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Differentiating for Behavioral Disorders in the Classroom

Brittany McIntosh
Dr. McCardle
EDC 300
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Eastern Kentucky University

December 2, 2018
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Introduction

My name is Brittany McIntosh and I am a junior at Eastern Kentucky University. I am an

English major and currently am observing 12th grade and 10th grade classes with Mr. Barker.

The class consists of 24 students, John Doe being one of three mixed-race in the class. He per-

forms well when lessons are differentiated for him, but on his own he has difficulty with paying

attention and speaking out of turn.

This class mostly consists of students in the special education program who have emo-

tional and behavioral disorders. John Doe has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Opposi-

tional Defiant Disorder, and ADHD, which effects his schooling heavily as he has poor attention

and a problem with authority. He has been in general education classes through high high school

career and has maintained about a C average, but his grades have ranged from C to A in the last

four years. In his English and Math classes, there is a special education teacher co-teaching in the

room with his general education teacher, and this is to keep an eye on him and make sure he

stays on task and does not fight with other students or backtalk the teacher. He has vulgar lan-

guage and is prone to being outspoken about his political and social views, which causes other

students to get upset with him and threaten him, which I had to report to the classroom teacher

on October 25th. Since this is a class of students in special education, the curriculum is accurate-

ly altered for them to be able to comprehend the work but they still have the same assignments

that need to be completed as the other general education classes, with the exception of the IEP’s

that require extended time. During the time I have spent in the classroom, he has taken the Mul-

tiple Intelligences Test (Appendix A) and a Political Compass Test (Appendix A), describing his

best learning styles and his political position, respectively. The MI Test showed he learns best in
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a naturalist setting, which is reflective in his behavior in class as he looks out the window often

and gets fidgety when he is indoors for too long. The Political Compass Test showed he falls

closest to an “anarchist” political view and has openly said he believes the government is corrupt

as well as politicians and most people of authority, and they target minorities for police brutality

and most arrests made. This reflects his problem with authority as well as being a man of mixed

race, having experienced racism and oppression from people in charge of him.

Data Analysis

John Doe’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) (Appendix B) shows he is categorized as

having an “Emotional-Behavioral Disability” (Appendix B, pg. 1) which has been diagnosed as

Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

This means he generally has difficulty staying on task, listening to authority, and getting along

with classmates. He is often outspoken and blatantly defiant regarding his schoolwork. John

Doe’s IEP states his disabilities “have a significant impact across settings in his ability to build

and maintain relationships and display appropriate behaviors” (Appendix B, pg. 1), which is

prevalent in how he interacts with his classmates. He is currently receiving preferential seating,

extended time, verbal praise, modified tests, guided notes, prompting, small group testing as

needed, and a Behavior Intervention Plan. Overall he does receive these aids and is highly suc-

cessful when this is the case. When given work he is interested in or can use his creativity in, he

is engaged and always completes his work.

As an individual, he needs to feel as though he is being heard and understood, so by talk-

ing to him I was able to see he is not at all a bad student but instead misunderstood by his class-

mates and needs a little bit of extra assistance to be able to get started on assignments. He comes
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off as abrasive and pessimistic, but he is simply a realist and has difficulty communicating how

he feels. He also is projected to have depression based on his IEP and his negativity shows when

he talks about his political views and his high school experience. A way to combat this as an ed-

ucator is to continue to be emotionally supportive and do frequent check-ups on him as well as

paying attention to his class performance. I have noticed when he puts on headphones during

class he is shutting himself off to the class and after talking to him, it generally is due to an ar-

gument with his mother, a bad test grade, or something related. Once talking it out, he is able to

get back to work and with some assistance stay focused.

John Doe is sat in the middle of the room at a table being one of four, and often talks to

his classmates and distracts them. From what I have observed, he learns well when getting to

discuss his opinions in class and he is highly skilled in debates, as long as his vulgar language is

kept at a minimum. The best way for this student to work and be successful is to allow him to

guide himself in learning and communicate with others.

