Hanna

Gibson
Education 202A
Professor Sevensma
Due 10 May 2016
Final Case Study

As Adam walks into school every day through the main office, he is greeted with the words

perseverance, respect, courage, responsibility, kindness. These words present a message that

floods into his head from the wall which he faces as he gets ready to take on an adventure: school. Ridge

Parks values and mission stick in his mind as he walks in and is greeted by two kind secretaries. He walks

down the hall, and sees students around him from many different backgrounds, cultures, and family

situations. Artwork floods the walls, and the values from the office repeat along the ceiling. He is

reminded again of the importance of being kind, courageous, and responsible. As he enters the

classroom, he is greeted by his friends, his teachers, and endless opportunities for a day of learning and

growing. Alongside these influences, and his experiences outside of school, Adam has developed into

the learner he is today, and will continue to be shaped throughout his educational journey.

As a second grader, Adam is strongly impacted by the people, structures, and situations that he

interacts with every day. He is in a stage of constant learning and growing, and the world is his teacher.

He attends Ridge Park, a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse charter school in Grand Rapids,

Michigan. His schools values and moral focuses are displayed throughout the school, so as he grows

up within this school, he will become familiar with these words, what they mean, and how he can live

them out both in and out of school. This vivid display may affect his own values and his behavior. In the

hallways of his school hang artwork and samples of students writing. According to Nieto and Bode

(2012), what schools display often showcase what they value. Because Adam sees artwork, he may learn

to value art and strive to do well in his art class or in art projects within his classroom. Another

distinguishable factor within Adams school that will impact his learning is the diversity of people he will
interact with. Students at Ridge Park come from a multitude of countries, backgrounds, family

situations, and experiences, and Adam has the opportunity to interact with them every day. This can

also lead to instruction and resources that represent the diversity of the school population, which can

lead students (like Adam) to discover new ideas, perspectives, and grow in a less restrictive learning

environment (Nieto and Bode, 2012).

Within his classroom, Adam is shaped by his peers, his teacher, his lessons, and his opportunities.

Adams teacher, Ms. F allows the students to spend fifteen minutes towards the end of each day in

choice time, a time in which students can choose an activity in which they will continue to grow and

learn, but where she can also observe their affinities and strengths in terms of subject area and activity.

During choice time, Adam usually has a chance to read. He enjoys reading, and this time gives Ms. F the

chance to observe this and shape her teaching experience and interactions to fit Adam. This strategy is

used by teachers to get to know their students better and to learn how to communicate with them more

effectively (Barringer, Pohlman, Robinson,2010). Another way that Adam is shaped in his classroom, is

through an opportunity to lead the class through a math question. While this stretches Adam out of his

comfort zone, he gains experience in independence and leadership, which are skills he uses in other

areas of learning, and interacting with his peers. His teacher gives him the chance to be the teacher

and explain his thinking in a math problem in front of the class. His peers are also a big influence on

Adams confidence in his learning and schoolwork. When a student acts as a teacher in this situation,

their peers applaud them in Ms. Fs classroom. This is a practice that they are active in, without

instruction from Ms. F, and affirms the student leader, which can help to boost confidence and self-

esteem, which are key players in a students learning. If a student feels they are unable to learn or

accomplish a task in school, they are much less likely to try and succeed at accomplishing said goal.

Overall, Adams experiences within his classroom shape him to be more confident, more comfortable,

and more independent in his learning.

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 Adams home life may have a large influence on his learning. While not a lot is known about his

home life, through observations and conversations, it can be inferred that he has very little routine or

consistency in his household, because he does not always have his homework done, and tells his teacher

that he never knows what he is going to be doing after school (4/27/16). It is unknown how much value

his family places on his education, but because he does not do homework very regularly, a teacher could

assume that there may not be a high value. This factor could potentially shape how he feels towards

school and learning. If his family does not value time spent at school, then it is likely that Adam may feel

similarly. If Adam does not have a sound and dependable home situation, he may rely heavily on school

for routine, and this may strongly affect his learning as well. Adams teacher Ms. F communicates with

Adams mom through regular notes home, but it has not been observed that these communications are

mutual. Adams teacher is spending a significant amount of time and effort attempting to communicate,

so her dedication to his education is evident, and increases his chance for success in school.

Adam is also shaped by internal neurodevelopmental factors. These are made evident through

observations of his schoolwork and interaction with other students and adults. Through observing math

lessons, one can observe and experience Adam executing many tasks involving higher order thinking,

memory, attention, and social cognition. According to Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson (2010), the two

most important neurodevelopmental constructs that contribute to success in adulthood are higher

order thinking and social cognition. Ironically, through time spent working alongside Adam, it has been

made apparent that these are his strongest and weakest neurodevelopmental constructs, respectively.

