Case Study of a Learner

Megan Lawrence

George Mason University

EDUC 613

Part I: Learner Profile

Maya is a student in my English 9 course at Woods Ground High School. I chose to use

Maya as my student of study for this assignment because of how quickly I was drawn to her. In

some ways, I felt that I could identify with her, and as such I sincerely wanted to help her and do

what I can to ensure that she succeeds. My first impressions of Maya as a learner and student

were that she was very nervous, and she did not want any attention focused on her. Because of

these characteristics, I found myself wanting to learn from her and from my interactions with her

case manager, social skills teacher, and family so that I could make her more comfortable in my

classroom and make it so that she felt confident enough to interact with her peers more easily on

an everyday basis. Additionally, I did not want her to feel that she was being controlled by her

anxiety when in my classroom. Furthermore, I know how paralyzing anxiety can make high

school for students, and I wanted to do what I could to ensure that she has a positive high school

experience.

For the course of this study, Maya has been observed as a member of her high school

English class. Maya is enrolled in Pre-AP English 9. The class consists of 29 students with a

variety of ethnicities. Maya’s classmates are predominately Caucasian but there are also a

number of African American students and a handful of Hispanic and Asian students as well. In

addition to the variety of ethnicities represented, students are at a variety of learning levels.

There are students who struggle and have accommodations for their needs, and students who

have been identified and receive gifted services.

The set-up of the classroom is mainly in rows. I have adjusted the room so that there are

three rows of four that extend from the front of the room to the back of the room. On either side

of these three rows are five rows of two that face the center of the room forming a sort of U

shape in the square shape of my classroom. Within this classroom setting, I have recently

implemented assigned seats; however, because Maya prefers a structured setting, I have not

moved her seat and try to avoid moving her seat unless she is given prior notification. My desk

is situated near the front of the room, just behind the desks on the left side of the U. Maya’s seat

is positioned near my desk, but slightly behind it so that she does not feel that I am constantly

observing or watching her while she is working.

Description of Learner

Biological and Other Traits: Maya is a 14-year-old female student. The student is

physically developed to the same degree as her peers. Maya does not have any physical

disabilities, nor does she have any physical heath diagnoses. Her motor skills and coordination

are at an equal or higher level than that of her peers. Maya has not been identified or labeled

with any learning disabilities or as a gifted student.

Maya has been identified as having an IEP for an Emotional Disability. She has been

tested for, but did not qualify for an autism disorder. The IEP has implemented a socioemotional

and social-skills goal as a means of helping Maya with her emotional and social struggles.

According to her IEP, the goal is meant to help Maya become more comfortable in social

situations, and be more confident in approaching her peers because the emotional and social

aspects of school that Maya struggles with lead to significant bouts of anxiety and cause

complications for her in school (See Appendix B).

Cultural and Societal Factors: Maya is a Caucasian student. Her family is of average

socioeconomic status for the school and area. The only language spoken in the student’s home

life is English, and aside from her foreign language course, it is the only language spoken by

Maya in an academic setting. In terms of important factors in her life, Maya ranks school as one

of the highest. She demonstrates this through her strong work ethic, as has been noted through

my classroom observations, and her acknowledgement of being disappointed in herself when she

does not do well on assignments in her mind mapping activity (Appendix C). Maya puts a lot of

detail and effort into doing well with her school work

Emotional and Social Influences: Maya’s parents are divorced, and her biological

father is not present in Maya’s life. Her step-father has recently adopted her and plays a

significant role in her life. Maya’s mother is very involved in her life. She actively participated

in ensuring that Maya is successful in all of her school work and in any extracurricular activities

she chooses to participate in, including her new efforts to make the school’s swim team,

something that will hopefully help her to overcome some of her social struggles and introduce

her to new people. In addition to her mother and father, Maya lives with her grandmother and

younger brother (Appendix C).

In school, Maya struggles in social scenarios and with making friends. Because of her

social struggles, her mom has had concerns of her becoming withdrawn. In the classroom, this is

evident in her avoiding working and being with others. When in a group setting Maya struggles

to make others feel welcome or comfortable, and worries about how to involve herself in the

interaction. Maya has identified that she is conflicted about having friends. There are times

when she realizes she wants them, but she doesn’t really understand how to make that happen,

which leaves her feeling neutral about even having any friends. Recently, she has moved to a

new home resulting in her losing the friendships she had created at the beginning of the school

year, which has left her eating lunch alone. As a result of these social struggles, Maya appears to

be left with an emotional struggle and inconsistent self-esteem. Her IEP has implemented the

goal of working on positive self-talk to encourage her to be more outgoing, and to realize she can

be accepted socially.

In the school setting, she has identified that she needs a safe space for when social

stresses are too high. She is aware that she is to seek out her counselor, case manager, or social

skills instructor should she have any concerns that need to be addressed in a timely manner.

Academic Performance: Maya has demonstrated that academically she is a very strong

student. She works very hard, and expects only the best from herself. This has been the case for

Maya since she was in middle school where she maintained B+ or A averages (Appendix D).

This strong work ethic has carried over to her high school career. During the first marking

period, Maya was able to achieve a score of 87 percent and as at the half way point through the

second marking period, he is maintaining an average of 90 percent. While this is not the type of

performance that she will be satisfied with, it is a fantastic starting point, especially in a Pre-AP

course, and most especially during her first few weeks in a new school. While her overall grade

was good, Maya has demonstrated that she is a thorough studier and a careful learner. She put

these skills to the test by achieving the highest score on our literary element and short story

exam, earning a 98 percent. Perhaps the area where she excels the most is in her ability to take

the feedback that has been provided to her and use it to make corrections for future assignments.