Based on the Multiple Intelligences Test (Appendix C), John Doe is a Naturalist style

learner, meaning he works well in nature and with nature-related content. He scored a 3.93 on a 5

point scale and this shows based on my observations of him in the classroom; John Doe often

looks out the window and asks the teacher “Can we go outside today?” to which the answer is

always no. If he were given assignments which involved him going outside or doing nature-re-

lated assignments, he would be more interested and less likely to be distracted, although him

having ADHD may still hinder his focus level occasionally. He does well when allowed to pick

his own assignments, and Appendix D shows this. This assignment is a research paper on the

rapper XXXtentacion, which he admires and wants to follow in his rap career footsteps. By him
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getting to choose this topic, he was able to be interested and since I knew the rapper as well, I

could help him discuss themes and ideas to include in his paper. While he still has some poor

grammatical and stylistic technique, his effort shows he is growing and learning how to effec-

tively write for a specific audience.

For John Doe, I suggest his IEP go unchanged with the exception of the special education

teacher being more involved in his personal life. I have noticed this teacher talks to him like a

teacher would talk to a student, and for him particularly this goes unsuccessful due to his Oppo-

sitional Defiant Disorder. If the special education teacher would instead talk to him like she

would a friend or acquaintance, he would be more receptive and likely to want to listen. I con-

clude John Doe only needs few alterations for lesson plans to allow for him to either move

around more, switch topics or activities after about 10-15 minutes, and a more humanistic ap-

proach to dealing with him as an individual.

Differentiation Plan

John Doe, while being a generally academically average student, has difficulty paying

attention and speaking to classmates when he should be listening to instruction. He also shows

signs of not getting along with all of his classmates, so I would suggest a seating chart where he

is near students he can talk to when he needs to but also get along with. To accommodate for him

academically, he needs to be able to switch activities often enough to where he is still learning

content while keeping focus. To benefit him, class outside once a week or in the patio area would

be highly beneficial to him so he is able to be in a setting where he does not get distracted but

instead thrives. John Doe would also benefit from assignments where he is able to choose the

topic, the activity’s assignment, or both. When he is able to do this, it is completed on time and
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in full without further accommodations needed, such as extended time. To accommodate for him

specifically, in each lesson I have surrounded it around some sort of class discussion where he is

able to communicate and get feedback from his table mates, as well as planning so every activity

within the lesson lasts from 10-15 minutes so he is able to keep his focus on the work that needs

to be done and only allot enough time for him to complete it so he does not get off task or dis-

tract other students. His Bipolar Disorder does not effect his schoolwork, but instead his relation-

ships with classmates so I want to make sure he is able to communicate with them and express

himself appropriately and accordingly.

Target Area After completing the 3 following lessons:

For Growth What do I want them to learn?

Students should be able to use evidence to support a claim and persuade an

audience.

Lesson 1: Anticipation Guide for Lord of the Flies

Standard: SL.12.4 Initiate and participate Learning Target:

effectively in a range of collaborative discus- I can participate in a class discussion and use evi-
sions with diverse partners on grade 11-12 dence to show my point of view clearly.
topics, texts, and issues building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.

Pre-Assessment:
The pre-assessment is a bellringer asking
about at least 2 facts about psychologists the
students have been studying in class (ex.
Freud, Maslow, etc.). I will go over some of
the ones the students put down and collect
each of their papers to see how well they
know the information and see if I need to go
back.
Procedures:
First I will greet the students as they come in,
then pull up a PowerPoint presentation on
background information on William Golding,
author of Lord of the Flies.It will have more
information about morality and immorality
and what is considered right and wrong. Then
I will pass out Anticipation Guides for the
students which ask them questions about
goodness, “badness,” morality, and societal
constructs of morality. The students will work
in their small groups (4) and I will walk
around and talk to them while they work on it
to see how well they understand it. Then we
will do a class discussion and go table to table
to allow the students to discuss the consensus
they came to. They all are responsible for
turning the paper in and I will grade them.
Lesson 2: Multiple Intelligences - How Do I Learn Best?
Standard: 12.W.1 Write arguments to sup-
port claims in an analysis of substantive top-
ics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
12.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in I can appropriately organize information into a
which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and au-
dience.
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Formative Assessment:
The students will be talking in their small groups
about the Anticipation Guide and as a formative as-
sessment I will walk around from group to group and
ask the students questions about morality, immorality,
and innate goodness or evil. This will show me if they
are understanding the purpose of the lesson.
Accommodations:
John Doe has difficulty focusing due to ADHD, so I
have structured each section of this lesson to last for
no longer than 10 minutes a piece. This will allow for
him to work on something then once he starts to get
tired of it or lose focus, it is time for the next activity.
He also speaks out often in class and talks to his table
mates, so this assignment will allow for him to do that
and it be appropriate to the assignment. John Doe also
has Oppositional Defiant Disorder, so he has difficulty
listening to authority. With this assignment being self-
motivated and based on opinion but still related to the
book, he is able to express himself and still learn the
themes of what Lord of the Flies is about. He also
speaks out often so the discussion will allow for him
to express how he feels while it still pertaining to the
lesson.
Learning Target:
I can use evidence to formulate an argument.
persuasive paragraph.
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Pre-Assessment: Formative Assessment:

