According to the Christian point of view, teachers should respect the student’s strengths and contribute to their improvement. Teachers should be aware that students may have shortcomings and be patient with them. Teacher support is critical as it is encouraging students to understand that they have the opportunity to improve their weaknesses. A teacher can say encouraging words, work with students, and help them achieve success. Each student has their interests to which teachers should respond adequately, that is, not set their point of view and their beliefs on students. The Christian attitude is characterized by respect for the faith of others and without imposing their faith and ideas on them, by changing people’s opinion to one that they may not like.
Teachers can demonstrate a Christian attitude towards students through caring. That is, this relation concern is not only to help and support students directly in studying but also to pay attention to life outside the educational institution. In this case, the teacher, Mr. Fleming, took care of his student Larissa, when he handed over the documents to the office to protect the girl from unnecessary meetings with her father. The teacher should treat his students patiently, allow them to speak out, and improve their weaknesses.
Culture, language, and family background have a significant impact on students’ learning. If a child was born in a family in which each of the parents strives for success, growth, regularly studies, and expands their horizons, then the child will be interested in what their parents are inquisitive. Children who have descended from parents striving for knowledge and improvement will also be much more successful than those whose parents do not develop independently and do not contribute to the child’s development.
Language is one of the most important categories of culture, because a person’s worldview is formed and expressed through it. However, language is not only a means; it is also the environment in which a person is created and lives, determining their life experience. An essential function of language is that it preserves culture and transmits it from generation to generation. That is why language plays such a significant role in the formation of personality, national character, people, nation.
Different cultures have different influences on how students assimilate information, how they understand the content. Students of other cultures do not have a shared experience, which creates a situation in which the speed of assimilation of the material, as well as the understanding of texts, may be different. Language is a part of the culture; it forms knowledge, which also affects the student’s ability to perceive information at different speeds. In general, the totality of language and culture begins with people’s knowledge, science, and the ability to obtain this knowledge. Under the influence of culture, a person’s values, beliefs, and perception as a full-fledged member of society are formed.
Multisensory education, small-group or one-on-one learning, and modeling can be cited as strategies that can be used to account for differences in the development and individual needs of a student. The method of teaching in small groups is often used to teach students with unique characteristics. Students are offered various types of activities such as problem-solving, involvement in a real-life scenario, an oral answer to a question, and others. Cole et al. (2018) claim that students in small groups achieve significant success compared to those who study in a traditional group. The convenience of learning in small groups is undeniable and gives children with individual characteristics the opportunity to develop and grow like ordinary children.
Multisensory learning is based on tactile, visual, and auditory communication stimuli. Teachers work with children with individual needs who use various teaching subjects, such as videos, visual aids, role-playing games, and others. After the lessons, the teachers test how effectively the children have learned the material. Multisensory learning is based on several principles that are mandatory for each teacher. These principles include encouraging success, relying on previously mastered materials, fractional education, that is, studying one small topic at a time, one-sided learning structure. Morgan (2019) concluded that children with individual characteristics but who were trained according to this scheme showed great success and aimed to improve future results. That is, this type of training is effective and helps special children to develop actively.
The modeling strategy represents a natural object accessible for students to understand and observe. During the learning process, students see the subjects and actively interact with each other and teachers. Students are maximally involved in the learning process; they begin to focus on the most important things, and their level increases as well as the complexity of the learning process itself. The teacher trains the student, together they conduct observations, and the teacher can also punish the student. Punishment is carried out to eliminate the undesirable behavior, but if a student behaves well or makes progress, the teacher encourages them. Sulasmi (2021) concludes, based on research, that this learning strategy is successful and allows students to interact with teachers. In addition, the modeling strategy helps to realize which behavior is incorrect, as well as to actively study on a par with children who do not have individual characteristics.
According to the IDEA, children with individual developmental characteristics, with the help of these strategies, have the opportunity to receive free education, and they also have the right to proper assessment and testing. This assessment should not include unnecessary criteria or methods. In addition, according to the IDEA, for all the described strategies, children receive an individual learning plan. Approaches also do not exclude the possibility of parents’ participation in children’s education; that is, parents can become members of any society in which their child is located. The IDEA establishes the order and rules according to which a child with individual characteristics will be taught.
In conclusion, children with individual developmental characteristics should be perceived in society as ordinary children. Teachers should promote the development of such children and be patient, encourage success, and help correct behavior if necessary. There are various strategies for teaching gifted children, which include an individual approach to them and those aimed at ensuring that academic performance is not lower than that of other children. In addition, these strategies strive to provide that the child feels comfortable, is not afraid to speak out, and strives for their development and improvement. The IDEA regulates the observance of rules concerning special children in order to eradicate non-standard attitudes towards them and prevent the negative influence of society.
References
Cole, R., Martin, C., Weston, T., Devine, L., Myatt, J., Helding, B., Pradhan, S., McKeown, M., Messier, S., Borum, J., & Ward, W. (2018). One-on-one and small group conversations with an intelligent virtual science tutor. Computer Speech & Language, 50(1), 157-174.
Morgan, K. (2019). Multisensory teaching: Crossing into a new discipline. Palaestra, 33(1), 46-51. Web.
Sulasmi, E. (2021). Effectiveness of modeling learning strategies to improve student learning outcomes. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute Journal, 4(1), 926-936.