Student Case

Study
Mackenzie Dockweiler
Fall 2022
EDI 310 09
 Participant Information
My Case Study Student:
Rachel is a 6 year old white
female in Mrs. Herbst’s first
grade at West Elementary
School in Grandville, Michigan.
Her date of birth is February 3rd,
2016. *No IEP or 504 plan.
Why I Chose This Student:
For several weeks, I have noticed
inappropriate behavior patterns
such as shouting out answers or
thoughts when someone else is
talking. Another trend is that this
student does not follow directions
for individual activities when they
first are given. I would like to
create and use strategies that can
help Rachel find alternative and
appropriate ways to communicate
with her teachers and classmates.
Home Life:
Rachel lives with her mother,
father, and one younger
brother(2y/o). At home and
school, Rachel uses the English
language to communicate.
Interests/Dislikes:
Rachel enjoys playing on
the playset at her grandpa’s
house. She also likes
Pokémon, Eevee being her
favorite, and the show
“Bluey”.
She doesn't enjoy silent
reading time or when her
classmates are yelling over
each other in the class.
Strengths
Rachel is very social and gets along
well with most students. She
contributes to class discussions and
displays independence in various
tasks. Rachel has also received high
scores in reading and math for the
MAP Growth Assessment.
Areas of Improvement:
Rachel becomes distracted easily
on the rug, as well as at her table.
She tends to interrupt the teacher
while they are speaking to the class
or another student. During lessons,
she becomes off task and distracts
her table peers. Rachel also tends
to wander off when her peers are in
line for a location change.
 Classroom Context
About the Classroom: Classroom Layout:
There are 20 students in the classroom. Every student is
responsible for following the Whole Brain Thinking classroom
rules: (1)following directions quickly, (2)raising your hand for
permission to speak, (3)raising your hand for permission to
leave your seat, (4)making smart choices, (5)keeping our
community safe and happy, and (6)keeping your eyes on the
target.
Daily Schedule:
8:20 am → Arrival
8:40 am → S.T.E.M
9:00 am →Workshops
10:00 am → Snack/Break
10:30 am → Guided Readers
11:15 am → Recess & Lunch
12:15 pm → Math
1: 15 pm → W.I.N Time
2:00 pm → Activities(Grammar, Spelling, etc.)
2:45 pm → Clean and Pack Up
3:00 pm → Special (Art, PE, Music, Library, ASL)
3:41 pm → Dismissal (Rachel's seat is represented by pink star)
 Observed Behavior #1 & Strategy
Observed Behavior:
I have observed that Rachel will refuse
to follow directions when they are given
for the first time. Rachel will ignore the
teacher and continue to not follow
directions when she is reminded of the
expected behavior several times. This
behavior commonly occurs during whole
group activities on the rug and
independent activities at her desk. I have
noticed that this behavior also occurs
when she is sitting in close proximity to
another student. Rachel may see these
moments as opportunities to talk with
her peers, even during instructional
time.
Strategy #1 Implemented:
Affective Statements:
When I noticed Rachel talking to her neighbors during
morning workshops, I would express my emotions to
her using affective language (Costello). This helped
her understand how her behavior was not appropriate
for the task. I would also ask Rachel how she thinks she
can fix her behavior, but she had a challenge coming up
with examples on her own. Often, I would give her
options such as turning her chair to face straight and
being less tempted to talk to her friends.
Other Strategy I Could Have Used:
Respect Agreements:
By integrating respect agreements (Claasen) into the
classroom, my desired outcome would be for Rachel to
express how she would like to be respected by her
peers and teacher, but also how she can show respect
to them. The agreement can consist of examples of
how she can show respect including following
directions the first time they are given.
 Analysis #1
I believe that the affective language method (Costello) could have gone a little better, but I
wouldn’t say that it was entirely ineffective. When compared to my original desired results, this
method worked fairly well. The main reason for implementing affective language into my classroom
was for Rachel to become aware of her actions and understand how they can affect others around
her. It felt unnatural when I first began using this strategy, but it eventually became easier as I
practiced with other students as well. When I finally became comfortable with using this method
with Rachel, I began to notice the difference in our interactions. She would look at me when I was
speaking, rather than at the ground or another student. Rachel would also wait to speak until she
knew I was done talking. This revealed to me that she was actually listening to me and valuing my
emotions. Even if it still took 2-3 reminders, Rachel would eventually listen to the directions and
follow the expectations.
In regards to the use of respect agreements in a classroom (Claasen), I believe that they would
be most in an upper elementary classroom. Although, I do believe that this strategy could have been
useful if I had the opportunity to use it with Rachel and her classmates. If all students were on the
same page regarding how they could express and receive respect, I believe that Rachel would react
to this tool positively. Overall, I would consider using both of these behavior management strategies
in my future classroom, but I would have to make a few initial adaptations. I would try to implement a
respect agreement for all students and ensure that it is age appropriate for my class.
 Observed Behavior #2 & Strategy
Observed Behavior:
I have observed that Rachel will shout
out answers and thoughts during whole
group instruction. Rachel will shout out
comments without raising her hand to
ask for permission to speak. This
behavior will usually cause an
interruption in the teacher’s lesson or
read-aloud. I have also observed that
this behavior occurs the most while
Rachel is sitting in her assigned square
on the rug. This behavior is less likely to
occur when she is at her table.
Strategy #2 Implemented:
“Take a Look”:
When I noticed that Rachel was blurting out during a
read-aloud. I would tap her shoulder and remind her to
“take a look” (Wade). Rachel would immediately stop
and take a second to self-check her behavior. A few
seconds later, I noticed that Rachel would raise her
hand and wait until I or the teacher called on her. I also
used this during our silent reading workshop when I
noticed Rachel trying to talk to her classmates.
Other Strategy I Could Have Used:
Restorative Circles:
By implementing restorative circles (Costello) in the
classroom, my desired outcome would be for the
students, including Rachel, to share how they learn
best. Some students work better in groups, while
others work best independently. Finding out how
Rachel is most productive will help Rachel’s teacher
and me create an instructional plan that best suits her
learning style.
 Analysis #2
In terms of the “Take a Look” strategy (Wade), I believe that this strategy can be most
effective when used in lower elementary classrooms. Rachel’s behavior of shouting out and
disrupting the teacher was not a behavior that raised much concern, but it was a behavior that
needed to be corrected. I believe that Rachel’s actions were not done on purpose and in fact, I
believe that there were times she truly forgot the expectations on the rug. There were several
incidences where I noticed that Rachel was not following the behavior expectations, but all I had to
do was say “Hey, take a quick look”, and I could see her behavior change instantly. She would look at
her classmates and immediately raise her hand if she had something to say. In conclusion, I
witnessed how easy yet effective this restorative practice can be for managing behaviors.
Similar to the respect agreement strategy, I was not given the opportunity to fully implement
restorative circles (Costello) in my mentor teacher’s classroom. Even though I was unable to witness
the true effects of using this practice in a classroom setting, I believe that restorative circles can
positively impact a student’s life. My desired outcome for this strategy was to develop a deeper
understanding of how Rachel learns best. By using a restorative circle, I could have learned Rachel’s
likes and dislikes, not only from a personal perspective but an academic one as well. If my time with
Rachel was not so short, I could have discussed different options and implemented plans to help her
achieve the most in her learning process. In my future classroom, I would consider using both of
these strategies to assist me in building a more positive and supportive classroom.

