Elizabeth Pittel Pittel 1

TE 801
November 6, 2016

Student Proposal

Amy is a student in my 6th hour ELA 10 class. The main issue with her is that

she has trouble meeting deadlines. The frustration lies with the fact that she has the

potential to be an all A student and chooses not to. Amy has given many excuses in the

past for why her work is late, ranging from I had another test I was studying for to I

am just so stressed out with other things, it slipped my mind. There is another thing that

makes me gravitate towards Amy . Another reason this girl interests me is that her

parents both had differing opinions on how to handle their daughter. The mother seems to

have given up on Amy , telling me that there is no way I can get through to her

daughter, that she has tried everything, and she is at her wits end. The father, while still

just as frustrated with his daughters lack of effort, seems to be more optimistic, telling

me about different options for incentives at home (taking away her phone, laptop, and

other privileges). It would be interesting to try and work with both these viewpoints as

well as Amy s schedule and needs to come up with a solution to her homework

problem.

The other student I am considering is Alex, a student in my 4th hour ELA 10.

Since the beginning of the year, Alex has been disruptive in class, taking up the role of

class clown. He seems to never be able to sit still either, something that my Mentor

Teacher brought up at conferences with the light suggestion that they look into getting

Alex tested for some sort of attention disorder, which they responded positively to.
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I feel that examining the issues both of these students are facing would make me

better equipped to handle such things in the future and would like to try and help these

individuals achieve their full potential.

Part 2

After reviewing both of these students grades and clawing through my memories

to analyze every interaction I have had with them and those around them in the

classroom. The main issue with Amy is due dates. We have had roughly five graded

assignments (either summative or smaller homework grades) and only once has she

turned something in on time. Because most of the assignments were late there was a

deduction of points. She currently has a C in the class (74.7%). She would have received

a 95% on a summative assessment had she turned it in on time, but given the lateness,

received a 75%.

I do see one glaring crack in my instruction, but one that I am attempting to

remedy. I recently began using an application called Remind in my classroom, which

allows me to talk to my students through their phones without them knowing my number

or I knowing theirs. However, before I introduced this in my classroom there was a

communication disconnect. I was unable to reach them at any time after school to remind

them of due dates and other important ELA related things (such as clarifications on

homework, answers to student questions, and reminders of different extra credit

opportunities). I feel that I should have looked into more technology-based aides once I
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realized there was a need for communication outside of the classroom instead of waiting

until Week Seven. This was an oversight on my part.

I need to acknowledge the fact that I have three things going against me right off

the bat; I am young, and therefore inexperienced, I am not a physically imposing

presence and look like I can be in high school myself, and I am a woman, which seems to

have some affect on how much respect I am given in the classroom. Because of this, I had

to work from the ground up to build respect in my classroom. The students (and this is

conjecture on my part, but educated conjecture), knowing that I was inexperienced, could

have assumed that I was going to let things slide either due to my want for them to like

me or my inability to deal with certain situations.

In addition, while attempting to build a rapport with my students, I have tried to

be as kind as possible even when disciplining them. This was meant to show them that

while I did not like the behavior, I also respected them as human beings enough not to

chastise them in a cruel way in front of their peers. While I had good intentions, this may

have affected my authority in the classroom. Because I do not punish indiscretions in as

severe a way as other teachers in the building, the students may not be deterred by my

harsh but kind scolding. It may not be enough to get them to do what I need them to.

While there are obvious downsides to the behavior, there are some things Amy

seems to gain from not turning in her work (or waiting until days after the due date). First

she gains free time. By making a judgment call about what is more important, and

forfeiting school work, she is able to do what she wants to do with that time instead of

devoting most of her time to activities outside of her control.

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Second, she could be gaining wanted attention from her parents. I have met her

mother and her father both during Open House and Parent Teacher Conferences, and

there seemed to be a real disconnect between them (they are divorced), and they had

different approaches when it came to their daughters missing work. The mother seemed

to have thrown in the towel, all but telling me that her daughter was hopeless and if I

found a way to reach her, let her know, because she had done everything she could. The

father on the other hand, offered some ideas to us as well as told us what he was willing

to try next (taking away privileges, technology, etc.). By not turning in her work, Amy is

getting attention from both her parents. Even though it is not positive attention, it is still

attention, and she may be feeling a disconnect from her parents since they are no longer

together.