As a result of her social struggles, Maya prefers a structured classroom environment.

When the classroom is not structured, Maya becomes anxious. If lack of structure becomes a

consistent thing, Maya will be absent from school. While this has not been an issue this year, it

is an act that has been demonstrated in the past. Additionally, she prefers to work independently;

however, she is working to become more comfortable in social settings in the classroom,

especially with her peers, but also with her new teachers in high school.

The area where I see Maya struggle most with her academic work has to do with

organization and following directions. There have been a couple of times throughout the year

where she has forgotten an assignment on the day that it was due, or has not done them at all.

For example, one of the final assignments of our first marking period was to complete an

independent reading project. The project included reading a book of choice, then creating a

project, again of the students choosing. Regardless of the project that was done by the student, a

summary of the novel was necessary for accurate and complete scoring. Maya forgot to do the

summary portion of the project, and she therefore had an incomplete project and scored far lower

than she had hoped, and surely lower than what she should have scored.

Educational Strengths & Needs and Connections to Learning Theories

Strengths: Maya has demonstrated that she is able to take constructive feedback and

then implement it into future assignments. She demonstrated this during a Socratic Seminar.

This setting was one that she struggled with because it required her to interact socially with her

peers. She did not do well, and she was very upset at her performance during her first attempt;

however, when provided with the opportunity to re-do the assignment, she flourished. Before

the second opportunity, I communicated with her mom, so she knew what would be expected,

and I provided Maya with feedback from her first performance so she could be even more

prepared for her second attempt.

Additionally, Maya is very good with remembering information. She has demonstrated

this through her success with recalling vocabulary terms, both related to content and general

vocabulary. She demonstrates this by generally scoring high on vocabulary assessments and by

having scored a 98 percent on her end of unit short story exam. Furthermore, she is able to

connect information that she remembers from one unit to another, allowing her to see

connections between units, texts and subject matter.

Finally, Maya is a very gifted artist. There are occasions, however, that she does not use

this skill at the most opportune times, but when she is provided with the opportunity to

demonstrate her understanding through art, she is more than capable. There are times however,

when her drawing or artistic abilities interfere with her focus in class, which can lead to

magnifying some of her weaknesses, or needs.

Needs: Maya has indicated in her IEP notes that she needs additional supports in certain

areas of her academics. First and foremost, because she can be very anxious about her

performance with assessments she needs to receive additional time when necessary for test and

quizzes. Additionally, should the classroom environment be loud or overwhelming for her, she

is permitted to test in an alternative location. Furthermore, when she is struggling in a classroom

setting, she is permitted to seek additional support by means of a counselor, or case manager.

Lastly, she is privy to being dismissed early from class to avoid struggles with congestion during

class transitions. In order for any of these accommodations to implemented, Maya is responsible

for communicating these needs to her instructor, they are not adjustments that are made

automatically.

In addition to the needs identified in Maya’s IEP, she also needs assistance with peer

interactions. Maya has stated that she is afraid of pretty much anything social, and has

demonstrated this by choosing to work independently in class, even with provided with the

choice of working with a partner or group. Maya therefore, needs support, and opportunity to

work within a peer setting, and have success in that setting so that going forward she feels more

open to participating in interactions with her classmates.

Learning Theories: Of the learning theories discussed, many of the needs and strengths

of the student can be connected to Maya’s learning. The two that I have identified are the Socio-

Emotional Learning Theory, and the Behaviorist Learning Theory. The exploration of these

theories clearly indicate why the student struggles or succeeds as she does in the classroom

environment.

The Socio-Emotional Learning Theory applies to Maya most because of all of the

struggles that she has interacting with her peers, and her difficulties having confidence in herself

to have successful interactions. The theory focuses on being able to form positive relationships,

work in teams, and deal directly with conflict (Drescher, Nixon, & Shelton, 2016). Maya

significantly struggles to interact with her peers. Working with her to gain confidence and to use

her peers as resources to help her learn will make her an even better student than she is; however,

this is not an easy thing for her to overcome. In addition to pushing her to work on her

relationships, she also needs to work on recognizing her own strengths and limitations (Drescher,

Nixon, & Shelton, 2016). Maya is a very bright girl, and when she realizes that she can relax

and open up about the prior knowledge she can offer to learning, she will end up working more

successfully with her peers. The struggle that she has is with understanding others. While she

tries, this is the most challenging thing Maya deals with, and this is a significant part of the

Socio-Emotional Learning Theory.

In order to work on making Maya more successful in my classroom, I need to ensure that

the classroom environment that she is in is a positive one. It needs to be one where she feels

accepted and welcomed by her peers. This is something that I have been working to do with

Maya. With the new seating chart I implemented, I have positioned Maya near a couple of

students who I know are very open to friendships with anyone, and who will not exclude her or

make her feel like she is out of place. While the students who sat near her before were not

unfriendly, they were not as social, and therefore not as will to make the initial interaction that

Maya needs to begin a collaboration. Since this change, I have witnessed her have a couple of

social interactions or discussions about topics being studied, which was something that I found

very limited before. Additionally, I was beyond pleased when we she motioned to me that she

needed to leave early, which I already knew was for swim tryouts. When she acknowledged this,

she was given a number of positive comments from her classmates, including good lucks that she

makes the team. I am hoping that these interactions show her that she can have positive

exchanges with her peers and form friendships.

