1. Curriculum
In school, the curriculum should be modified to suit the needs of the dull children. Failure to achieve this adversely affects the development of all three kinds of children. Whereas the backward students start playing truant from school the brilliant children find the studies inadequate and turn their intellect to more perverse.
2. Limited Size of the Class
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Keeping in mind the individual differences of the students, it is advisable that if they are to be taught properly, a class should not include more than 20 students. With 50 or more students it is impossible to teach them, keeping in mind their specific requirements.
3. Vocational Guidance
Different professions require some specific physical, mental and personality traits of the individual. Hence, knowing their peculiar mental makeup and their tendencies the teacher can guide the students in the vocation that they should adopt.
4. Method of Education
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It is never advisable or efficacious to use the same method of education in the case of all children. It should be varied to suit and conform to their individual differences and mental requirements
5. Educational Guidance
Knowing the personal differences between his students the teacher can render them signal service by guiding them in their educational career. It is the teacher who can tell them the subjects they must choose to pursue in their higher studies if they are not to do violence to their natures.
6. Contribution of School, Family and Community in Education
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Knowledge of differences among children determines that education in school is not completely sufficient since many differences are due to the family and community.
Hence, according to modern educational psychologists, to attain the objective of all round development of individuals, prescribed by modern education, the co-operation of school, family, community and the religious institutions is sought.
7. Individual Training
Having knowledge of individual differences, now many methods of individual training have been devised. In America, the Dalton Plan, Project Method, Winnetka Method, Contract Plan and Activity Programme Methods have been devised for individual training. A brief resume of the various methods is given below-
(a) Dalton Plan
In this, children are not taught in class-rooms. They are given subjects that suit their interests and they are given a project that covers a period of 15 days to a month. Such treatment leads to the development of neutrality, independence, co-operation and sociability etc.
(b) Project Method
In this the children are required to do work of every day requirements, such as cooking, stitching, furniture making, etc. And in the process of this work, they are taught novel things.
(c) Activity Programme
In this method, keeping in mind the interests of the students, activities are prescribed in order to define the curriculum. These activities are based on democratic principles. This helps to develop democratic notion in the children.
(d) Winnetka System
In this method, the student on his own tries to attain a certain definite objective and the teacher offers very little assistance. Later on, through some tests, the extent to which the student has attained his goal is discovered.
(e) Contract Plan
In this, similar to the Dalton method, the subjects of study are determined and similar to the Winnetka method the student’s progress is measured through tests. In this manner it is a synthesis of the Dalton and Winnetka method.
It is evident from the above description that modem education makes proper arrangements for a child’s education, keeping in view his peculiar nature and special abilities.
In a democratic society every individual has the right to achieve a definite level of development. Hence, even more essential it is that individual differences be kept in mind while educating people of democratic countries.