My first hypotheses for why the behavior is happening relates to these benefits

she (supposedly) receives from not doing her work. She is a busy girl, involved with

three after school clubs and a sport. I hypothesize that she could be trying to gain free

time in which she can do whatever she wants, outside of the many activities and

obligations. I did something like this in high school, neglecting my homework when I got

home, opting instead to do it in the morning (I did get the homework in on time though).

My second hypothesis is that she is simply forgetting to do the work. This and

similar issues with other students is why I implemented Remind in the classroom, so I

can communicate with them after they leave my room. However, I must keep in mind that

I do not use this app during school hours, and if a student is planning to print a paper
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during lunch and forgets, that they are responsible for the consequences. I cannot be there

to hold their hands through their entire experience in my classroom.

A third hypothesis related to chapter 6 of Make Me! and the idea of self-

handicapping. Self-Handicapping, as defined by Tohalis, occurs when students create

impediments to successful performance to provide themselves with opportunities to

avoid, excuse, or discount any resulting failure, (Tohalis, Chapter 6 (there are no page

numbers on my Kindle version)). Amy is aware that she is intelligent and may be using

self-handicapping techniques to stop anyone from thinking she is unintelligent.

The other hypothesis is related to my own shortcomings in the classroom. As

stated above, in being overly kind to the students while disciplining, I may have set

myself up as a doormat. Amy may be thinking, Well, if I turn it in a few days late she

may only take a couple points off. Especially if i give her a good reason. I need to

establish that this is not how my classroom is run.

Alex is a different type of student. He does not have an ongoing problem of

missing due dates, even though his work may be slightly sub par (we will get to that later

as it is a secondary issue). The main issue with Alex is that he is disruptive in class,

making jokes, talking with students during instruction, and moving around the room at

inappropriate times (usually to speak with another student).

Since Alexs problems do not stem from grades, it is difficult for me to place

blame on the content of my instruction. However, I still have a part to play in this issue.

My role in Alexs behavior is the same as Amy s. Because I am young and

inexperienced, the students may think they can get away with more in my classroom than
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they can in others, and they take advantage of this. In addition, I was somewhat forgiving

of the behavior of the boys in that corner of the room because they, for the most part, are

good at turning in good work on time. This may have added to a blas classroom

environment that makes it difficult for this particular student to stay focused.

Because this behavior is not affecting his grade, Alexs gains from the behavior

are easier to see. Because he could be classified as a class clown, one of the obvious

benefits of the behavior is recognition from his peers. Every time he tells a joke, his peers

laugh, because he really is a funny kid. This leads me into the perceived second gain from

the behavior, and that is making himself stand out to me. In behaving this way he is

getting attention from the teacher, and since this attention is less harsh than that he could

be receiving in other classroom (see my above blunders in that department), he may see

the interactions as purely positive, that a teacher is taking notice of him in a way that is

not steeped in negativity.

Another gain is that he could be getting excess energy out. And this brings me to

my hypotheses about why the behavior is occurring. In relation to the aforementioned

excess energy, my mentor teacher and myself have noticed that Alex has trouble sitting

still and concentrating on the tasks at hand during class. His parents came to conferences

and expressed concern at what they had heard from other teachers. Apparently his

behavior in my class is the norm, and he is actually the most attentive when he comes to

ELA (at least from the information his parents gave me). My mentor teacher, with the

caveat that he normally does not usually jump to these types of conclusions, asked the

parents if Alex had even been tested for ADD or ADHD, to which they said no but in a
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dazed sort of way, as though they were just realizing what could be happening with their

son. I agree with my mentor teacher that there could be some sort of attention or

hyperactive disorder at play here, and Alexs disruptive behavior may be the only way he

knows how to deal with it.

Another hypothesis related to the gain of notoriety among his classmates. He is,

as stated, the class clown, and his gain is the hypothesis; he is behaving this way to get

attention from his peers (to receive the gain). He is a leader for his fellow students,

especially the ones in his corner of the room, and he knows it. By acting this way he is

using his power in a way that endears him to the rest of the class and makes him seem

cool.

