Katherine Graff
JOANNA’S CASE STUDY Session
8, Page 04, Activity 02
EDUC 5329
M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign Languages (Arabic)
ACTFL, NCPTS (
Content practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES content exam NOT TAKEN
PPR practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN
Dear Joanne,
I was reading about your experiences with your first
teaching assignment, and I was sorry to hear about your negative experiences
and the end result. I have been thinking
about your plight, and I think I have some analysis and advice that I would
like to share with you.
Possible Causes of the Problem
One possible cause of the problem is that there is no
social contract among the students or between the teacher and students. If students are disrespectful and a hostile
environment is created, there will be communication roadblocks on both the
giving and receiving ends (p. 132).
Another potential contributor is that the students may be unadapted to
the current established curriculum presentation or the teaching style. Take this example we had from our book, Classroom Management: A group of Sioux students attended schools in
their reservation that had a more cooperatively structured curriculum with
authentic assessments. In high school,
they were transferred into a public school with a management style curriculum
and standardized tests. The students
performed poorer in these schools. The
Sioux were not magically less intelligent, they were simply ill-adapted to the
school’s curriculum and the school needed to be more flexible with the
students’ cultural needs. (pp. 8-10) Finally, I noticed that students have no
responsibilities in the classroom to help them feel ownership in their
classroom environment and form group cohesion (p. 124).
What you might have done to facilitate
this Problem
First, I am wondering if perhaps you assigned Academic
labels to the students before beginning your instruction and gave them a chance
to perform (p. 52)?
Erasing preconceived labels is a huge obstacle to overcome once they are
set in your mind. Second, I noticed you
did not solidify a social contract or discipline plan between you and your
students and among the students themselves (pp. 128-131). Clear expectations were not established to
give the students guidelines for appropriate, respectful behavior. If students do not know what is expected of
them, how can they comply with class requirements? Third, the students were not consulted to
help mediate the problem (p. 142). Who
knows the source of the problem better than the ‘insiders’? This could be a great advantage for you. Fourth, I see that you did not ask for
assistance from your fellow professionals.
Others with similar experiences or who had the students in Kindergarten
or First Grade can offer some great advice that can give you alternate
management strategies. Your principal
seems willing to help you if you need anything, and perhaps some of the Special
Education teachers knew of an IEP that exists for some of your students that
would have shed some light on the students’ behavior or poor performance. Your panicking and frustration may have
unknowingly shown through in your hidden curriculum, and the students may have
picked up on that (p. 43) and responded negatively. Good communication, verbal or non-verbal, is
an enormous help in maintaining a classroom (pp. 131-132).
Alternative Decisions to Solve this
Problem
The first task I would perform to solve this problem is
to decide who owns which elements of the problem, the teacher or the students
(p. 132) in order to lay down some strategies.
I would then analyze each issue and note strategies to combat similar
situations n the next round. Next, I
would resolve to abolishing preconceived labels (Academic or otherwise) from my
person and look at each child as a blank canvas. Over time, I can paint that canvas with
personality, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and so on as the days
progress. Then, to decrease risk factors
in the classroom, I would develop a social contract between myself and my
students and then a contract among students.
I would outline acceptable and unacceptable behaviors on behalf of all
parties, but also leave blanks for student input. I would post a collaboration of all of our
ideas on the wall for everyone to visualize.
I would also write the daily schedule on the board and the homework in
the same place and in the same order everyday. For every assignment, I would
ensure that there are clear directions and a concise rubric and checklist for
projects so that students are not left guessing what steps to take. (pp. 126-127)
I would develop more group activities and assign more student
responsibilities in class to foster group cohesion and ownership within the
class. (p. 125) I would display age-appropriate attention grabbers for myself
and for the students to develop a mutual responsibility and respect (pp. 71-72)
in addition to establishing a consistent morning routine to set the tone of the
day (p. 70). I would practice active
listening skills using a neutral tone of voice to acknowledge students’
contribution and clarify points. I would
also use non-threatening “I” statements when addressing a problem so as not to
portray that I am attacking a student personally and avoid inflaming the
situation. (p. 133) I would utilize
authentic assessments to convey the relevance of what they are learning and
make learning more personal for each student (p. 126). Finally, if none of these are working, you
many need to progress beyond Conventional Instructional Management and develop
a new curriculum that is tailored to the needs of students based on community
and family beliefs, values and practices.
