Student Story

Josh is a hard-working student who may be heard singing as he works, jumping

up to march from one activity to the next, or playfully talking on his banana phone.
He is always eager to learn, but it also seems that Josh has been falling behind
compared to other students in his kindergarten class. Joshs severe infraction regarding
his attendance and timeliness may be part of the problem. Despite the problems that
Josh is having at school, he is a student with many strengths. In this report I will analyze
four neurodevelopmental factors that play a role in Joshs education as well as two
contextual factors and one sociocultural factor. The neurodevelopmental factors that I
will focus on are attention, social cognition, memory, and language, discussing strengths
and weakness within these areas. The two contextual factors that I will discuss are
Joshs home life and his attendance. The sociocultural factor that I will touch on is Joshs
socioeconomic status. By evaluating these factors that influence Josh as a learner, I will
begin to create a customized learner profile that we, as a school, will be able to use as a
tool as we consider the best strategies and interventions to provide an equitable
education for Josh.
One of the neurodevelopmental constructs that Josh shows both strengths and
weaknesses in is attention. Josh is eager to jump to a task and get started as soon as
instructions for the task are given, but is often the last one at his table completing the
task. He readily starts working, but has a hard time maintaining effort throughout
activities. On the parent-teacher conference sheet that Mrs. Stevens gave Joshs mother
she noted that Josh is a hard worker and always tries, but that he needs to take time
to do his best and slow down and complete work neatly. The construct of attention
consists of three different functions: mental energy, processing controls, and production
controls (All Kinds of Minds, 2017a). One sign of a strength in mental energy is readily
starting work and maintaining effort (All Kinds Of Minds, 2017a). It seems that mental
energy may be both a strength and weakness for Josh as he starts tasks eagerly and in a
timely fashion but is not able to maintain the effort needed to complete those tasks.
Josh could also be having a hard time finishing tasks not because he is lacking in mental
energy but because he has a weakness in another area. Or it may not be because of a
weakness that Josh is normally the last one to complete tasks but rather that Josh may
just be working at his own pace. Although it is possible that Josh struggles with mental
energy, there also could be a number of other explanations for his work ethic that
should be considered.
In addition, not all areas of attention appear to be weaknesses for Josh. Multiple
observations have revealed that Josh readily shifts focus during transitions, follows
instructions without need for repetition, and concentrates during mundane activities.
These are signs of strength in the area of processing (All Kinds of Minds, 2017b). He also
does not show signs of being easily distracted, remaining focused on his work. Whether
it was transitioning from his desk to the rug or snack time to centers, Josh never needed
to be reminded of what he should be doing, a reminder that most kindergarteners need
from time to time. I also observed, compared to other students, Josh was not easily
sidetracked by the little distractions around him.
The third and final function of attention, production control, is another aspect of
attention where Josh may have a weakness. Signs of strength in production control
include planning before work, working at an appropriate pace, and noticing and
correcting mistakes (All Kinds of Minds, 2017b). Mrs. Stevens note about Josh needing
to slow down and complete his work neatly may indicate that Josh is struggling with
production controls, however, more observations are needed to determine whether this
is really an area of weakness for Josh.
Another strength that I have noticed about Josh is within the construct of social
cognition. According to Sevensma (2017a) social cognition is the ability to think about
and engage in social interactions. As I have observed Josh work with this table partners
and center groups throughout the day I have seen Josh conversing well with other
students. At one point Josh and another student both sat on the same square of carpet
after the class was instructed to take a seat. Josh and the student looked at each other
and Josh willingly let the other student have that spot and chose to find another.
Whether this showed kindness, defeat, or compliance, Josh handled this situation with
ease, resolving the conflict without resorting to aggression. According to Sevensma
(2017a), being able to resolve conflict without resorting to aggression demonstrates
conflict resolution. Another social interaction I observed occurred as Josh and another
student were doing a puzzle together. First, I noticed that Josh had chosen to work with
another student rather than to do a puzzle alone. He and the other student were singing
together and coordinating to put each piece together, collaborating appropriately for
the task at hand. I thought that this situation demonstrated well Joshs ability to work
with his peers.
In all my time at the school I never saw Josh have an argument or bicker with
another student. That being said, I only saw Josh during a two-hour time slot in the
mornings. I wonder how he acts around other students at lunchtime, on the playground,
etc. More extensive observations would be needed to draw more conclusions about
Joshs strength in this area. Based on the way that Barringer, Polhman, and Robinson
describe the three ways to think about students strengths, I would evaluate Joshs
strength in social cognition, based on what I know, as a solid function, operating as
expected (Barringer et al., 2010a).
One of the areas that I wonder if Josh struggles in is memory. After Mrs. Stevens
introduced a writing task where students would be labeling modes of transportation
with the corresponding pictures Josh repeated Label? drawing out the word and
pausing afterwards with a look of concern on his face. He seemed overwhelmed as he
continued the activity with his head on his desk. He was possibly tired, overwhelmed
with the task, or struggling with active working memory. Active working memory
includes juggling parts of tasks while using them (All Kinds of Minds, 2017b). Writing is
one of the most common tasks seen in schools that requires active working memory.
