Case Study: Motivation & Classroom Structure &

Climate
Melissa Pratt, Dakota Bradley, Lane Koentges, Carly Giles & Alisa Wang
Mrs. Killjoy gave instructions to her fifth-grade students on their daily seatwork. During
the morning, seven students interrupted Mrs. Killjoy to ask questions about their
seatwork. Each question was answered with information Mrs. Killjoy had already
presented to her class in initial instructions. Later, Mrs. Killjoy began a spelling test by
telling students to put their names in the upper right-hand corner of the page and to
number the paper from one to twenty. She had to repeat the instructions about
numbering, four times. When she collected the papers, she noticed that three students did
not put their name on the paper and two students put their name in the upper left-hand
corner of the page.

Causes
Mrs. Killjoy is having problems with her class understanding her instructions. This
behaviour is coming from the teachers way of giving her instructions, the students
motivation, as well as certain classroom routines and procedures. Triarchi Reciprocal
Causality is an explanation of behaviour that emphasises the mutual effects of the
individual and the environment on each other. External factors including models,
teachers and physical settings can attribute to why Mrs. Killjoys students were having
troubles paying attention and following directions. The students seemed to have
misunderstood, so the teacher needs to change the instructional strategies, thus changing
the learning environment for the class (Woolfolk et al, 370).
There are also problems with observational learning. Mrs. Killjoy needs to ensure that
she has the students attention and is modelling the behaviours and attitudes she wants the
students to learn (like writing an example of the spelling test format on the board
(Woolfolk et al. 375). There is also poor communication in the classroom because Mrs.
Killjoy is not allowing time for clarification and questions as well as not writing
instructions down; Mrs. Killjoy is not withit. (Woolfolk et al, 453). The goals and
directions were not clear. Another cause for the problem is that there are missing
classroom structure components. There is a poor pacing, transition and there is no waiting
for the class to settle before delivering instructions. Since Mrs. Killjoy is only giving the
instructions verbally, these instructions could be lost on students who are not auditory
learners. Students may also be lacking the internal motivation to complete the
assignments properly. Anxiety is often connected with lower test performance and lower
attention. If students are feeling highly anxious about a test, they may not be paying full

attention to instructions, as they are more preoccupied with their own anxieties (Woolfolk
et al, 423). Uncertainty can lead to further anxiety, which is why its important than test
instructions be very clear and preferably available in a written form (Woolfolk et al, 424).
Mrs. Killjoy may not be actively finding effective solutions to the problem.
Students could very well be failure- avoidant, if they avoid putting in a full effort or
chose not to follow directions, they could avoid failing. (Woolfolk et al, 416)
Action Plan
The students will pay attention to instructions and complete assignments accordingly.
1. Deduce who is specifically having this problem and address possible seating
arrangement.
Mrs. Killjoy first needs to find all the students that are not following instructions. Then,
she should make up a new seating plan according to these students. One possible method
would be separating these students to different parts of the classroom. She should
evaluate if this new seating plan was effective after a period of a couple weeks (Woolfolk
et al, 449). If it is not, she should talk to the struggling students individually to find out
the causes behind the problem. Talking to students individually can give student the sense
of really being cared for and not evaluated negatively for what they have done, and a
result they may feel freer to trust the teacher and talk to them more openly (Woolfolk et
al, 464). While discussing this, she should also try to make students aware of how their
behaviour could negatively impact other students and themselves.
2. Make sure that the class is at attention before starting the instructions. Use a hook
to grab attention and ensure that all students are quiet and listening.
Introduce an activity such as a quick role-play of a well-managed classroom. This will
help all students to understand how great a classroom can be when all students are
following instructions. Make sure to give students who have struggled with instructions
in the past an important role in this activity. These students will get a chance to
experience how they are able to behave to effectively make changes to the classroom in a
positive way. Make sure that the skit involves active components, as it has been
demonstrated that physical activity can lead to better behaviour and attention in children
(Woolfolk et al, 67). Before starting the actual lesson, always wait for the class to be
quiet before proceeding with instruction. It may be helpful to use a specific auditory
attention grabber such as a gong or a specific chant like hands on top, that means stop.
Forming a good attention grabbing routine as soon as possible will be a very helpful step
in addressing the problem (Woolfolk et al, 444).

