Update on Case Study April 11, 2010
So far my case study has been going well. I have collected a lot of information on my student Michael. He is now being referred to SST so hopefully next year he will be receiving extra support in the classroom.
Things have been going great with his tutor, which is one of my best friends. She informs me that he works well with her one-on-one. Sometimes he can by hyper but we discussed the possibility of having her work with him outside while they do some kind of movement like shooting hoops. He needs some type of activity that will release all his excess energy so his mind can concentrate.
He went on a trip to Washington D.C. with his group Boys in Action. Upon returning from the overnight field trip the teacher who went with him informed us how he was concerned for Michael safety. His hyperactivity has reached a peak and I hope to refocus him again and lead him down the path we were going down earlier.
We have tried contacting his mom multiple times and have not been successful. I believe she is very hesitant because in previous years she has been bombarded by negative comments on his son’s behavior by teachers. Our team in the past has done a wonderful job not highlighting the negative. Instead, we try to find commonalities from home and school in order to see how we can work together. Our school social worker has taken the next step to post a note on her door that we would like to meet with her.
I look forward to seeing how he progresses within my last few weeks of student teaching. Hope everyone has a wonderful last 2 and a half weeks!
Culturally Responsive Classroom Management April 4, 2010
This article immediately stood out at me because whenever I think of being culturally responsive I think of teaching, not classroom management. I am currently student teaching in a dual language class so I have a diverse classroom. However, at my school we have a very strong Burmese population.
The story about how the first year teacher Nicole, a European American teacher, responded to a conversation or dispute going on between two African American students was mind-opening. What may seem like a verbal argument to an outsider may really be the way a culture converses. This makes me think about how I may perceive things in my own classroom.
Two questions mentioned in the article that made me think are:
“1.Do effective strategies vary depending on the particular cultural group involved? (For example, is effective management in classes of African American students different from effective management in classes of European American or Latino students?)
2.. What approaches are most appropriate when students in one particular classroom come from a variety of cultural backgrounds? Is it feasible for teachers to vary their management strategies and ways of speaking to accommodate students from different backgrounds?”
One way to prevent a mislead reaction would be to not only get to know the students in your class, but also get to know their about their culture. I would suggest everyone read this article because it was very informative and useful. Enjoy!
Case Study Update March 21, 2010
Since my last post I believe I have made a lot of progress with Michael. He has been struggling during Spanish and his teacher has been getting frustrated with him. As a team we brainstormed about getting him a tutor to pull him out during Spanish to work with him one-on-one. Immediately, I thought of my best friend. She wants to teach abroad in Spain and she has the patience of an angel. She came in on Thursday this past week to meet him. He was really excited about meeting a friend of mine. They had lunch together, and then he took her out to recess. I think they formed an immediate bond. He was so calm with her and excited to show her around. She’ll volunteer with him twice a week and I really hope this will make some kind of an impact. I am truly passionate about helping Michael and I want him to be successful.
He has had a few incidents occur these past few weeks that have set him back. However, working with stickers as a positive reinforcement has been working surprisingly well. He always asks me to give him a sticker.
A funny story I have about him is last week during our learning lab I got distracted by a little girl who was acting out. I turned around to look and then I turned back to look at him and reminded him to stay focused and he called me out. He said something like “Ms. Saavedra you aren’t focusing either.” I tried not to laugh but he caught me off guard with his behavior. He sounded like me. It kind of took me aback and put me in his shoes.
I’m kind of nervous that being on Spring Break in a week is going to undo everything I’m worked so hard for with him. I’m crossing my fingers that everything will work out 
Specific Behavioral Challenges March 7, 2010
I have decided to switch case study students since last week. I got to thinking and have chosen to go with Michael (pseudonym). I have been working one-on-one with Michael for the past few weeks. He has a severe behavioral problem and I have grown passionate about helping him, which is why I decided to work with him.
He fits the profile of “Disruptive Behavior” student in the reading. He finds it very challenging to stay focused and on task. He’s constantly moving around, hiding under the desks, and playing with objects. We have had multiple specialists come observe him and tally how many times he has been off task.
I agree with the article when it says that negative behavior can be positively reinforced by other students. For example, when he acts out some of the students used to laugh with him. Therefore, encouraging the behavior. Now, I believe students are starting to resent his behavior because it has gotten very disruptive, causing him to feel down on himself.
As a PLC we have discussed ways we could support this student. We believe he may have ADHD. Therefore, I plan to implement the 3 step strategy for self-management mentioned in the article.
1. say “Stop I don’t like that.”
2. try to ignore the objectionable behavior
3. report to a responsible adult if steps 1 and 2 didn’t work
I hope these steps will help him progress in a positive matter. Currently the tactics I have been using have show a bit of progress in his behavior. I hope to help him succeed even more.
Case Study thus far… February 21, 2010
The student I choose for my case study is a female student in my fourth grade class. Fabiana, the pseudonym I assigned her, is a sweet young girl of Hispanic descent.
I have been keeping track of her progress by jotting down notes on post-its and sheets of paper. A few of the challenges I have encountered thus far is writing down notes while I am teaching. Another difficulty is only seeing my student half of the day. Since I teach in a dual language classroom, we teach science, math, writing, and wordwork (vocabulary) for the first half of the day. Then my classes switch and they take social studies and reading in Spanish and we reteach the same subjects over again.
One huge improvement my CT and I have noticed about Fabiana is her motivation to do school work. She used to come into class tired and it took her a while to get the day started. Now her father has informed us that she has been going to bed early and I believe that has made the BIGGEST difference in her academic life.
Fabiana is an interesting student to conduct this cases study on because she is not the typical misbehaved student. What we are working on is motivation and dedication. I look forward to seeing her progress throughout the semester.
Creating a Classroom Environment that Promotes Positive Behavior February 7, 2010
“For students to be successful in inclusive settings, their classroom behavior must be consistent with teachers’ demands and academic expectations and must promote their learning and socialization with peers.”
~Salend
At my school we enforce a school-wide policy know as PBS plan (Positive Behavior Support). Teacher are strongly encouraged to highlight students who do the right thing in order to redirect hose who are misbehaving. All staff members also carry with them cub coupons. They are distributed to students who are “caught doing the right thing”. The coupons are later tallied and recorded on a bar graph that is displayed across from the cafeteria. The are prizes given when a class reach a certain number of coupons. For example, they may receive a pop corn party, extra recess, ice cream, etc. The only dilemma with this system is maintaining consistency amongst all teachers.
Last week at our PLC meeting we had a member from the PBS committee speak to us about consequences. One thing we talked about was warnings. Several of the students who are “known” for being good have found a loop hole in this system. They have discovered that they have one turn to “break the rules” before they are given a consequence. For example, they know that they will be given a warning the first time they talk in the hallways. The consequence comes AFTER that. This is something we are currently trying to figure out.
My CT does an amazing job making sure each and every one of our students feels welcomed and included in our classroom. For example, we have our students pictures posted around our main bulletin board as the boarder. We also make sure to include our student’s names when creating word problems in math. These simple tasks allow them to see themselves in the classroom. I believe if students see the classroom as their own and not just as the teachers then they will feel more motivated to care for it and to create a positive environment. I think this creates less behavioral problems and puts more of the responsibility on the students.
Classroom Managment January 31, 2010
My school has adopted the PBS plan as a school-wide policy. In my classroom, both my CT and I, continue to implement this behavioral plan. On day one we reviewed the school rules: Be respectful, be responsible, and be kind. She asked for each student to give an example that shows how these rules can be done. Then she had about 3 students in each group draw a picture of what not to do versus what you should do. For example, one group drew a picture of someone throwing paper balls in the bathroom and on the other half of the page they drew someone throwing their paper towel in the trashcan. After each group completed their picture they presented it to the class and then we hung them up on the wall. That way the students take responsibility for their actions and they understand the rules.
On the first day of school she also set the expectation up for the rest of the year. She clearly stated to them the behavior that is expected of them. Of course the first few days we encountered a few bumps but after that it has been pretty nice! The kids know they are expected to drop everything and freeze when the teacher says “Freeze!” or “Everyone stop. All eyes on me!” However, they do need to be reminded of this sometimes.
My CT strongly believes in highlighting the positive. However, there are times when students who are not behaving appropriately and she calls them out. Usually she does this by whispering to them or mouthing to them “warning one”. This usually fixes the problem, for the most part.
I was having trouble getting one of my students to see me as an authoritative figure so my CT pulled me aside one morning and she told me that she wanted to me to pull this little boy aside before he even walked through the door and talk to him. So I did. I asked him what I could do to help him be successful and sending a positive note home did the trick.
My CT really takes the time to get to know her students and develop a genuine caring relationship with each and every one of them. I think this not only helps determine the best way to handle a behavioral problem but I also believe it helps develop a mutual respectful relationship between the student and the teacher.
Educ. 517: Classroom Management in Inclusive Settings January 24, 2010
“Teachers should identify and access the supports they need to create an inclusive classroom community that ensure membership and opportunities for friendships, collaboration, and parent involvement” ~Leslie C. Soodak
Student teaching in a school that is very diversified makes me realize the importance of inclusion, and how a teacher can easily do things to include or not to include all the students. Examples are having pictures of the students in the class so they see themselves there, including books from a variety of cultures, taking the time to share stories that are important to the children, as well as many other things. Establishing a strong classroom community starting on day one is key. Letting kids know that each one of them is important and they are all part of the classroom can really change the course of the year. If a child feels supported and comfortable they will be more willing to participate in classroom discussions and other activities.
PBS (Positive Behavioral Support) plan is something we use at my school and the article talks about. I believe it has mostly pros and a few cons. The pros being it highlights the positive behavior rather than the negative behavior. I remember in my elementary school how my teachers used the stop light system that entailed calling you out in front of the whole class and asking you to change your color. I believe this can be embarrassing and encourage kids who like to be the center of attention. The PBS plan, on the other hand, rewards students who do the right thing. I also believe it redirects children who are not on task or misbehaving. Who doesn’t like to be praised? Kids spend most of their day in school and having someone there to thank you for doing the right thing or complement you is very encouraging.
There is one kid in my class who had a difficult time adjusting to a new teacher, me, being in the classroom. We had a few challenging moments but with the guidance of my CT I was able to connect with him in a positive way. I took him aside one day before he even stepped into the classroom and told him I was here to help him. I asked him what it is I could do to help him be successful. He responded by saying he would like a good note sent home. So I told him what my expectations for him were and if he did his best, I would send a note home. As the day went by I reminded him a few times of our conversation that morning when I noticed he was about to deviate and he got right on task. At the end of the day I pulled him aside and gave him the note and told him I was very proud of him. We both went home with a smile that day
Growing Readers Ch. 4-8 (Readers Make Plans for Their Reading Lives) December 6, 2009
I can’t imagine how it will feel like to end my first year at an elementary school working as a specialist. Even though I’m hoping to go to graduate school for Speech Pathology I feel like I will share similar emotions as Kathy Collins, the author of this book. After spending a year with a group of students the emotional attachment will develop and you will see the impact you have made on your students as the years go by. I know I see fifth graders come back to my CT’s forth grade class just to stop by and say hi and give her a hug. I’ve also seen it in my mom’s class when her kids who used to be in her kindergarten class come back years later inviting her to their quinceanera (kind of like the American sweet 16 birthday, but in a lot of Spanish-speaking countries they have a huge celebration for the 15th birthday). The impact we have on our students can make a monumental difference in their future not only as a student, but as a human being.
A few things that stood out in this chapter is really ingraining the importance of reading. Once students develop good reading habits, they’ll maintain them throughout the entire year and not just during the school year. Providing them with the resources and helping them come up with ideas on when and where to read is extremely beneficial to their development as readers. Some kids do not have an unlimited supply of books at home, so taking a field trip to the public library so the kids can open their own library card is a great idea. Or as she mentioned, developing a school lending library where the students are allowed to take books home for the summer is a wonderful incentive. In our methods classes we have also seen the unlimited supplies of resources found on-line. Now we can access thousands of books in multiple languages by a click of a button.
The last idea I’ll mention that really stood out to me is showing the kids the progress they have made throughout the year and celebrating it. Sometimes, even now as a college student, we don’t realize how much we have grown and developed as a learner. By showing students mini-portfolios, with work samples you’ve collected throughout the year, they will be able to see and admire their progress. I believe this will not only give them a boost of confidence but it will also remind them of what they are capable of. Usually throughout the year we encounter bumps along the road and are faced with the decision do I give up? Or do I would harder to succeed? By looking and holding a piece of their own work they will see what they are capable of. I think this would reassure them that they’re ready to move on to the next grade. Celebrating that success with book mark parties or reading to kindergarten buddies would be the perfect ending to a successful school year!