The second theory that seems to apply to Maya’s learning abilities is the Behaviorist

Learning Theory. The theory focuses on the idea that learning happens in a structured

environment where an individual learns to maximize pleasure and avoid pain. Because the

theory provides structure, and the ability to avoid discomfort, the theory becomes something in

which Maya needs and relies on to prevent her from feeling overwhelmed. This need is able to

be met for Maya through the Behaviorist theory because it offers the breaking down of

instructions, and making expectations clear for every assignment (Johnson, Kheradmand, &

Pakrul, 2016). Additionally, the theory applies to Maya in her need to receive clear feedback so

she knows where she can improve in the future.

Behaviorist Theory again connects to the type of classroom environment that is created.

For Maya, she needs a structured classroom where she knows what is expected, what she can

learn from prior experiences, and how she can apply this to new learning or opportunities. To

make this happen in my classroom, I need to be sure that I am providing support when she needs

it, and I need to make sure that all students are working on the tasks that are expected of them so

that she does not feel overwhelmed with the lack of structure and organization.

Part II: Goals for the Learner and Research Based Recommendations

Cognitive and Metacognitive Learning Goal: Encouraging Maya to think about her

thinking, metacognition, (APA, 1997) is the first area in which I created a goal for her. Based on

the observations that I have had of Maya, and on the Mindset and Multiple Intelligences Survey

(Appendix E) that I had her take, trying new things is a challenge for her especially when it

requires interpersonal skills. By encouraging Maya to think about her thinking, and about the

interactions that she has with her peers, she can use her experiences to dictate how these

exchanges may go in the future.

To make this work the best, I need to make sure that Maya and other students understand

that they are capable of developing their skills (Dweck, 2006) and that they are capable of

changing their thinking. In order to implement this into my classroom, Maya needs to be

provided with the opportunity to learn in different environments and see that she can have

success, even when out of her comfort zone. Once in these different learning environments, she

needs to be guided through, and provided with the opportunity to reflect on the learning

experience. By allowing her to see and think about the ways in which she thinks, she will be

able to move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset where she can see that by reaching

slightly beyond her comfort zone, she can have even more success. This will allow her to have

control over what and how she learns, while also allowing her to accept additional learning

contexts.

The primary task that I would ask Maya and her classmates to complete that would help

her in meeting her goals would be to complete a reflective questionnaire after each unit, or after

each learning opportunity, especially if the learning experience involves social interaction.

Including reflection into lessons positively encourages students’ academic and personal

development (Joseph, 2010). By providing students with the opportunity to learn from the

activity, or practice what they just engaged in, they will be able to connect their learning to their

prior learning, and to the future learning that will occur (Dewey, 1944). Additionally, by giving

Maya the chance to reflect on the interaction she had during each learning experience, she will

be able to use the reflection to guide her future learning experiences.

After reflecting on the scenarios that Maya has experienced for learning, I feel she would

benefit from one additional step, which would guide her thinking and learning going forward.

This additional step would be for Maya to create a learning or performance goal (APA 1997).

Because Maya learns best in a structured and organized manner, creating a goal for herself, and

then permitting her to track her progress toward meeting this goal will allow her to remain in

control of her learning and growth; she will be able to identify what she needs as a learner

(Joseph, 2010). Furthermore, learning to manage her emotions and behaviors is something that

is identified as a core skill within the Socio-Emotional Learning Theory (Drescher, Nixon, &

Shelton, 2016).

Beyond providing students with reflective questionnaires at the end of each unit or after

certain lessons, I need to work to provide more opportunities for students to practice and develop

their reflective abilities (Joseph, 100). To get Maya to think about this more naturally, I feel I

could help her by providing her with writing prompts, and making it a natural part of our lesson

to reflect on how the learning went, and what areas were capable of being improved in the future.

Motivational and Affective Learning Goals: Maya is a very bright student. The

grades she received in her middle school experience and state test scores reflect a thoughtful and

intelligent student (Appendix D). But, I find that she can have a very fixed mindset, which is…,

for how she can learn. Maya is very limited in the ways that she is willing to work, especially

when it comes to including social interactions. By having Maya complete the Multiple

Intelligences survey (Appendix E) and through my observations of Maya and her classwork, I

was able to learn that she struggles significantly with her interpersonal skills. Maya never

accepts the opportunity to work with a peer just for the sake of having someone else to talk to.

Therefore, the goal for Maya within the motivational and affective learning goal again focuses

on her ability to be motivated, even when she is presented with a situation that would make her

feel anxious or insecure (APA, 1997). Working to develop Maya’s social, emotional and

behavioral skills will help her to being more successful later in her life (Drescher, Nixon, &

Shelton, 2016).

The goal for Maya within this category is to not allow her emotions to control her

thinking and prevent her from performing at her best capability. While some anxiety can be

beneficial for learning, too much causes a student to struggle with learning and performing at

their best (APA, 1997). In order to overcome this struggle, Maya needs the opportunity to learn

that working with her peers will allow her to have success, and likely even more success than

when she continues to isolate herself.

