Behavior and Individual Differences - Essay Example

< Behavior & Individual Differences> by Abstract The paper answers questions pertaining to Behaviour & Individual Differences of children, in the area of education. Introduction The main topic for this discussion in this assignment is Behavior & Individual Differences in children who are affected by ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and assessment of their needs. The most common symptoms of this disorder includes the hyper or over activity, difficulty experienced in controlling behavior, difficulty in paying attention as well as staying focused on any activity in the classroom or home. 3 subtypes of ADHD 1. Predominantly hyperactive and impulsive 2. Predominantly inattentive 3. Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive combined Since his admission, child A has the history of ADHD. The teachers have noticed that he is easily distracted from any task which is given in the class, becomes bored after some minutes and switches to another activity. He frequently has trouble turning in homework and loses things such as pencils, books etc. The teachers have spoken to the child but to no avail. When asked why he has not done the homework, he says he has lost the assignment paper. They have also spoken to his parents. The parents also report the same behaviour at the home. The teachers at previous school have also reported the similar behaviour at the school. 1. Analyze historical and political perspectives concerning individual differences experienced by children with a range of needs. Since the start of traditional education, the debate has been ranging regarding teaching the students of various sections of the population in one classroom and yet fulfilling the individual range of need of any child. Today, this concern has been expressed and addressed by lot of institutions as well as experienced educational experts around the world. Since, the onset of eighteenth century, the governments are taking lot of interest in the spread of both quantity and quality of the education for all sections of the population. In addition to that, they are also concerned about the education of children with various needs such as children who are affected by ADHD. To this end, they have enacted several laws which were designed to benefit the students (Cialdini, 2007) 1. In 1879, the first step of the government was to make education compulsory for all the students whose age group range was from 5 to 13 with Foster’s Elementary Education Act. 2. In 1880, the government made it compulsory for all the children to attend the school with the education act, the exception being uneducable such as mentally disabled and others. 3. The Education Act implemented in 1944, organized the education system in three categories as per the requirement of the child such as primary, secondary and tertiary. It also classified the 11 categories handicap. 4. The Plowden Report in 1968 recognized the need of child to incorporate the language skills at the early stage and future success in school as well in life. 5. The Warnock report in 1978, the term SEN was mentioned which replaced 11 categories of Handicap. This report also established the 5 stage approach for assessment and recognition. The authorities also considered the SEN in the mainstream education. 6. With Education Act in 1981, the authorities enacted the recommendations from Warnock Report. The recommendations which were enacted were the 5 stage approach, abolishment of handicap categories. It also included the introduction of statementing procedure. 7. With the education reform act in 1988, the government introduced national curriculum all over the country. 8. In 1989, the government recognized the children rights which also included the registration of children in need with Children Act. 9. In 1993, the education act promoted the education of children all over the country with SEN in mainstream educational system. It also made the class teachers responsible for the SEN children in the early stages of education. 10. The code of practice in 1994 made the role of SENCO a statuary practice. 11. The Excellence for all program in 1997 shifted its focus on including and development of collaborative practice. 12. In 1998, a white paper on meeting special education needs drafted new code of practice for 2001. 13. 1998, the authorities also announced the national standards for SENCO which were designed so that the SENCO was activated to lead and manage educational staff in the country. 14. In 2001, the authorities announced new SENCO code of practice, which included the shared management of SENCO role, graduated response and 3 stages in identification of need of children. 15. IN 2003, the authorities started ECM or every child matters which focused upon the collaborative approaches such as working towards educational team working and social inclusions. The main aim of learning today is to improve the life of child and smooth the rough edges in his or her personality (Department for Education, 2012). Today, the educational system more or less recognizes the individual differences between the children with different needs and caters them with various types of facilities in the society. These are some historical and political perspectives and milestones in educational system of the country. In this way, as the education system became more progressive in nature the more it recognized the individual differences between the children with variety of needs. 2. Evaluate different methods of assessment and identification. Today, the assessment and identification of children’s need is becoming very important in educational field. This is due to many reasons. These reasons differ from helping the students from certain criteria’s as well as identifying the strength, weakness, skills and potential of the child (Rogers, 2008). This assessment and identification helps in improvement of the quality of learning and teaching in any educational institution. This method also apply for the children who are affected with various childhood disorders such as ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and resolve the needs of the child with various methods. As per the education experts, there are three different methods of the identification and assessment of need of any child. They are respectively known as the diagnostic, formative and summative. Diagnostic Method The diagnostic method can be defined as the method where the experts assess and identify the requirements of the child by identifying the gaps in education curriculum prior to instruction in the class (Chinn, 2010). It can also be defined as the special form of measurement which is used for ascertaining