Ms.

Makia Brooks Student Case Study Working with Problematic Students Spring 2014

Case Study Proposal

The three students I!ve chosen for my case study have problematic attitude and behavioral problems, especially toward one another, that persistently disrupt class time and challenge my classroom management skills. The two female students, Alexis and Nicole, are best friends; while Alexis and Demetrius are constantly arguing. None of these three students are seated next to each other, so when they want to talk, they yell across the room. I!ve had to send these three students to the discipline office multiple times over the year for excessive talking, insubordination and threats of bullying/fights. I hope to help curve this behavior by learning more about their personal lives and seek to understand the motivation behind their actions. In Middle and Secondary Classroom Management, chapter three focuses on building respectful, caring relationships, Recall that, unlike most other social groups, students do not come together voluntarily. They are a captive audience, often required to work on tasks they have not selected and in which they may have little interest (51). Recognizing the spaces that students inhabit are not necessarily spaces they!d choose for them to be in is essential when establishing a motive for student interaction between one another. Nicole has potential; she is very smart, contributes to conversation and completes her work. When her friend Alexis is absent, Nicole is significantly less talkative and oppositional. For example, when they are in class together, Nicole and Alexis are constantly talking and become loudly aggressive when I call them out on it. They tell me how unfair I!m being because they weren!t the only ones talking and refuse to complete any of their work. I!m interesting in understanding why these particular students challenge the power dynamic between us. Do they potentially have behavioral issues with female authority figures? Have they given up on school and simply come to socialize? How might they work together to become more productive, positive students? Alexis is a firecracker. If she perceives a classmate is looking at her the wrong way, she will make outbursts, threaten to fight and becomes completely unfocused on the lesson of that day. Once she begins talking, it is very difficult to get her to quiet down. Now, she is very focused and involved in class discussion when she wants to be. I!ve had her contribute the most thoughtful and engaging discussion points; she has completed her work and participates in class activities. However, she can be easily dissuaded when she feels embarrassed, angry, or put on the spot. Recognizing the extreme sensitivity students feel to save face in the classroom is essential when navigating the waters between student interaction. I anticipate the more successful strategy in dealing with Alexis is to never publicly humiliate or embarrass her, as it may intensify the behavior I!m trying to curve. Chapter 3 also acknowledges the important of sensitive disciplinary practices with students, Since secondary students have a tremendous need to save face, sensitivity also means discussing inappropriate behavior quietly and privately. Public reprimands are humiliatingand research consistently demonstrates that students view public humiliation as an unacceptable form of discipline (53). Demetrius is a very productive student, but causes a lot of behavioral problems and likes to start arguments with other studentsspecifically Alexis. He will make snide comments in attempt to embarrass or anger her. Both he and Alexis have behaved completely differently when one is absent. I imagine they have a crush on one another and this is their way of expressing that. Once one of them makes an outburst about the other, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to reel them back in to the class discussion or lesson. I!ve noticed how competitive they are with each other as they complete assignments. I!d like to know how I could possibly use this competitiveness to their advantage. Instead of them becoming oppositional toward one another, they could possibly use it to their benefit. !

