10 Marks Question
Ques. 1 What do you mean by diverse learners? Explain the need to pay individualized attention on diverse learners. (5+5) (2016)
Introduction
Diverse learners may be the children who have difficulties in seeing, hearing, who can’t walk or who are slower to learn. Exceptional children and diverse children are almost same. These children deviate significantly from the normal ones. These children may not speak the language of the classroom; are at risk of dropping out because they are sick, hungry or not achieving well; or they belong to a different religion or caste. They may be those who work at home, in the fields, or elsewhere (migrants) and who are working to help their families survive.
Diverse Learners include children and students of all abilities from racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Definition
” The term ‘a typical’ or ‘exceptional’ is applied to a trait or to a person possessing the trait up the extent of deviation from normal, possession of the trait is so great that because of it the individual warrants or receives special attention from his fellows and his behaviour responses and activities are thereby affected.” (1973)
-Crow and Crow
” the term exceptional children refers to those children who deviate from the normal in physical, mental, emotional or social characteristics to such a degree that they require special and educational services to develop their maximum capacity”. (1977)
-Telford
To cater to the needs of such diverse learners a teacher should try to include all children with diverse abilities in schools so that we may have the representation of all children with diverse abilities in classrooms. An inclusive school is not simply one which educates children with disabilities: rather inclusive education is about reducing all barriers to learning and developing ordinary schools which are capable of meeting the needs of learners.
Inclusion can be viewed from three perspectives:
