Blog Due 2/25

Eddie is a student in Mrs. Potter class who is very active and unmotivated. He daydreams during lessons, frequently gets out of his seat, and fidgets around a lot.  In addition, he has a hard time sitting still and is not engaged in classroom activities.

According to Kurth, curriculum adaptations improve students on-task behavior and work production. Mrs. Potter can use curriculum adaptations to meet the individual needs of students such as Eddie. This can be done by individualizing student learning goals, instructional strategies, and student support. For example, Mrs. Potter can provide Eddie with a peer tutor. This peer tutor can remind Eddie to stay on task, be his partner during classroom activities, etc. Ideally, Eddie peer tutor should be a student whose strengths consist of having self-control and being motivated.

Mrs. Potter can also incorporate Universal Design for Learning. Universal Design for Learning allows students to engage in the classroom by staying motivated and involved in learning (Kurth, 2013). Instruction that support different ways of learning, expressing, and engaging will support Eddie’s educational needs.

In addition, Mrs. Potter should use assessments to find out what motivates and interest Eddie. Mrs. Potters can use the results of the assessments to implement activities that correspond with Eddie’s interest. Ultimately, this will help Eddie become more engaged in discussions/activities.

Blog Due 2/25 (Sara's Response)

Case Student: Lupita

Teacher: Mrs. Potter

Lupita is noted as a quiet and well-behaved student who just entered Mrs. Potter’s second grade classroom after living in Mexico. According to Lupita’s case notes, Mrs. Potter rarely calls on Lupita in class because of her apparent lack of academic skills. Furthermore, Mrs. Potter is wondering whether Lupita is at risk for being held back for a second year of second grade. While Mrs. Potter has these beliefs about Lupita’s academic levels, it is important for Mrs. Potter to conduct multiple assessments to find out exactly where her literacy, math, and science levels are. Furthermore, Lupita should be assessed on her English speaking, listening, reading, and writing levels.

According to Afflerbach (1993), it is teachers’ responsibility to observe and assess students’ academic levels and carefully foster and record their growth. Teachers’ understandings of students’ strengths and areas needing improvement should not be based on “hunches,” but rather concrete evidence from detailed observations and assessments. In order to informally assess Lupita’s literacy levels in an organized manner, Mrs. Potter can use the STAIR method. In this method, Mrs. Potter will form a specific hypothesis about Lupita’s patterns in literacy and will record concrete reasoning for the hypothesis. Then, Mrs. Potter will make a plan to test and address the hypothesis, and reflect on her first hypothesis. By testing and addressing Lupita’s needs, Mrs. Potter will be helping her to improve in her literacy levels.

In addition to specific assessments, there are other strategies Mrs. Potter can use to foster Lupita’s growth. As her observations have confirmed, Lupita has grown up in Mexico and speaks Spanish. However, in her new school, Lupita is likely to be required to speak and complete assignments in English. According to Freeman & Freeman (2004), there are three types of English language learners: long-term English learners, recent arrivals with limited or interrupted formal schooling, and recent arrivals with adequate schooling. Each language learner requires specific attention, so by learning which type of English learner Lupita is, Mrs. Potter can provide appropriate adaptations for her. Furthermore, Mrs. Potter can implement adaptations that help all English language learners and other students, listed by Freeman & Freeman (2004). First, Mrs. Potter can implement a theme-based curriculum, which will aid in her students’ organization and understanding of the lesson in a larger context. Mrs. Potter can also draw upon Lupita’s cultural background and experience, which could include incorporating literature from Mexican authors.  Finally, Mrs. Potter can organize collaborative activities and provide scaffolded support. This could involve incorporating group activities into her lessons and providing guides such as images, charts, or tables, to scaffold her instruction. By learning which type of English language learner Lupita is, and incorporating these three, effective strategies, Mrs. Potter can encourage Lupita’s growth academically and linguistically.

To further encourage Lupita’s growth, Mrs. Potter can incorporate general and specific adaptions into her classroom (Kurth 2013).  As for general adaptations, Mrs. Potter can implement hands-on, engaging activities that involve group work. This will help all students improve communication and engagement in school, and will also give Lupita greater opportunity to interact with other children. Mrs. Potter can also address Lupita’s specific learning styles. As Lupita easily assembled a puzzle on her own and helped her peers assemble puzzles, Lupita seems to learn visually, kinesthetically, and interpersonally. To address these multiple intelligences, Mrs. Potter can use physical models, role playing, group work, and visual representations in her teaching.

In sum, there is a great deal Mrs. Potter can do to address Lupita’s needs. First, she can provide specific assessments that give her a strong idea of Lupita’s levels, both academically and linguistically. Mrs. Potter can also incorporate strategies into her teaching that are helpful for English language learners and other students as well. Finally, Mrs. Potter can provide general and specific adaptions that will address Lupita’s specific learning styles. With careful planning and appropriate attention, Lupita can grow tremendously in Mrs. Potter’s class. 

Blog Due 2/25

Case Study: Jonathan

According to the prompt about the student Jonathan, Mrs. Potter has only seen below grade level scores on one assessment. One score is not enough to classify him as below his reading level. Mrs. Potter should use multiple assessments over multiple days to assess his reading achievement. After multiple tests and assessments have shown that Jonathan is reading at below grade level, then Mrs. Potter can start to implement reading plans.

One idea I found was in the STAIR reading assessment article. According to this Afflerbach article, Mrs. Potter should allow Jonathan to pick a few books that motivate him. These books should be a bit below his grade level in order for Jonathan to work on fluency and reading comprehension. Allowing him to pick his own books serve as a bit of motivation and reward as Jonathan gets to read something that he chooses and enjoys.

Then after he has picked his book, use the STAIR resources and have Jonathan create a hypothesis of what he thinks his book will be about. She may need to probe him with scaffolding questions depending on what his ability is. After he has came up with a hypothesis, now it is time for him to read.

During Reading time, have Jonathan read the book to himself. Afterward, have him talk to his classmates about what he read (as Mrs. Potter listens). This will help her to get a better understanding if Jonathan is comprehending the material that he is reading or not. Hopefully by talking to his peers, Jonathan remains excited about the book he is reading.

After he has read for a bit, have him refer back to his hypothesis that he created before he started reading his book. Have him evaluate whether or not he believes that his hypothesis is accurate or not. Again, using the STAIR resource, have Jonathan provide supporting evidence that will support his hypothesis. This will allow Jonathan to not only read the text, but to comprehend, and learn how to support his ideas using information from the text (facts).

I would advise Mrs. Potter to use these resources for more than one book. After Jonathan has demonstrated a strong fluency and comprehension ability in the below grade level texts, allow him to chose a few books at his grade level and repeat the same process.