Action Research- Student Profiles

Diagnostic:
1) Sam- a young boy (Grade 4)
Learning Problems/ Areas for Improvement/ Emotional Needs:
-

Keeping focus for longer than a few minutes at a time

Would often go on long tangents during one- on- on teaching
time
Often fiddled with inanimate objects within close proximity
Often looked in all direction instead of the page in front of him

[* Sam was not diagnosed with a learning/ mental disability. He

generally knew the
course content, but had trouble keeping his mind on his work for
extended
periods of time. I had to consider his learning styles and
characteristicsLearning For All (pg. 34)]
Learning Goals:
-

To help Sam focus for longer periods of time during work sessions
To reduce the amount of fiddling, provide Sam with alternative
resources for his fiddling that will promote learning, instead of
causing him to becoming more distracted.
To help direct his attention towards the work directly in front of
him, and not searching around the room.
Instructional/ Assessment Tools implemented:

Use of Manipulatives (such as small objects for teaching- ie.

Coins): When I found that he liked to fiddle with objects, I tried to
implement small objects that were relevant to his work.

Repetitive actions/ sounds: Sam often looked around his area

when he got bored, so I used a listening technique, whereby he I
made him laugh or engaged with what he was writing. This
helped him anticipate what he would write next.

Body Posture: Often times I knew he was getting distracted when

he started to slouch or move around in his chair. He had to be
reminded of his posture to keep that attention on his work.

Pointer Finger: Since, some children often lost their place when
reading, Sam had to follow along with his finger, this was so that
he had to read what he was pointing at, and not glance in a
different direction.
Evidence of Improvement/ Feedback/ Conclusions:

a. Sam found the manipulative helpful. The objects were used to

create a visual stimulus, so that he did not have to look around,
but directly in front of him. Additionally, he was able to touch
them.
b. I found the repetitions of sounds and actions to be extremely
helpful. There was an element of humor as well that kept his
mind coming back. When doing number exercises or reading
exercises, I was would often read simultaneously with him,
putting slight accents on the words. He eventually caught on and
followed my lead. This made reading more enjoyable for him.
c. Sam had to be told sternly about his body posture. I received this
advice from another teacher in the Resource Room. He often
slouched and would find a reason to disengage himself. So, he
had to be told to sit up, push in his chair, and hold his pencil
properly.
2) Nat- an adolescent boy (Grade 8)
Learning Problems/ Areas for Improvement/ Emotional Needs:
-

Talking too much with his close friends

Trouble staying on task due to interests in others work
Talking at inappropriate times
Speaking out in class

[*Nat was diagnosed with Aspergers (a type of Autism), causing him

to engage in
frequent social behaviors, such as talking out, or talk at
inappropriate times]
Learning Goals:
-

To reduce the amount of inappropriate talking during lesson times

Help guide Nats focus with the tasks in front of him
Create new methods that will help Nat to become more aware of
his environment, and his responsibilities

Instructional/ Assessment Tools Implemented:

-

Cues and Constant Reminders: shadowing was a helpful tips for

reminding him not to talk, and so was moving him to a different
seat.
One-on one interaction: Nat is very social and needed to express
himself with others.

Committed to consistencies (people with Autism usually have

trouble with
changes in schedules)

Created time for fun and verbal interactions: Games were created
for this time.

Stern and direct warnings (often reminding him why he was being
addressed, and asking him if he himself knew why)
Evidence of Improvement/ Feedback/ Conclusions:

a. I would often provide hints or cues, which would encourage Nat to

stop talking and begin working on the task I had given. A
consistent cue I used was spatial presence. If I knew he was not
paying attention, I usually walked passed him, and asked him
what he was working on. This worked much of the time.
b. Many times Nat had to be reminded of his excessive talking, so
he had to be spoken to. Nat often knew he had been talking out
of turn, and needed to be addressed, asking him if he knew why
he was been addressed.
c. Nat was naturally very competitive, so I devised some review
games that kept his mind on the prize/ goal. Also, a good strategy
implemented was the use of a points system. Speaking out of
turn usually resulted in students losing marks. He would respond
positively to this rule.
3) Sarah- an adolescent girl (Grade 8)
Learning Problems/ Areas for Improvement/ Emotional Needs :
-

Negative attitude towards her peers during classroom work

period
Often looked at the wall with interacting with others

Had a depressed look on her face often, as if she did not want to
be present
Work was slowly completed

[* Sarah did not have any siblings, and clearly showed signs of
emotional/ social
distress or distrust. I had to consider the socio- affective
characteristics
Learning For All Document (p. 34)
Learning Goals:
-

Promote open and positive social interactions between Sarah and

her classmates
Create a consistent work ethic in Sarahs classes
Help build self- esteem and community building
Keep focus with the tasks at hand, instead of zoning out
Instructional/ Assessment Strategies:

Occasional Social interaction/ humor: Sarah suffered emotionally

from poor social interactions. Perhaps these were familial issues
or issues with her friends. Either way, I made sure that she knew
her teachers cared her for.