Alongside higher order thinking, Adams general strengths are in memory. His most significant

weaknesses appear in the areas of social cognition and attention. All of these constructs and the

functions within them help to better understand how Adam thinks and how we as a team can work to

best benefit him as a learner. It is important to remember that Adam is more than his weaknesses, and

more than his strengths. All of these functions mold and morph together along with Adams passions,
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personality, frustrations, and desires to form a unique person who wants to learn and grow, and it is the

job of the Child Study Team to help him explore and grow in these various areas.

It is essential to begin by focusing on some of Adams strengths, because they are often

overshadowed by some of his more obvious weaknesses. Adam is very strong in his math work.

According to Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson (2010), a strength in math work is often associated with

an overall strength in Higher Order Thinking. Adam is specifically very strong in his Conceptual Thinking

and Problem Solving abilities. When given a problem without a clear solution, he excels in using math

rules, concepts, and prior knowledge to form a solution. These qualities are evident in many math

lessons and activities, for example, in his multiplication flower activity, in which he was given a

multiplication fact (6x2) and four petals with space for him to demonstrate four different strategies to

find a solution. He was able to use the word prompts as reminders of which strategies to use. This use of

math words is associated with problem solving (Sevensma, 2016[a]). He quickly and correctly displayed

examples of these strategies, and made sure every method shared a common answer.

Through lessons, and activities, Adam also demonstrates strengths in functions of memory. His

active/working memory, long term consolidation, and long term access all are proof of Adams ongoing

effort and longing for learning. Long Term Memory is very important for learning math facts

(Barringer, Pohlman, Robinson, 2010, p. 46), and Adam shows an exceptional level of memory for math

facts. He can remember multiplication facts through 10, which is advanced for second grade. He seems

to have spent time learning outside of school, as he told an observer I learned this from a computer

game (4/13/2016). Has time spent participating in activities like this increased his strength in memory

and math as a whole? How could we bring this element to other neurodevelopmental constructs and

functions, where he is not as strong? In the neurodevelopmental framework, active/working memory is

defined as juggling incoming information with previously learned information (Barringer, Pohlman,

Robinson, 2010). Adam has to do this when participating in class discussions, because he has to relate
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his incoming information with what he has learned in previous lessons and create mental framework

that categorizes this information together. His strength in this area is displayed especially through his

speed and accuracy in answering questions relating to previously learned information.

While Adam is strong in these areas, in other areas he faces more of a challenge, specifically in

the constructs of attention and social cognition. Attention contains three main categories: maintaining

mental energy for work and learning, absorbing and filtering incoming information, and overseeing the

quality of academic output and behavior (Barringer, Pohlman, Robinson, 2010). Adam struggles mainly

on the first two categories, known as Mental Energy and Processing Controls, specifically in the functions

of Alertness and Saliency Determination/Focal Maintenance. Alertness is vigilance for intentional intake

of information, and a strength would be displayed through active engagement when listening, reading,

and working (Schools for All Kinds of Minds, n.d.). Adam displays a weakness in this area, because he

frequently drifts away from Ms. Fs lessons when there is not an oral participation piece of the lesson,

for example when Ms. F is solving a problem on the board. However, when there is a participation piece

to a lesson, whether oral response or physical note taking, Adam seems to hold stronger alertness. Does

only listening and watching something not actively engage him? Does he need to somehow respond?

How can this be worked into his classroom routine? Perhaps, Adam could always write notes or

responses to Ms. Fs questions and lessons. Adam also struggles with Saliency Determination/Focal

Maintenance, which is commonly known as attention span and selective attention (Schools for All Kinds

of Minds, n.d.). Adam displays his weakness in this area through frequently switching his focus away

from Ms. Fs lessons and towards other activities, such as talking to his neighbor, rolling his pencil up

and down his desk, organizing his papers, and drawing pictures on his paper. He has been reminded to

ask himself what Ms. F is saying to make sure he doesnt lose track of the lesson, which seems to refocus

him momentarily. What other techniques could be used to support Adam in this area? If Adam could

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grow stronger in this area, would it help him to be more successful in school and to strengthen other

neurodevelopmental constructs and functions?

The other area that Adam shows weakness in is social cognition. Often times, weakness in this

area can be confused with behavioral problems, but in reality, social cognition is thinking about and

engaging in social interaction, which is a necessary part of classroom and lifelong success (Sevensma,

2016[b]). This area as a whole is a weakness for Adam, but there are two areas observed frequently

during math lessons: self-marketing and conflict resolution. Self-marketing is the ability to maintain a

good public image and sell yourself to others appropriately (Sevensma, 2016[b]). Adam focuses a lot

on what his peers think of him, especially about his speed and intelligence in school work. Through his

words and his actions, he makes it obvious when he gets a problem correct and how quickly he performs

this action. It can be inferred that this is because he thinks his peers will respect him more if they think

he is smart. However, his actions often have a negative impact on how the class views him, so this is

an area of weakness for him. Another area of weakness is conflict resolution, otherwise known as the

ability to resolve conflicts with other people without resorting to aggression (Sevensma, 2016[b]).

