EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

THEME :
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN LEARNING
CONTENTS

 DEFINITION OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

 EDUCATION IMPLICATION ON INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES
 THE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES APPROACH
IN CREATING BETTER TEACHING AND
LEARNING PROCESS
DEFINITION OF INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES

 Each student brings to the classroom his or her own knowledge, skills and
values, which may account for the differences in attitudes, interests,
aptitudes, abilities and knowledge about a certain subject area. (Prof. Dr.
John Arul Phillips, 2012)
 Learners have different strategies, approaches and capabilities for
learning that are a function of prior experience and heredity.
 Individuals are born with and develop their own capabilities and talents.
 Individual differences are the variations from one person to another on
variables such as self-esteem, rate of cognitive development of a person,
and other contributing factors. These differences are entitled as individual
differences in the languages of sociology and psychology
Individual differences in learning

 Why do some students find it difficult to learn

whereas others find it easy?
 Why are some students better equipped to
learn some skills but not others?
 Why can’t all students learn all skills equally
well?
 Individual differences in learning

 Psychologists have identified two main factors that may explain individual differences: the learning
traits that a student brings when confronted with a learning task and the thinking and learning skills
that are activated as demanded by the task (Jonassen and Grabowksi, 1993).
Learning traits and learning tasks

 Learning Traits
• Refer to aptitudes for learning, willingness to learn, styles of learning, preferences for learning and
the prior knowledge of students.
• These traits have an impact on the learning process and determine how well an individual is
able to learn.

 Learning Tasks
• Determine the thinking and learning skills demanded.
• For example, if a task requires a learner to go beyond the information given in the text, than the
student will have to make or draw inferences.
 Differences in learning traits

 three kinds of learning traits that explain individual differences in learning, namely, learning styles,
personality and prior knowledge

Learning
style

LEARNING
TRAITS

Prior
Personality
knowledge
EDUCATION IMPLICATION ON
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

 Teachers will face a group of unique learners in the teaching and learning process. In any
group there are individuals who deviate from the norms of the group. Along with the
average, the presence of very superior and extremely dull is equally possible in a class.
 Abilities, capacities, motivation, cultural and experiential background, physical social and
intellectual morality plays role in the diversity of learners.
 Teachers should try to have the desired knowledge of the factors contributing to the
individual differences in learning. In the light of this knowledge, teacher should render
individual guidance to learners for the maximum utilization of their potentialities.
EDUCATION IMPLICATION ON
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

 Teachers should not expect uniformity in gaining the learners’ proficiency

or success in a particular field from a group of students.
 Students can’t be benefited by a particular method of instruction and a
uniform and rigid curriculum.
THE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES APPROACH IN CREATING
BETTER TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

 Proper knowledge of the individual’s learning preferences and potentialities.

 The curriculum should be flexible and differentiated as possible. It should provide
adjustment suiting the local requirements and potentialities of the students in
different groups.
 Teachers should be free to formulate his or her plan and strategies and try to create
a different method of teaching suiting the diversity of the learners.
 Teachers must aware on the students’ individual differences to enhance students’
understanding or and limit the chances to learn from the school environment.
 Open and accepting environment in learning should been established in order to
create better teaching and learning process
THE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES APPROACH IN CREATING
BETTER TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS

 Materials and tasks given to the learners are interesting so that learning is
active and there is joy in learning for each learner.
 Teachers should aware to ensure each respected activity given to the
learners should be equally interesting and appealing.
 Encourage learners to have peer support so that all learners can learn with
a variety of peers who might have similar or different interests so that the
diversity in learning will be interesting.
CONCLUSION

 Every person is being different in physically as well as mentally. So when

teaching and learning process is been carried out, as a teacher, we have
to consider that the learners also have individual differences in learning.
 Proper educational provision can be given in order to create better
teaching and learning environment that is supportive and motivating.
THANK YOU.