the strengths, weaknesses, skills and knowledge. The establishment of diagnostic method helps the teachers to evaluate and adjust the educational curriculum to meeting every child’s unique requirements. In addition to that, it also helps in diagnosing the condition of ADHD in the child A who is showing all the symptoms of ADHD. Formative Method The formative method can be broadly defined as the evaluation of the individual learner which is used to helping the individual child to improve his performance in the class. The formative methods are used for assessment and identification of the areas which are required for the improvement. This is deemed as the best method for assessment of the children who are suffering from ADHD disorder. Here, the teacher is able to give specific suggestions for improvement in approach as well as the performance of the child in class. Summative Method The experts use the summative method for the final evaluation of the individual student and used for making decisions or judgments after the instructions and classes. It also includes the verification of the achievement which has been achieved by any student. This method also identifies the area of weakness in the child who is suffering from any physical or mental health issue such as ADHD disorder in the class. This assessment method also works as the motivation for the student who wants to improve or maintain his educational performance. The students also are certified for this performance in the form of promotion or grades (Nuhad, 2012) . The experts also assess the capability of the students with the grades or achievement of the student with a set level of pre-defined ability and performance of the student to meet that standard. Objective for Using the Assessment Methods The main objective for using assessment methods in educational field is assessing the requirement of any particular child (Department for Education and Skills, 2002) including who is suffering from various disorders such as ADHD. With the above tools, the experts study various subjects such as physical development, cognitive development, social and emotional development relative to his or her age. The expert who is doing that particular project should lay out the role of assessment for the identification of the children’s need including those who are suffering from various disorders before the start of the project. The person who is making the assessment and identification has to do the spot evaluation about which method is more suitable for the identification of the need and proceed from there. Evaluation and Decision of the Assessment Methods The experts use all types of assessment and identification methods for the children to design various types of approaches to help them regarding their performances. To achieve their objective, the experts use various tools for during the assessment methods for the identification of various issues such as ADHD.. These tools help the teachers and other educators to evaluate the capability as well as the limitation of any student in the class. Due to this evaluation, the teachers as well as other educators are able to design special school curriculum for the improvement and strengthening the skill of the children who are suffering from ADHD. Tools to Strengthen and Improve 1. Observations It includes time sampling, member checking and direct observation of the educators to identify the cause of child’s behaviour and arrive to some conclusions. 2. Questioning These tools include probing, closed and open ended questions which are posed to the child as well as the parents of the child. This exercise is done in order to probe in depth about the behaviour of the student suspected to be suffering from ADHD. 3. Tests or tasks It includes the class assignment or tests. 4. Standardised tests It includes the tests published by outside body 5. Self assessment Assessment by the students themselves 6. Conferences Meeting between students, teachers, parents and other professionals 7. Concept Mapping The use of mind mapping and arrow illustrations tools by children 8. Medical assessment Various types of test such as hearing and eye test. 3. Appraise the wider implications for a child’s life. The main role of Assessment by the teacher or educator in the class is to facilitate and encourage learning in all its aspects. The educators use this opportunity for the encouragement of the appropriate learning. This is an opportunity, which can be used positively or negatively by the educators to influence the course of student’s life by using their fixation of performance during the assessment. The educator can leave the positive influence on the child who is suspected to have ADHD when he or she designs the assessments which are completely aligned and well planned for measuring the complete range of identified outcomes. With this, he or she can ensure that the students are learning and giving the demonstration of intended outcomes (Department for Education and Skills, 2002). The method of assessment widely affects the way a child learns to study and prepare for the final assessment of the year. It also affects the activities in which a child is engaged and requires him or her to do the complete development in deeper understanding of the school curriculum as well as wider background material. Take an example the assessment conducted by the educator can become more effective when it redistributes the focus from final week’s examination which consists of three hours summative exam of all subjects to formative continuous tasks which are assessed all year round the term. It catches a wide range of topics which are assessed by the educators. It also compels the child to study all round the year on thorough basis. The effectiveness of the assessment also increases thousand fold with the child studying on continuous basis for the improvement in educational performance in the class. With the increased interaction between educator and child due to changed method of assessment, the effectiveness and productivity increases at a good rate Black & William (1998). Some effects of the increased interactions and implications on both educators and child’s life are as follows. Some effects of the changed manner of assessments are given below: 1. Increased and effective feedback of the method followed by educator in the class 2. With the changed method of assessment, the child takes the active initiative in their own learning. This affects the growth of the child in a very positive manner in his life. 3. With the regular results of previous assessment, the educator have a good chance where he or she is able to adjust the method of teaching to reach the students in a more effective manner. 