Nicole Willis Child Study Fall 2013

Child Study Reflection

This student is a tenth grader in a co-taught biology class. He has no I!" but is a #art
o$ %a&s Success- 'hich is a #rogra& geared to'ards students 'ho are high ris( o$ dro##ing
out )based on attendance" beha*ior" acade&ic #er$or&ance+. ,lthough in the #ast he
#er$or&s a*eragely acade&ically and his absences are not e-cessi*e- his classroo& beha*ior
and tendencies sho' signs o$ lac( o$ &oti*ation and carelessness. He #assed .uarter one" but
right no' he is $ailing this class )due to inco&#lete assign&ents+. While obser*ing this
student in &y &entor/s class" I noticed a lot o$ si&ilar tendencies throughout all three
obser*ations. He had a tendency to slouch in the chair" lac( o$ eye contact 'hen s#ea(ing to
teachers" lac( o$ e-#ression" no #artici#ation. *ery class he 'ould e-hibit these sa&e
beha*iors- and this includes in &y &entors class )biology+ as 'ell as obser*ing hi& in social
studies classroo&. ,$ter reading o*er all o$ &y classroo& obser*ation" I noticed that 'hen he
'as gi*en inde#endent 'or( he 'ould not begin until he 'as directly #ro&#ted by a teacher
to get started. 0uring the second obser*ation ho'e*er" students 'ere setting u# a lab acti*ity"
and this 'as the &ost #artici#ation I ha*e seen $ro& this student- he e*en as(ed i$ his lab set-
u# 'as done correctly )sho'ing signs o$ caring+. It see&ed as though 'hen he 'as gi*en
hands-on 'or( he cared to co&#lete the 'or(. These obser*ations are the $irst ste# in being
able to hel# this student- because in order to hel# hi& succeed" I need to (no' his areas that
need i&#ro*e&ent.
Not only did I obser*e this student in a classroo& setting" but in a school e*ent" as
'ell as tal(ed to his counselor. The &eeting 'ith the counselor 'as e$$ecti*e because he
con$ir&ed the sa&e obser*ations I had &ade about this student in the classroo& )lac( o$
con$idence" lo' &oti*ation+. He 'as also able to share so&e in$or&ation about this student
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Nicole Willis Child Study Fall 2013
that allo'ed &e to understand why he e-hibited these beha*iors. We 'ere able to discuss
strategies that 'e thin( 'ould better ser*e this student and one 'as to #lace hi& in grou#s
'ith $riends to (ee# hi& &oti*ated and engaged in the lesson. ,$ter obser*ing this student at
the school e*ent )%a&s Success ,'ards+ this con$ir&ed &y decision to #re deter&ine grou#s
so that he is in a grou# 'ith his $riends. ,t this e*ent" he interacted 'ith #eers" and 'atching
hi& interact 'ith $riends 'as a lot di$$erent than his interactions 'ith teachers because he
see&ed &uch &ore rela-ed" did not loo( at the ground as o$ten" and e*en s&iled a bit1 Fro&
this I concluded it 'ould de$initely be bene$icial to #air this student 'ith his $riends and
#ro*ide hands-on acti*ities because he needs the acti*e as#ect in the lesson.
I concluded that this student needs hel# 'ith &oti*ation and reading ability. I thought
that an article on student engage&ent 'ould be #er$ect because it 'ould hel# &e 'ith hat I
need to do to get hi& &oti*ated in the classroo&. ,rticle one &ade &e reali2e that student
engage&ent is a #roble& in general" and can be &ore or less se*ere de#ending on the student.
Students ha*e di$$erent le*els o$ engage&ent and I belie*e this student is on the lo' le*el.
Fronde*ille not only e-#lained le*els o$ student engage&ent" but also ga*e a lot o$ insight on
ho' to &aintain students/ attention and ga*e s#eci$ic e-a&#les that I thin( 'ould 'or( 'ell
$or this student. 3ne is to ha*e students collaborate 'ith each other and then share. I thin(
this 'ould greatly bene$it this student because he e-hibits signs o$ lo' con$idence )al'ays
loo(ing at the ground" no eye contact" slouching" etc.+4 and so tal(ing to class&ates be$ore
ha*ing a 'hole class discussion I thin( 'ould &a(e hi& a lot &ore engaged into the
discussion and lesson. This article also suggest including &o*e&ent into the lesson in order
to (ee# students acti*ely learning. Fro& &y obser*ations at the school e*ent )student chose
to stand and sociali2e in a circle instead o$ sit+ I thin( &o*ing around in the lesson 'ould
hel# hi& stay $ocused and be #roacti*e. The other s(ill I though this student needed &ost
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Nicole Willis Child Study Fall 2013
hel# 'ith 'as reading. ,rticle t'o not only ga*e &e insight on 'hy so&e students are &ore
at ris( o$ being5beco&ing struggling readers" but also ho' to address this. Fro& research and
obser*ations" I ha*e reason to belie*e there are outside $actors that a$$ect this student/s lo'
reading ability. 6elly and Ca&#bell also o$$ered suggestions on ho' to address the
underde*elo#ed s(ills o$ this student. They reco&&ended &a(ing sure that reading content is
connected and rele*ant to that students/ #ersonal li$e- and i$ cannot be related" then
co&&unicate 'ell so that they can $or& so&e connection 'ith the reading. They also o$$ered
&any other reading strategies )such as #rinting out s&aller 'ords to hel# the& decode larger
'ords+ to encourage reading and reading co&#rehension. Fro& these articles" &odi$ications
in the classroo& can be &ade to hel# this student learn.
