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INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS AND LEARNING

Individual differences are the fact according to the teachings of psychology. Every individual human being has their own interests and priorities. For example, some individual take very keen interest in games while others have very little deviation towards game or any other field. The kind of prioritizing and showing interest in one field over the other is not limited with one or other age group but it is applicable to all age groups. The aspect of individual differences very much influenced by learning process. Furthermore, learning is also influenced by interest and motivation of the individual towards the field. For instance some student very easily solves mathematical problems while other feels difficulty to solve the same problem. It is the professional and moral responsibility of the teacher to design teaching activities according to the interest of the student of the particular class. As a teacher we should closely observe the behavior of the students in the classroom. We should not only observe the cognitive aspect of behavior but behavior aspects relating with the personality of the student in order to establish a sound and healthy relationship with the student and the class. On the other hand, particular attention towards cognitive behavior while ignoring other aspects resulting confusion and misunderstanding.
A movie session was held in Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) followed by a long discussion on the movie. The movie named by �Taree Zameen Par� was about a child suffering from dyslexia (writing and reading disorder). He was considered not a good child due to reading and writing suffering, while ignoring other skills of the child. A new teacher entry in the school turned the future of the child from idiot to the best painter of the school and his painting become a cover page of the school annual magazine. This means that a particular teacher shows interest in the life of the child and brought a revolutionary changes in the life of the child. Therefore, while teaching in the classroom one should consider the individual differences among the children. As a student of education of master program I would like to request the concerned authority of education from both public and private sector to arrange a movie (Taree Zameen Par) shows in their schools. I am sure that this educational movie not only gives insight to the teacher but it will also change the attitude of the students towards teacher and learning.

Assadullah Khan
AKU-IED Karachi