3. Adapt instruction delivery, deliver instructions both verbally and in writing.

(Addressing differentiated learning.)
When delivering instructions, deliver it verbally, as well as writing it on the board or
displaying an exemplar of a properly formatted spelling test. Sometimes, students may
not follow instructions simply because they do not understand them. Therefore, Mrs.
Killjoy should consider ESL/ELL learners by explaining in simpler words or translating it
into their language (Woolfolk et al, 183), consider those with autism or learning
disabilities by delivering instructions individually and repeatedly, and consider any other
learners according to their condition. She can also repeat the instructions using alternate
wording, to ensure that there is no confusion on the basis of dialect or pronunciation
(Woolfolk et al, 171).
4. Call on students to paraphrase instructions. Formatively assess understanding
thumbs up if you know what we are doing
Mrs. Killjoy can call on students to paraphrase instructions (Woolfolk et al, 171). This
will allow Mrs. Killjoy to identify which students are not paying attention. As well,
students will be able to hear the information presented for a second time, in the words of
their peers. Mrs. Killjoy can also formatively assess understanding by asking students to
give a thumbs up if you know what we are doing.
5. Maintain Changes
Motivate students by constantly giving reminders, encouragements and compliments to
all students, especially those who were having problems with instructions. Promote
intrinsic motivation in students by continuing to engage students in activities such as the
role play. Allow students to see that following instructions in the classroom is something
that can lead to rewarding results beyond just a good mark on an assignment. It can lead
to a well-functioning classroom where every student is able to learn and demonstrate
their learning to the best of their abilities (Woolfolk et al.400). Both collective goals and
individual goals can be set up to help motivate the students as well as to help them
achieve self-efficacy. Make sure the goals are clear, specific, reasonable, moderately
challenging, and attainable within a short period of time (Woolfolk et al, 409~411) The
collective goal could be all students will pay attention as engaged listener to instructions,
and complete work accordingly. Individual goals can be set up specifically for those with
instructional issues.

Reflection

Taking appropriate measure to change the classroom dynamic should develop a

positive learning environment. As teachers, we need to assess our students and determine
what actions we need to take to increase their learning. By relaying information to the
students about what type of environment you are trying to foster, you may help students
to understand what you are trying to accomplish. If students can understand your
reasoning, they are going to perceive the measures you take in a positive sense for the
most part.
Rearranging the seating plan in the classroom should make students feel more
accountable. You can pair troubled students with students who are excelling to try and
instil the positive attributes of the excelling students upon the struggling student. Having
your troubled students spread throughout the classroom allows less interaction between
them, hence giving your classroom a more positive environment that is more effective for
learning.
Students appreciate interesting lessons that are creative and engaging. If you as a
teacher are creating engaging lessons you are going to create engaged learners. Students
will perceive your effort in a positive manner and feel obligated to pay attention. Each
teacher needs to have some type of attention grabbing hook that is an indicator to their
students that it is time to come back from whatever they are doing.
Having a differentiated instructional delivery allows teachers to reach to a variety of
students. Delivering instruction in a one-dimensional sense cuts certain students off from
properly engaging and therefore they become disruptive or counter-productive. When
instructing students you need to be aware of a variety of learners. (ESL, ELL, Autistic,
Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic).
Having students paraphrase directions allows students to repeatedly hear the
instructions, and not only do the students hear the instructions over again but they also
hear the instructions from a different perspective which may help them to better interpret
the directions. A student paraphrasing is also a way to formatively assess their
engagement.
Creating a positive and energetic environment allows students to become excited
about learning. Excited learners are engaged learners. As teachers our goal is to try to
establish intrinsic motivation that will foster life long learners. Establishing goals in the
classroom is effective because it is somewhat of a contract for the students. Having
collective goals established by the students hold them all accountable to each other
because they developed them, and creating Individual goals holds students accountable to
themselves.

