Part III

Here is a link to my digital story:

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coX0iVhYkL

Part II

 This was Clayton's float for Mapleton's homecoming parade. The theme was "under the sea." Clayton won 1st place for the float contest!

 Summary of Student Observations and Summary of Examined Artifacts

Observations

Since Part I of this project, I have noticed more and more things about Rex. My CT said to me one day that students are pretty good at keeping themselves under control for the first few weeks of school, then whatever quirky tendencies they have (which we all have) start to show. I have found the Rex is one hilarious human being and likes to joke around. He is THE class clown of 8th grade. In the hallways he is usually making his friends laugh. In reading class (the class I'm co-teaching in) he can generally keep disruptive humor to a minimum, but when I observed him in math class, which is his most challenging course, he can't seem to contain his humorous comments, which leads the entire class to becoming distracted. I also observed him during his academic support class for literacy, which consisted of five students, and he was instructed to create an outline for a narrative. He was able to write a few things down, but then he got stuck. Again, he fell back on his humor when he was confused, which again distracted the other students and not a lot of work was accomplished. He had mentioned to me that he often gets kicked out of class because he can't stop laughing, so we set a mini-goal to try his hardest to contain his laughter for a whole day and not get kicked out of any classes. A few days I checked in with him and he told me he was on a three day streak of not getting sent to the hallway. He seemed very pleased with himself, and I was very proud of him. 

Examined Artifacts

• Students take notes and complete some group work in their interactive notebooks. These notebooks are an alternative to traditional note taking and allow students to cut and glue essential information in the notebook. While I was looking through Rex's notebook, I noticed a lot of it was incomplete. He seems to start off strongly, but doesn't finish. It seems he gets bored of tasks very quickly. 
• In my secondary literacy course, an assignment I had to complete was to assess a student's reading by using an assessment called Miscue Analysis. I decided to ask Rex to also work with me on this project. I found a nonfiction article that according to a readability calculator is at a 7th/8th grade level. According to my analysis, Rex was able to read 94% of the article, which suggests this article is appropriate for him. After he read the article out loud, I asked him a series of comprehension questions. I went into this assignment with Rex's IEP in the back of my mind, so I didn't expect him to comprehend as much as he did. I experienced a lot of guilt afterward because of my low expectations. I now recognize I let his "label" influence my expectations of him as a student.

Who is this student as a learner in general? What are her strengths? How does he feel about school, about their learning, about his abilities, etc.?

Student as a Learner

When Rex is learning, his momentum is stable as long as he understands exactly what is going on. The moment he isn't grasping something, he turns to his humor in order to avoid feeling confused. I feel that having a learning disability would extremely heighten feelings of confusion. It is not a pleasant feeling, so I can understand why he has found his fail safe. This is something we have talked about together and he made a goal to ask for further explanation if he didn't understand something. My CT informed me last week that on a day I wasn't there, Rex raised his hand and asked for help. This is the second mini-goal he has set and accomplished. This leads me to wonder if he needed a reminder that he could accomplish things. Seeing F's across transcripts year after year could have killed his belief in himself. Mini-goals seem to motivate him to learn.

Strengths

• As mentioned in Part I, Rex has an astounding leadership presence. He is clearly the leader in his group of friends. He is the oldest sibling, so he has been leading since he was a small child. He often asks me to work with him during class and he will round up a group of students to form a small group to work collaboratively. His peers gladly join the group with he asks them to.
• When Rex is engaged in material, he is great at connecting the content to his own life. He has related content to music he likes, and events he has witnessed. Connecting content to life is key in learning. 

Feelings toward...

• School
• Rex stated that school is still boring at this point in time, but that it's getting less and less boring. He wants to go to college one day, so he knows that he will have to start giving it his all.
• Learning
• Rex has expressed his frustration when he gets confused about an assignment. He doesn't like to ask for help, but made a goal to start asking. He enjoys learning the most when it is like a game. 
• Abilities
• When we have talked about his leadership abilities, I have asked him if he sees himself as a leader, and he does. He is aware that he can use these skills in positive ways that will benefit him and his peers. 

