One Size Fits All Teaching is Not the Answer By: Carly Matteson

What is it? One-Size-Fits-All Teaching Approach: This approach can be defined as an instructional approach that has standardized material and is not tailored to any individual(s) needs.

Why Doesn’t It Work? Not adapted to children’s needs We can’t assume every child learns the same We have diverse classrooms More now than ever many students from all different backgrounds Creates struggling students If students are not understanding they stay quiet and never learn the required material to move on to the next grade This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Causes Low Quality Teachers This has been caused because of the loss of so many teachers This basic lack of qualified teachers has been identified by UNESCO as the major barrier to providing access to quality education for all the world's children. Teachers are not getting paid enough to stay where they are

Causes Continued… Overcrowded Classrooms Most classrooms have an average of 25-30 students Each one of these students has their own way of learning Lack of funds for this many students

Causes Continued… Arkansas (school) standards are being pushed more than ever Teachers must accommodate to the changing laws for education They are required to give certain materials Forced to aim instruction on what will be assessed, not student interest

Tips to Avoid This Approach Student Interest Survey Use their interests to aim the lessons in a different direction Student Learning Survey Beginning of the year see where they are at with learning Don’t use just textbooks PowerPoints Interactive Whiteboards Internet Games Online texts/articles Customized Lesson Plans Create your own for originality Makes lesson less repetitive/boring Assess learning at end of lessons Exit Slips Find new ways to incorporate technology This generation is tech savvy and they find interest in computers/online activities Wrap their attention with something they are good at

Be the Change! Outdated Material Think of personal experience We’ve all had that teacher that lectures in front of us and teaches directly from the book Too difficult material Students lose interest and become bored when they do not understand LOOK FOR SIGNS! Outdated Material Don’t expect students to keep interest in material that is way outdated Use these tips and find your own way to spice up your classroom! Your students will appreciate your hard work!

Teaching in Diverse Classrooms Assess student levels at the very beginning Make each student feel like an individual Group work Allows students of different learning levels to learn from one another Exit Slips Allows teacher to assess students learning at the end of each lesson and see where they need to adjust their lesson plans

Final Thoughts Don’t teach with the one-size-fits all model 01 Be the teacher that is original and engages students in their learning 02 Don’t get discouraged when students aren’t learning the material, modify to their needs 03 Pay attention to cues given by all students and students individually 04 Be open to feedback and criticism for your classroom 05

Demonstrating Mastery is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Process Here is a short video clip showing how in Ashley Howard’s classroom teaching does not need to be one-size-fits-all! In fact, students show mastery and learning when it’s not this way!

References https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/23/teacher-a-one-size-fits- all-approach-to-instruction-is-stifling-our- classrooms/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d0cb62000f83 https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ707453 https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-10-05/a-1-size-fits-all-approach-to-teacher- quality-doesnt-work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PERsLV62AnM