Addressing the Individual Needs of Learners

Learning outcome: understand how to help all students reach their educational goals in the
classroom as their teacher and understand that students develop at different rates, physically,
emotionally, and mentally.

1. Students change as they develop

a. Models of Development
i. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
ii. Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
iii. Kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning
1. Character education- teaching of core values taught in the schools
curriculum.
iv. Maslow’s model of a Hierarchy of needs
2. Development stresses of childhood and adolescence
a. ACE study
3. Students vary in intelligence
a. Intelligence testing
b. Multiple intelligences
i. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences
c. Preferred Learning Styles
i. Hands on
ii. Visual
iii. Auditory
4. Students vary in ability and disability
a. Students with special needs
i. Collaborative consultation- when a teacher works with one or more
professionals like a school psychologist, special educator, and resource
teacher to focus on how to meet the educational needs of the special
education student.
ii. Relationships with parents
b. Students with gifted and talented needs
i. Acceleration- when students can grade skip, have extra classes, and can
have the curriculum modified to be at a faster pace.
ii. Self-directed or independent study- maintains interest of gifted students as
they can work at their own pace.
iii. IEP- Every child with a disability must have a written IEP that meets the
child's needs and specifies educational goals and how to achieve those
goals.
iv. Alternative or magnet schools- These programs are designed to attract
superior students, like gifted or talented students.
5. Special education and inclusion
a. IDEA- Students must be placed into a general education classroom when feasible
and appropriate
b. IDEA 97- emphasized IEP guidelines, educational outcomes, and student
discipline guidelines.
c. Full inclusion- students are not isolated from their peers.