Review of Classroom and/or School Level Date Gathered on the Student

• Mapleton district assesses students content area levels by using MAPS, a standardized test. Rex's last MAPS score for reading was 205, which suggests he is at 4th/5th grade reading level. 
• He was also given a test called Lexile to calculate his lexis. His score range was 591-741, which also suggests a 5th grade level. 

Based on this data, it would seem that Rex is at a solid 5th grade reading level. However, he was able to read the 7th/8th grade article with a 94% accuracy rate and comprehend more than his IEP would have suggested. This leads me to wonder if he simply isn't motivated to try his best on standardized assessments. Another possibility is that he has had a lot of growth since his last assessment. 

Examination of IEP

To the left is a snapshot of Rex's IEP. I would love to sit in during his next IEP review meeting, but it isn't until March. 

• His disability areas are reading, writing, and math. 
• In the "student needs to learn" section, under math it states "student needs to learn to ability to maintain focus for an entire class." This is consistent with my previously noted observation of him in his math class. In the "student is able to section" under "social emotional", it states "student is able to control his behavior when he is motivated to do so." 
• There is no further detail about what this behavior is and what motivates him to do so. Based on my observations, I would assume it's his struggle to contain his humor. I would like to and will further investigate what exactly "motivates him to do."
• There are several accommodations for Rex. One that intrigues me is "help to see the big picture or purpose of a lesson before teaching smaller parts." I feel like this accommodation would be helpful to all students in general. I am a bit concerned though because I have not seen this accommodation met. I am only there two days a week, so perhaps this is done on days I am not there. I will inquire about this.
• Rex also has a mental health provider to address behavior, but there is no other information given about this except that he receives .15 hours of services per month. 
• According to the parent contact record, his mother has not shown for the two IEP reviews indicated in the form. However, there is a jump from May 2012 to March 2015. I am unsure of where the years in-between are. Perhaps she attended meetings during those years. 

Student Interview

Rex and I had this interview over carne asada fries during lunch again. I kept an audio recording of this interview on my phone.

School - Rex feels this school year is going better than last school year, but is still boring. His favorite class is writing. He dreads going to math. But, he feels the his math support is very helpful and likes how his teacher uses games to teach math. He likes one-on-one instruction when he can get it and requested for me to assist him as much as possible when I'm there. He feels there is a lot of drama going on in school right now, so that is a big distraction for him since his friends and himself are involved in the drama. 

Behavior - He expressed he is making an effort to not be disruptive in class. His friends try to get his attention, but he will tell them to wait until after class. He gets very defensive when he is accused of doing something he didn't do. He feels his teachers will blame things on him even though sometimes his friends are the culprits. We talked about using his leadership skills in a positive way. He seemed interested in the idea.

Family/Friends - Rex talked about mother's pregnancy. He is still hanging out with his cousin, who is a role model, often. He values his relationship with his girlfriend. He feels she is a very positive influence and pushes him to get his homework done. 

His Future- He expressed he doesn't appreciate advise when it sounds like the person giving it is trying to tell him how to live his life. He is aware that he is the one who is going to choose how his life turns out and knows the choices he needs to make to get to where he wants. He just hasn't wanted to yet. He wants to go to college to play football, and he knows he will have to turn his academics around now/high school to get to where he wants to go. 

Adult Interviews

I did not have formal interviews with Rex's teachers. I talked with them about Rex for just a few minutes since there are meetings at lunch both days I am there. I am scheduled to interview his mother this week. 

My CT - This is her second year having Rex. She expressed she hasn't figured anything out that works for him in the classroom. She has talked to other teachers about Rex, and said they weren't able to figure anything out when they had him as a student either. 

Para - She worked with Rex often for a year and feels there is no consistency with his emotions/behavior/motivation. One day he would be very friendly with her, but the next he would give her attitude and be disrespectful. 