This will require some research, but in the end it is worth every
second. (p. 13)
Consequences of the Alternative Decision
By following the steps above, you are “upping the ante”
and raising the respect levels within your classroom both among the students
and between the students and you. You
avoid personally attacking (or perceived personally attacking) the students,
keeping the conflict level lower and recognizing students as valuable people
that have thoughts and feelings. You
have an opportunity to acknowledge the rich background and unique differences
belonging to each student and including them in their academic life. I believe that cooperation levels will
increase as group cohesion and class pride emerges. Performance levels will
rise as a result of a combination of all of these factors. If you decide not to make changes to your
teaching style and curriculum structure, I am afraid that you may encounter
another situation such as this, and you may deny yourself a wonderful and
rewarding career that I know you love and in which you are incredibly
inept. It would be such a shame to let
your gift go to waste.
I hope this advice helps you come to a resolution about your
first teaching experience and that you will reconsider how much children at
your school need you. We all have at least
one class of “bad apples”, but there is always a solution to every problem.
Sometimes we have to search harder and deeper for answers than other
times. Good luck!
Katherine G.
*All page numbers belong to the book “Classroom
Management, Perspectives on the Social Curriculum”, written by Powell,
McLaughlin, Savage and Zehm. Published
2001.
JOANNA - Buddy
Response A
|
Message
no. 1939 |
|
Author: Cassie Essary |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
2:13pm |
|
Cassie Essary EDUC 5329 Initial Teacher
Certification, M.M. All-Level Music TExES Music EC-12, TExES PPR EC-12 I think some of your
suggestions as to what Joanne might have done to facilitate the problem are very insightful and
interesting, as they are quite different from mine. The presence of a social contract is an
important factor that I had not considered.
We did agree in that her principal
would have been willing to help her out had she only asked. Your response to the consquences of the alternative decision was very
positive, and has left me wondering if maybe I
answered that question incorrectly myself.
When I think consequences, I always think of
negatives, not positives. Thanks for
showing me that consequences can go both ways. |
JOANNA - *My
Response* to Buddy Response A
|
Message
no. 2157 |
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Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007
7:08pm |
|
Cassie, Thank you for your response
and interest : ) I do not think you thought
about the issue in the wrong way, everyone sees it differently, and who is to say one way is
better than the other! I found out
the hard way with my last class just how important
the social contract can be-it is totally invaluable! It was like a huge weight was lifted
with this new class with their expectations outlined for them. It is not 100% smoother, but man
it made a huge difference! Thank you again-great
talking with you! |
JOANNA - Buddy
Response B
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Message
no. 2133 |
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Author: Erica Bensik |
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Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007
5:30pm |
|
Once again, great job, You
provided such effective answers from our textbook. I was wondering (this
might be a stupid question) when you say social contract, are you
suggesting an actual contract? And excellent job asking about labels. I
think you are so right! |
JOANNA - *My
Response* to Buddy Response B
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Message
no. 2160 |
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Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007
7:12pm |
|
Erica, Thank you for the kind
words and encouragement! I do believe
it is an actual contract. Even Judge Judy honors
verbal agreements ; ) This is an item
that needs to be posted by the door so that
everyone has equal access to view it after it is discussed and details are laid out. List the appropriate behaviors you have
discussed at the top, followed by your list of agreed upon
consequences. You can have the
students make it like a cool, colorful poster, something they can
be proud of. That way, it is theirs
and they will honor and respect it. And them narc'ing
out their classmates makes it easier for you to control the classroom ; ) Excellent question-I
enjoyed answering it! Let me know if
you have anymore :) |
JOANNA,
Response 1 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1928 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
12:29pm |
|
Katherine Graff JOANNA’S CASE STUDY Session 8, Page 04, Activity
02 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign Languages
(Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Frankie, Very nice letter : ) You made some excellent points in your
letter, and my favorite one is this: Do not seek for praise in
your teaching but seek for the real goal to help students to form their own positive meaning
for gaining an education. I did not think about her
possible need for receiving praise for her work as perhaps a part of her psyche-great
thought. I think your plan is very
workable and I like how you downshifted from a total
academic perspective to mixing academics with repairing the bonds and relationships that
need immediate attention. Thanks for sharing-I
enjoyed your posting! |
JOANNA,
*Classmate’s Follow-Up* Response
1 to a Classmate’s Work
JOANNA,
Response 2 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 2014 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 9:25pm |
|
Katherine Graff JOANNA’S CASE STUDY Session 8, Page 04, Activity
02 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Charlott, Wow, you really had some
great points and strategies! I agree
with your statements, especially about her not
being ready to teach in the environment she was given and that she should have more readily
assessed what was going on before panicking..