The pre-assessment for this lesson is a bell
ringer reviewing information on the psychol-
ogists we discussed in class the day previous-
ly along with one of their psychological theo-
ries. This will show me if they retained the
information or not, and if not I will go back
and review it.
The students will be responsible for creating a persua-
sive paragraph with evidence on whether or not they
feel their “intelligence” describes them or not. They
will turn it in at the end of class and I will read them
and be able to grade them on whether their paragraph
was persuasive or not.

Procedures:
First I will greet the students as usual and ask
them the bell ringer question. They will pass
them up and I will talk to them about the les-
son for today, which is multiple intelligences.
I will talk to them about what that means and
ask them what they protect their top intelli-
gence type will be. I will then ask them to get
a computer and take the test, which is linked
in Google Classroom. As they are taking it I
will walk around and answer any questions
they might have and ask them prompting
questions about their answers. Then I will ask
them to write on paper their top 3 and pass
them up so I can see. I will then tell them
some of the patterns I see and explain to them
now they must write a paragraph based on
their top intelligences with evidence from the
psychologists mentioned. They will have the
rest of the class (about 20 minutes) to write
the paragraph and turn it in to me. At the end
we will do a short class discussion on the re-
sults and how the students felt about it.
Accommodations:
For John Doe, I will make sure to keep an eye on him
so he stays on task, but this assignment is designed to
be student-centered so he can stay focused since it is
information about himself. He will be responsible for
the same assignment, but I will help him come up
with points he can use as an argument in his para-
graph. While the assignment is still something he
needs to do, he will be able to move around as he
needs to since this activity is a little longer than oth-
ers. Also, the class discussion will allow him to talk
and express his ideas thoughtfully, as he is going to
have to compose them first with me during the para-
graph writing.

Lesson 3: Writing a Cover Letter

Standard: 12.PD.4 Produce clear and coher- Learning Target:

ent writing in which the development, organi- I can organize a cover letter for the purpose of
zation, and style are appropriate to task, pur-
persuading an employer to interview me for a job.
pose, and audience.
12.SL.4 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view,
reasoning, and use of evidence in rhetoric,
assessing the stance, premises, links among
ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and
tone used.
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Pre-Assessment: Formative Assessment:

The bellringer will be a fake letter they must
label with what needs to be included in which
paragraphs so I can see what they already
know about letter structure.
The formative assessment will be a mock cover letter
the students are responsible for completing and bring-
ing into class the next day. If they have it all labeled
correctly with the correct information in each para-
graph, I will know they understood this lesson.

Procedures:
First I will greet the students and then once
they are seated I will tell them about today’s
lesson: cover letters. I will draw two large
rectangles on the white board and one will be
labeled “text messages” and the other “cover
letter.” The lesson will be converting what the
students would send in a text message to
someone to a professional cover letter. This
helps them go from casual text to letter for-
mat, but the information would be asking the
same thing. We will go step by step to see
what would be included and then once we are
done the students will have the rest of class to
complete their mock cover letter, which is to
be turned in tomorrow.
Accommodations:
John Doe, having difficulty focusing and not speaking
out, will benefit from this lesson because it is “silly”
and based around text messaging, which I will need
the students to call out answers and information they
think needs to be included. This activity is opinion-
based while still standards-based and this will help
John stay on task and still learn the information. He
will be able to talk to his table mates about the as-
signment and work together to come up with a cover
letter. Since they also can choose who it is going to, it
will help him with his future prospective career as a
carpenter (referenced in Appendix B).

Reflection

Throughout the case study, I have been able to observe a student with heavy behavioral

disorders come out of his shell to me and gradually become a higher achieving academic student.