Special Education Teacher- He seems to be very fond of Rex, but is very challenged by him. He recommended to use humor while teaching him, it helps him to stay focused.

Lingering Thoughts...

So far none of the teachers I have spoken with have found a strategy that works for Rex's learning disabilities and disruptive behavior in the classroom. I'm thinking that there is not just one strategy. I would bank there are many strategies/accommodations that have to be used at different times, depending on Rex's current state of mind and depending on the situation. He seems to respond very well to me when I try to refocus him. He hasn't been disrespectful towards me like he is to other teachers. It could be because I am only there twice a week right now, but I truly believe it is because of the relationship we have built. If there comes a time where his behavior gets completely out of hand, I believe the solid relationship will be key in addressing and resolving the issue. 

Learner Analysis Profile - Part I

All About"Rex"

Finding Rex

During the second week of my internship, I witnessed a small conflict between two boys. One boy had called another boy a bully in attempted humor. The boy who was called a bully didn't find it humorous at all though. He responded by saying, "What are you talking about? I'm not a bully!" He was clearly offended by the statement. All of the surrounding students stared, waiting for his reaction. When he walked away, the other students carried on with their business. I got the feeling the students looked to him often, so I decided to keep an eye out. Sure enough, I observed he could influence how focused classes were. After talking to my CT about him, I found out he has a learning disability and has an IEP. My CT and I were brainstorming some students for me to focus on, and he stood out to me because he is an example of a student with a disability who has a great ability in another area - leadership.

I decided to take an open approach with him and asked him if he would be willing to work with me on a school project. I explained the gist of the project, but didn't tell him that one of the requirements is for the student of focus to have an IEP. A desired outcome of this SPED course is to focus on ability, so I kept this in mind as I told him why I chose him. Since it was his ability that I noticed in the first place, I told him that I noticed his natural leadership and influence on his peers. I knew talking about his learning disability would come up in later interviews if he agreed. To my joy, he agreed. I told him for confidentiality purposes, I had to use a pseudonym for him and that I could choose it or he can pick a name he likes. He smiled and said, "I'd like to be called Rex."

Interview #1

I wanted to build some rapport with Rex before interviewing him, so I had a mini-interview with him while the rest of the class was silently reading. The questions consisted of surface level "get-to-know-you type" questions about family, friends, interests, and hobbies which I explored in greater depth during the large interview. I wanted to make the interview as laid-back as possible, so it wouldn't feel like an interrogation, so I bought us carne asada fries and conducted the interview during lunch. I decided to record the interview using my phone. Here is a summary of my major findings:

Interests/Hobbies - Rex has a passion for football. He plays it nearly everyday and played in a league for seven years. He knows that he has an athletic talent. Out of the four main social networks (Facbook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat), he only enjoys Snapchat. He expressed that the other social networks cause too much drama. He listens to three genres of music: rap, dubstep, and trap music. 

Family - Rex lives with his mother, her significant other, and two siblings. He has another sibling on the way. He has siblings on his father's side, but is not in contact with is father. His father has been in prison most of his life, so Rex has given up on the hope of forming any relationship with him. He did express that he thinks he may have done better in school if his father would have been there, namely to help with homework while his mother took care of other duties. He is very close with a cousin and looks to him as a role model. He is proud that he has an uncle who owns a restaurant in Golden. 

Friends - All of his friends, excluding his aforementioned cousin, are boys he goes to school with. I have each of them in a class. As most friends, they hang out after school and on the weekends. He is aware that he acts as a leader within his group of friends. He also has a girlfriend who goes to a different school. 

Learning - Rex expressed his attitude toward school right now is not the greatest because it is boring. He is not apt to asking teachers for help if something confuses him. Instead, he will just avoid doing work and wait for the class to end. He finds his IEP helpful, but especially for math. The only time he enjoys math is when he is pulled out of math for services. Learning math becomes more of a game for him during this time. He didn't mention if it benefits him in other content areas, so I will be sure to ask during the next interview. 