I do have one question for you-did you
think she did not care about her students?
I was under the assumption that she did, but perhaps
I was wrong. I will have to go back and
read it again. Thanks for sharing-enjoyed
your personal insight and indepth analysis. |
JOANNA, *Classmates
Follow-Up* to My Response 2
NONE
JOANNA,
Response 3 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 2009 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
9:05pm |
|
Katherine Graff JOANNA’S CASE STUDY Session 8, Page 04, Activity
02 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Cassie, Nice job on your work! We have similar points in our analysis, but
you mentioned one thing I cannot believe I
forgot. "Another excellent
resource may be your professors from your collegiate
studies." Its
so simple! Additionally, she would be consulting someone who is
outside of the problem who can look at the situation with fresh eyes and mounds of
expertise! What a fantastic idea! I can also relate to what you said about the
consequences of calling the parent-this is so true. Great point : ) I noticed you included
personal feelings (i.e. selfishness) as a consequence. I did not think of personal feelings
before-interesting thought and very true. Thanks again for
sharing-enjoyable letter : ) |
JOANNA,
*Classmate’s Follow-Up* Response
3 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 2024 |
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Author: Cassie Essary |
|
Date: Thursday, November 1, 2007
12:32am |
|
Cassie Essary EDUC 5329 Initial Teacher Certification,
M.M. All-Level Music TExES Music EC-12, TExES PPR EC-12 I probably would have not
thought to mention former professors as resources myself, but this was recently a
point of discussion in one of my music education classes I am currently taking. My professor made sure we all knew that
just because we graduate doesn't mean that we cannot still
go to them for help with issues just like these. They are certainly not going to
"cut us off!" I can only
hope that graduates from universities all over are as fortunate
as to have such helpful professors, and that they take advantage of this resource if
needed. |
JOANNA RUBRIC
Explanation of cause of problem
I explained that some
possible causes of the problem include the absence of a social contract,
inadaptability of the students to the teacher’s curriculum (managed vs.
cooperative), and that students had no responsibilities to help with group
cohesion and class ownership. 10
Explanation of Joanna's contribution to problem
Possible contributions Joanna may have
made were preconceived labeling of the students before class, neglecting to
solidify a social contract and discipline plan, students were not encourage to
help mediate the problem, the hidden curriculum displayed by her frustration
and panic, and and most importantly she did not ask
for assistance from her fellow professionals..
10
Alternative solution to problem
Joanna should do away with
pre-labeling student before they have a chance to prove themselves. After that, she should develop a skeleton
social contract and discipline plan that she can discuss with the class and she
should post the finished one on the wall.
She should keep the daily schedule on the board at all times in the same
order and location and make sure all assignments include concise directions and
clear rubrics/checklists. Joanna should
utilize more group activities and assign responsibilities in the
classroom. She should initiate
age/subject appropriate attention grabbers and prepare a consistent morning
routine. She needs to practice active
listening skills and I statements. She
needs to implement more authentic assessments and possible research
transitioning from a Conventional Instructional Management curriculum to a
curriculum that addresses students cultural needs. 10
Possible consequences to alternative solution
Practicing my advice has
the potential for raising the level of respect within the class, avoid
perceived personal attacks on students, acknowledge the uniqueness of each
student that can be utilized in the academic arena, and raise levels of
cooperation. I mentioned to her that if
she does not make changes, she may continue down the same path and it would be
a shame to waste all of her gifts in this way.. 10
First Implementation Task
The first task I
recommended was for her to analyze the elements of the problem and decide who
owns which portion (teacher vs. student).
Then she should create strategies based on her studies and experience to
combat each element of the problem. 10
Responded to three members
of your learning team and replied to all responses to your original post.
I initiated discussions
with Charlott Norman,
Wenyung Chung
and Cassie Essary
and I received original
commentary about my paper from Cassie
Essary
and Erica Bensik. 10
Total Possible 50
points My score 50 My percentage 100%