Neither one of these students seem to be resisting in an attempt to push back

against antiquated school norms. They are both white, middle class students who have

benefitted from the standards of public education, both explicitly and implicitly. That

does not mean that their resistance is any less important or that the reasons for doing so

are any less compelling. While I am only going to be writing about one of these students

for this case study, I am going to be working with both of them in and out of class to try

and help them reach their full potential. They are both bright and capable; they just need

to grab the opportunities before them.

Part 3

The student I have chosen to work with is Alex, who is disruptive and

disengaged in class. I have come up with two different plans of action that, when

combined in the correct manner, will help both Alexs individual attentiveness and the
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classroom environment. In relation to my first hypothesis for the disruptive behavior (that

Alex may have some sort of attention or hyperactivity disorder), a tangible option for

action is one that I have seen in employed in other classrooms (both in high school and

college), and in therapist/doctors offices. I could bring in stress or squishy balls form a

dollar store and keep them available for any student who is in need of them.

Some obvious merits of this course of action are that students (and Alex in

particular) will be able to fiddle with something during instruction to get out excess

energy while not disrupting other students. Another merit is (and this was found through

my own experience with a fidgeting problem), the use of a stress ball or other malleable

object actually increases attentiveness in a classroom setting, as the focus on the object is

not

The main drawback to this plan is that I will have to take money from my own

pocket to supply these stress/ energy management objects. I will also have to purchase a

container for the objects with money that I do not have at the ready (I am getting paid in

experience at the moment).

The risks of this plan relate to both my students history in the classroom as well

as acknowledgement of subjective theories. First, the students in fourth hour in particular

(Alexs hour) are a rowdy bunch that all seem to be friends, or at least acquaintances.

This can lead to individuals mishandling the objects, either by throwing them at or near

their friends or trying to disrupt their learning by passing it back and forth. Second (and

this relates to my own use of these types of objects and my assertion that it increases

attention),
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In relation to my second hypothesis (that Alex is gaining notoriety and social

clout among his peers due to his disruptive behavior), A tangible plan for action would be

to change the seating chart. Currently I have allowed my students to sit in a fixed seat of

their own choice, and that has lead to an environment that is not always conducive to

learning. With a new seating chart, I can strategically place students who are disruptive

next to students who are attentive and separate pairs who work well individually.

The merits of this plan relate to both the level of attentiveness in the classroom

and the overall classroom environment. We are beginning a new unit (Of Mice and Men),

and I am having them work in assigned reading groups. Because of this, I will be looking

at all of my students and strategically placing them in groups already, so I can make a

new seating chart with ease. Another merit is that the students will be interacting with

peers they had, until this point, no interaction with. According to Weinstein and

Novodvorsky (2015), As you plan the arrangement of students desks, you need to think

carefully about how much interaction you want among students . . . (p. 29). While this

particular chapter talks about physical layout of the desks, the same principle applies

when you are arranging the students in those desks. I was to foster positive and

productive conversation among my students while also keeping them on task with my

strategic placement.

The drawbacks of this plan mostly affect me. It may take a significant amount of

time to create a seating plan that will be able to meet all of my goals (the merits of the

plan). Also, there may be students who complain that they can no longer sit next to their

best friend in my class, and for those who have always been attentive, this may seem like
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they are being punished for the behavior of others (which in a way, unfortunately, they

are).

The risks of this plan are that I have misjudged certain pairings of students and

my new seating arrangement will lead to a less productive classroom. There may be

friendships and personality combinations that may not mesh well and lead to there being

more disruptive behavior, not just from Alex, but from others in the class. Another risk is

that in changing the seats I stop conversation altogether, productive or otherwise. By

placing high schoolers next to people they dont necessarily mesh with or those that they

do not socially associate with, that may create an atmosphere of disengagement and

promote silence when I do not want it.

In order to make these plans work, I need to employ them in a specific order and

in a specific fashion. First, I need to change the seating chart, while announcing that the

reason for the change is to better facilitate conversation as we move into our first novel.

