Individual Differences

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Educational Psychology
Considering Individual Differences
William G. Huitt
Last Revised July 1999
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Considering Individual Differences
In general, there are three different approaches
for dealing with individual differences among
students

• Develop events of instruction that take into
  account individual differences

• Provide some sort of grouping in order to reduce
  or accommodate the variability with respect to
  student background, achievement, ability or some
  other characteristic.

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Considering Individual Differences
In general, there are three different approaches
for dealing with individual differences among
students

• Modify the conditions within which instruction
  is taking place.

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The 4MAT System
The 4MAT system is a strategy for dealing with
individual differences is to develop or modify
the events of instruction so that they
specifically address individual differences.
It is a direct instruction approach to teaching
that utilizes research on brain lateralization
dominance and learning style to identify specific
instructional events that will be attractive to a
specific type of student.
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The 4MAT System
According to Bernice McCarthy, developer of the
4MAT system, there are 4 major learning styles,
each of which asks different questions and
displays different strengths during the learning
process.
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The 4MAT System
Concrete-Random
WHY?
SP (Sensing/Perceiving)
Sanquine
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The 4MAT System
Abstract-Sequential
WHAT?
NJ (Intuitive/Judging)
Choleric
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The 4MAT System
Concrete-Sequential
HOW?
SJ (Sensing/Judging)
Melancholy
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The 4MAT System
Abstract-Random
IF?
NP (Intuitive/Perceiving)
Phlegmatic
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The 4MAT System
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The 4MAT System
Each learning style is associated with both left-
and right-brain learners.
Right
Left
Intuitive, emotional, holistic, parallel, and
tactile-kinesthetic
Logical, rational, sequential, serial, verbal
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The 4MAT System
The 4MAT system is designed to provide every
student with a preferred task during every
lesson. There are the 8 instructional events
proposed by this system.
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The 4MAT System
STEP
LEFT MODE
RIGHT MODE
WHY?
Create an experience
1
Reflect/Analyze about experience
2
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The 4MAT System
STEP
LEFT MODE
RIGHT MODE
WHAT?
Integrate into concepts
3
Develop concepts and skills
4
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The 4MAT System
STEP
LEFT MODE
RIGHT MODE
HOW?
Practice defined givens
5
Add something of oneself
6
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The 4MAT System
STEP
LEFT MODE
RIGHT MODE
IF?
Analyze application for relevance
7
Add something of oneself
8
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The 4MAT System
The 4MAT system seems to have considerable face
validity, although there is not a widespread
research base to support it.
However, following the 4MAT system forces the
teacher to provide her students with
opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking.