Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies

3.2.Reasons opposing individualisation

The reasons certainly exist. It is not purpose of this work to promote individualised teaching as the only way of teaching. However, it stresses the advantages of individualised teaching and claims that even though there are downsides to it, it will surely pay.

The main four reasons opposing individualisation are according to the belief of the author of the thesis these:

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  There is no exact procedure; the teacher depends on intuition.
  
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  It requires various skills.
  
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  Some teachers prefer to keep professional distance.
  
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  It is time consuming.
  

Individualised teaching is not for everybody due to its requirements. Even though literature on this subject exists, there is no exact procedure. And, as the point of individualisation is to tailor the lessons uniquely according to the students, there cannot be one procedure that could be tailored to anybody. Individualisation therefore requires a great deal of empathy and openness, because the teacher needs to get to know the students very well and preferably very quickly. For people who like to keep a professional distance this poses a problem. It also requires a power of imagination when creating the lessons. The teacher also needs to trust himself/herself and his/her intuition as there is no exact procedure advising him/her how to individualise. And, to have various other skills such as powers of observation, basic knowledge of psychology, critical reflection and flexibility. They need to assess their students constantly to be able to monitor how they react to particular stimuli and how their needs change, and to react immediately. The teacher should also have a kind of a child’s soul himself/herself as he/she needs to be willing to always try new things, new approaches and observe things and situations from many points of view. Even though most of the lesson is about responding to what is going on at the moment, a preparation for the lesson still needs to be done and since the teacher uses a variety of materials it is usually very time-consuming. Therefore, the teacher also needs to be able to find these materials. And, they need to be able to keep their enthusiasm. The teacher therefore needs to enjoy his/her work and understand it as a form of self-expression in order for the pupils to enjoy it more.

3.3.The difference between differentiated classroom according to Tomlinson and a traditional classroom

The following chart is taken from Tomlinson’s How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms.

Traditional Classroom Student differences are masked or acted upon when problematic Assessment is most common at the end of learning to see “who got it” A relatively narrow sense of intelligence prevails A single definition of excellence exists Student interest is infrequently tapped Relatively few learning profile options are taken into account Whole-class instruction dominates Coverage of texts and curriculum guides drives the instruction Mastery of facts and skills out-of-context are the focus of learning Single option assignments are the norm Time is relatively inflexible A single text prevails Single interpretations of ideas and events may be sought The teacher directs student behaviour The teacher solves problems The teacher provides whole-class standards for grading A single form of assessment is often used

Differentiated Classroom Student differences are studied as a basis for planning Assessment is ongoing and diagnostic to understand how to make instruction more responsive to learner need Focus on multiple forms of intelligences is evident Excellence is defined in large measure by individual growth from a starting point Students are frequently guided in making interest-based learning choices Many learning profile options are provided for Many instructional arrangements are used Student readiness, interest, and learning profile shape instruction Use of essential skills to make sense of and understand key concepts and principles is the focus of learning Multi-option assignments are frequently used Time is used flexibly in accordance with student need Multiple materials are provided Multiple perspectives on ideas and events are routinely sought The teacher facilitates students’ skills at becoming more self-reliant learners Students help other students and the teacher solve problems Students work with the teacher to establish both whole-class and individual learning goals Students are assessed in multiple ways^6

Table - Tomlinson: Traditional vs. differentiated classroom
As can be seen from the comparison, Tomlinson’s concept of differentiation is basically what is in this thesis called individualisation. Even though the process varies from teacher to teacher and as the lessons are being tailored to individual needs of students setting a universal way of individualisation would be counterproductive, Tomlinson’s distinction offers a pretty clear view of what is individualisation (differentiated instruction) and what is not. Therefore when teachers strive for individualisation, they can use as a reference Tomlinson’s distinction.