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Show Two opposing forces in Iron Co. effect individualized teaching Individual instruction as a means to the maximum edua-tional edua-tional development of the individual in-dividual has been an objective objec-tive in the Iron County School system for the past twenty yecars. This means of delivering deliv-ering education will receive even more emphasis in 1971 and beyond. Twenty years ago the Iron County system represented repre-sented one of a few lone voices promoting individualized individual-ized instruction. Today, it is the central goal as a means of education in practically every school system In the United States Two powerful forces are at work which influence the capacity ca-pacity of the system to educate edu-cate each student at a rate and depth commensurate with his physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth. These two powerful forces, increased increas-ed teacher load or more students stu-dents per teacher, and educational edu-cational automation coupled with teacher aides and parent par-ent volunteers appear to be counterbalancing forces which keep individualized instruc tion from moving significantly significant-ly forwards or backwards. The force of increased teacher load tWAMAMAWMMfWIMMU is caused by the Inadequate financing of education. During the past two or three years, increased appropriations have not beeen equal to the Increased In-creased costs of Inflation. To partially meet the demands of teacher bargaining units, increased in-creased salaries have been made possible by increasing the number of students per teacher and by "squeezing" non-salary portions of the educational ed-ucational budget. Obviously, more students per teacher make the goal of individualized individualiz-ed instruction more difficult for teachers to attain. Teaching aides Educational automation, plus teacher aides, and parent volunteers are forces which make it easier to provide individualized in-dividualized instruction. A-vailbility A-vailbility of" a computer terminal term-inal in the North Elementary school makes it possible for a math teacher to know immediately imme-diately the mathematics deficiencies defi-ciencies of a particular student. stu-dent. Since a teacher responsible respon-sible for 35 to 40 students can not spend 30 minutes with a particular student on a math problem, the teacher prescribes pre-scribes an educational packet -- . which will help the student ' with the particular math pro- blem. This self-contained pac- 1 ket comprised of filmstrips, 16mm films, and written work Is procured by a secretary. Machines, aides, and soft- i ware become an extension of ' the teacher. The teacher be- comes a prescriber, a diagnos- ' tician, and special problem 1 "troubleshooter." This system ' divides the process of educa-: educa-: tion into specialities and uses equipment, software, and less expensive personnel as sup- ; plemental to the teacher, thus enabling individualized Instruction In-struction to take place even though the professional teacher-pupil ratio Is higher. It. therefore, is quite likely that the use of equipment, educational educa-tional packets, parent volunteers, volun-teers, secretaries, software, nnd teacher aides will increase in 1971 and beyond as the ed-l ed-l ucational dollars are more and more Inflated. |