Adam gets very frustrated when he thinks a situation is unfair. For example, when his marker is taken

away, because he is using it inappropriately, he displays his frustration often through yelling, crying, or

falling on the ground. It is unclear how to strengthen these weaknesses in Social Cognition, but trying

out multiple strategies may be an effective technique for his success. What if he spent time talking

through conflict with a school counselor? What if he worked on communicating his feelings and

displaying himself outside of class? How could parental involvement shape his Social Cognition? How can

this be improved and are there areas that cannot be improved? Adam can ultimately be successful in

school, but strengthening this construct is a necessary piece of his puzzle.

Alongside these contextual and neurodevelopmental factors, Adams race plays a significant role

in his learning experiences. Through observations, many significant factors have arisen that have
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potential to affect Adams education. First of all, Adam is African American. 79% of the students in his

classroom are African American (3/9/2016), while 57% of the students in his school are African American

(NCES, 2015). However, Adams best friend Nick is Caucasian, as is his teacher, Ms. F. Adam has never

talked to an observer about race, so it is unclear how conscious he is of the role it plays in his life. During

his free time, Adam chooses to spend time with students who are both African American and Caucasian.

There is no physical evidence of racial discrimination within the classroom or the school as a whole.

While making these observations, it is important to take into account how societal views on race

can affect observations of Adam as a learner. Much of society portrays African Americans as lazy, so an

observer may be more surprised or impressed when Adam breaks this kind of stereotype than if he was

a white student. Another potential barrier to clear observations is that people are told not to think

about race, but by doing so, an observer has the potential to miss out on fully understanding Adam as a

learner. Societal views of race also can impact the relationship between a teacher and their student, in

this case Adam. Because Adam is a minority, his neurodevelopmental weaknesses are more likely to be

classified as behavior problems (Nieto and Bode, 2012). In the short clip entitled Institutional Racism,

Dr. Jim Scheurich discusses another problem: students of color are more likely to be labeled as at risk

(Teaching Tolerance, 2012). While Adam does have some significant weaknesses, he also has many

educational strengths, and unfortunately, his race may affect whether a teachers main focus is his

strengths or weaknesses.

Within American society, African Americans have a significant disadvantage in terms of both

educational and economic success. As an African American, Adam has significantly smaller odds of

graduating high school or college than his white classmates. In 2008, approximately 80% of African

Americans had completed at least high school, and only about 20% of African Americans had obtained at

least a bachelors degree (NCES, 2008). These statistics could lead Adams teachers to set lower

expectations for him and his African American peers, which could decrease his chance of academic
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success. As far as economic disadvantage goes, Adam is both African American and of low socio-

economic status. These factors both have potential to negatively impact his life in terms of opportunities

and perceptions by others. However, one of these factors may have caused the other. In 2012, 66% of

African American children lived in low-income family situations (Jiang, Ekono, Skinner, 2014). If Adam

was born another race, his odds of living in poverty may have been substantially smaller, which could

bring him more educational opportunities.

Viewing Adam as a whole person with both strengths and weaknesses who is constantly being

shaped by the world around him is essential to discovering his potential. This helps the Child Study Team

to develop strategies to best help Adam learn and grow during his time at Ridge Park and beyond, as he

moves on to high school and even into life beyond schooling. By looking at his strengths, they can avoid

labeling and focusing on only his deficits. They can use his strengths to help fuel growth in his

weaknesses by employing strategies that use techniques that have been used in his areas of strength,

like in his math work. By taking into account the contextual and sociocultural factors that impact his

learning, the team can shape methods to most effectively boost Adams success both in and out of the

classroom. The team should continue to ask questions and search for more information, trying out

different techniques and strategies that could benefit Adam. With their help, Adam can continue to

develop as a learner and grow into a highly functioning, well rounded person who will learn to balance

his strengths and weaknesses on his own, as he travels along on his never-ending learning adventure.

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 References

Barringer, M. D., Pohlman, C., & Robinson, M. (2010). Schools for all kinds of minds:

Boosting student success by embracing learning variation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Jiang, Y., Ekono, M., & Skinner, C. (2014, February). Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Children

under 18 Years, 2012. In National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved May 5, 2016.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2015) Ridge Park Charter Academy: Enrollment by

Race/Ethnicity. Retrieved March 9, 2016.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2008). Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and

Ethnic Minorities. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of

multicultural education (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Teaching Tolerance. (2012, March, 15). Institutional Racism

[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1z-b7gGNNc

Schools For All Kinds of Minds. (n.d.). Attention Module. Retrieved March 30, 2016.

Sevensma, K. (2016[a]) Higher Order Thinking. (Lecture).

Sevensma, K. (2016[b]) Social Cognition. (PPT).