Student Individuality in the Classroom

Psalm 139:13-18 reminds us that we have all be created uniquely by God—that He saw us completely before we even saw ourselves. He knows us more deeply that we know ourselves and even in spite of all our faults and questionable acts, He still keeps us in existence and even made us in spite of our mistakes so that we could love Him in return (Sheen, 2008).

As Kaiser (1995) notes, the Old Testament is filled with references to the coming Messiah, and here we are reminded of the great gift of life that is ours, thanks to God, and the great mercy He shows us just for having given us life. Just as we our created uniquely, every learner is also unique—each one learns in different ways. Some learners are visual. Some are experiential. For some, hearing is all that is required—for others, they must perform.

Some benefit when their own personal background is brought into the lesson. Others can learn on their own and have a high tolerance for self-directed learning. Some learn from observing others and fall into the group who benefit from the zone of proximal development, as described in the theory of Vygotsky (Gray & Feldman, 2004). As an educator, it is important to be aware of everyone’s uniqueness. God made us all differently. Some have disabilities—but that doesn’t mean they should be forgotten or cast aside.

I am driven to recognize the abilities of all and to encourage and support those who need it. An educational system that minimizes the uniqueness and individuality of learners is a system that is designed to fail, ultimately. Some parts of our educational system, however, do just that: they take all the students and force them into boxes as though they were all the same—had all the same gifts and abilities, all the same potential, and all the same views.

We are told to teach to a standard, yet that standard does not take into consideration that some learn deeply and quickly while others learn only after a time and often only after a great deal of practice and repetition. I find it odd that in a nation that celebrates diversity and individuality and freedom, when it comes to our educational system everyone is viewed homogenously, as though they were all the same carton of pre-packaged milk that gets poured out and looks the same in every glass.

I know that every single student takes something different from every single class—and in spite.