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