Aleena Ijaz

October 9, 2016

Community, Pedagogy, and Practice

Case Study Part 1

While setting up my classroom, I was focused on my classroom vision

of collaboration, hands-on learning, and a contemporary focus. My

classroom is therefore set up with lab tables arranged into table groups.

There are 7 table groups in total with each group seating 4 students (two lab

tables combined, each one with room for 2 students). Tables are numbered

1-7, and each table has a box of stationary in the middle including colored

pencils, pens, pencils, and highlighters. Students were assigned a specific

table on the very first day of school, and have remained there ever since

unless they have personally talked to me about a seating issue or have been

moved due to disruptions. Assigned seating helped me learn names and

resolve management issues by strategically seating students. There is also a

single lab bench at the very front of the room for the teacher to do

demonstrations and lay out any supplementary materials. The tables were

set up in this fashion to facilitate collaboration between students. Whenever

students are doing an activity with a partner, they know to turn to the

student seated next to them; whenever they are doing a group activity, they

work with their table groups.

My classroom routines are designed to encourage students to be

professional and independent. For instance, students receive only one

1
homework packet a week and have the entire week to complete it, which

requires that they manage their own schedules. In addition, late work is not

accepted because students are expected to be independent and turn in all

work on time. Students are also instructed to ask a peer at their table groups

before they ask me if they have a question. This encourages students to use

their resources and learn from their peers through collaboration. I have also

created a Science in the News bulletin board inside my classroom, which

displays scientific news articles and recent science advancements. Students

have been instructed to read the articles on the bulletin board before or after

class, and have been told that they will receive pop quizzes on these

advancements periodically. This bulletin board is designed to increase

student literacy and help students see the contemporary applications of

content learned in class.

I have learned a lot about my teaching practices in the past month.

One of the most important lessons that I have now internalized is the

importance of family and community engagement. One of my students was

giving me trouble in class by talking out of turn and being disruptive. None of

the traditional consequences I use inside my classroom were effective, so I

decided to communicate with his mother. After I spoke to her and both

explained the situation and solicited her advice on how to build a relationship

with her child, I noticed that this student was much more responsive to my

instruction. While this was a more negative phone call, Ive also learned the

power of positive contact with families. Next time I will communicate with

2
this students mother for a positive reason to continue to build a strong

relationship. In addition, I hope to reach out to many families for students

who have been doing well in my class to form a positive foundation in case I

have to reach out for negative reasons in the future.

In addition, I have learned both the value of culturally relevant

teaching and also just how difficult it is to implement in practice. Culturally

relevant teaching not only increases student interest and motivation, but

also can serve to cultivate a sense of community inside the classroom and

empower students. As defined by Ladson-Billings (2009), culturally relevant

teaching is a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially,

emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge,

skills, and attitudes. I have been trying my best to make connections and

use examples and references that empower my students. For instance, while

teaching my students about the properties of cohesion and adhesion of

water molecules, I prompted them to think about themselves sticking up for

their peers at Boys Latin HS vs. their peers from other schools. This example

really resonated with them and helped them grasp the material more

effectively.

On the other hand, I have also realized that it is important to avoid

making assumptions about students and their cultural backgrounds while

engaging in culturally relevant teaching. I attempted to use culturally

relevant examples when delivering a lesson on solutes and solvents, but was

approached by a student after class who said my example offended him. He

3
believed that I was buying in to stereotypes and making assumptions by

using that example. This instance made me realize that I must be deliberate

about my teaching to ensure that it truly empowers my students rather than

disempowers and alienates them. I need to work harder to implement

Edmins outlined reality pedagogy that accounts for the differences between

a teachers worldview and student experiences. As stated by Edmin, a

teacher should teach from the standpoint of an ally working to help them

reclaim their humanity by working hard to unpack your indoctrination

(Edmin, 2016, 40). I am still in the process of unpacking my indoctrination,

and I need to be cautious during this process.

The case I want to focus on is a behavioral management issue I

continue to have inside my classroom. My second period chemistry honors

class has disciplinary issues that prevent them from learning. Other teachers

have told me that I have several students who have a history of being

disruptive and receiving disciplinary action. I have experienced this in my

own classroom already; students in this class throw things, talk out of turn

and to each other, make inappropriate comments, and laugh at each others

misbehavior. There is a group of about 5 students who initiate these

disruptions that spread to the entire class. I have learned that students in

this group feed off of each others misbehavior and also all cover up for each

other. Because of this, it is often hard for me to delegate consequences to

the appropriate student at the appropriate time. The students misbehavior

began as minor talking out of turn and laughter, but has escalated to

4
inappropriate commentary and throwing of crayons, pencils, balls of paper,

and empty water bottles. These 5 students all sat together in the back of the

room at the beginning of the room but have slowly moved apart due to seat

changes. These students are able to get their work done and have some of

the highest grades in the course, but their academic performance is clouded

by their poor behavior inside the classroom. Their behavior is particularly

problematic because it affects the rest of the class in a negative manner and

precludes other students who are well behaved from being in a productive

learning environment.

I have taken several actions in an attempt to resolve this situation. For

one, I have implemented a more rigid disciplinary system inside my

classroom. Students receive one verbal warning for misbehavior before they

are assigned a reflection sheet that must be signed by a parent and is

accompanied by a call home. If they continue to act out, they receive a point

in the school-wide logging system; accumulation of points results in

detentions and suspensions. I implemented this change so that the

relationship between behaviors and consequences was clear for students. As

described by Milner (2010), explicit disciplinary procedures resolve confusion

and can decrease misbehavior. I also reset the classroom by restating norms

and expectations that were established at the beginning of the year. I did

this again, to avoid any confusion from my students. Another step I took was

to communicate with teachers who have had these students before to

receive more information about the context. From these conversations, I

5
realized that these misbehaviors were all related and students were working

as a group, so I moved seats around. I also called parents and solicited their

advice, both to build a relationship and to get an inside perspective from

parents who know their children best.

I believe that my case study will reveal one of several things. For one, I

believe that part of the problem is that my directions and instruction are

unclear and leave room for misinterpretation and misbehavior. Providing

clearer instructions may be the solution to preventing students from talking

during transitions or getting out of hand during group activities. I also believe

that students are misbehaving because they find the material too easy or

uninspiring. I believe this may be the case since these students have some of

the highest grades in the class despite their misbehaviors. As described by

Duckworth (2016), it is important for educators to channel student voice and

feedback to make learning something that students desire rather than

begrudgingly submit to. Duckworth also explained that students normally

shuttle between one of two extremes: social interaction, which is fun but not

challenging, and education, which is challenging but uninteresting. My

students clearly enjoy socializing with each other, so it is my job to channel

their energy for socialization toward investment in education. Finally, I also

think that my case study will reveal that I need to continue to work toward

becoming a no-nonsense nurturer. I believe that my students currently

perceive me as solely a nurturer, but not a no-nonsense nurturer. Their

perception may be that I hesitate to delegate consequences since I am a

6
new teacher at a new school, and it may take some time and implementation

of my class-wide disciplinary system for this perception to change.

Works Cited

7
Duckworth, A. (2016). From Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

Chapter 11. The Playing Fields of Grit.

Edmin, C. (2016). From For White Folks Who Teach in the Hoodand the

Rest of Yall Too. Introduction and p. 27-43.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). From Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of

African-American Children. Does Culture Matter?

Milner, R. From Start Where You Are, But Dont Stay There: Understanding

Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Diversity in Todays Classrooms.

Introduction and Chapter 1.