I have witnessed him go from telling the teacher “No!” to doing assignments to willingly work

on research projects and cover letters all because of the personal connection I was able to devel-

op with him. This study has shown me that by caring for a student and showing them that you

care, they will return the favor and do the work they need to be doing. I have also seen how dif-

ferentiating for him has changed his outlook on schooling and on the education field because

now he sees figures of authority showing him genuine respect versus the belittling he has ex-

pressed dealing with previously.

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In my teaching, I understand now I need to be highly attentive as well as humanistic in

how I deal with the students because the better I get at this, the more they will feel like they can

open up to me and the more I can help them. I have learned how differentiating for one student

can in turn help others and instead of a lesson feeling narrow, it allows for a wider range of ac-

cessibility for the students. The few differentiated changed I was able to include in the classroom

ended up helping other students as well, although it was intended to specifically benefit John

Doe. I also see how learning about each student’s personal background can help me in getting to

know how they personally like to learn instead of focusing on how I like to teach, which I feel

like I had a problem with prior to this study/class. I need to make sure I collaborate with my spe-

cial education teacher (if I have one) as well as school psychologists and the students’ parents.

John Doe, while having problems with other students, showed me how important it is to

open up to other people and reach out. Once he started to feel emotionally and academically sup-

ported to fit his needs, he was able to reach out to other students and talk to them more fondly

versus the harsh language he would use before. Going further, I see I need to focus heavily on

who my students are as people and what their personal emotional needs are so I can conform my

lessons to fit what the individuals need.

In my classroom, I plan to have many class discussions and short activities so the stu-

dents do not get bored and are able to communicate with one another. I vow to never force a stu-

dent who needs me to work alone and I will always make sure to attend to each person’s needs,

whether that be having someone to talk to or having someone to help them with assignments

when they need it. This case study has shown me a humanistic side to education and how each
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student’s personal life gets brought into how they learn later on, which I know to keep in mind in

future lesson plans.

Appendix A

The Political Compass Test

Economic Left/Right: -6.13

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.26

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Appendix B

John Doe’s IEP

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Appendix C

Results of Multiple Intelligences Test

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Appendix D

John Doe’s Research Paper

XXXtentacion and his impact on peoples lives

Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy better known as the rapper/singer XXXtentcion or X, spent

most of his childhood in Lauderhill, Florida with his grandmother after his mother could not
financially take care of him and his siblings. Growing up without both his mom and dad and
being passed around from home to home his life was not easy in fact it made him feel unwant-
ed causing low self-esteem and eventually causing depression which had led him to being ex-
tremely prone to violence leading Jahseh to also be in and out of juvenile detention centers.
Jahseh was just a human being and like all people he made mistakes and deserved a chance at
redemption, sure he had a history of aggravated assault but he was working on becoming
more of a role model than a convicted felon “It was X's desire and wish to spread as much
positivity and love as possible.” said Bob Celestin. Jahseh loved and respected his fans and
colleagues just because he suffered from a traumatizing past and made multiple mistakes -one
of which being aggravated assault- doesn’t mean he was a bad person. Thus Jahseh was too
young to die and he deserved a chance to better himself.

Jahseh’s music not only made people look at hip-hop a different way but, it also in-
spired people throughout the world and thousands, possibly millions of people around the
world could relate to what he rapped/sang about. Jahseh was a very creative artist who
changed how people looked at rap/hip-hop by combining it with other music genres such as
pop, R&B, and rock bringing in all sorts of fans to the rap game. X or Jahseh was also be-
lieved to be one of the most talented and kind hearted artist in the musical industry because he
always looked out for and cared for his fans, friends, and even fellow artist, he would some-
times even talk to his fans personally and advice them and support them in their career choice
and show them ways to be successful. XXXtentacion was unlike most rappers in the music in-
dustry with himself and his music connecting to his fans on more of a personal level and had
a message to 99% of his songs such as SAD!, changes, and jocelyn flores which were all about
either a heartbreak or a loss of a friend. There’s even been times he has been referred to this
generations very own version of the rap legend Tupac Shakur. With songs such as “SAD!”
hitting the no.1 spot on the billboard top 200 and albums such as “?” and “17” hitting the no.
3 and no.7 on the billboard 200 album chart his music become more sensational after death.
Which is just proof that nobody cares until after you die but, X was a different case as some-
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body that suffered from depression he thought it was an illness that was often overlooked and
decided to bring awareness of depression to a bigger audience through his music.
Not only did XXXtentacion inspire his fans but, he also inspired other artists such as
Puff Daddy/Diddy and Kanye West “I never told you how much you inspired me when you
were here thank you for existing” wrote Kanye West. He was also a very intriguing and
charismatic character “One of the most interesting people I’ve ever met,” Diddy posted on
Twitter. When he was alive not only did he bring joy to his fans and his peers he also respected
all of them. Even though X was a convicted felon and had a history of aggravated assault, he
really did care a lot about people. He even made a charity event for the homeless and made a
pledge to donate $100,000 to a domestic violence prevention program and planned an anti-
rape event. He was one of the most versatile and considerate rappers in the game and he has
proved this multiple times by helping/advising his fellow artists, fans, and even his own lawyer.
Even his lawyer has said multiple times that he misses their talks, their heart to heart conver-
sations, and the positive vibes X had around him. Not only was X one of the most talented and
respectful artists, he was also a troubled person who was working through getting passed his
own personal demons, but was also working on becoming somebody better than who he was.
He did this by becoming more respectful and self-conscious of his actions and the conse-
quences that come along with them. By improving his persona he has also improved his image
as a young African-American in this corrupted society where young african-americans are
being unjustifyingly shot.

