In the case of Lupita, she may be classified as an ESL student with limited formal schooling (Freeman & Freeman article), meaning she is behind her other classmates in their academic ability because she did not have the same amount of formal schooling. From the case study, it seems like Lupita does not have confidence speaking English, which results in her being shy or not comfortable speaking with others. If the school has an ESL program, I think it would be helpful to recommend her for that program to get one on one instruction in learning English. If the school does not have an ESL program, I would try to do some more group work where the students have to talk and work together to figure out a particular task. This might help Lupita feel more comfortable talking because she will be in a smaller group rather than the whole class. Also, the other students might be able to help her with her English just from the interactions. Because she felt comfortable helping the other students with the puzzle, it seems like she wants to interact with students but does not have the confidence. She is obviously smart because she finished the puzzle before anyone else, she just might need some more quality interaction time with the other students. Group work could definitely solve this problem, and help the other students in the class as well.
Jonathon is a student who is well below reading level, and he might be embarrassed about it because he refuses to ask for help. It might be helpful to construct some reading groups and work with them one on one. In my placement, the teacher put students at similar reading levels together and calls the groups up to his table one at a time during independent work time. There might be some other students in the class who are close to Jonathon's reading level, so if they read together they might be able to help each other. I would start off in these reading groups with really simple texts and have them read the stories more than once in a row. This repetition will help with their fluency and they will begin to recognize certain words. My mentor teacher told me that this really helps his students who are below reading level.
It seems almost obvious that Eddie has a form of ADD or ADHD because he is unable to focus or sit still at times. I do not think he fidgets and does not pay attention because he is bored, because even if he is interested in something he still can not pay attention, like with the frog/tadpole lesson. It might be worth getting him checked out medically for those disorders because the doctor might be able to put him on medication that will help him focus. If the parents or teacher do not want to take him to a doctor, I think the most appropriate thing for the teacher to do would be to do more engaging activities that get the kids up and moving around. The teacher could do this by singing songs and dancing, or even something simpler like doing centers where the kids are required to switch stations every 5 minutes. This will not only help Eddie but also get the other kids up so they are not bored as well.
I agree with a lot of what Heather said about the case study. To begin, Lupita is an ESL student. From what I got from the case study, she seems like a pretty smart girl, she just may have trouble communicating in English. The fact that she was able to complete the puzzle before the other children, and then teach the other children how to complete it themselves shows that she is a bright girl, I just think that, like heather said, she may not be overly confident in her English speaking ability, and as a result, she doesn’t feel comfortable speaking in front of the entire class. I really liked heathers idea of doing more small group work so that she will have an opportunity to practice her English speaking skills in a more comfortable environment.
ReplyDeleteJonathan seems to be a struggling reader. I liked Heathers idea of creating reading groups with other students who are at a similar reading level so they can help each other out. Another idea that I think may help is something that I remember doing in elementary school. When I was in fifth grade, we were paired up with a first grade class, and we worked with the younger children on their reading skills. By pairing Jonathan up with a child in a higher grade, he can get extra help with his reading. This also helps him to be less embarrassed about it because the older student is older, and thus expected to know more/be a better reader. Whereas if he were paired with a better reader in the class, he may just feel so far behind that he will never be able to catch up.
In Eddie’s case, I again agree with Heather that he is ADD/ADHD. I think that it is important for the teacher to identify and understand this so they can create lessons that involve movement in an attempt to help him pay attention. Like Heather said, it’s not that he doesn’t want to pay attention; he just can’t sit still for extended periods of time. I like the idea of doing centers that allow the students to get up and out of their seats. Students, even those who don’t have ADD/ADHD, may have trouble sitting for extended periods of time. The teacher needs to be aware of this and create lessons that incorporate movement even if it’s just a little bit.