Kind Reminders and encouragement to work hard: She would

often get of task, so I would rotate around the classroom, and
often quiz her on her work. This helped create a dialogue and
keep her mind on her studies.

Allowing the influence of her good Friends: Sarahs best friend

was the most enthusiastic person in class, so I allowed them to sit
next to each other, and allowed her friend to be kind to Sarah.

Consistent assessment through Informal discussion: I would

randomly ask Sarah questions related to the course work, just to
se how much she had worked on, and whether or not she could
concentrate where she was situated.
Evidence of Improvement/ Feedback/ Conclusions:

a. Sarah began to become more open to encouragement and

friendly gestures. She was often very gloomy, but she responded
well when I would politely address her.

b. During working periods, I would often randomly quiz Sarah, in

order to assess how much she was learning. She often proved to
be focused, so I continued this assessment throughout my block,
in order to remain consistent with her.
c. In the presence of her enthusiastic friend, she had someone to
pair up with and talk to. I found this to be a helpful technique. Her
friend was able to keep Sarahs mind on her own work, and kept
Sarah working at a steady pace.
d. Sarah was open to humor, and so I tried to keep an open
environment for friendly discussion. I wanted to let her know that
she could have fun in class, and not feel bad about it, regardless
of the situations she had been through.

Additional Available Supports and Resources:

a.
-

Resource Room:
Open to all students who required one-on-one assistance
Available scribes for students who needed help writing
Assistant teachers helped students read and write in this facility.

[ I spent a few days with Sam in the resource room, helping him
focus, and
enabling him to catch-up on unfinished classwork]
b. Technology:
- The school provided Ipads that could be used to accommodate
student needs.
- There was a projector and screen in our classroom for the use of
videos, power points, presentations, on-line interactive games,
etc.

Final Reflection:
The Class Profile was very helpful in many ways, but specifically, I became more
aware of students individual needs, and I was able to focus consistently on ways to assess
their learning and progress. Each of the three students that I observed in my Class Profile
had different needs, and required different approaches for assisting their learning. One
boy (Sam) that I observed had difficulties with staying focused for long periods of time.
The other boy (Nat) had autism, so he struggled with social boundaries and speaking out
at inappropriate times. The girl (Sarah) that I documented clearly had emotional issues,
and often displayed a negative attitude in order to distance herself. Due to this class
profile, I learned the importance of gathering information before- hand and tracking
student progress for effective assessment.1 I did this by first discussing the needs of these
1
Pg. 34

3 particular students with my MT. This was how I found out that one student had autism.
Over time, I consistently observed each student and I was able to identify specific traits or
habits that each student exemplified. This was an extremely helpful exercise, which I used
with Sam because he constantly fidgeted and was easily distracted. I had to implement
solutions relative to his needs. This helped me to constantly assess progress and learning.
I slowly observed the outcomes of these solutions. The document, Learning For All, notes
that we should be monitoring students progress by noting results of on-going
assessments.2 This Class Profile assignment helped me do just that.
I think the Class Profile assignment was helpful for developing assessment skills,
even in such a small time frame, because it set the precedence for long-term assessment in
the future. The assessment tools I gathered from this assignment carry over into all of our
interactions with students and children. To work more effectively with children, we have
to inquire about learning needs, and observe what students need improvement with, and
implement applicable solutions. I learned how important tracking students development
can be for the process. This also informs the results.
I personally find organization a challenge in teaching, so this Class Profile
assignment helped develop this skill. Preparation is required if we want to take seriously
our students needs, so organization becomes a key component of assessment. This
became a very practical skill that came out of this assignment.
The Class Profile assignment made also helped me become more aware of student
needs and learning because it required intentional relationships with students. By seeking
their interests and needs, I found that your mind would eventually become more
accustomed to diverse forms of assessment (discussion, Informal Observation, etc.). The
2

Learning For All document suggests that we should be aware of different learning
style and preferences, as well as student readiness to learn.3 This knowledge was
gradually obtained over time as I developed closer relationships with the students. Given
that most of the age group I worked with was in grade 8, I found that most of the students
thrived on social games and activities. This was helpful for understanding different
students preferences and learning style. One student, Nat was overly social, and another
student, Sarah, had difficulties with social gathering. I had to consistently maintain an
open social presence in the classroom, in order to meet both of their needs. I knew that
Nat loved group work, and Sarah somewhat needed her friends to encourage her to work.
This was an example of how I used both of their learning needs to help their learning.

Work sheet incorporated picture and group activities:

The two grade 8 students required social interaction in 2 different ways.
One needed it to keep her from isolation, the other need social
interaction because he thrived on it. Both needed encouragement to
stay on task, and so I provided visual stimulus to help accommodate
them.
Accommodate- Use buzz words, go back through and use D.I,
accommodation, Inclusivity., etc.