In this society where the murder rate is very high and those whom are very successful
are getting killed more by the day it just shows how corrupt and greedy that civilization can be.
With the crime rate raising up more by the year, it has gotten harder for parents to be able to
protect their kids and more likely for people to be judged by their past. Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy
aka XXXtentacion is a perfect example of just how great a person with a criminal record can
be. Being wronged all his life and being in and out of detention centers and jails, has not
brought this young African-American down to a path of crime, but yet has instead made him
want to better himself and be somebody people can look up to. He truly did want to better him-
self and become a role model for his fans.

Work Cited

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8463484/xxxtentacion-lawyer-legacy-unre-
leased-music-charity-initiatives-interview
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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/arts/music/xxxtentacion-death-reaction.html

https://www.idolator.com/7681685/reactions-death-xxxtentacion-miley-noah-cyrus-kanye-diplo?
chrome=1

Appendix E

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Observation Worksheet

Culturally responsive teaching is multifaceted and involves various dimensions of the teaching
and learning process that include what is taught, how it is taught, to whom and by whom. This
activity offers you the opportunity to reflect critically on culturally responsive classroom prac-
tice.

Directions: Observe a classroom for a day. Use the following questions to guide your reflection.

Provide a brief description of the school, the community in which the school is located, and the
class you are observing.

_____ This school in general has a wide variety of genetic makeup. There are Native American

students, African American students, white students, Hispanic students, mixed race students, and

much more. There are low income students in this class as well as students who come from fami-

lies who are much better off. They do not seem to notice or care about the ethnic background dif-

ferences as they all sit together and have class discussions willingly. The school is located in a

generally small town with a college campus and a majority of the students live within a few

miles of here. Many students drive themselves but some walk or take the bus.
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Look at walls, posters, media centers of the school. Who is represented? Who is not represent-
ed? How does the visual representation on items displayed in the school reflect of the demo-
graphic characteristics of the school? Of the community? Of the country?

__There is a lot of representation in this classroom and this is due to a responsive, involved

teacher. He has posters of people who are from other nations, multicultural, and much more. He

also has posters from TV shows and the students have talked about how they like this aspect and

relate to him because of the shows they see and identify with. This representation matches what

one would see in the real world, not just on posters.

Examine the texts that are being used in the class. Does the content reflect the cultural back-
grounds of students in the class? How are the following groups represented: people of color,
women, youth, working class people?

___The content of the class is all written by white men and I wish the content of the class re-

flected the students’ backgrounds more. To fix this, it would be beneficial for there to be authors

of color and such brought into the classroom since there is little representation now. Everything I

have seen them read has been written by someone white and only a few have been by non-white

authors, but the videos he shows in class reflect the general population and are not all white.

_______

Examine the interactions between teacher and students. Do these seem to be based on mutual
respect? What aspects of the interactions, if any, would you classify as culturally responsive?
How does the teacher connect the course content to students’ prior knowledge and experiences?

___There seems to be mutual respect between the teacher and the students. The teacher uses

slang that is popular now and the students think it is funny and are receptive to how he interacts

with them. This I believe is due to the fact that he regards them with the respect he would with a

colleague or friend and this makes the students not feel talked down to or belittled. There isn’t

connection to the content but it helps the students want to learn more because they all like him.
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What aspects of student identities seem to be affirmed in the process of teaching and learning?
What aspects of student identities might be suppressed during the lesson?