Another artifact that shows Joshs use of active working memory is a piece of work
showing the words that Josh identified from a center activity. The activity asked
students to find words hidden among an image and categorize the words they found as
either real words or nonsense words. In this activity students also had to use their long-
term memory to recall whether the words they saw were real or nonsense words based
on the information they had stored about those words in their long-term memory. In
the activity Josh identified and and fan as nonsense words and si as a real word.
The activity could possibly point to a weakness with active working memory, as Josh
struggled with this task which involved juggling many words as he worked to find,
categorize, and transcribe each word he found. It is also important to point out that this
appeared to be a pretty complex task for a kindergartener, and that this task may have
been inappropriate to assign to students at this level. Another thing to consider is that
Joshs work on this activity could indicate that Josh struggles with the construct of
language.
The first time that it became evident to me that Josh may be struggling with
language was when I first heard Josh read a book. The book was very simple with only a
few words on each page and many repeated words and phrases. Josh was looking at the
pictures and making up what he thought the words might be on each page, hardly
looking at the words themselves. He would often tilt his head back and look at the
ceiling; an action that I soon learned Josh does throughout the day when difficult tasks
are placed in front of him. After a discussion with Mrs. Stevens about strengths and
weaknesses in neurodevelopmental factors that she has observed in Josh, she also
expressed her concern for Joshs weakness within the construct of language. She told
me that when she recently evaluated Joshs reading, he read all the words correctly
from the simple list of words but that when it came to reading a story the way that Josh
read was not smooth at all. She even said that Josh has lost ground since the
beginning of the year, observing that Josh knew more sight words at the beginning of
the year than he does now. She attributed this regression to the lack of exposure that
Josh experiences with language at home. I wonder how much a lack of exposure to
language at home really does affect Joshs language abilities, and what we as a school
can do to provide Josh with the extra help he needs to keep up with this classmates.
This will be an important factor to consider as we begin to develop strategies to help
Josh.
 After looking at the different forms of language, I noticed that Josh may be
struggling with parts of both receptive and expressive language. Receptive language
involves understanding language through listening and reading, while expressive
language involves communicating through speaking and writing (Sevensma 2017b).
Josh was the first student to react to every word in an activity where the class was
instructed to wiggle every time they heard a word that started with w and jump every
time they heard a word that started with j, wiggling and jumping appropriately every
time a word was read. Listening for the sounds, an activity that required receptive
language, seemed to be a strength for Josh. I was encouraged to see Josh engaged in
this language activity, actively participating and showing no signs of frustration. This
made me wonder whether Josh is struggling with all levels of language beyond
phonemes. Josh was able to demonstrate his knowledge of phonemes as he jumped and
wiggled, but struggled when performing tasks involving phonics, the level of language
just above phonemes.
In addition to neurodevelopmental factors, there are also contextual and
sociocultural dynamics in Joshs life that influence his work and interactions at school.
One of the contextual factors that may be influencing Joshs performance at school is his
life at home. In Mrs. Stevens words, Josh has a sad home life. She told me that his
brother was stabbed and died at a playground not long ago, maybe a few years. The
family has probably experienced much trauma after this tragic loss of their son and
brother. Although at his young age I am not sure how much of the event Josh
remembers, the repercussions of such a tragedy probably linger in Joshs household.
According to the Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators (2008) one in four students
attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect their learning. A
few of the negative effects that may be influenced by a traumatic event include higher
rates of absences and decreased reading ability (Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators,
2008). Both poor attendance and low reading ability seem to be affecting Joshs
performance at school.
 After inquiring about more information regarding Joshs home life, Mrs. Stevens
informed me that Josh has made many comments that have had her wondering about
what life is like in his household. Josh has said that he had to throw away his mattress
because his dogs kept going to the bathroom on it. He once said that his dad cooked
dinner outside because their stove was not working. Another time he mentioned having
to shower at his grandmas house because they did not have running water at their
house. Mrs. Stevens described Josh as one of those kids who you just want to take
home with you. She even mentioned having contemplated if she should call Child
Protective Services. One day when I was observing the class, Josh came in to school an
hour and twenty minutes late, causing other students to say to him, Josh, where were
you? In reply he looked at the ceiling and said, I had to wash my clothes. When Mrs.
Stevens asked him why he was late he said, I had to wait for my clothes to dry. Mrs.
Stevens also said that it seems like Joshs family does not value school, but I wonder
how much of this opinion is due to her limited perception, and if there are other factors
that are causing Josh to be late that are out of the control of his family. Although it may
come off as if his family does not value school, I think it may be importance to consider
that the problem might be more complicated than that.
Possibly connected to his home life is Joshs poor attendance at school.
