Meeting the Needs of All Learners

In this Standards Unit: Improving Learning in Mathematics video you will be able to reflect on a range of approaches that help to meet the needs of all learners.

There are many strategies that teachers and trainers use in order to ensure that every learner is given a challenge appropriate to his or her level of attainment and preferred way of learning.

Overview
In this video sequence you can explore the issues that teachers and trainers need to consider when planning to meet the range of needs of their learners, and some of the strategies they adopt.

As you watch, you might like to note the different strategies used to address the range of needs of the learners. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Review
In this section you are invited to consider strategies that help teachers and trainers to meet the range of learner needs.

A possible starting point is to choose one of the strategies you have seen in the sequence and incorporate it into your own teaching.

We suggest that you also look at the following sections:
* 'Thinking about assessment' to explore how assessment of learning helps you to gain a better understanding of the needs of your learners;
* 'Thinking about questioning' to explore how open questioning offers opportunities to involve and challenge all learners.

You might also like to look at the 'Planning learning' section of this resource, where you will find video sequences of whole sessions. We suggest you view these and reflect on the strategies that the teachers and trainers featured use to meet the needs of the learners in their sessions.

These issues are explored further in the book 'Improving learning in mathematics: challenges and strategies'.

In the professional development guide you will find further ideas for developing this aspect of teaching with your colleagues.