__There is no suppression, but also no affirmation in the lessons. The teacher teaches the content

and finishes the lesson and it does not go further than that.

What, if anything, might you do differently to make the lesson more culturally responsive?

__I might include more authors of color for the students so they feel more represented in media.

Appendix F

Readiness Data
Observation Worksheet

Previously, you identified 3 students to write a very brief description on as learners. In addition,
you took notes on whatever you thought affected the learning of your three target students and
reflected on the teacher’s attempts to actively address varied learner needs.

For this observation, you need to pick one of the three students to be the sole participant in your
case study and begin to gather readiness data. The readiness data that needs to be pulled must
focus on the four different types of data we discussed in class. I listed each one below in separate
boxes.

Achievement Level Knowledge Base

Does his work when told to, sometimes off Has the content knowledge expected but does
task, generally gets assignments done but not work hard at assignments so it does not
sometimes needs extra time, as stated in IEP. show.
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Intellect Level of Effort

He is an intelligent student but has no motiva- Very low level of effort from the student.
tion to do his work so he comes off as lazy
when he just has difficulty focusing.

Reflection on data: Analyze the overall readiness data, and write 2-4 paragraphs explaining
what the data shows you about this student. What is their “backstory” and current “story” on
academic achievement?

REMEMBER, this information will be used for the Case Study project. The more information
you gather, the more you can include in your final case study

This student, while being intelligent, has little motivation to do his work and is very defiant

when told to complete assignments. He works well when given space to work and not micro-

managed, which is beneficial when he is left alone but not when the special education teacher

asks him a lot of questions and is in his business. He gets irritated when asked too many ques-

tions and chooses to not show his intellect due to disliking education and how it is ran in this

country. He has a hard time staying focused in class and this is due to having ADHD, which hin-

ders his ability to stay on task and not bother his table mates. He is mature but unable to look

past when high school ends.

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John Doe has very low effort exerted in class and this is due to lack of stimulation he enjoys

and is able to grasp. Many assignments are not differentiated for him and it shows when he is

unable to stay focused and have the motivation to get assignments done. If he were given as-

signments that reflects activities and topics he enjoys discussing, he is able to do it effectively

but the lack of effort shows he does not care.

His content knowledge shows when he is asked questions, but this is only with guided help.

He has the ability and knowledge to do the work but lacks the motivation to complete it or even

start it. When asked prompting questions, he is able to come to a conclusion and create an argu-

ment.

Appendix G

THINKING ABOUT RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION

Observation Worksheet 2

Directions: The goal of this observation is to help you reflect on the “fit” of a classroom for par-
ticular learners in that classroom and to examine ways a teacher can differentiate instruction to
improve the fit for more students. Before you begin the observation, ask the teacher to point out
to you one or two students who have a hard time with the content of the class, one or two who
have behavior problems, and one or two who are particularly advanced. Take a few minutes as
class begins to locate these students and observe them briefly. Then select the three you will
watch for the remainder of the observation. (Do not use actual names of schools, teachers, ad-
ministrators, or students when using this worksheet.)

Observer’s Name: Brittany McIntosh

Date: 10/20/18
Grade Level: 12
Subject: English
Class Size: 24
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Background Information: Give a brief general description of the school’s social, economic, and
ethnic makeup.

What to Record: First, write a very brief description of each student as a learner. Then, in the
boxes that follow, take notes on the three students as the class proceeds. Do you have any evi-
dence that they are participating actively in the class? That they are understanding the content,
are confused, or are bored? What sorts of behavior do they exhibit? Why do you think they are
behaving as they do? What is working well for them? Or poorly? Does the class seem interesting
to them? In the fourth box, take notes on anything the teacher does to make the class successful
for the three students you’ve selected. Has he or she tried to make the environment seem safe and
inviting to the students? Are there materials or activities particularly appropriate for these learn-
ers? Do the students have choices about how to work? Are questions targeted to address particu-
lar learner needs? Are there opportunities to meet with the teacher to clarify or extend learning?
Jot down whatever you think affects the learning of your three target students and reflects teacher
attempts to actively address varied learner needs.

