Implications for Jessica’s teachers

• Dealing with Jessica’s behaviour: Best practice addresses the whole

person using case management, involving all stakeholders.

• Teaching styles and teaching strategies such as: peer coaching &

reciprocal teaching can be implemented into the classroom to best

manage Jessica’s case

• Newman’s Prompts for reciprocal numeracy- involves: Predicting,

Clarifying, Solving, Summarising.

Reference: http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/mathematics/numeracy/newman/
Techniques/ interventions to reduce Jessica’s challenges Using Goal
Centred Theory –to address underperformance and behavioural problems
in maths and science.

• Goal Centred Theory (Dreikurs et al.,. 1982) considers the notion that “people are social

beings with an innate need and desire to belong to social groups- including school groups,

and that the development of positive relationships in these is central to needs satisfaction”

(Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2004, p. 23).

• Student behaviour is thus orderly and purposeful and seeks to achieve social recognition.

• Jessica feels she does not belong socially amongst a large group of people- highlighting her

feelings of not belonging in the maths and science classroom.

Reference: Dreikurs, R., Grunwald, B. B., & Pepper, F. C. (1982). Maintaining sanity in the
classroom. Classroom management techniques (2nd ed.). New York: Harper &
Row.
 Teaching strategies that follow the
Goal-Centered Theory
The following teaching practice (driven by the GCT principles) is required for Jessica’s case:

• Continually encouraging Jessica to stay focused and engaged in her learning instead of drawing out her flaws

• Reinforcing the need to behave appropriately/ Highlighting the importance of discipline

• Creating a goal driven partnership between student and teacher

• Using encouragement to minimise her social struggle to belong

• Invoking a safe classroom climate by facilitating and accommodating appropriate content and using open, flexible

and reasonable consequences when responding to misbehaviour.

• Providing Jessica with choice and differentiation for her learning

• Setting appropriate rules, expectations and consequences

• Providing explicit instructions and boundaries for class activities

These strategies when implemented by the classroom teacher will enhance Jessica’s performance in maths and
science.

Reference: Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (Eds.). (2014). Classroom management: Creating positive learning environments (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage
Learning.
 Developing Content enhancement strategies- to address underperformance
in maths and science.

• Content enhancement strategies inform students of the purpose of instruction, increase

motivation, and use effective instructional procedures (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2000)

• Organisational strategies, which aim at helping students to develop their own

individual processes for organising information.

• Mnemonic aids are a category of metacognitive strategies, geared at encoding

information in memory in ways that make it easier to recall and use the information
later.

• Story maps also provide a framework or guide for linking prior knowledge to new
information.

Reference: Sencibaugh, J. M. (2005). A synthesis of content strategies for teaching students with learning
problems at the secondary level. Retrieved: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED494310.pdf
Missing links- to address underperformance and behavioural problems in maths and
science.

• Maths is a building block subject, if students miss vital concepts in early years it
can dramatically affect further learning.

• Building a positive classroom environment that showcases the relevance of

learning maths and science in her everyday life.

• Strategies that can be implemented include using positive reinforcement (in the
form of verbal praise)

• Using money in maths, to demonstrate to Jessica the importance of learning

these skills.

• Visual displays help categorise and (inter-) relate different sections or aspects of
the information.