Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva
The traditional academic system can recognize when children fall behind in class. However, when asked why they often fail to associate it with differentiated learning. This fails to address the needs of the child suffering from PTSD or other cognitive problems interfering with their learning.
Despite the established ideology that every child reacts and responds differently to distinct learning styles, the academic institution still implements a standardized or one-size-fits-all learning environment. This consists of the teacher lecturing while the students actively listen and take note of information they deem essential for future exams. This environment assumes that all students learn most from simply paying attention instead of active participation.
Yet, contrary to popular belief, this method is not best suited for every student. There is a necessity for the academe to accommodate and understand how every child’s need is different. With a particular learning style serving their needs, the academic system should be flexible in catering to each of these demands without leaving a single child out.
Here are five great resources to tap wisdom from for instructors ready to implement these changes or parents who desire to help their children personally.
Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents
Beyond the common learning styles, it’s also established that gender can influence a child’s learning capacity. Various aspects of life are affected by gender, and this includes educational demands. Girls start talking sooner and learn a better grasp of grammar and vocabulary compared to boys. These differences should influence how instructors approach children, modifying their materials to cater to the contrast in their competencies.
Michael Gurian’s Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents further explains these gender-specific proficiencies, helping adults understand how learning affects and develops differently in children. Furthermore, Gurian also provides different materials and methods that best cater to these disparities. The techniques presented in this book have been tested and applied in classroom settings. Hence, parents or teachers don’t need to worry about their effectiveness.
The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners
If a learning technique addresses the flawed one-size-fits-all curricula of the current education system, it’s differentiated learning. This concept emphasizes children’s different needs and demands, highlighting the need for the academe to be more intimate and flexible with the environment.
This book by Carol Ann Tomlinson tackles the challenges of the standardized strategy and demonstrates how educators can build a better curriculum focusing on differentiation. While this may seem even more challenging for the academe, this structure provides the best result for children’s education. The Differentiated Classroom introduces the schemas of children from distinct backgrounds, teaching educators the best way to approach these children.
Three Dimensions of Learning: A Blueprint for Learning From the Womb to the School
Regarding biological differences, it should also be recognized that children may develop cognitive issues that hinder their learning capacity. Autism, hearing and physical impairments, and dyslexia affect how children consume and process information.
Three Dimensions of Learning by Carolyn Nooks-Teague highlights the need for teachers’ awareness of children’s disabilities. This information can improve their awareness of how the mind works, thus allowing them to craft better materials for these children’s needs. This book also aims to address the needs of the child suffering from PTSD and other mental and psychological issues to help adults provide a better support system for the child.
Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
Often, a child struggling within the classroom can be easily missed. After all, with 20 or more children before an instructor, pinpointing and closely observing a single child can be challenging.
Classroom Instruction That Works by Bj Stone et al. drew from hundreds of classroom management studies to explore different components of effective classroom engagement. This book reevaluates different strategies that have the most positive effects on children’s learning. The authors provide a concrete framework backed by research on the various practices adults can apply in the learning environment. This broadens the teachers’ influence and enhances students’ learning potential.
Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom
Differentiated learning might appeal as a taxing direction to instructors. After all, catering to every child’s learning capacity and style can mean planning various lesson plans. Differentiation and the Brain by David Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson provides a more innovative approach to differentiated learning. While still differentiating children and focusing on their different learning styles, the book presents another means of accommodating children’s uniqueness without compromising the instructors’ effort. The book is the perfect resource for education, suitable for all learners.
