allows students to thrive” (Loveless, Farkas, & Duffett, 2008).
Many other articles add that the ability of teachers to recognize the differences between all of their students will help them design lesson plans that accommodate all of their needs (Gottsdanker, 1968: Monk & Katezko, 2005: Rinn, 2005). A Faculty member at Bowling Green State University explains,
I’m trying to include *differentiation* so the students who are struggling get easier course work, but still learn the same main content. I try to see what students are struggling with and then adapt. Today, I decided on the fly to spend more time on the activity because it became clear that people were having trouble with it. I guess I try to be adaptive. You can do that in a small class; it’s harder to do in a big class.
Imagine a classroom with auditory learners, visual learners, hands-on learners, high-achieving students, moderate students, and students who are slower to learn. In giving a lesson about phase changes, for example, to help every student learn efficiently, the instructor might have to do a number of things. It would help to draw pictures of the phase changes from solid to liquid and so on, but also discuss what is happening vocally. It might also help to melt an ice cube on a skillet for hands-on learners. The instructor should be open to questions as the high-achieving students might have more complex questions, and other students might just be behind.
High-achieving students tend to learn differently than other students, so this teacher accommodation would help to maximize learning. In a mixed classroom, it’s helpful for the instructor to be aware of these differences as everyone learns differently. Though high-achieving students may learn more efficiently than others, they still have different preferences and learning styles. Teacher accommodation to each student’s specific needs would ensure that all students are benefitting from the material, and doing so at their own pace.
References
Duffett, Ann, Steve Parkas, and Tom Loveless. "High-achieving students in the era of No Child Left Behind." Washington, DC: Thomas Fordham Foundation (2008).
Gottsdanker, Josephine S. "Intellectual Interest Patterns Of Gifted College Students." Educational And Psychological Measurement 28.2 (1968): 361-366. PsycINFO. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Mönks, Franz J., and Michael W. Katzko. "Giftedness And Gifted Education." Conceptions of giftedness (2nd ed.). 187-200. New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press, 2005. PsycINFO. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Rinn, Anne N. "Trends Among Honors College Students: An Analysis By Year In School." Journal Of Secondary Gifted Education 16.4 (2005): 157-167. ERIC. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.