By implementing these strategies into a classroom I believe students will perceive the
classroom in a positive manner. Students will be held accountable in a way that does not
specifically alienate anyone. Self-efficacy and autonomy will be developed through the
ability in establishing their own goals, on a multitude of levels. Communication from the
teacher to the students is multifaceted by delivering the information in a differentiated
manner, which I believe all students will appreciate. There is an attempt to meet all
students needs, which allows students to feel safe and comfortable. I believe these
strategies help create a self-regulating classroom that gives power to the students.
If implementation of the desired strategies is successful these changes will lead to a
positive learning environment. Proper communication between the teacher and students
will allow both parties to understand their point of view. Having an understanding creates
commonality between the two and allows the teacher to better serve the students and vice
versa. Routines allow students to be proactive in the classroom- they have a set out plan
everyday and know what they can do if they happen to finish their work ahead of time. A
student having the ability to know what they can do during their free time allows them
to be more productive in their own work, which translates into those students not being
disruptive in class, fostering a positive class environment. Having consideration for a
variety of learners allows students to feel their self-worth. When students feel important,
they feel a responsibility to contribute, and when students contribute they are engaged.
Allowing diversity to develop in your classroom allows more opportunities for students
to succeed.
Setting proper routines at the beginning of the year is crucial in creating the
classroom environment you desire as a teacher. On the first day you need to establish
expectations and uphold those expectations from that day on. Students are very intuitive
and realize very quickly what and when they can get away with things, so it is essential to
be consistent in your dealings throughout the year. Once you have established your
routines and expectations you need to be able to read your students, and you need to
determine who are your troubled students, who needs your help, who is independent
and from those findings you can devise a proper seating plan. This seating plan should
best serve the classroom environment you want to establish. As a teacher you need to be
proactive in your disciplinary measures and recognize, which students may give you
some problems and perhaps deal with them in a slightly different manner from day one so
they understand your expectations sooner. Energy and enthusiasm is always a useful tool
in creating engagement and from the beginning of the school year a teacher needs to be
both. If you cant be excited about what you are teaching how can you expect your
students to be?

Initially our plan and strategies can stay within the individual classroom, as following
these strategies should create the desired student behaviour. A letter to the parents at the
beginning can be sent that outlines what type of classroom behaviour you desire and what
you feel is most effective for student learning. Giving parents this knowledge allows
them to somewhat prepare their children at home for the classroom, giving the teacher a
support system outside of the classroom. Dealing with students can remain in just the
classroom for the time being. If implementation of our strategies does not create the
desired behaviour and you have exhausted your school resources, it may be time to bring
in the students parents and have a meeting. After having that meeting and the behaviour
is still persisting it may be beneficial to go to the schools councillor to see if any sort of
testing needs to occur. Perhaps the student has some type of learning disability that you
are unaware of.
Our action plan is associated with a variety of KSAs. Firstly, it connects strongly with
KSA 5 (All Students Can Learn), as we are focusing on differentiating instruction where
necessary to allow all students in the classroom to be able to follow instructions and work
effectively. Secondly, there is a link to KSA 9 (Approaches to Teaching and Learning), as
the teacher in the scenario is practicing a broad range of teaching approaches in order to
address the original problems that occurred when only one approach (i.e. straight verbal
instruction in our role-play) was used. Our action plan is also connected to KSA 11 (The
Purpose of Student Assessment). The teacher in our case study begins using formative
assessment in order to test their students understanding of instructions throughout the
class. This is one of our proposed solutions to the problem of students not properly
following instructions. Finally there is a link to KSA 16. This KSA states that teachers
must be able to communicate your vision, including how it has changed as a result of
knowledge, understanding, and experience. Through the course of our case study, the
teacher changes their initial vision of how a classroom should be run and how students
should be taught, based on experiences and new understandings that lead the teacher to
seek a new way.

Strategies Handout
Action Plan:

1. Deduce who is specifically having this problem and address possible seating
arrangement.
2. Make sure that the class is at attention before starting the instructions. Use a hook
to grab attention and ensure that all students are quiet and listening.
3. Adapt instruction delivery, deliver instructions both verbally and in writing.
(Addressing differentiated learning.
4. Call on students to paraphrase instructions. Formatively assess understanding
thumbs up if you know what we are doing.
5. Maintain Changes.
Some alternate strategies:
- Finding a picture book that relates to this topic of following instructions
- Have an open classroom discussion
- Make a poster for the back of the classroom that reminds students of this procedure
- Try to create a poem or acronym for the instructions to make it easier for students to
remember
- Encourage students to ask their peers questions before asking the teacher
- Have students complete self-reflections on their behaviour in this regard and continue to
set individual goals
- To reduce anxiety: make sure you give every student enough time to complete the test,
provide aids like practice tests/study guides before each spelling test, avoid basing entire
semester/report card grades on only a few spelling tests, encourage students to calmly
reflect on what they could improve on and what went well after every test (Woolfolk et
al, 424).
- Brainstorm with students to come up with alternate methods to identify their work or
remember the appropriate procedure, students taking ownership of the process will
promote self- efficacy. (Woolfolk et al, 414)
- Create an external reward system for the entire class following instructions for the
assignment, for example, putting a marble in a jar every time everyone had their name on
their assignments and when the jar is full throw some kind of party.
- Consider distractions in the classroom other than disruptive students, and ensure that
you have fully transitioned from the last activity before beginning another one.