What did I learn from the
assignment?
From this case study
assignment, I learned just
because a student has difficult
behaviors, doesn’t make them a
bad student. Although Rachel
did have some challenging
behaviors, I still value her the
same as I would any other
student. Rachel has so many
amazing qualities about her that
I was able to discover from my
observations. She is kind,
passionate, and has a great
sense of humor. I have no
regrets about choosing her for
my case study assignment.
Conclusions
What did I learn about
myself as a teacher?
During the past few weeks, I
have discovered some strengths
of mine that I didn’t realize I had.
Before completing this
assignment, I saw myself as a
teacher who was a little too
flexible, especially when it came
to behavior management. I was
initially nervous about keeping
the structure of these strategies
consistent, but I surprised
myself. I was able to express my
expectations for Rachel clearly
and confidently. All I had to do
was believe in myself and use
my knowledge of restorative
practices.
What did I learn about
restorative practices?
During my time with Rachel, I
gained a great amount of
knowledge on the benefits of
implementing restorative
practices in a classroom setting.
As a result of using restorative
practices, I was able to build a
strong and healthy relationship
with Rachel. Before this
assignment, I feel as if Rachel
viewed me as a friend and didn’t
take me seriously. Now, I can
confidently say that Rachel sees
me as a real teacher who she
can still count on as a friend
when she needs one.
 Recommendations

1. Allow all students to take a 5-minute movement break between

activities or a lesson. Encourage students to move their bodies and
clear their minds to help them refocus for the next task.

Have an informal meeting with a student about their current

2. behaviors and how they are not meeting the class expectations.
Suggest an individualized plan to record and track their behaviors.

3. Have a morning “check-in” meeting with a student to discuss

their current feelings and the expectations for the day. Before
dismissal, have a “check-out” meeting with the student to
discuss what you liked about their behavior throughout the day,
as well as their areas that need improvement.
 Guidelines & References
Learner Profile:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KugyNLDY5Nw6ofrruD6rrx5aCwpAsRwy/edit?usp=s
haring&ouid=106839140683722158774&rtpof=true&sd=true

Sources:
Claassen, Ron, and Roxanne Claassen. Discipline That Restores: Strategies to Create Respect,
Cooperation, and Responsibility in the Classroom. BookSurge Publishing, 2008.

Costello, Bob, et al. The Restorative Practices Handbook: For Teachers, Disciplinarians and
Administrators. International Institute for Restorative Practices, 2019.

Wade, Amy. “Teaching Children to Check Their Own Behavior.” Responsive Classroom, 11 Dec.
2015,
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/teaching-children-to-check-their-own-behavior
/.