Samantha Blake

Dr. Haley

Edu 220 Principles of Teaching

24 September 2019

Essential Question #3

To teach any subject it’s important to know the student. If the teacher does not know the

student, how can they expect to teach the child in the way they need to learn. A child’s case file

holds a lot of different information that can be read and interpreted in a variety of ways. An

essential teacher should read a child’s case folder in a certain way, this information includes

background information, test scores, teacher comments and more.

A child’s case study should be read with a grain of salt. Bias is a big contributor to how

teachers view students, even if they do not think they have any. Many things can contribute to an

action in a class, maybe a teacher only does lectures and worksheets and so Leon cannot stay

focused and daydreams, the teacher might think he is purposely being disrespectful and writes

that in her anecdotal comment. Then his teacher for next year reads that and starts the year

prepared to think Leon is disrespectful and might come off harsh on him as a result. However

certain things should definitely be read like allergies, health issues, glasses, etc. Health and other

factors that might change where the child should be placed in the classroom or if there is

something he/she can not have near them. Background should also be read for parental

information and an idea of what area they are from. While achievement tests should be read for

an understanding of what level they are at, teachers should realize that kids have bad test days,

are sick during test day, or simply are bad at taking tests. Then the anecdotal comments should

be read but they should then be put to the back of the mind so there is no bias when meeting the
kid. Really everything in a kids case file should be read and then put to the back of the mind until

after meeting the kid and getting their own opinion and understanding. If the kids have to get to

know teachers with little to no prior knowledge, shouldn’t teachers have to do the same?

A child's background information includes things ranging from race, parents (and

employment), siblings, who lives in the house, etc. Siblings can be a big contributor to teacher

bias, specifically older siblings. For example Leon has 3 brothers, and 5 step siblings. In the

teachers comments it states that he's “another Bamble” and compares him to his brother. This

shows that the teacher knows Leon’s older brother and automatically compares the two, meaning

the teacher already had a bias on Leon before they met. Not all teachers do this, and if the older

sibling was a great student it might not be a bad thing, however it does happen. It’s also

important to know where the kid is from incase a different language is spoken at home, to know

what cultural and religious norms the kid is used to and should be accepted and understood. Its

also important to know that Leon lives with his mother and step father, while having good

support from the mother's side, particularly from the grandparents. Adding that in with the fact

that the mother and stepfather work a lot, it would make sense if the grandparents showed up to a

conference as well or only, and the teacher should be prepared to communicate with everyone.

The two different kinds of standardized test are aptitude tests, which measure a child's

potential to learn, and achievement tests which measures the child knowledge against similar

children’s. Leon’s Grade 3 standardized test scores show a minus 2 deviation in reading, and

minus 1.5 deviation in math. This means he is under the average for both areas. For Leon’s

mental aptitude test he scored a 118 compared to the national average of 98 which shows that he

is above average in his ability to learn. In first grade Leon was in the 40 percentile in reading,

and 38 percentile in math which means that he was better than or equal to 40% and 30% of his
peers, showing that he is below average. Overall Leon’s test results show that he has a high

potential to learn, but his current knowledge level is below average. This might mean that he

needs to learn in a different way then he is currently being taught. He needs to become more

active in his learning, and participate more to reach the level he is capable of.

Due to Leon’s anecdotal comments Leon’s Teacher is worried about him falling behind

in both math and reading, especially if he does not start studying, though he does really well

when imagination is needed for creative learning activities. The same was seen in music class

were he does better in assignments were they get to pick what interests them, but when he was

not interested again he did not engage in the work. Interestingly the gym teacher has noticed a

change in his attitude after his mothers divorce and remarriage. Also it was noted he was the best

in a creative challenge, and also enjoys working with music. Leon also does not interact with

many students, and does not get the same teacher interaction as the other popular kids recieve.

All of this shows that he is a smart kid when he applies himself. After the divorce he has started

to withdrawl himself unless its something he is passionate about and involves choice/creativity. I

would suggest doing more choice work, let him listen to music, give creative assignments, and

more group work to get him involved with the other students. The teacher should also try to

show more positive attention and have more positive interactions with him.

A child’s case file holds a lot of different information that can be read and interpreted in a

variety of ways. An essential teacher should read a child’s case folder in a certain way, this

information includes background information, test scores, teacher comments and more.