Case Study Interpretation / Hypothesis

! ! In chapter seven of Doug Lemov!s book Teach Like a Champion he acknowledges the importance of positive framing for students. I believe this instructional move would be a great way to begin reaching my case study students, Alexis, Demetrius and Nicole. People are motivated by the positive far more than the negative. Seeking success and happiness will spur stronger action than seeking to avoid punishment. Psychological studies show that people are far more likely to be spurred to action by a vision of a positive outcome than they are to avoid a negative one (204). While Nicole and Alexis!s troublesome behavior stem from their friendship and desire to talk about non-academic matters, Alexis and Demetrius! combative back-and-forth is much more complicated to decipher. I!ve attempted talking to them individually about their behavior; I!ve make light-hearted joking remarks about the possibility that they like each otherthat one prompted a cacophony of laughter, groans and "maaaaaaaaan, Ms. Brooks you ain!t right!. In all seriousness, I!d like to try this positive approach that Lemov!s mentions in the book. By showing these three students that I believe in them and their potential in the classroom instead of constantly berating their personal lives, I hope to make some progress. Upon reviewing these students in-classwork from last semester in conjunction with their attendance, I noticed each student was significantly more focused when one of the three were absent. Alexis, Demetrius and Nicole are bright students with great potential, the issue is the how much they distract one another when they are in class together. Aside from written classwork, I noticed the two girls would not be as vocal in class discussions when one of them was absent. Contrarily, when Alexis and Nicole are both present, the conversations they have are primarily gossip or non-academic talk. This becomes more or less apparent depending on the lesson or activity. For example, during our Intro to Slavery lesson, Alexis and Demetrius were extremely engaged, contributed a lot to conversation and asked great interpretive questions that displayed their higherlevel thinking abilities. Nicole, on the other hand, refused to contribute to the discussion because she hates talking about slaveryit!s depressing. In Jim Fay and David Funk!s book Teaching with Love & Logic, they address the importance of perception in changing behavior in the classroom. We must be prepared to accept that a person!s change could take about one month for every year the perception has been in place. The earlier we begin, the more quickly we can expect change (89). As Nicole gave her rationale for disliking the topic of slavery and her refusal for participating in class discussion, I anticipated she has felt this way in other subject areas as well. Throughout my lecture, she!d make snide comments about this not being History class, why are we learning about this again? I understand her reluctance to wanting to learn about such a horrible and traumatic time in American history, but I!m also curious if her refusal to work is simply based on the topic we!re studying or because she doesn!t want to complete the work and contribute to class discussion in general. Fay and Funk also acknowledge that everyone!s learning experience and perception of what they!re learning is different, An individual!s experience is the basis of his or her truth. We must be ever vigilant about setting ourselves as the standard and interpreting others! behavior through our own perception (89). As I continue to study these three students, I need to remind myself that while they have similar problematic behaviors in the classroom, their perceptions and experiences are individual to them. Moreover, I must consider how my role as their teacher impacts these varied behaviors. While I strive to remain fair, I must consider the possibility that I do call out Alexis and Nicole more than other students who may not talk as loud or persistently. For example, if I ask them

to refocus their attention because of talking then I must also refocus the attention of other students who may have been talking more quietly or less noticeably. The book Positive Discipline in the Classroom reinforces this idea that students want to know their teachers care about them. While many students assume their teacher cares whether or not they complete a particular homework assignment or study for a test, some students are less confident in knowing their teacher cares about them and their personal lives. Students! belief that teachers care about them is a primary ingredient for their feeling a sense of connection (belonging and significance) (75). While it may be frustrating to have these students constantly bicker, argue, gossip and disrupt lectures, it!s important to consider the possibility that they feel more sociably connected and cared for by their peers than their teacher. Moreover, Alexis and Nicole may feel I don!t feel as strongly about what happened after school than I do about their test results. So, they combat my assumed indifference to their personal lives by assuming that same blas attitude in the classroom. Over the next three months, I hope to show these students that their personal lives and struggles do matter while encouraging them to be more self-reliant workers.