Then, after I have established this change and given the students time to adjust, I will

reevaluate Alexs situation. If I feel that he or any other student would be in need of some

sort of stress object to quell their spikes in energy in my classroom, I will purchase some

cheap ones from a dollar store.

I will also make sure to also keep the parents in the loop, especially since they

were concerned about his behavior in class during parent teacher conferences. I want

Alex to succeed in my class, and I feel these are will be productive first steps in making

that happen.
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Part 4

The issues that I have with Jacob are slightly nebulous, meaning that they are

difficult to police due to both their sporadic nature and the variation. Some days are good,

some days are bad, and some days are fine. The issues range from him just being

uninterested in the activity and trying to get away with looking at his phone to distracting

other students, either individually or addressing the class as a whole.

The original plan was a two part attack focusing both on his perceived attention

and hyperactivity issues and his tendency to distract those around him. The first part of

the plan was to change the seating chart. Alex seemed to be a negative influence on some

of his peers, leading to many side conversations between him and other students. I hoped

this change would quiet not just Alex but others as well. Even though Alex was the main

issue, there were still pairings that, even sans Alex, would still end up disrupting the

class.

I did not end up enacting the second part, which was to bring sensory tools into

the classroom (squishy balls, fidget apparatuses, and other things to keep the hands busy).

My initial thought behind this plan was to allow all the students (not just Alex) to work

out excess energy in a way that allowed them to visually and mentally focus in class.

However, I foresaw too many problems with this. First, I thought they would just throw

the balls/tools around the room, if not during class, before and after. Second, there is the

very real possibility that they would focus more on the tool and less on my instruction.

For these reasons, i only enacted the first part of my plan. The goal of this plan was to

create a positive and productive learning environment for not just Alex but for all of the

students.
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The plan seemed to be effective in the beginning. Once I changed the seating

arrangement, talking in the classroom decreased dramatically for about a week. But once

the students got used to their new seatmates the noise level crept up. Mind you, it was not

nearly as bad as it was before, so I still considered this change progress. However, while

Alex was not distracting his peers individually, he was speaking up more in class, and not

all of his comments were in line with the issue at hand. For example, when the class was

asked who was discriminated against in the novel Of Mice and Men, he said the character

of Curley, because he has curly hair. This answer was paired with a smile and a glance

at his classmates reaction.

Then, during the group discussions for the first chapter of Of Mice and Men, I

noticed that Alexs group was having trouble staying on task. There were two girls in

Alexs group who, while they worked good in a pair, had difficulty staying on task when

Alex was thrown into the mix. I was already planning on switching up the groups when

the fourth member came to me to voice concern. He said that Alex was distracting the

two girls and that he (Michael) was doing all the work. I told him the issue would be

handled and the next day I changed the groups around. After the change, there seemed to

be less problems, however, Alex was still having problems staying on task.

One day, after a particularly difficult class (Alex was speaking out of turn and

making comments that was not pertinent to the situation/meant to get a rise out of his

fellow students), I had him hand back and talked to him about his behavior. I said that he

was a leader in the classroom, meaning that the other kids look to him for cues on how to

behave, and when he acts out, that creates a chaotic and unproductive atmosphere. He
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seemed really receptive to what I had to say and the next day I noticed a marked change

in behavior. He was staying on topic and on task and added to discussion in a meaningful

way.

It remains to be seen whether or not this change will be permanent, and if it is not,

I have a few options moving forward. I plan on changing the seating chart again at the

end of this unit and will keep changing it periodically into the next semester. The only

reason I am not changing it now is because the students have reading groups based on

their current seats (they are charting the progress of those characters throughout the

novel). I also have the option to be in contact with Alexs parents if his outbursts are

significantly affecting either him or those around him. Since his behavior is not affecting

his grades, I have not yet felt the need to do so. His disruptions are more in the moment

issues that dont affect the overall class. However, I feel they are just as important

because they create an overall blas atmosphere that I would like to avoid.

Alexs case was interesting to analyze since it was less of an anomaly and more of

a classic instance of an attention-seeking student and how their antics can disrupt

education, not just for them, but for others. I have him next semester as well with

different students (the classes are mixing), and I look forward to working with him in a

new environment.