Goals - Rex ultimately wants to play football in college and hopes to get drafted into the NFL. He knows that he has to work harder than he has been to get to college. 

Field Notes

• Witnessed another student calling Rex a bully and Rex's reaction
• When going to tell principal about my Learner Analysis project, Rex was the topic of conversation. Apparently another student was acting inappropriate and Rex told him, "Hey we don't act like that here, we're family." :) 
• Noticed Rex gets up, walks around, and jokes with peers if he isn't understanding something
  
• Rex zones/daydreams if not doing a stimulating task
• While observing Rex in his science class, he was pretty engaged while working on a poster project. Kinesthetic learner?
• Told Rex I took my family to eat at his uncle's restaurant. By his expression and his responses to me for the rest of the day, I'd say it helped a lot in building our relationship.
• Class had a connection circle and the information students were sharing was very deep and emotional. Many students were crying as they were sharing. Rex didn't end up sharing, but by the end of class, he was crying uncontrollably. It seems he has been holding a lot in for a long time. I overheard classmates saying how shocked they were to see him cry.

Understanding Rex 

Academically - Rex has specific learning disabilities (SLD). They are in reading fluency, reading comprehension, written expression, math calculation, and math problem solving. Per week, he receives five hours (60 min/day) of academic support outside of the general ed. classroom for reading, writing, and math. He has difficulty maintaining focus throughout class. During the interview, he expressed that many of his classes are boring, so it makes sense why he loses interest quickly. If lessons were more culturally relevant, I believe he would not as difficulty with focusing. I have looked over last year's transcript and even with the supports, he failed all classes but one. He was also held back a grade. His interest lies in science, specifically science labs. This leads me to wonder if he is a kinesthetic learner. While lesson planning, I will keep this in mind and give an option for a hands-on approach to see if this interests him.

Socially - Thus far I am understanding Rex to be a complex boy. He has grown up without a father and is the oldest child in the home. He has had to take on the "man of the house" role from a very young age. This reflects in his demeanor and may contribute to his leadership presence. Hip-hop culture seems to be quite the influence on his life from his style, to his lingo, and of course, music preference. This adaptation of hip-hop culture is probably what lead him to his friends as well; they also belong to hip-hop culture. Ethnically, he is Mexican, but he and his family don't practice any Mexican cultural norms. As mentioned in the "field notes" section, he broke down during the connection circle. There was a theme of growing up without a father while students were sharing. Though there could be a multitude of reasons why he broke down, it is likely it was because of the absence of his own father, which he shared with me during the interview.

Context and Setting

Clayton at a Glance

I am interning at Clayton Partnership School in Mapleton School District. Clayton serves grades K-8. It it one of the four schools that make up Skyview Campus. The majority of students at Clayton are Hispanic. The ethnic breakdown of the school can be found in the chart below.

Supports

• Clayton offers "The Island", which is tutoring/homework help for one hour after school Tuesday - Friday. I stay on Thursdays to help out, and so far only a few students are showing up after school.
• Mapleton District offers The LAB (learning after the bell), which serves each school on Skyview Campus. It is offered three days per week, two and a half hours per day.

My Role

I have stepped into a setting that Rex has known his whole life. Rex is probably used to outsiders coming into his familiar setting since he attends a partnership school. However, this is the first time one of the outsiders has asked to step into his life. I don't ever want him to feel like he is a mere subject I must study for a school project. I need him to know I see him as human first, student second. We have found common ground in hip-hop culture, so I believe that has closed some distance for us. His current setting is very similar to my own growing up, so I am familiar with much of the context he is familiar with. My hope is for him to accept me as a part of his setting, so that I can fully understand who he is as a person and as a learner. 

My name is Taylor Alcantar. I am currently interning at Clayton Partnership in Mapleton school district. I will be there two days a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.