In order for this goal to be met successfully, Maya would need additional help from all of

her instructors. In an effort to ease Maya’s concerns about social interactions, her teachers could

improve her learning by drawing on her prior knowledge, history, and attitude about learning and

school (Rosiek, 2003). Using the student’s prior knowledge, and allowing Maya to reflect on her

learning would allow her to reflect not only on how well she learned the content, but also on the

ways in which she was successful with social interactions, and hopefully leave her wanting to

experience these interactions again in the future (Hattie & Yates, 2014). Jerry Rosiek (2003)

offers a number of strategies for implementing emotional scaffolding into classroom instruction.

These approaches can be conducted both implicitly an explicitly. In Maya’s case, I feel she

would benefit from instruction that will connect subject matter to something the student find

familiar, or by drawing attention to the negative emotions that Maya feels, and assuring her that

it is not as bad as it seems (Rosiek, 2003). In implementing these tasks and goals into Maya’s

instruction, he will build her self-efficacy and realize that she is capable of interacting in new

situations and have success in these scenarios (Hattie & Yates, 2014).

Developmental and Social Learning Goals: Maya has very limited social interactions

with her peers. After communicating with her other instructors and parent who have more close

interactions with her, I am hoping to get her to see that the environment that has been created in

my classroom is one where she is safe, and she can learn from and with her peers. What they

bring to the table, which I have noted with observations, are additional insights, or offers of what

could be beneficial for her to succeed (Appendix B). If Maya is provided the opportunity to

practice interacting with her peers, she, and her classmates will begin to see that they are able to

use each other’s differences in ability, backgrounds, and interests to expand their individual

knowledge (Sharan, 2010, p. 310).

This goal may be the most challenging goal for Maya to achieve. Even so, I feel it is the

most important goal for Maya to achieve in order to be successful in the classroom. This goal

falls in the area of social influences on learning. The goal would be for Maya to be more open

and comfortable with her classmates so that she is able to work with them, and socialize with

them more easily. Currently, when provided with the opportunity to work with peers, Maya is

very hesitant and nervous. She has even acknowledged in her Mind Mapping (Appendix C) that

she attempts to avoid all social interactions, and that anything social makes her nervous. Despite

her feeling this way, when working with other people, and in a group setting, student learning is

known to improve. They additionally are able to reflect together on the new information they are

acquiring and the experiences they are having (Doel, Hasan, Quiroga & Rovinsky, 2016).

Working on this step for Maya will be challenging, but will lead to “healthier levels of thinking,

feeling and behaving” (APA, 1997). Not only will this help Maya to learn better in a classroom

setting, but it will also help her to feel more confident in all social settings. The strategies that I

suggest be implemented to improve Maya’s social skills and therefore overall learning are as

follows.

Maya needs to be provided with the opportunity to work in a variety of contexts,

including times where she is outside of her comfort zone. This means, Maya will end up

learning best if she is provided with the opportunity to work both independently, and in small

groups, or partner settings. By putting Maya in these different situations, her academic

achievement will reach a higher level of mastery (Brown, Roedeiger, & McDaniel, 2014). By

providing Maya with the opportunity to learn in different manners, in a safe setting, I hope to

allow her to have positive interactions with her classmates and see that she can have successes in

social engagements. By preventing students from working in multiple contexts, we as teachers

end up doing students like Maya a disservice because they feel that they are only capable of

learning in one style (Hattie & Yates, 2014). Because Maya tends to see herself as learning best

within, or at the very least not wanting to push herself beyond her comfort zone, she is leaving an

abundance of potential untapped.

In addition to allowing her to tap into additional academic knowledge, she will also work

to become more self-aware, socially aware, and work to improve her relationship skills as are

identified in the Socio-Emotional Learning Theory (Drescher, Nixon, & Shelton, 2016).

Meeting this goal will again help to make Maya more relaxed in a classroom setting when

working with her peers, and when in any social scenario.

Individual Differences Learning Goals: It is very evident that Maya has a preferred

learning style, especially in the areas of Introspection such as Visual and Intrapersonal

(Appendix E). Despite this, it is the job of the educator to show students that there are multiple

ways to learn and that they should examine their own learning habits, or in other words, show

students that they are capable of developing a growth mindset, rather than being confided to a

fixed mindset (Appendix F). Furthermore, “we do students a serious disservice by implying they

have only one learning style, rather than a flexible repertoire from which to choose, depending

on the context” (Coffield as cited in Hattie & Yates, 2014, p. 182). Because Maya has anxiety,

keeping things consistent for her is helpful to controlling her anxiety; however, it is not helpful

in permitting students to meet her fullest potential. By evaluating Maya to determine the mindset

that she has, I will be able to see how open she is already to learning in a new environment or in

different contexts. Once determining her mindset, I will be able to see what steps I can take to

assist Maya in expanding her comfort zone. Giving Maya with the opportunity to think about

how she has learned something, or what she could improve upon, will allow both the student and

the teacher will learn how, despite differences, she can adapt and learn in a variety of contexts.

Additionally, by allowing Maya to be in these different learning environments, she will be able

to reflect on and see that she is able to learn in numerous learning contexts.

