Equity in the Classroom
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, equity is being both fair and impartial. Equity in the classroom allows the teacher to address every student in the class. By addressing every student in the class at the same time with the same level of attention, it provides opportunities for more work to get done because the teacher does not have to pay any specific child special attention. This is very beneficial for teachers with large classes. Not every teacher is privileged with the opportunity to teach a small class. With large classes it may be hard to give students the individual attention they need to grasp the lesson being taught. Growing up I attended private school. The classroom sizes were typically 15 or less. Being that the classes were small, the teachers were able to teach the class and if a student needed personal attention they would be able to give them personalized instruction.
Even though private school classes are typically small, a student can still be lost and miss out on their opportunity for personalized learning. Not only because the students may refuse to speak up and ask for help but also taking into consideration the pace that most private schools work at and the level of work they do. Public school classes, on the other hand, are much larger typically consisting of 20-30 students per class. In such situations the teacher may have difficulties catering to the personal needs of students. While doing observations in a 3rd grade literature class, I observed a tool the teacher used which allowed the students to work at their own pace and still get the individualized help they may need. The teacher put the students in their respective reading groups (based on their reading level). Each student is assigned to read for a specific number of minutes, then they must turn to their partner after the time is up and tell their partner what their individual book was about. While the students who are reading at the highest level worked on their own, the teacher sat with the students who are struggling. She would read with the group by giving everyone in the group the same book and making the students take turns reading. This particular class has 32 students. It was not easy for the teacher to devote 30 minutes or more to those students who really needed the help because other students would decide to misbehave.
Another thing I noticed about that school is, at specific times teachers would pull certain students out of the class and take them to a different classroom which would help to strengthen the areas in which they lack understanding or clarity. Different students get “pulled out” of class for various reasons and at various times of the day. Another method I have observed and even assisted with is, while the class is at either art or gym, the teacher will withhold certain students on certain days to focus on the areas they need assistance in. Since I was able to participate in the personalized instruction of the students, I was able to see first handedly what individualized instruction can do for a student. The students actually showed improvements in the class assignments as well as in their tests scores. This seems to be a strategy that works for this specific teacher. Maybe other teachers may want to implement such a system into their classrooms and see the students begin to understand and blossom into wonderful students.
I say all of that to say, personalized instruction is very beneficial to students. It can be done in the classroom during class hours, or while on breaks. As long as a student receives the proper tools needed to move forward in the lesson, they will be able to be a more productive individual in class. Sometimes a change is necessary in the classroom. Rather than the teacher addressing the entire class, he/she may take a few classes to focus on the needs of students who are falling behind. This can be done more often than not, so there are fewer students lost and more participating and paying attention. Teachers can do this learning assessment with their class after each lesson is taught. One way is to give the class an exercise to do and while the class is working the teacher can go around the classroom assisting those who need help. Another thing teachers can do is allow the students to work in groups and help one another. Sometimes other students can get through to their fellow classmates.
When I attended private school one tool many teachers of mine used to get everyone in the class to understand the lesson was group work. There are some students who grasp the lesson before others on a regular basis so the teachers would ask those students to explain the work to the students who needed help then increasing the amount of people in the class that understood. This tool worked in subjects such as, science, math, english, history, gym, etc.
There are many other ways for teachers to give both individualized instruction and equity learning. Not every student learns at the same pace or in the same way. Some students need more attention than others. The schools need to take this into consideration and implement various systems that can work in the classrooms. Being that individualized instruction is as important and as necessary as equity learning, the two statements do not contradict themselves. Instead, they go hand in hand. The more individual instruction a student gets is the more improvements he/she will make. The more improvements they make is not only better for them but it makes a happier teacher. The teacher then feels and knows that they are doing their job to the best of their abilities making sure that every student is receiving the help they need. The students need to learn at the same pace but they also need individualized instruction to bridge the gap in learning, so in the end no child is left behind.
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