Data Specific Context On November 24, the class went on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as an extension of the class’ Africa Study. Students have been learning about various cultural components of different African regions, and the purpose of the museum trip was to observe the masks. The teacher assigned partnerships for students, and gave them the task of finding an African mask that interested them. The pair would then each draw a sketch of the mask, noting the country of origin for the mask and a few of the materials used to create the mask. The goal was to have the pairs exchanging conversations about the mask, rather than producing extensive amounts of writing. The class was split into two groups, with Veronica taking one group to a particular exhibit, and Cristin taking the other group to a nearby exhibit. The event described in the anecdotal reflection occurred during the transition from our exploration of the exhibits to lunch. The lunchroom was unexpectedly closed, so the class had to eat outside. Jake was assigned to work with Ori, a quiet and thoughtful student with significant reading challenges. With Jake’s demonstrated preference to work individually (See Data Pieces 6 and 7), | was curious to see whether his partnership skills would be affected by a change in environment. I was also curious to observe how Jake would apply his knowledge from our Africa Study in the museum. How would he engage with this partner? Does this sketch and conversation assignment capture his talents? I took my field notes journal to the museum and collected extensive observational data. I then transcribed my notes into an anecdotal reflection, which was written in the evening of November 24th. Anecdotal Reflection Jake and Ori were standing in front of an individual mask display, covered in glass. Jake had left his clipboard, pencil, and paper at the previous exhibit, and I was walking towards him with his materials. Before I handed them to him, I heard Jake reading the display placard to Ori. Ori’s head was tilted up towards the mask. Jake then pointed to an African map on a nearby; he was showing Ori where Kenya was located on the map. | interrupted to hand Jake his materials, saying, “How is it going?” Jake took his things out of my hands. Ori says, “Sp. this mask is from Kenya.” I answered, “is this the mask you're going to sketch?” Jake sat on the floor in Sront of the display. Without speaking to me, he started sketching very slowly. He would take a “few moments to look up at the mask, then go back to his drawing. Ori sat next to him and sketched the mask in a few moments. I walked a few feet behind the pair so that I was still able to hear their conversation. Ori said, “Oh wait, is that hair?” Jake looked up at the mask, pointing to the placard again. “It says it’s dried grass and those feathers are chicken feathers,” he answered, going back to his drawing. He started leaning forward, towards his paper, so close that the pencil was almost touching his forehead. Ori put his materials down beside him, and stretched his arms out behind him. Ori titled his head toward the mask again. He said, “so did people actually wear this mask? It is so ugly.” Jake did not look up from his paper when he replied, “of course people wore this mask. It was probably really important to the Kenya people, so don’t call it ugly.” Ori stretched his hands out as far as they could go, until he was laying flat on his back. Jake started talking about the masks, using almost the exact same teaching points as Veronica had used: “Masks are usually inspired by the natural surroundings like the animals HB >.33 CHILD INQUIRY PROJECT... and the trees and that’s how they get materials and they always have a special meaning.” I had to stop taking notes at this point because a few students needed an escort to the restroom. Jake's drawing, when I looked at it later, was the most detailed sketch in the class. He decided to take it home with him before I could scan his work. When I returned, the class was assembling for lunch. We walked to the opposite corner of the museum towards the lunch room only to discover that it was closed. We had to walk all the way back towards the other opposite corner to eat on the museum steps. The class sat down on the steps and started eating. I noticed that Jake was not seated with anyone, and was holding his ears with his hands, This made me consider the noise level, although I had not consciously considered it before I noticed his hands over his ears. Directly across from our group on the stairs was a very large, and very loud fountain. Park Avenue traffic was also contributing to the noise level. I waited to see if any student would join Jake, but no one seemed to notice that he was seated alone. I took a photograph of him in an effort to capture his exact stance and the distance between him and his classmates (See Photograph 8.1). I walked over to him and sat down. “What did you think about those exhibits, Jake?” T asked. He put down his hands and answered, “I thought it was good.” I mentioned that I saw his sketch, and I complimented his effort. He pulled the sketch paper out of his pocket and started talking about the details of the mask and his ideas about the origins and purposes of the mask. Jake was able to recall the year that the mask was found, the country, the materials used, and he applied that information to his discussion about the mask's purpose. I said, “I’m so impressed that you were able to remember all of those details. You didn't have to take notes?” He answered, “No, notes don’t help in fact they make it worse.” A pigeon ‘flew very close to us, and I heard Veronica asking me to escort students to the trashcan, located far away from our group on the steps. Jake put his sketch back in his pocket, as he asked, “Are we going to get to do more sketches?” I answered, “I think so!” and I walked over to the teachers. Photograph 8.1: Jake Covers His Ears CHILD INQUIRY PROJECT... Findings Jake’s work at the Museum showed how he responded to the “chat and sketch” task with his partner, Ori. Jake completed his conversation with Ori and the sketch of the mask without any apparent hesitation. Later, Jake shared that “notes don’t help in fact they make it worse. Also, Jake showed progress in his capacity to collaborate with a partner when he was able to sustain his conversation with Ori about the mask. He demonstrated responsibility and a deep understanding of the content during the conversation. However, during lunch, Jake chose to sit alone and away from the group. Analysis Jake showed areas of growth in his capacity to work with a partner and was able to demonstrate his understanding in a format that was more responsive to his interests than writing. Tam wondering if Jake dislikes writing because his hands cannot keep up with the pace of his brain; does he have foo many thoughts that prevent him from putting the pencil to the paper? When Jake said, “notes don’t help in fact they make it worse,” I think he may be referring to his capacity to memorize and internalize information without needing to record his ideas. In this assignment, there was no pressure to write — only to talk and discuss and sketch. Because this type of assignment reflected his strengths, it allowed him to be successful. 1am also wondering how Ori, Jake’s partner, was able to help Jake. Ori is a thoughtful, patient boy who needs support with basic literacy skills. I think Jake was able to develop confidence in this instance, since he was able to be in a teaching role — he showed the map to Ori and read the placard. It is possible that partnering Jake with a student who could benefit from Jake’s strength will help both students grow. Lastly, I was rather puzzled when Jake started to cover his ears with his hands during lunch. I assumed that he was trying to drown out the conversations around him, but when | considered the noise level beyond the area we occupied, | realized that Jake might be responding to the fountain or the traffic. As a teacher, I must never forget that my students with sensory issues experience a different world in some ways. In future inquiries, I will look at how the noise level in the classroom might impact Jake’s behaviors. Data Piece 9: “ Jake! Sit up!” Data Specific Context In my observational notes of Jake, I began to notice that his behaviors during whole- group instructional moments included rocking back and forth on his cushion, chewing on his. pencil or hoodie string, leaning his forehead forward to the floor, and occasionally distracting his neighbors. The occupational therapist had visited our class several times during the month of November to observe his behaviors at Veronica’s request. | felt that the teachers were calling attention to his movements and seemed to constantly say, “Jake! Sit up!” Based on my observations and field notes, I decided to complete a frequency chart to quantify particular behaviors or signals. I completed the tally counts in five different whole-group instructional contexts: reading, writing, math, art, and music. Veronica taught during the reading, writing, and math contexts, and the art teacher and the music teacher each taught their own lesson. To determine which