Adam Gullen

ED 619
4/6/2020

Case Study: Behavior Intervention

My Case Study work was complicated by two factors; the first of which is that about a
month into the project, I changed students. This will be discussed further in a moment. The
second reason is that our school year was cut short due to the Coronavirus, which has hampered
my ability to work with my second student.
The student I was initially working with was changed because it became increasingly
apparent to me that the student was suffering from psychological issues that were hampering his
ability to focus and participate in school. My IOSIE plan for the initial student was:
I: student has a severe difficulty focusing and following along in class
O: student should be able to record teacher work during math class, and attempt some
problems on his own
S: I will sit at his table and help redirect him when he got off-task, and if need be move
him to the back where we can work if he is still distracted
I: my host teacher was informed of my work with the student, and the parent thanked me
for working with her son
E: lead to me stopping my work with the student
As the weeks went on and I worked with my student, it became clear that it wasn’t a
simple issue where I could effectively redirect his attention and help him with his work. It
seemed the more I tried to help him, the less focused he became. Initially when I started working
with him, he went from not having any of the teachers work recorded in his book, to being able
to copy down maybe one problem. Quickly however, he reverted back and even with my
assistance would not be able to follow along in class. He’d get agitated and want to return to
playing or daydreaming, and would become unresponsive or agitated. It was clear I wasn’t
helping him learn. I discussed my concerns with my host teacher, and she agreed I should change
students, and we selected a different pupil for me to work with.
The second student I worked with had this IOSIE plan:
I: student is disruptive to class, especially when she has limited work to do
O: student should have a plan for what to do when finished with classwork early
S: I will redirect student and have two-way conversations with her about her behavior. I
will develop a cheat sheet she can use to find work when she’s done early
I: host teacher suggested the cheat sheet idea, and in discussion with the student she
showed buy-in with ideas on helping to create the sheet
E: I was unable to finish work due to the school closure
I was excited to have a good plan in place to help my new student with her behavior. She
is a very bright pupil, but can very easily make the learning environment difficult for those
around her. I spent a lot of time pulling her aside to discuss her behavior when she was
distracting her tablemates, and made some progress on this end. It helped that we already knew
each other and had a strong rapport. Before school was closed, the student and myself were
working on creating a cheat sheet that would include good options for her to work on when she
finished her assignments early. She seemed excited about this, but unfortunately, we weren’t able
to implement it because of the school closure. Even though my work was cut short, I do feel that
the student had some improvements in her behavior. She became more aware of how her
outbursts affected those around her, and it seemed that she had more “good days” where she
didn’t disrupt her classmates as often.
My interactions with both students were consistent with my personal philosophy. I
always strove to intervene in a respectful manner that included a two-way conversation with the
student. I tried my hardest not to have a “me-vs-you” situation, and really tried to create an
environment that was a partnership of learning between us. With the second student I worked
with, she was very much involved with planning and participating in the project, and I think both
students appreciated being taken as a serious partner in their own education.