Case

Study #7
Why Can’t Annie Listen and Finish Her Work?


The time to act is now; both the mother and the teacher have concerns about
Annie’s learning. It is important to intervene now as “early mathematics
intervention can repair deficits and prevent future deficits” (VanDerHyden).

Tier 3
-SBT Meeting
-Psychological evaluation
-IEP

Tier 2
-Small group instruciton with LA for math and reading
-Extra time to complete work
-Buddy system to check instrucitons or work
-Home tutorting
-Prefered seating

Tier 1
-Assesment to identify specific areas of need (math and literacy)
-Reflect on teaching methods used and devlery of informaiton
-Math routines i.e number talks

Ms. Way should begin by collecting acculturate and useful data about Annie’s
abilities in math and literacy. Ms. Way can also reflect on her own teaching practices
to see if her lessons are well sequenced, ensure mastery, and provide feed back that
is useful to the students (VanDerHyden). Ms. Way can use the data that she collects
to create a personalized tier 2 intervention plan.

Annie would benefit from small group support in both literacy and math. As Annie’s
mother mentioned Annie might not want to participate in small group work,
therefore tier 2 support must be presented as peer work, build Annie’s confidence,
and reduce the stigma of receiving extra help. “Peer interaction can greatly benefit a
students understanding of mathematical concepts” (Zofass, J., Brann, A. 2019). I
would recommend setting Annie up with a ‘homework buddy’ or ‘check-in-friend’
someone who she can refer to when she missed instructions, forgot what to do.

Ms. Way could structure a math block as math centers where the class is split into
groups and rotate through a series of activities, one of which is a game or mini
lesson with the teacher. When presented like this Annie will have many
opportunities to practice her skills in a fun and engaging way that does not seem
like extra support. Also in this format Ms. Way could provide support to other
students who may be struggling.

As Annie has difficulty with copying from the board and seems to be easily
distracted I would advise Ms. Way to sit down and have a chat with Annie and ask
her where she thinks she should sit for her best learning.

Annie would greatly benefit from small group reading lessons that have a focus on
phonemes, preferably with the LA teacher. The LA teacher and Ms. Way could set up
a reward system for Annie to encourage her to attend the small group lessons.

Boosting Annie’s confidence overall would benefit her learning. Following are some
things that Ms. Way can do to help Annie gain confidence:
-Enable success
-Praise success- specific
-Help Annie set goals
-Give choices
-Expand interests
-Encourage collaboration
-Help Annie make connections
(Gunthery, J. 2017)

Ms. Wilson had mentioned tutoring at home. I would suggest to Ms. Way to
encourage Ms. Wilson to find a tutor with for Annie. Ms. Way can provide
intermittent reports to the tutor as well as what material and strategies are being
taught in class.

If after a month Annie’s learning and behaviour do not improve I would suggest to
Ms. Way to get in touch with the Learning Support Teacher and arrange a School
Based Team Meeting as Tier 2 intervention are not having the desired effect.
It may be that Annie needs a Psychological assessment to further identify what is
causing her learning challenges and to determine if she is in need of an IEP.

Annie’s difficulty with performing simple addition and subtraction questions,
inability to memorize facts, anxiety, and general dislike of math lead me think that
she may have dyscalculia (Bates 2013). Fortunately there are several things Ms.
Way can do to support Annie:
-multisensory math teaching
-coloured pencils and graph paper
-use technology
(Bates, 2013).







References

Bates, M. (2018). Dyscalculia. The Reading Well A Virtual Well Of Dyslezia
Resources. Retrieved from: https://www.dyslexia-readingwell.
com/dyscalculia.html

Gunthry, J. (April 11, 2017). Assisting Students Struggling With Reading: RTI and
Multi-tier Intervention Pt. 5. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqqgFP8PC2w



VanDerHyden. RTI and Math Instruction. Education Research and Consulting, Inc.,
Fairhope, AL. RTI Action Network. Retrieved from:
http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/rtiandmath


Zofass, J., Brann, A. (2019) Interacting With Peers In Mathematics LD Online The
Educators Guide To Learning Disabilities And ADHD. Retrieved from:
http://www.ldonline.org/article/61470/


Hutchinson, L., N. (2004) Teaching Exceptional Children and Adolescents A Canadian
Case Book Second Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. Toronto. Pgs. 62-65.