SEMESTER I MODULE 4 Understanding Learner Diversities

Meaning of Individual Differences “No two persons are born exactly alike ; but each differs from the other in natural endowments, one being suited for one occupation and the other for the another” --- Plato

Areas of Individual Difference Intelligence Creativity Interest Attitude Aptitude

Attitude how you express your likes and dislike Attitude is, in a word, how you express your likes and dislikes towards particular people, things, and occurrences. It is the mental disposition “Attitude is a dispositional state of readiness to respond certain situations, persons, and ideas in a consistent manner, which has been learned and has become one typical mode of response” ---- Freeman

Nature of Attitude It is a mental state of readiness It is an acquired tendency It is more or less permanent Attitudes ranges from strongly positive to strongly negative Measurement of Attitude Attitude Scale Linkert attitude scale Thurston's attitude scale

Aptitude It is a special ability distinct from general intellectual ability that help an individual to acquire proficiency in some specific field Aptitude refers to a set of abilities essential for acquiring knowledge and skill in a specific area of performance GATB (General Aptitude Test Battery) DAT (Differential Aptitude Test )

Attitude Mental state or readiness towards something It is a learned tendency May be general to specific May to change easily Ability on particular activity It has more innate basis Always specific Once established it is difficult to change Aptitude Difference

Interest It is the motivating force It pushes an individual to act towards specified goals How to create Interest among students Setting proper aims and objectives Use psychological methods for teaching Use audio visual aids Provide proper learning environment

Quite different and distinct from normal or average children They deviate significantly from average children They need special care and treatment They cannot be benefited from the normal classroom They need special education to develop their potential

Types of Exceptional Children Gifted Children Slow Learners Learning Disabled

Having High IQ, above 140 Whose performance is consistently remarkable in some potentially valuable activity Superior in some abilities Can make noteworthy contribution to society

High performance High level of curiosity Rich vocabulary High intellectual ability Ask many questions Original ideas Thirst for new knowledge Superiority complex Feeling of isolation Negative attitude towards society Always dissatisfied with the existing situation

 Acceleration Approach  Double promotion or skipping  Earlier admission/acceleration  Enrichment Approach  Separate schools Approach  Navodhaya Vidyalayas  Njana Prabodhini school, Pune  Good Sheperd School, Ooty

“Slow learners are those children who falls far behind from other children of the same age in educational achievement’” IQ 70 to 85 Below average intelligence Often appear immature Short memory Concentrate only on some aspects For them learning is a burden

Low performance Short span of attention Poor mental coordination Intellectual deficiency Lack of motivation Fear of failure High level of anxiety Always feels learning as a burden

Avoid frustrations Motivate them to learn Develop self confidence Present simple learning task Revision Peer tutoring Programmed instruction Keep progress record Special classes

10 % of school students have learning disability Certain kinds of disorders in the basic psychological processes of an individual Inability to understand things

Difficulty in language related areas Handicap in mathematical skills Exhibit hyperactivity Suffer emotional problems Demonstrate anxiety, moodiness etc Low attention power Low concentration power Low retention and thinking capacity Lack of communication power Problematic and improper pronunciation

Types of LD 1.Dyslexia  It is a common problem in students  Reading difficulty, very slow reading, missing of some words, perceive words as images etc  He read ØÎÞÉÈ¢ as ØÎÞÇÞÈ¢ 2.Dysgraphia  It’s a writing difficulty write ambiguous words  The child confused with the shapes of the words  Eg. Ø Á, b d, p q  The always make spelling mistakes  Always missing space between words

Types of LD 3.Dyscalculia  It is a difficulty related to mathematical operations  Unable to add, subtract, multiply and divide  Difficult to identify the mathematical symbols  Write 69 as 96

4. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper activity Disorder) It is a behavioral problem They have difficult to maintain attention in any activity They are active and restless in most of the time They prefer activity oriented learning situation they have normal intelligence but difficult to maintain attention Types of LD

Provision for specialized schools or classes Provision for special remedial and educational programmes Structuring and improving the existing environmental set up  Care by parents and teachers  Restructure school experience considering needs and interests  Specialised training