Independent Study: Group Reflection

! ! Upon discussing our problematic students during the independent study session, my group and I acknowledged the importance of reinforcing the positive, incentivizing good behavior and creating small-scale competition among students. Before digging into alternative solutions, I need to mention Nicole has transferred to a different school. Unfortunately, I cannot include any further data on her in this case study. However, I will still utilize the behaviors of Demetrius and Alexis as areas of study for the remaining parts of this project. Positive reinforcement not only helps to strengthen student-teacher relationships among "problematic! students, it also creates powerful, transformative learning spaces within the classroom community. Contrarily, negative power dynamics generates minimal opportunities for growth and potentially threatens future spaces for positivity in the classroom. One tactic I!ve integrated into the classroom is daily sharing of Good Things. During the beginning of class, I allow room for students to share a positive thing that has happened to them or someone they know. We have implemented this for about a month and a half now and I!ve noticed students are starting to internalize the sharing space. On days when I may have forgotten to facilitate Good Things, students have said, Ms. Brooks, aren!t you forgetting something? We didn!t do Good Things! As far as Demetrius and Alexis! perception of the informal activity, my hope is that for a few minutes they are more focused on Good Things than throwing insults at each other. A potential upset with this activity is Demetrius exciting an argument by saying some like, Alexis isn!t wearing those ugly shoes today, that!s a good thing or Demetrius isn!t here today, that!s a real good thing because he gets on my nerves. During our Skype meeting, my Independent Study group and I discussed potential ways of incentivizing good behavior while considering ways in which monotonous activities like test review could be "fun!. In my case study interpretation, I mentioned Demetrius and Alexis mostly became unfocused when they perceived the lesson or activity to be boring or unimportant to their daily lives. Creating competition or challenges among all students in the classroom creates a social pressure focused in academic success rather than personal aggressions. Moreover, while it may not diffuse Alexis! firecracker tendencies, it may allow her to prioritize those pugnacities. Competition in the classroom space may similarly encourage Demetrius to refocus instigations in a way that doesn!t set Alexis off. The risk in this move is heightening the aggression Alexis and Demetrius feel for one

another. For example, they may begin a debate on Women!s rights and end in an argument on Demetrius! lack of respect for women. Another proponent of incentivizing positive interactions and behavior is by offering treats like candy, free time or phone allowance. I never knew how much of a difference a piece of Starburst or five minutes of free time would make. This alternative to punishment creates a give-and-take dynamic between the students and teacher. If the teacher promises five minutes of free time at the end of class for 45-minutes of attention and focus from students, there is the underlying message of shared time value. However, it does allow those students who are successful at playing the game to pretend to focus just to they can interact with friends during the final few minutes of class. An obvious drawback with this in relation to Alexis and Demetrius is they continue their back-and-forth during the allotted free time. !

Case Study Reflection

! ! As lead teaching comes to an end, I will begin taking less responsibility in instructing Demetrius and Alexis as they transition from eighth graders to high school students. I!ve had many successes and some failures implementing strategies that seek to assist these students and their learning. Primarily, my focus was managing their behavior in hopes to focus them on a lesson or activity. In addition to providing unconditional positive regard through the informal activity, Good Things, which has been very effective at dissuading the tension between Alexis and Demetrius, I!ve tried implementing strategies such as group and partnered work, incentivizing contributions and speaking to each student as young adults. Demetrius and Alexis have responded well to working in groups or pairs, I believe giving them a specific role in the classroomtaking notes for the group, preparing to "report out! on findings, thinkpair-share activitieseffectively positions them to focus on academic success rather than personal frustrations. Admittedly, they struggled in the beginning with ignoring each other!s attempts at bating for attention. I!ve had moments in which I told them to stay on their side of the room or focus on you, not her/him. Reinforcing the implications of work completion over personal distractions as a means to improve grades or prepare them for higher learning proved to be a great motivator. Another successful moment during this case study occurred when students told me of their enjoyment of the particular lesson or activity. Alexis once told me class went by so fast todaywe did a lot of work but it was fun, her level of engagement with the assignment in comparison to previous semesters indicated how she!d began to become more intrinsically motivated. Moreover, I anticipate she realized that the more engaged she and Demetrius were in the lesson, the less likely they would antagonizing each other. Contrarily, Demetrius would make attempts dissuade Alexis!s growth by trying to embarrass or enrage her; in response, I had multiple conferences with him about the behavior and encouraged him to let it be. One curiosity I have is whether or not Alexis would have improved as quickly and effectively if Nicole had not transferred schools. During the beginning of the case study, I hypothesized the probability that the two girls provided the greatest distraction to one another. While Demetrius continually tries to distract Alexis and evade classwork, I believe Nicole would have been a bigger detriment to her learning because of their proximity in the classroom and friendship outside of school. Overall, I felt the chosen students for this study provided me with a great challenge, enlightenment and growth as an educator. Through my struggles and successes teaching and reaching Demetrius and Alexis, I feel I am more equipped to bridge student behavior across contexts.