The action based-research hel#ed &e to de*elo# a lot o$ instructional &odi$ications
that I thin( 'ould better ser*e this student. I belie*e that this student 'ill be &ore &oti*ated
and engaged 'hen #aired 'ith $riends that he $eels co&$ortable 'ith4 there$ore" I 'ill #re-
&a(e assigned grou#s $or this class to ensure #airs I thin( 'ill $or& the best learning
en*iron&ents $or students. I also thin( that acti*e hands-on acti*ities 'ill hel# (ee# this
student engaged and $ocused. There$ore I thin( that 'hene*er #ossible- hands-on acti*ities
should be utili2ed. *en i$ notes ha*e to be used- cut and #aste #art o$ the notes" or hands-on
de&onstrations 'ould be bene$icial. It is also i&#ortant to build this students reading and
literacy s(ills )'hich 'ill ta(e ti&e+- but little acti*ities can hel#. For e-a&#le" #ro*iding
hi& 'ith a list o$ 7atin #re$i- and su$$i- 'ords to hel# hi& brea( do'n di$$icult biology
ter&s. 8odi$ications li(e this are 'hat 'ill &a(e the di$$erence bet'een his disinterest to
being acti*ely engaged in the lesson.
This 'hole #rocess 'ill be *ery bene$icial in &y student teaching ne-t se&ester so
that I can a##ly so&e o$ these &odi$ications and see ho' the student res#onds to these
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Nicole Willis Child Study Fall 2013
acti*ities. Not only 'ill this #ro9ect be hel#$ul in bettering this student4 but this #rocess in
general can be re#eated in &y $uture classes. The #ractice o$ studying your students and
learning &ore about the& is i&#ortant $or e*ery class o$ e*ery year. I belie*e that students
learn best 'hen they ha*e a teacher that (no's the&- because she can then de*elo# content
that relates to the&. ,lthough this #rocess &ay not be as in de#th 'hen doing a study o$ all
o$ your students" the as#ect o$ getting to (no' your students is the sa&e. :ou need to
obser*e their routines" habits" and learning #re$erences so you deter&ine areas o$ 'ea(ness
so i&#ro*e&ent can be &ade. The sa&e #rocess can be utili2ed $or 'hole class- obser*ing
class dyna&ics" indi*idual #re$erences" conducting student sur*eys to get to (no' your
students. Then ta(ing this data and analy2ing it to $igure out 'hat you need to $ocus on. Then
I can ta(e this data to do so&e research and a##ly the research in the classroo&. 3*erall this
#ro9ect 'as not 9ust bene$icial in hel#ing &e to &odi$y instruction $or this s#eci$ic student"
but also learning ho' to a##ly si&ilar #rocedures in &y o'n $uture classroo&.
Article Summaries
Article 1- How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class
This article introduces a conce#t (no'n as dead ti&e- 'hich the author e-#lains as
synony&ous $or lac( o$ engage&ent. She e-#lains ho' to con*ert dead ti&e into acti*e
learning by su&&ari2ing ten things teachers can do to engage their students. Not only to get
their students interested but eli&inate dri$ting o$$ and increase engage&ent throughout the
entire lesson. So&e reco&&endations include &a(ing sure to 'ar& u# your students &inds
and ha*e the& collaborate 'ith other class&ates and then share4. There are t'o suggestions
that $ocus on building tea&'or( and collaboration s(ills in the classroo& to aid in creating a
'ar& classroo& en*iron&ent. 3ther suggestions include incor#orating #hysical acti*ity and
&o*e&ent into the lesson. 3*erall the article had #lenty o$ resource$ul ti#s on ho' to engage
students and (ee# the& acti*ely learning.
Article 2- Helping Struggling Readers
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Nicole Willis Child Study Fall 2013
This article had t'o &ain $ocuses; 'hy so&e students are &ore at ris( o$ being
struggling readers and t'o" ho' to address struggling readers in the classroo&. The author
e-#lains that li$e e-#erience" role &odels" and ho' they de*elo# their reading s(ills ha*e a
huge i&#act on a students reading ability. ,lso" *isual #erce#tion and learning disabilities
can also in$luence ability to read. The authors/ &ain &essage is that i$ a teacher #roacti*ely
$ocuses on these students/ underde*elo#ed s(ills" i&#ro*e&ent can be &ade. Suggestions
such as #honics and co&#rehension and listening instruction" as 'ell as tutoring and
e-tension acti*ities. The author is ada&ant about $ocusing on the underde*elo#ed s(ills in
order to achie*e student success.
Citations:
1.+ Fronde*ille" T.0. ),ugust 3" 2011+. Ho' to 6ee# 6ids ngaged in Class. Edutopia.
%etrie*ed $ro&; htt#;55'''.eduto#ia.org5classroo&-student-#artici#ation-ti#s
2.+ 6elly" C. Ca&#bell" 7. )2012+. Hel#ing Struggling %eaders. Johns Hopkins University.
%etrie*ed $ro&; htt#;55education.9hu.edu5!05ne'hori2ons5strategies5to#ics5
literacy5articles5hel#ing-struggling-readers5
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