Individualized Instruction�a Positive Experience?Jack A. Reed

School of Education, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Individualized instruction has been cast as4 ’the wave of the future/’1"Unipak," "programmed," "contract," "individually prescribed,"and "computer-assisted" instruction are terms tossed about on thecrest of this wave in educational circles with ever-increasing frequency.Not all of these techniques are necessarily new; over 50 years agoeducators advocated "that greater attention be given to individualdifferences in intellectual ability and in interest"2 and in response,educators have continued to develop teaching approaches that wouldmeet individual difference more effectively. Present day proponentsof individualized instruction have emphasized that pupils acquireadditional benefits through increased self-reliance and intrinsic mo-tivation. "Learning how to learn" has become the catch phrase thatjustifies the incorporation of pupil-paced instructional methods.

Carin and Sund,3 in a brief review of research program whichconsidered individual differences, have summarized the advantagesof these modes of instruction. Supposedly, investigations have shownthat:

1. pupils achieve well in individualized classes,2. gifted pupils achieve to a greater extent than with traditional group instruction,3. discipline problems are likely to decrease,4. children do more collateral reading, and5. children prefer the individualized over the traditional approach.

Observation of individualized teaching practices and reports fromprograms in individualized instruction seem to indicate that practionersof this instructional style are "caught up" in presenting monotypiclearning experiences. Apparently, it is an all or nothing matter; eitherone elects to utilize learning techniques or the classroom environmentmust be relegated to a traditional presentation of lessons.

If this observation is correct, there is grave danger that someadvocates of individualized instruction have ignored their own pre-cepts. Could it be possible that single-minded adherence to individual-ly-paced instruction could be as dogmatic and damaging for somelearners as the so-called "traditional" modes of instruction?

1. Education U.S.A. Special Report. Individualization in Schools, The Challenge and the Options (Washington,D.C.: National School Public Relations Association, 1971).

2. National Society for the Study of Education. 31st Yearbook, Part 1, A Program for Teaching Science (Chicago:NSSE, 1932), 18. In reference to recommendations made by Commission on the Reorganization of SecondaryEducation Bulletin, Number 35, 1918.

3. Carin, Arthur A. and Robert B. Sund. Teaching Science Through Discovery, 2nd edition (Columbus, Ohio:Charles E. Men-ill, 1970), 221.

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Do most children prefer individualized instruction over the traditionalapproach as Carin and Sund have summarized9

In an effort to provide teachers with direction for planning futurescience experiences, 105 seventh-grade pupils were asked to respondto three questions related to their past experiences and interests inscience.4 These pupils, all enrolled in a Madison, Wisconsin middleschool, were asked:

(1) What is the most interesting part of your science class?(2) If you had an independent study project in your science class, what would

you do?(3) Would you like to see science class individualized?

The three questions were presented to the pupils during the lasttwo weeks of the school year. All of the children were familiar withthe terms used in these questions, having participated extensivelywith individualized instruction in mathematics and, to a lesser degree,in other subject areas. The pupils were advised that their responseswould remain anonymous and were for planning purposes only. Ampletime was given for the pupils to respond to these questions and presenttheir views.

In response to question one, "What is the most interesting partof your science class?", the pupils listed 134 items as the mostinteresting aspect of their science class. Because some individualslisted two or more items, the number of responses exceeded thenumber of pupils responding.More than three-fourths (75.5 percent, 101 responses) of the topics

or activities named by pupils were those that permitted overt partici-pation and firsthand learning experiences. Within the 101 responseslisted, only 10 were those pertaining to independent study or projects.Clearly, this number does not establish a mandate for independentmodes of instruction by this group of pupils.

Laboratory experiences, experiments, and field trip activities consti-tuted 68.1 percent of the responses. Though these activities mightbe interpreted as individualized instructional experiences, the actualtechniques utilized in this school involved paired or larger groupsof participants in the laboratory and class-sized groups in the field.Vicarious, passive experiences, such as movies and filmstrips, werepreferred by approximately 18 percent of the pupils. This sizablesegment of the learning population may have reason to view indepen-dent learning activities differently than the remainder of the group.Individualized instruction may demand an involvement that is notyet a part of their learning style.

4. The questionnaire was devised and administered by Ms. Janet Berg and Kathleen Draeger, prospective middleschool teachers enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

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When asked, "If you had an independent study project in yourscience class, what would you do?", the 140 pupils responses en-compassed more than 30 separate topics. Nearly 54 percent of theprojects suggested by the pupils pertained to the area of earth science.Only one other discipline area (Biology) was identified in over 10percent of the suggested projects. It is likely that the predominanceof earth science topics could be attributed to the earth science emphasisin the seventh grade science class. Familiarity with the topic areaand the recency of the experience may have generated interest andcuriosity. If this is true, then structured experiences in science mayprovide a basis for interest in individualized and independent studyafter sufficient experience has been acquired.More than 10 percent of the responses to the second question

suggested a pronounced negative attitude toward science and indepen-dent study projects. Pupils commented:

"Probably nothing, if I could get away with it. There’s not much that is interestingand most of it is horrid."