Given that Maya prefers to work independently, her goal will focus on her ability to self-

assess. Maya needs to take the opportunity to reflect on and assess her learning when she is in a

scenario that is not necessarily the learning style that she would prefer. When she is in situations

that push her beyond her comfort zone, she needs to reflect and see what she can learn that will

help to influence her future. Because Maya struggles most with social scenarios, assessments

like a Socratic Seminar are significant stressors for her. However, she needs to assess how she

has had success completing an assignment like this in the past, and use that information to help

her see that she can have success in other assessment scenarios. By having Maya assess what

she did to have the success in the different social settings she encounters, she will improve her

own motivation and ability to continue learning independently (APA, 1997).

The practices that I would implement to allow Maya to develop beyond her preferred

independent learning style would be to continue implementing group work and different learning

experiences into the classroom setting. In order to help keep Maya from feeling anxious, I would

work to establish group goals, so that each member of the group is held accountable individually,

while still working together to reach a common goal (Homan, LaRoche, Smith, B., Smith, E.,

2016). This will allow Maya to work on her social skills, while still permitting her to remain

focused on gaining the knowledge that has been assigned.

Additionally, Maya would also benefit from taking the opportunity to see how she

interacts with her classmates. Much like we as teacher film ourselves for the purpose of

reflection, Maya would benefit from seeing how she appears to her classmates, and also to see

how her classmates react to her. Because she will stress over how she is viewed, or worry that

she is not saying things that are socially accepted, seeing what her class is really like by filming

and watching this back would help her to continue to be reflective in how she is able to learn in

different settings, while also allowing her to see that the preconceived notions she has may not

be as big a deal as she feels them to be.

Part III: Reflective Discussion

Reflecting on the learner: Over the course of the semester, I spent a lot of time

examining how Maya best learns, and how she thinks. By reflecting on the data that I collected,

and the information I learned about Maya, I feel that she confirmed a lot of the ideas I had before

I really dove into this assignment. She is very reserved and shy and needs to be prepared before

being placed in a social situation. Working with her peers is not something that Maya takes

lightly, or necessarily comfortably. And, while she is a bit more comfortable with her teachers,

if she feels she has too much focus on her, she can react negatively. Because of this, most of the

data that I gathered about Maya was observation based. Furthermore, I did not feel that I could

converse with Maya about the study because if she were aware of the study it would influence

the way that she acted in my class, and may push her to feeling so anxious that she would

become unable to attend class, or would be worried that I was paying too much attention to her.

In spite of all that she struggles with, Maya is a very bright and capable student, but she

has to open up to new ideas and situations at her own pace. I have discovered that she can learn

in other environments and is willing to go beyond her comfort zone when adequately prepared.

Without proper preparation, Maya is apt to feel ambushed. This will lead her to stress

significantly both about the work she is required to do and about the situation that she is in. As

such, I created goals for her that push her but that also push me to ensure that I am best meeting

her needs, and that she is learning the most that she can.

Because of the information and conclusions I was able to gain from observing and

studying Maya, I feel that the thing I learned most was that every student really does learn

differently, and meeting their needs is important in order for them to learn as well as they can.

Maya did show me that you have to be careful with how you approach your students in working

to make them comfortable with both the learning environment and with the learning opportunity.

While this does not mean that you should never push your students beyond what they are used to

or comfortable with, it does mean you should be aware, and really know and see your student so

that they can get the most from what you are teaching. If I had not studied Maya, I really think I

would take for granted the idea that all of my students are individuals and that they all come to

the classroom and table with different needs and preferences when it comes to how they learn.

While this is something that seems very obvious, it is something that tends to get overlooked or

forgotten once in the classroom, and once working toward covering material.

Generally speaking, the feelings I have toward Maya have changed some, but this is a

result of events from within the past week primarily, not so much the case study. Furthermore,

the change in the feelings I have may be a result of the adults allowing Maya to have an easy

way out, rather than implementing strategies that will help her to deal with situations in which

she struggles. Maya was moved from my 6th period class into my 4th period. I was very

concerned about this because of the dynamic of the class is very different than the class she was

in. I felt that she would continue to have a greater success in the 6th period class than the 4th

period class in which she is now a part. This change was something that was determined by her

administrator at the request of the parent because of a problem she was having with her geometry

course. This makes me feel that Maya and her parents may be allowing her anxieties to dictate

her life. Rather than helping her to be successful in the courses that she is in, and make

adjustments to make her successful, she has been allowed an ‘out’ from the problem. In my

mind this is not helping her to grow as an individual, but keeping her confined to situations

where she is comfortable. In other words, they are allowing her to continue to maintain a fixed

mindset, rather than helping her to develop her way of thinking. Ultimately, Maya was moved to

make the situation easier for her, but as Carol Dweck points out, “Working hard was not

something that made you vulnerable, but something that made you smarter” (Dweck, 2006). In

my eyes, this move is keeping Maya in her comfort zone, but making things easier for her, which

is ultimately preventing her from reaching her full potential. In other words, it is allowing her to

maintain a fixed mindset that when things are challenging, she will be able to get out of it if she

complains enough.

Reflecting on self as a teacher: When I think about myself as a teacher, I have always

thought that I was a rather tough person, with strict expectations, and high standards for all of my

students. Throughout the process of examining Maya as a learner, I ended up realizing I might

not be as tough as I thought. Or, at the very least, I am learning to balance when I need to be

strict, with when I need to be understanding. Or as Kohn acknowledged, teaching required one

to have a “fine line between discipline and love that (will) lead to good learning and creative

teaching” (Kohn, 2002). I have found with Maya that if I want her, or any student, to really be

successful, I need to be sure that I am pushing them when necessary, but still listening to them

and acknowledging their needs. In Maya’s case, this means questioning her, or asking her when

she needs assistance, but once she has answered, I need to not hover, or make her feel that I am

watching her every move. Furthermore, I need to confirm for her that if she needs help she has

to come and ask me. For Maya, this is a tough love type of act, and yet something that

ultimately makes me a better teacher for her. It forces small social interaction with me as her

teacher, but leaves her with the focus on academics.

