This student is a visual and kinesthetic learner who thrives with hands-on activities and structure. He struggles with relationships and regulating his emotions. The student enjoys physical activities like PE and soccer. The observer wants to learn more about supporting the student's social-emotional learning, building engagement through his interests, and understanding his previous experiences. Specifically, the observer hopes to prevent outbursts by understanding when the student reaches his limits and setting up activities and breaks accordingly. Building a sense of community in the classroom may help the student feel more included.
This student is a visual and kinesthetic learner who thrives with hands-on activities and structure. He struggles with relationships and regulating his emotions. The student enjoys physical activities like PE and soccer. The observer wants to learn more about supporting the student's social-emotional learning, building engagement through his interests, and understanding his previous experiences. Specifically, the observer hopes to prevent outbursts by understanding when the student reaches his limits and setting up activities and breaks accordingly. Building a sense of community in the classroom may help the student feel more included.
This student is a visual and kinesthetic learner who thrives with hands-on activities and structure. He struggles with relationships and regulating his emotions. The student enjoys physical activities like PE and soccer. The observer wants to learn more about supporting the student's social-emotional learning, building engagement through his interests, and understanding his previous experiences. Specifically, the observer hopes to prevent outbursts by understanding when the student reaches his limits and setting up activities and breaks accordingly. Building a sense of community in the classroom may help the student feel more included.
This student is a visual and kinesthetic learner who thrives with hands-on activities and structure. He struggles with relationships and regulating his emotions. The student enjoys physical activities like PE and soccer. The observer wants to learn more about supporting the student's social-emotional learning, building engagement through his interests, and understanding his previous experiences. Specifically, the observer hopes to prevent outbursts by understanding when the student reaches his limits and setting up activities and breaks accordingly. Building a sense of community in the classroom may help the student feel more included.
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EDTE 532
Case Study Assignment
Breanna Dorman-Banks March 14, 2019
Why did you choose this student as your “wonder” child?
I chose this student as my “wonder” child because I really wanted to observe more closely at how he learns best. I think he is going to be someone I really focus on in my upcoming practicum to help him be successful in his everyday learning. I also would like to do my best to try and make a more inclusive classroom for him in my spring practicum. I am interested to know more about what makes him successful as a learning, and what he feels about his learning experience.
What do you know about this student as a learner?
My learner is a visual, kinesthetic learner, that prefers hands-on activities. He is strong in
Physical Education, literacy, and is working to improve his math skills. My learner strives when he can see examples of what is to be expected from the lesson, and has instructions to look back on. He does well with structure, and likes to see the daily routine every morning. My teacher believes that he works better alone, so he is situated at the back of the classroom. He struggles with making relationships with his fellow classmates, and is working on developing more meaningful relationships. Him and my sponsor teacher have an agreement of when he needs a break, he asks for it, and goes to sit outside the office on a bench. If my student finishes lunch early, he really enjoys going to the younger grade classroom, and helping out wherever he can. When my student gets angry he can fix on a particular student because they are not doing what he wants them too. At times, or when he can’t control his emotions he will toss over chairs, stomp feet, kick walls, clench fist, and scowl. At times, when this happens I often see him leave the classroom, and try to self-regulate in the hallway. He is working on using the zones of regulation to help with self-regulating.
What else do you need to find out about this student as a learner?
I recently read my students IEP, and found out that he has only been in Nanaimo since the summer of 2017. I also recently found out that he may be moving schools come next year. I think it would be really helpful to know more about his previous classroom. What worked and what didn’t? How his last classroom was set up, and if there was a spot he could go for a break. I would like to know how to connect with him. I do feel as though I have made a connection since the beginning, but want to do more. Being aware of when he has reached his tipping point, and needs a break. Also, being able to read the signs with him before he gets to go his tipping point. This would be very helpful in my spring practicum. I think this will come with more time I am with him on my six-week practicum.
What strengths, capacities, and/or “passions” do you see in this student?
Strengths These are a few strengths I have learnt about him from chatting with him, or when reading his IEP. I taught PE when I was on my practicum, and it was a subject he was always excited for. He sometimes has a hard time self-regulating when in PE, because he is very competitive. He thrives when he is in an environment that he is constantly busy with doing activities, because he gets bored, very easily. He enjoys reading books, and especially books about different places in the world. He really enjoys reading the Atlas and showing me different places, he wants to travel to. When it comes to silent work time he is very good a self-starting.
Stretches Unfortunately, there were times on my practicum when he had to leave the classroom due to outburst or frustrations. This led to him missing key parts of my lesson, and instructions on how to do the activity. This can be difficult, because I then have to re-explain the instructions for him to know what is going on. He has difficulties with intruding other students’ personal space. This can lead to other students get frustrated with him. It also makes it hard for him to develop meaningful connections with his peers.