According to a documentation of Joshs attendance provided by Mrs. Stevens, Josh has
eleven unexcused absences and twenty-eight unexcused tardies for the year. He has a
level four infraction for his absences and a level six infraction for his tardies, meaning
that a total of ten letters and phone calls have been made to his parents regarding this
issue. Being only in kindergarten, and attending a school with no busing, Josh is relying
solely on his parents to get him to school. With the number of hours of school Josh has
missed because of absences, he is sure to have missed a lot of important instruction and
time in the classroom. This lack of attendance is sure to be causing a disruption in Joshs
education. Mrs. Stevens showed me Joshs attendance records from the previous year
when he was in the Young 5s class. That year Josh had 15 unexcused absences and 61
tardies. These records indicate that attendance has been a reoccurring problem for Josh
so far in his education. It is important to consider that the reason for this attendance
issue may be connected with the traumatic event that Joshs family experienced only a
few year ago, and to consider ways that we may be able to help Josh in this area.
Socioeconomic status is also a factor that may be playing a role in Joshs
performance at school. According to Brian Lozenski (2012), low-income students are
considered one of the most vulnerable groups of students. The comments that Mrs.
Stevens made about Joshs home life seem to indicate that Josh may fit into this
category. She also told me, despite the fact that teachers are not supposed to know who
receives free or reduced lunch, that she knows that Josh is a student who receives free
lunch. According to Nieto and Bode (2012), equitable education is the term given to
describe the concept of giving each student not an equal education, but what he or she
needs in order to achieve equality. What Josh needs, in spite of his socioeconomic
status, may be different from what another student in a different situation needs. In
order to provide Josh with an equitable education, the financial situation of his family
needs to be considered. The link between students economic situation and success at
school is a sad truth, but nonetheless one that should be considered as we look at Josh
and develop strategies to him succeed.
By taking an in-depth look at some of the neurodevelopmental factors,
contextual factors, and sociocultural factors that influence Joshs life as a student we
can begin to consider several strategies and interventions that will help Josh as he
continues his education. One possible way that we can help Josh excel in his day-to-day
work at school would be to start him off with activities that harness his strengths before
starting him on tasks where he usually ends up frustrated, such as reading. This strategy
might be able to help motivate Josh, as he will gain confidence to be able to take on
more challenging tasks. We could also work to give him more positive reinforcement as
he increases the amount of time he spends working on challenging tasks. Josh may also
benefit from time with a psychologist or counselor at the school. Unfortunately, Mrs.
Stevens mentioned that the counselor at Joshs school is reluctant to meet with
students, and with this sad reality, I am not sure how much Josh would benefit from
meeting with this current counselor. Perhaps counseling outside of the school would be
a better option. These are just a few of the strategies and interventions that we have
begun to consider implementing in order to help Josh succeed. Together as Joshs
teachers, administrators, and counselors, we can create strategies and interventions
that will support Joshs education, so that we can offer Josh the resources and
instruction that he needs to be successful.

Epilogue
After analyzing a learner through qualitative research there are two important
points to make. First, there are many limitations to this type of research. Although I did
my best to observe Josh in the classroom setting, there are many aspects of Joshs life
that I was not able to observe. I was not able to see for myself what Joshs home life
looked like or evaluate in detail why he had so many absences. Even the observations I
directly made were limited to what I could visibly observe, to the conversations I had
with Josh, and to the discussions I had with Mrs. Stevens. I am particularly aware of the
biased view I may have of Joshs home life and socioeconomic status, as most of the
information I learned about these aspects of Joshs life came directly through Mrs.
Stevens. Although I would expect her to have an informed view of her students, she is
also limited by her own perceptions. Each learner is so complex that it is necessary to
recognize the flaws and gaps in this type of qualitative research. That brings me to my
second point, that each learner is created by God and is made in his own image. Every
strength and weakness of every learner was created by an intentional God. Therefore, it
is important to view each student with God-like eyes, acknowledging that each student
is part of His kingdom. To take a deficit view of any student would be to look at them in
a way that would be dishonoring to God. I think that when doing this type of research it
is especially important to be on the lookout for strengths even within what we want to
categorize as weaknesses, and to recognize that every learner is crafted by a perfect
creator.
Sources:
Attention Module . (2017a). In All Kinds of Minds. Retrieved from
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/attention-module
Barringer, M., Polhman, C., & Robinson, M. (2010a). Schools for All Kinds of Minds (pp.
17-32). San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators. (2008, October). Retrieved from
https://wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u57/2013/child-trauma-
toolkit.pdf
Lozenski, B. (2012). TEDx Talks. In Youtube . Retrieved September 18, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX9vgD7iTqw
Memory Module . (2017b). In All Kinds of Minds. Retrieved from
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/memory-module
Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of
multicultural education (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Sevensma, K. (2017a). Social cognition. [PPT].
Sevensma, K. (2017b). Motor and Language. [PPT].