In order to complete my case study and research honestly, I had to take a step back from

how I see myself as a teacher and focus solely on the learning of Maya and what I needed to do

in order for her to be successful in her learning and on what I could do to improve my teaching.

By doing this, I was then able to take the information that I was given by Maya and see how my

teaching influenced her learning or if I needed to adjust my instruction to better meet her needs.

Really, the most significant bias I had to remove from my examination of Maya was the

way in which I see myself in her. When I think about how she feels when in social situations,

and the way that she deals with anxiety, I went into the research feeling that I could strongly

identify with the problems, or challenges that Maya encountered. In order to discover what

would best assist her, I had to look only at her. I could not make the goals or adjustments to

instruction to meet what I thought would best serve me, I had to think about what was going to

best serve Maya. This was challenging because how I feel about a lesson or a learning style

greatly influences the ways in which I choose to teach my students. As such, this was a

significant thing that I need to be aware of and prepared to adjust so that I was not selecting

things just because I thought it sounded good, but because it was something that would help

Maya.

An example of where this became relevant was during a group discussion. I have

become a person that enjoys the opportunity to have a discussion, or Socratic Seminar, but for

Maya she would rather sit and listen to everyone else discuss and then provide a written response

with her thoughts. In an effort to make Maya more comfortable in this type of setting, I have

worked to make the groups smaller, and include people in the group that I have seen her interact

with socially. By doing this, I hope to build her confidence and make her more relaxed in a

setting that is meant to do nothing more than discuss not attack. This took my thoughts out of

the equation, and put the needs and learning opportunity of Maya at the forefront of this lesson.

Reflecting on the classroom and teaching: Maya has taught me a lot about students

and what it takes to be a good teacher. Perhaps the most significant thing that I learned from

Maya was that I need to be observant of my students and learn from their actions, as much as, or

more than I need learn from our interactions. Over the course of this study, I had very minimal

interactions with Maya because I did not want to add any pressure to her when she was in my

classroom by means of making her feel that I was singling her out from her peers. While this

seemed initially like something that prevented me from really getting to know what I needed to

do to help her, I realized I was going to have to be more insightful in order to understand her

thought process, and whether she was comfortable in the environment that I had created for her.

To accomplish this, I have learned that to understand my students I have to learn to read and use

their body language as a form of communication rather than relying on them to come to me, or

state directly what they are thinking.

In addition to working to be more observant of my students, I feel that I need to continue

to push my students and put them in situations that may be beyond their comfort zone. To

accomplish this, I feel that I will continue to teach in similar ways that I already do. I will

continue to put students in groups, give them challenging writing assignments, ask complex

questions, and really make them think about how they can learn at their best. With Maya, for

example, I need to give her a lot of time where she can work independently, but then push her

some with a social learning opportunity. Recently, I had Maya work with a group to analyze “To

Kill a Mockingbird” themes. While groups are not where she would prefer to work, I was able to

let her pick her group, and then she was forced to work collaboratively with her peers. The

product of this work was wonderful, and Maya was able to have success in a scenario where she

is not typically confident.

By no means did completing this assignment make me feel that I have perfected my

ability to practice teaching. On the contrary, I feel that I will continue to have things that I need

to learn in order to best reach my students.

The final thing that I learned from Maya and from studying her for the course of the

semester is that every single student is going to come into my classroom with different needs,

with different backgrounds. We as teachers need to “recognize…when it comes to maximizing

learning opportunities and outcomes for students from racially and ethnically diverse

backgrounds, race and ethnicity matter” (Hawley & Nieto, 2010). Not only does this apply to

those who come from racial and ethnic backgrounds, but for every student that comes into my

classroom. Every student has a different history and different experiences, and without

acknowledging these differences, I am not best preparing or teaching my students. I need to be

better about taking into account the prior knowledge that students bring into my classroom and

better use it to guide their future learning. I also need to better use my students as a resource for

other students to learn. Rather than getting stuck focusing on covering material, I need to work

to include topics that they want to cover, or include the knowledge they have so that they are in

more control of their learning. This could be accomplished by allowing students to select the

texts that we read in class, or building a writing assignment with them so they have a say and get

to help create the expectations, or simply proving them options when providing them with

assignments. In Maya’s case, I feel that this would help her in that she would continue to have

control. By having this say and control over her learning, she will be more comfortable in the

learning environment, but also with regard to the content that is being learned.

Reflecting on future action: Perhaps the most significant thing that I have learned from

the study of Maya is that I can never get too comfortable in my teaching. If that day ever comes,

I may need to find an alternative career. In order to ensure that this does not happen, there are

things that I can do to ensure that students remain engaged, and my teaching ideas fresh. If this

is done, students will continue to learn as best as they can and I will continue working to be the

best teacher I can be.

