Jackson Case Study

By: Brooke McMurray

Part One:
Jackson is a disengaged student who is often messy and uninterested, with very little
social interaction. He is very good at math but needs to show his work in an organized way and
is also interested in engines.

Part Two:
Jackson is a very bright student in math, he can divide in his head but has an
incomprehensible worksheet, and the teacher was concerned when he got 14/20 on a math
quiz because that is unlike him. These two instances are most likely connected as he could not
clearly show his work orderly by using columns and therefore got the answers wrong. Based on
the Zone of Proximal Development, Jackson needs some scaffolding from his teacher to show
his work in class. His teacher knows that he can do it because he can do it in his head, but she
needs to show him where he is and where he can be. In the anecdotal notes, the teacher
mentions getting him some grid paper to help with the mess, but she never follows up on
whether she executed that, and if she did, she did not say whether it was effective. Jackson
knows what he is doing as he is noted to be very bright with numbers, so he needs to be shown
where he is and where he can be with some strategies such as organization, using rulers, and
utilizing the grid paper.
From the perspective of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory, Jackson's two
ecosystems, school and home, need to work together to provide him with a unified framework
for understanding the world. Based on the notes about phone calls home and the lack of
stability we learned about in his sister Sophia's case, there is not much support and structure
when the students leave the school. Therefore, Jackson's context of these vastly different
settings in his microsystem conflicts with what he knows about the world. He may not have the
foundational knowledge learned in home life, such as building relationships and organization.
So, when his teacher assumes he has these capabilities, he is left further behind and needs help
to form connections and keep things organized, whether on paper or in his mind (forgetting a
due date). This disequilibrium is hard for Jackson to form relationships as he seems to have
come from a disconnected home life and, therefore, may not have the skills to make friends at
recess but instead likes to talk to his teacher. Overall, he does not have the skills and strategies
that the teacher may expect him to have in Grade 6 because he was never taught that
foundational knowledge at home.

Part Three
Jackson is cognitively overloaded with information and is struggling to narrow his focus
and remember specific steps of the long division process because he is cognitively overloaded.
He needs help connecting all the information needed to get the correct answer. Jackson's
teacher noted that he knows the answers but is getting them wrong because his work is
incomprehensible. One way to help him with this would be to utilize the grid paper mentioned
and show him how to use columns to keep his work tidy so that he does not get confused.
Another beneficial strategy would be to have the steps of long division handy for him (a poster
or something on his desk) that he could look at when he gets stuck. Combining these two
techniques by having a step-by-step example on grid paper for him to reference in his work
would also minimize the other distractions (extraneous cognitive load) and allow him to focus
on the task at hand.

Part Four
The self-Determination theory can be connected to multiple aspects of Jackson's case.
First, Jackson's teacher has noted that he is often quiet and, at recess, does not engage in
playing with the other kids because he feels that they are not interested in the same things. If
Jackson is not making connections and fostering meaningful relationships, his sense of
relatedness will not be fulfilled in the classroom. His teacher also noted that she called home,
and there was no answer; she was wondering if something was happening at home. Based on
that information and the information from Sophia's case study, we can infer that there is not
much family time and communication at home. Jackson and his sister do not get support with
their learning and most likely in other areas. Due to a lack of relationships at home, it may be
harder for Jackson to form relationships with peers. Since Jackson seems to lack connection in
the classroom, he will not be as motivated to come to school; thus, he will be disengaged. He
has not formed trusting and respectful relationships with his peers; because of this, he is
unlikely to participate in classroom discussions, projects or fun activities as he may feel like he
is on the outside.
Jackson is also disengaged from the classroom, not just in terms of his peers but the
content. When asked why he did not complete his habitat assignment, he said he had forgotten
about it. This could be due to multiple things, such as; a lack of organizing assignments, interest
or motivation. In her notes, his teacher says she has no choice but to give him a zero; however,
in Self-Determination theory, more specifically autonomy and competence, the teacher is not
exhibiting flexible outcomes and is not supporting students to meet their goals while giving
them time to do so. If she had checked in with Jackson midway through the project, she might
have seen that he was either on task or not while reminding him of the due date. When she
acknowledged that he did not hand it in, she could have given him more time to complete the
project, thus, fulfilling the autonomy aspect of being in control of his learning.

Part Five
Three Goals for Jackson
a) Organization, more specifically of desk, work and assignments
b) Attempt to make friends and put himself out there for people to get to know
c) Find his motivation and what he likes to do and implement that into classroom
management

Part Six:
For Jackson to complete these goals, he will need the help of his teacher and some
grace from his peers. First, it would be beneficial for Jackson and his teacher to sit down
together and go through his desk to declutter any unnecessary things and organize the things
he utilizes effectively. He mentioned that he would lose the token the teacher was
implementing for classroom management, and this would be a way for him to become engaged
in the prize draw as he would unlikely lose them if his desk were clean. His teacher could
adhere to his self-determination by teaching him strategies and techniques that would help him
keep his working area tidy. This would show him where he is and where he can be based on his
zone of proximal development. These strategies could also cross over to other areas of his life,
such as when he was tasked with cleaning the ball room – he may now have some strategies
about how to do that effectively. His teacher must show him where he is and where he can be
when he is organized.
The second and third goals can be achieved by getting to know Jackson more. First,
Jackson's teacher can also help in terms of making friends and fostering trusting relationships
between Jackson and his peers. For now, it seems he trusts his teacher as he feels comfortable
enough to walk around with her at recess and talk about his interest in engines. Once the
teacher understands more about him, she may be able to direct him toward kids that are
similar or have the same interests. For example, she may get a math group together where
students who excel at math can share their interests; the same goes for his interest in engines.
Similarly, for the third goal, it may be beneficial if Jackson's teacher had a prize bucket with
things that interest him, such as things that have to do with engines and other interests they
find out along the way. This will increase his motivation in class and the reward system in place.
Both strategies adhere to the Self-Determination theory, where Jackson feels related to his
peers and teacher.

Part Seven:
My action plan can be successful by executing the strategies and theories we have learned
throughout this course. Jackson will become a part of the learning community by creating
trusting and hopefully lasting relationships with his peers. He will also be able to communicate
his work more effectively and, because of this, receive higher grades that can raise his
confidence. However, one drawback of my plan is that for the third goal, more than
implementing prizes that pique Jackson's interest may be needed for him to be motivated to
participate in the homework reward system. A different strategy for this may work better, but
for the time being, I would try this strategy first before moving on to another one. Most of my
steps for achieving these goals are working one-on-one with Jackson to show him strategies for
organization and making friends, and while these may not be strenuous resources, the time
factor comes into play. As a teacher, you may have little time to direct as much attention to
Jackson as needed, so it may have to be a long process as the year progresses. However, it will
be apparent that these goals have been achieved when Jackson feels comfortable playing with
peers at recess and participating more in class. Jackson's work will also become neater and
more organized, and he will know when assignments are due.