The dynamics of the student population yields no two students who are exactly alike. For this reason, it seems unreasonable to use one form of instructional materials, curriculum delivery, and assessment standards for all students. Educators realize that students learn at different rates and through different avenues. Individualized instruction approaches attempt to make the learning experience suitable for each student in terms of his or her learning needs, interests, and developmental level. Individualized instruction programs focus on objectives that are personal for each child. The child is an active partner in decision-making in terms of activities, subject matter, and assessment. Because students learn at different rates, individualized instruction is flexible in instructional pacing and the scheduling of class material. Individual instruction should be varied for each student in order to provide a variety of learning modalities best suited for the student. Teachers must be dedicated to curriculum planning and instructional decision-making, and encourage students to be responsible for their learning and take an active role in the learning process. .
Individualized instruction is not just a philosophy, but rather is comprised of a specific plan for meeting every student's educational needs. Individualized instruction begins with a system to diagnose student strengths and weaknesses. Teachers use this pre-assessment to define goals for the student and understand their academic interests. The next step is to determine the best possible arrangement to group students for instruction, whether it is by needs, interests, or developmental levels. Once the teacher has determined student needs and organized the students into groups for effective instruction, the teacher must decide how to instruct the students to produce maximum benefits for each individual student. This includes instruction delivery, course content, integrated activities, and a learning time frame.