Capacities/Passions I found out something I did not know about my wonder child this practicum. He loves Tai Kon Do and playing soccer. He participates in a soccer club outside of school that he really enjoys. Like most young students, he really enjoys playing video games, and often plays them with his father. We have a running program at our school, and he loves doing laps of the school. It is a great brain break for him.
What questions do you have about this student’s strengths and capacities? What do you need to learn more about in order to offer powerful support (e.g. social-emotional learning, engagement, interests, relationships, previous experiences)?
Below are a few of my student’s goals set out in his IEP regarding social emotional learning, interest, academic and relationships. Knowing these helps me with knowing areas that he is specifically working on, and how I can help him. Zones of regulation seem to be a big goal that he is working on this year to help self-regulate. We have many posters around our classroom promoting zones talk and how to use them to communicate how someone is feeling. Knowing this, I can help him refer to these when he is having an outburst or a tough day. Our class does a check-in every morning and this helps with knowing how his morning is going and the other students in the classroom. I would really like to know more about his previous experiences last year in class.
Social Emotional 1. CP will manage inappropriate behaviours and not engage in aggressive peer conflict - Struggles with using self-regulation - Seek assistance or use of self-regulation strategies to reduce and not have peer conflicts Strategies - Using zones, social skills reinforcement, and eye contact with him Self Determination/Independence 1. Co-regulate with an EA/Counsellor by leaving classroom when at yellow zone and come back into the class without disrupting the class - Frustration to rage/anger Academic/Intellect 1. Remain in classroom for the whole day to benefit from instructions to receive academic supports - Benchmark level = 16 - Math = mid-grade 2 level - Increase listening/instruction - Clear boundaries/expectations - Check in with CYC Counsellor with updated information regarding anxiety
What does the student think about his/her learning? Include direct quotes if you can (e.g. What do you think you are good at as a learner? What helps you to learn?)
I know that my students biggest struggle right now is making connections with his peers. He really wants to make more solid relationships in his class, but struggles to understand what a good friend looks like. This is something he wants to work at as his continues out the school year. I didn’t get any direct quotes from my student, but I do know he works well in a quiet classroom. Too much noise and he is easily distracted and becomes off task. He likes to work in groups, but needs work with his teamwork skills. He enjoys learning about math and seems to be very confident in the subject. I’ve noticed that he is very hard on himself, so if he gets an answer wrong, he will sometimes call himself, “dumb, or stupid.” I always try to remind him when I hear this that we are all human and everyone makes mistakes.
What else did you learn after observing? How did your thinking about the student change/deepen? What surprised you?
While observing my student I noticed that he is really hard on himself, when it comes to academics. He can sometimes get frustrated, and refer to himself as being dumb or stupid. I completely disagree with this and think he is such a capable student, he just needs to be set up for success. I hope that I can help him start to see what a remarkable young student he is and set him up for his full potential. I noticed that he really likes to help the teacher in the room whenever possible. I did an art lesson using paints that he really enjoyed, but he is really quick at finishing work, so I decided to ask him if he would like to help me with cleaning the paint trays. He really seemed to enjoy this, and it helped him stay busy and engaged while other students finished up with the lesson. Having extra work or jobs for him to do once he has finished an activity is key for him to stay in the classroom.
If you were planning for this student’s learning, what could you do to support his/her? Why? What can you include in your unit/lesson planning to support this student? What theories and information from the course connect to your decisions?
I will have to plan to have backup activities because he is a quick finisher. There will need to be tasks for him to do once he has completed the activity because he is easily bored and this leads to him wanting to leave the classroom. I will have to make sure to schedule brain breaks because it sets him up for better success and is less likely to have an outburst. Have many hands-on activities, visuals, and lots of examples because that is the way he learns best. Knowing when he has reached his max will lead to less outburst of anger in the classroom because this will hopefully lead to prevent aggression in the classroom. He does at times works better alone and enjoys working alone, so remembering this when it comes to group work, what can I do to make this a successful experience for him.
When I first though about my student I thought about the “Third Classroom Idea.” I was thinking how I could change the classroom around in my six-week practicum to help him be successful. It is also hard because I am a guest in someone else’s classroom, so I don’t want to overstep. He is currently situated in the back of the classroom by himself, which may work for him, but I would like him to be included more. I just believe that if this student had a better working environment it would be prevent him from leaving the classroom so often. I think building more of a community in my classroom would help with him and many other students in my class.
How does this experience inform your thinking about teaching and learning for inclusive education?
After choosing a student to observe, it really opened my eyes to how much you can miss about a student if you don’t take the time to get to know them. It showed me how much I learned about my wonder child just from observing for two weeks. Saying this, it also takes a lot of time to do, which teachers don’t always have. Inclusive education is very hard to fully incorporate in the classroom, but I believe it is so important. I do think it would be beneficial for every student in my class to have a working inclusive classroom. I hope that I can try to develop it more in my upcoming practicum.