4. The educator is also able to recognize the influence of the assessment on the self-esteem and motivation of the child and modify his approach to the child for positive reinforcement. 5. The assessment also helps the child to assess his own limitations and how to improve them so as to get more success in life. Most of the educators use various assessment methods to identify the current level of achievement and learning of the child against set standards of achievement. Then they select various methods to improve the educations standards of the child. The assessment methods of the educators which are prevalent in the classes offer the child detailed diagnostic information as well as encourages the longer term understanding. It offers help in a quest to understand one’s capacity of knowledge and limitation in any area which need to be improved in order garner more knowledge and get unqualified success in life. The assessment also sets a benchmark for the childe to study by showcasing the knowledge of the student, his understanding with a proper demonstration. It also points out the areas where he or she requires improving and to what extent. In this way the assessment have wider implications of the child’s life. 4. Evaluate strategies used with children with a range of individual needs. Today, the education is not only important, but it also plays an important role in dictating the career growth, lifestyle and other parts of any person all their life. So, it has become essential for the prosperity of the modern society that the educationists and other experts who design educational curriculum should understand the causes behind the bad performance of any child who is diagnosed with ADHD disorder. While designing any school curriculum, they should take the needs of individual child in consideration. There are many strategies which are adopted by the teachers for motivating the students to give a better performance in the class. One of them is the strategies for positive guidance. Strategies for Positive Guidance It is a known fact that the regressions and changes in a child’s behaviour are integral at the learning process. The adults who are working with the children should not be only knowledgeable about the learning ability and progress towards the set goal, but they should also be aware about the strengths and weakness of each child who is diagnosed with ADHD disorder in their class. They should understand that each and every student specially those who are suffering with ADHD disorder has some reasons behind their action. They should also give the honest and regular positive feedback to every child and approach the child who has ADHD with clear and consistent behaviour. Defining the Individual Needs of Children in Terms of Strength The strategy of positive reinforcement dictates that the educator should define the available and potential qualities of the child in his or her care in positive manner. Even if there are any negative issues, they can be assessed by the educator as the positive attributes which can be further developed by the child. This approach also works wonder with the child who is suffering from ADHD disorder. Take an example: 1. The educator can assess a child who has the leadership qualities like he or she can be very assertive but not bossy which has negative connotations. 2. The educator can assess a child like to play rough and tumble as a very energetic child but does not describe him or her as aggressive which has negative connotations. Giving Every Child Some Positive Feedback Every Day The second point in implementation of strategy of positive reinforcement is the giving some positive feedback to the child who is suffering from ADHD every day. The educator should use various tools such as pleasant and calm routines during rest and meal times, use of rhythms and music and energetic outdoor play to enhance this child’s sense of belonging and well being. The educator also should not forget to praise or give encouragement when any child does good things however small the incident. Focus on the Positive Qualities of the Individual Child The next thing which the strategy of positive reinforcement dictates is the focus of the educator. The educator should respect the fact that children are small people and when they do something, they do it for a reason (Watkins & Wagner, 2000). Even if the behaviour is not acceptable sometimes, the educator should probe the reason behind the action before doing anything. Instead of punishment, the educator should focus on how that particular child can do that particular thing in a better way. In short, the focus of educator should be on fact how that particular child can can achieve better things. Take an example, instead of blaming the child for inattentiveness during any subject period, the educator should speak with the child to understand the reason behind this behaviour and apply the remedy. Offering an Understanding and Complete Support in Adverse Situations The next point is strategy for positive reinforcement is to offer complete support and understanding to the child who is going through any adverse situation at his home or in school. At such time, the student may become angry or frustrated. During this time, he requires the understanding and support of educator who may sooth him or her and offer a solution for his issue. An example can be given when his work is completely destroyed and he cannot participate in other activities as he has catch up with the work. Organize some things for the benefit of child with needs Instead of focusing on negative situation, the educator should help the child and collaborate with his parents. They should encourage the child to have same routine from waking up to the bedtime. The parents should keep his timetable for the day on refrigerator for tracking his activity for the day. The parents should also encourage the child by keep an organizer to keep track of everything. References Cialdini, R. B. (2007) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Revised Edition. HarperCollins, New York. Chinn, S. (2010) Addressing the Unproductive Classroom Behaviours of Students with Special Needs. Jessica Kingsley, London. UK Department for Education (2012) Becoming School Support Staff: Learning Mentors. http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/traininganddevelopment /staff/b00202532/school Department for Education and Skills (2002) Behaviour Improvement Programme Nuhad Y Dumit, August 2012, Diagnostic/Formative/Summative Assessment Rogers, B., (2008) Classroom Behaviour, 2nd ed. Sage , London Watkins, C. & Wagner, P. (2000) Improving School Behaviour, Paul Chapman, London. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml Read More