4’I wouldn’t! Unless I had to.""Nothing, unless it was important to my grade.""I wouldn’t do it because they are unuseful.""I don’t know because I can’t stand science."

This relatively high percentage of negative responses seemed to indicatethat attempts to meet individual interests through projects may nothave been accomplished for a sizable pupil group.

Independent study projects for one pupil segment may be morethan a waste of time; projects may create a negative learning atmo-sphere and turn students from further interest in science. It maybe that previous experience with project work has promoted thisfeeling. Though teachers may have voiced encouragement for pupilsto "do their own thing," the implied rubrics for projects may havespoken louder:

"This is what other students have done. ...""For an ’A’, I expect the following: ..."

If projects become known as space fillers or time killers, viewedby pupils as "dead end" activities with little application to their lives,our efforts to help young people experience the wonder and excitementof science will be wasted.

Question three asked: "Would you like to see science class individu-alized?" Pupil responses to this question were negative in 55.2 percentof the papers returned. Less than 40 percent of the students favoreda greater individualization of their science class. Other students,approximately six percent, felt that some aspects of science class

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were appropriate for independent study, while other activities wouldbe more profitably performed with classmates.

Children favoring further individualization of the science class madethe following comments explaining their answer:

’It would be more fun just sitting and listening to the teacher."’It’s hard to get your work done when other people are working on the same

thing. The teacher doesn’t have enough time for you so you can’t keep up."’I would like it, but you would not get any work done."’I think it would be fun, but I don’t think I would learn as much."’I would get more work done and with everyone talking about different things,

it s confusing."’We could work at our own speed and the slower ones could get more help

from the teacher."

Despite a positive response to the question of individualization,some of the pupil’s remarks indicated a hesitancy to fully committhemselves to an individualized program. Previous experience withindividually-paced instruction had provided insights about their abilityto progress when using this mode of learning. Did these childrenperceive alternatives that would permit them even greater self-realiza-tion? Unfortunately, this abbreviated study collected anonymous pupilresponses which prevented further pursuit of specific reactions toindividualized instruction.The majority indicated that they were not in favor of greater

individualization in the science class and gave these reasons for theiropposition:

"The experiments would go slower, and people would be ahead and behind. Ilike it where we are all on one thing."

’I’m not that good in science and I would get way behind."’It gets dull and I would just stop working since there wouldn’t be any deadlines

or required work."’I wouldn’t get anything out of it."’I work better with a partner than by myself. Besides, we can be with our friends."’Everybody will goof off and ruin expensive equipment."’You really don’t know what to do."’I like to do work with other people and I get more work done."’I understand everything in a large group just as well."’You learn more the other way and it’s easier on the teacher so he won’t have

to be chased all over.""It’s more funner the other way when you have a partner."

The number of negative responses and the statements elaboratingthem indicated a serious disenchantment with individually-paced in-struction in this particular school setting. Undoubtedly, a numberof factors have contributed to the development of this majority opinion.It might be questioned whether such responses were initiated by theinherent qualities of individualized instruction or by a certain flavorimparted to the program through the teachers’ perception and imple-mentation of this teaching mode. No matter what explanation seems

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most appropriate, the fact remains: individualized instruction had notmet the expressed needs of this learner group.What were pupils trying to tell us through these comments?

Apparently some prefer situations that permit them to interact withtheir peers. This is not surprising. Enterprising teachers have alwaysworked to provide social communication opportunities for studentsbecause such experiences seemed to pay rich dividends. But in theheat of the race to help children become competent, independentlearners in a world of rapid change, teachers may have lost sightof an equally important outcome of schooling; that is, the acquisitionof skills associated with assimilating and evaluating a variety ofexperiences gleaned from peers through social interaction.

Individualized instruction need not be "isolated" instruction. Learn-ingpackages, unipacs, and programmed materials have tended to isolatestudents, removing them from opportunities to interact with theirpeers. It is this disjunction that may reduce the developmental potentialof otherwise exemplary learning activities.Both experiences, individual manipulation of objects and social

collaboration, are critically important to intellectual development.Piaget has explained:

"When I say ’active’ I mean it in two senses. One is acting on material things.But the other means doing things in social collaboration, in a group effort. Thisleads to a critical frame of mind, where children must communicate with each other.This is an essential factor in intellectual development."5

Isn’t it time we listened to the learner who will be riding the wavesof the future?

5. Eleanor R. Duckworth. "Piaget Rediscovered," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 2 ((Issue3, 1964), 173.

HOW MAN HEARS

While raucous arguments rage over noise pollution, scientists are quietlyat work on unsolved problems of exactly how we hear.

Electrical engineer-neurophysiologists are using sophisticated measurementtechniques with computer link-up to study one aspect of the problem. Theyare working on measurement of vibration of part of the inner ear, the cochelea,called the basilar membrane. This membrane is the area where the pressurewaves of incoming sound are converted to electrical signals which eventuallyreach the brain. Explanation of motion of the basilar membrane is thoughtto be essential to understanding hearing.Up until a few years ago these measurements had never been accurately

made on living animals because of the extremely small motions involved.The application of a new radioactive method, the Mossbauer technique, nowmakes it possible to make these measurements.