Indicator

I.B.2

Activities accommodate the range of individual differences among learners.

Definition(s) and/or Explanation(s)

Planned activities:

  • should include a combination of both teacher-directed and teacher-assisted activities
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  • should provide learners with multiple opportunities to engage in activities that reflect lesson objectives
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  • include a variety of teaching methods and learning tasks such as lecture/discussion, review, drill, skill application, small group discussion, independent learning, cooperative learning, problems-solving, discovery, etc.
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  • should reflect a logical order of teaching and learning

Individual Differences Among Learners:

  • All classes are heterogeneous in terms of learner characteristics.
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  • A sufficient variety of learning objectives should be included in the PLAN to accommodate individual differences.
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  • Individual differences among learners include learning styles, multi-cultural concerns, interests/attitudes, response preferences, physical and intellectual capabilities, and levels of learning efficacy.

Classroom Examples

Elementary
In a fourth-grade Florida history unit, the PLAN includes a range of culminating projects from which learners are allowed to choose. These include:

  • A poster map highlighting places and dates of significant events covered in unit
  • An Internet search producing a directory of relevant web sites
  • A group dramatic presentation of a significant event
  • A written report, utilizing multiple sources, of a significant event

Secondary
In an eighth-grade language arts unit on poetry, the PLAN includes a variety of questioning activities. Learners are provided a variety of questions: literal, interpretive, analytical about the poems covered. Working in groups, learners are allowed to choose a predetermined number of questions from the range provided and develop a project/presentation of their choosing. Activities leading up to the project/presentation include:

  1. Teacher directs a whole class Q & A and discussion.
  2. Learners, working in small groups, select, modify, and/or develop questions to guide project/presentation.
  3. Working within their groups, learners prepare a presentation that may include among other methods the use of: visual aids, recitation, computer presentation software, and music.

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