The first step that I need to be more thorough in implementing into my classroom

practice, for both me as the teacher, and my students is the practice of reflection. Reflection is a

necessary tool that allows our students and ourselves to learn through the process of thinking

about our thinking and about our learning experiences. According to John Dewey, “to ‘learn

from experience’ is to make a backward and forward connection between what we do to things

and what we enjoy or suffer from things in consequence” (Dewey, 1944). By working to make

this happen, students will see how what they are learning and working on is connecting to their

past learning opportunities, and then be used in their future learning endeavors.

By implementing reflection into my classroom, I will hopefully help students to see that

they are capable of more than they may think. All too often, students get stuck with a fixed

mindset, thinking that they cannot do something, and then they will not even try. By using

reflection, I will be able to work to get students to see that they are capable of developing a

growth mindset, in which they can change their thinking to better themselves as learners. By

getting students to see that they can have a growth mindset, they will begin to see that, “people

with the growth mindset are clued in to all the different ways to create learning” (Dweck, 2006).

This will help to make students more open to new opportunities, and to becoming better learners.

In addition to making students more reflective and helping them to develop a growth

mindset, I need to work to acknowledge the differences that students bring to the classroom.

Because I come from an area that is very limited in its diversity, I at times find myself not even

thinking about the differences between students, or that they come from different backgrounds,

with different races, religions, emotions, etc. If I want students to be comfortable in my

classroom, I need to acknowledge their differences, and use them as tools, not only for me, but

for other students. If I work to help students to see their differences as something that can help

them in their learning, they will hopefully “come to see each other as resources who can help

with learning difficulties” (Brookfield, 1995). Acknowledging our differences is what will end

up making our students more informed, and will provide them with more authentic learning

opportunities. Implementing this into classroom practice could be as simple as having students

write autobiographies, or by having students focus their research assignments on a cultural belief

or aspect of their religion or belief system. Ultimately, whatever means necessary to get students

thinking about how their differences can help them learn will make them better students and

better people.

Finally, I think the thing that would help students, especially when in a group setting such

as a Socratic Seminar or small group task, would be to film the class and then allow them to

watch the video back. By doing this, students would be able to evaluate themselves, and see

whether they are engaged in the class activity, or if they are disengaged with what has been

assigned. This would allow them to see whether they are completing the work as has been

assigned, or if they are off task. In a Socratic Seminar, they would be able to see if there were

opportunities where they could have added information, or if they are at times dominating the

conversation. Just like teachers take the opportunity to observe themselves teaching by watching

film back and then make improvements, students can work through the same steps and process.

By the end of this case study project, I came to learn an abundance of things both about

Maya, and about how I can best serve all of my students. While I have to acknowledge that I do

not believe achieving perfection as a teacher is possible, by implementing these new ideas, or

further practice into my classroom, both the students, and the teacher will create a better learning

environment. By acknowledging the different needs, backgrounds, and strengths of my students,

they will be able to help each other, learn from each other, and grow as individuals.

Appendix A

Data Source Information SoughtLearning factors AND/OR goals

this information will help you address

Communications with Case manager and Social Skills teacher

What additional insights can these two individuals offer? These teachers work with the students on a much smaller scale than I do. Because the student tends to work better in a small group environment, they get to see her more in her comfort zone, where I see her in her in a class with 25+ other students.

These two people will be able to offer significant insights that will connect to many of the different learning factors. Social influences on learning, Individual differences in learning, and Motivational influences on learning. Because these teachers see her in a smaller environment, they will be better able to tell me ways that the student prefers to learn, and what can motivate her to learn.

Email communications with parent

By communicating with the parent, I hope to learn additional information about how the student has settled into a high school setting and how that has affected her socially. Because social skills are the primary focus of her IEP, this is what tends to stand in the way of her involvement in group activities in the classroom.

This will help me to connect with the motivational and emotional influences on learning. The student has anxiety, but controls herself very, very well. Because she masks it very well in the classroom, her mom will be able to provide additional insight as to how she is managing with class work and assignments.

Mind Map Organizer The Mind map is given as a means of learning about the student. This activity provided the student with the opportunity to share details about herself with me as her teacher.

By understanding who my student is, I hope that I am able to understand what type of environment that she is comfortable learning in. It will allow me to see if she is more outgoing, or reserved in her mannerisms. This will connect with individual differences as a learner as she will offer insights into how she thinks and feels about a topic or scenario.

Mindset Quiz/Survey How capable is the student of adjusting her mindset from that of a fixed to a growth?

By exploring her mindset, I am able to see if she is open to the idea of learning in different manners. Additionally, I was able

to look at the answers she provided and see if there were common areas that she always was agreeing with, or disagreeing with. This would allow me to see any patterns in her thought process.

Multiple Intelligences Inventory Survey

Allows me to see and confirm the learning styles that are most identified with by the student.

Having the students complete this task, I will be able to see what ways she learns best, and I can work to meet these needs, while encouraging her to go beyond her comfort zone so she sees that she is capable of more than she believes she is.

Progress Reports (Part of IEP) The progress reports which are taken as a part of the student’s IEP will allow me to see how the students acts in other classroom settings and if she is progressing toward the goals she has established in her IEP. These goals are similar to the goals that I will have for her in my case study, as the student is currently a very introverted students and one who is very hard on herself. The progress demonstrated as a part of her IEP will allow me to see if she is becoming more social in a learning environment.

This will allow me to see how the student is working within the factor of Social influences on learning. The student tends to be very isolated, but this may be different in my class. This will allow me to see if in other classes the student is working in a more positive way. Furthermore, if other subject areas are seeing improvements in areas that I am not, we can compare and work together to help her across the boards with improvements.

