Briony North
BA (Hons) Primary Education
Year 2 Semester 3
December 2002
Professional Studies Assignment
PR2010
“Meeting Children’s Individual Needs”
Brown & Wragg (1993) identify the ten roles of the teacher as being, “director, facilitator, adviser, teacher, guide, critic, freedom giver, supporter, manager and examiner” (p.31-32). There are many other educational writers who suggest various other dimensions of teaching and the essential teaching skills within these dimensions. Kyriacou (1998) lists the essential teaching skills identified by Dunne & Wragg (1994) as being “ethos, direct instruction, management of materials, guided practice, structured conversation, monitoring, management of order, planning and preparation and written evaluation” (p.6). It is the teacher’s task to utilize the dimensions stated above to facilitate the development and employment of these essential teaching skills. According to Kyriacou (1998) this is crucial in order to foster all pupils’ learning (p.5). This essay is concerned with how the teacher utilises these diverse roles and skills with the purpose of meeting every child’s individual needs.
A useful starting point is to consider what the needs of children are. Fox (2001) identifies Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which have been divided into two main categories; survival needs including those which are physiological; need for food, liquid, oxygen etc. and physical and psychological security and the second category which includes growth needs including love, self-esteem and self-actualisation (fulfilment). When considering individual needs of children, teachers should consider the range of attributes and experiences, which children may bring to school and how this affects their differing educational, social and spiritual needs. Pollard & Tann (1994) identifies various factors which contribute to these needs and the importance of respecting and considering all of them, “Factors such as sex, social class, race, language development, language styles, health and types of parental support are so numerous and complex in their effects that, although broad but important generalisations about patterns of advantage and disadvantage can be made it is foolish to generalise in specific terms about their ultimate consequences” (p.33). Including all children involves valuing and using these attributes and experiences to enable each child to be respected as an individual and given the maximum opportunity to progress.
In order to identify children's individual learning needs the teacher should observe the children and their work. Sharman et al (2000) identify that, “by watching children we evaluate their needs, extend their experiences and facilitate their learning” (p.13). Factual information can be obtained from previous teachers, schools etc. The Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) provide essential information about the level of attainment a child has reached and may possibly show levels of progression over time. According to Proctor et al (1995) Ipsative assessment provides an accurate picture of an individual child’s achievements. It measures a child’s achievements from that child’s own baseline and as it is non-comparative to other children it shows what a child is able to achieve regardless of what other’s can do (p.129). Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) show evidence of any special needs, which may be physical such as poor sight and hearing and any learning difficulties such as Dyspraxia, Dyslexia etc. It will also identify children who have behavioural problems like Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder or particularly able and gifted children. Other information that teachers can provide may note any children who have English as an additional language (EAL) or who are bilingual. It is also important to be aware of social problems children may have such as frequent changes of school and problems at home, which may affect learning at school. IEPs will also show any strategies and teaching approaches used to meet these children’s needs. It can also highlight any particular resources that facilitate the children’s learning. A previous teacher can provide valuable information on how these strategies and resources were employed and the success or failure of them. It is important to keep in mind when discussing children with other teachers that their views and opinions are unlikely to be impartial. According to Dean (1992) “A teacher who is hesitant about other teachers opinions is usually quite properly taking the view that he or she may relate differently to a child from that teacher and does not want to prejudice the relationship by looking at that child through someone else’s eyes” p. (25-26). Conversations with parents/carers allow them to raise any issues they have about their interpretations of their children's needs and progress in learning. According to Pollard & Tann (1994) “Parents should participate fully in their children's education and teachers should retard parents as ‘partners’ in the educational process” (p.64). It can also be useful to look at children’s ages to gain a better understanding of the level they are working at. Dean (1992) discusses the Mortimore study (1988), which found that teachers were not aware of the different ages of the children in their classes, and made no provision for them. The study also showed that younger children tended to be regarded as less able, but actually progressed as well as older children but at a more elementary stage (p.28).