Student #1
Name: John Doe
Description: John Doe is inattentive and unable to stay focused most of the time. He bothers his
classmates, does not stay on task, uses vulgar language, and is disrespectful to the teacher. He
has behavioral disorders and has an IEP for them, which he is supposed to be differentiated for in
the classroom but I do not see the special education teacher doing much of that in the class when
he obviously needs help. He could be a great student and retain information if he had a little ex-
tra help.

Student #2
Name: Jane Smith
Description: Jane is very quiet and does not talk at all in class. She has severe anxiety and panic
attacks, thus getting her a 504 plan allowing for her to not talk in class or be called on unless she
is comfortable doing so herself. She does not talk to anyone else but she does get her work done
effectively and is a great writer. She spoke once in class and it was profound and added a conver-
sation to the lesson. She does not need help with her schoolwork but it would be helpful to part-
ner her up with someone who will prompt her to talk more.

Student #3
Name: Mark Jones
Description: Mark Jones is a student who sleeps every day, does not do his work, and takes ad-
vantage of every time extension he can for nearly every assignment. He has poor motivation and
attention. He needs lessons which require him to get up and move because he puts his head down
often. He also is politically conservative and makes inappropriate remarks for the sake of getting
other students upset. This student needs to sit by himself until group activities are commenced.
 !29

Student #1 Student #2
-inattentive -quiet
-aggressive -nice
-disrespectful -very intelligent
-intelligent -shy
-loud -anxious
-not self-motivated

Student #3 Teacher
-rude -scolds student #1
-disrespectful -ignores student #2
-allows student #3 to work silently, always
reviews her work



Reflections on Your Observation:
1. To what degree did you feel the content and activities of the class matched the readiness level
of the students you observed? On what do you base your conclusions?
The students seemed ready to do the work but many of them did not want to or chose to
be disrespectful and not do the work assigned. The content matched their ability but they were
not self-motivated enough to want to do the work.

2. What ideas do you have about how a teacher might effectively address the readiness needs of
the students you observed?
A teacher could do an activity that forces them out of their seats and makes them move around
and talk to one another. An assignment which would be effective would be putting them in ran-
dom groups, making them move around the room, and making them write information down so
they are forced to be involved and then they might be more receptive.

3. In what ways did the teacher work to make the content and activities link to student interests?
He opened a video for the students to watch and it made them laugh.
 !30

4. What ideas do you have about other ways in which a teacher might tap into student interests at
some point during the unit that you observed briefly?
I would do an interest survey to see what they like to do and what they are interested in and try
and do a different one every week.

5. In what ways did the teacher work to address varied student preferences for how to learn?
There was not a lot of varied student preferences shown but this is due to the lesson revolving
around a video for them to watch.

6. What other ways can you think of to give students a range of ways to learn in this class, both
when the teacher is presenting and when the student is the worker?
Students could be in different groups, do small group activities then large group, do class dis-
cussions, or do a creative project.

7. In what ways do you think the learning environment in the classroom encourages and supports
learning for the students you observed?
Students are encouraged to learn and put forth effort but many of the students choose not to.

8. What other ways can you think of to make the learning environment even more encouraging
and supportive of the learning success of the students you observed?
Include more ways for them to learn.

Appendix H

School Demographic Analysis

Clinical School Comparison Classroom(s)

School Grade __12_____
 !31

Group Total Per- Total Per- Total Per- Per-

cent cent cent cent
Total number of stu- 1,868 100% 506 100% 24 100%
dents
Male 959 51.3% 272 53.8% 17 71%

Female 909 48.7% 234 46.2% 7 29%

White (non-Hispanic) 1,519 81.3% 437 86.4% 13 54%

African American 133 7.1% 22 4.3% 5 21%

Hispanic 99 5.3% 28 5.5% 4 17%

Asian 22 1.2% 12 2.4% 0 0%

Native American / 6 0.3% 2 0.4% 0 0%

Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or Pa- 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
cific Islander
Two or more races 89 4.8% 5 1.0% 3 13%

Free Lunch 835 44.7% 250 49.4% 10 42%

Reduced Lunch 75 4.0% 0 0% 0 0%

English Language Learn- 32 1.7% 8 1.6% 2 8%

er
Gifted and Talented 292 15.6% 152 30.0% 0 0%

Homeless 10 0.5% 4 0.8% 0 0%

Migrant 12 0.6% 2 0.4% 0 0%

Special Education 165 8.8% 51 10.1% 18 75%