Appendix B – Observations/Notes

Appendix C – Mind Mapping

Appendix D – Course Averages & Test Scores

Grade English Average Math Average History Average Science Average9 B+ (87) C (79) B (85) B (82)8 A (95) B+ (88) A (97) A (94)7 A A A A

*Averages for Grade 9 represent after Marking Period 1 only.

Grade Reading Writing Math Science8 510 600 532 4617 506 454 (Algebra I)

*All scores here are out of a total 600 points.

Appendix E – Multiple Intelligences Survey

Multiple Intelligences Inventory

Copyright 1999-2014 Walter McKenzie,The One and Only Surfaquarium

Note: This is not a test - it is a snapshot in time of an individual's perceived MI preferences.

Part I

Complete each section by placing a “1” next to each statement you feel accurately describes you. If you do not identify with a statement, leave the space provided blank. Then total the column in each section.

Section 1

_____  I enjoy categorizing things by common traits

_____  Ecological issues are important to me

_____  Classification helps me make sense of new data

_____  I enjoy working in a garden

_____  I believe preserving our National Parks is important

_____  Putting things in hierarchies makes sense to me

_____  Animals are important in my life

_____  My home has a recycling system in place

_____  I enjoy studying biology, botany and/or zoology

_____  I pick up on subtle differences in meaning

_____  TOTAL for Section 1

Section 2

_____  I easily pick up on patterns

_____  I focus in on noise and sounds

_____  Moving to a beat is easy for me

_____  I enjoy making music

_____  I respond to the cadence of poetry

_____  I remember things by putting them in a rhyme

_____  Concentration is difficult for me if there is background noise

_____  Listening to sounds in nature can be very relaxing

_____  Musicals are more engagingto me than dramatic plays

_____  Remembering song lyrics is easy for me

_____  TOTAL for Section 2

Section 3

_____  I am known for being neat and orderly

_____  Step-by-step directions are a big help

_____  Problem solving comes easily to me

_____  I get easily frustrated with disorganized people

_____  I can complete calculations quickly in my head

_____  Logic puzzles are fun

_____  I can't begin an assignment until I have all my "ducks in a row"

_____  Structure is a good thing

_____  I enjoy troubleshooting something that isn't working properly

_____  Things have to make sense to me or I am dissatisfied

_____  TOTAL for Section 3

Section 4  

_____  It is important to see my role in the “big picture” of things

_____  I enjoy discussing questions about life

_____  Religion is important to me

_____  I enjoy viewing art work

_____  Relaxation and meditation exercises are rewarding to me

_____  I like traveling to visit inspiring places

_____  I enjoy reading philosophers

_____  Learning new things is easier when I see their real world application

_____  I wonder if there are other forms of intelligent life in the universe

_____  It is important for me to feel connected to people, ideas and beliefs

_____ TOTAL for Section 4

Section 5

_____  I learn best interacting with others

_____  I enjoy informal chat and serious discussion

_____  The more the merrier

_____  I often serve as a leader among peers and colleagues

_____  I value relationships more than ideas or accomplishments

_____  Study groups are very productive for me

_____  I am a “team player”

_____  Friends are important to me

_____  I belong to more than three clubs or organizations_____  I dislike working alone

_____ TOTAL for Section 5

Section 6

_____  I learn by doing_____  I enjoy making things with my hands

_____  Sports are a part of my life

_____  I use gestures and non-verbal cues when I communicate

_____  Demonstrating is better than explaining

_____  I love to dance

_____  I like working with tools

_____  Inactivity can make me more tired than being very busy

_____  Hands-on activities are fun

_____  I live an active lifestyle

_____ TOTAL for Section 6

Section 7

_____  Foreign languages interest me_____  I enjoy reading books, magazines and web sites

_____  I keep a journal

_____  Word puzzles like crosswords or jumbles are enjoyable

_____  Taking notes helps me remember and understand

_____  I faithfully contact friends through letters and/or e-mail

_____  It is easy for me to explain my ideas to others

_____  I write for pleasure

_____  Puns, anagrams and spoonerisms are fun

_____  I enjoy public speaking and participating in debates

_____ TOTAL for Section 7

Section 8

_____  My attitude effects how I learn_____  I like to be involved in causes that help others_____  I am keenly aware of my moral beliefs

_____  I learn best when I have an emotional attachment to the subject

_____  Fairness is important to me

_____  Social justice issues interest me

_____  Working alone can be just as productive as working in a group

_____  I need to know why I should do something before I agree to do it

_____  When I believe in something I give more effort towards it

_____  I am willing to protest or sign a petition to right a wrong

_____ TOTAL for Section 8

Section 9

_____  Rearranging a room and redecorating are fun for me

_____  I enjoy creating my own works of art

_____  I remember better using graphic organizers

_____  I enjoy all kinds of entertainment media

_____  Charts, graphs and tables help me interpret data

_____  A music video can make me more interested in a song

_____  I can recall things as mental pictures

_____  I am good at reading maps and blueprints_____  Three dimensional puzzles are fun_____  I can visualize ideas in my mind

_____ TOTAL for Section 9

Part II

Now carry forward your total from each section and multiply by 10 below:

  

Section Total Forward Multiply Score

1    X10   

2    X10   

3    X10   

4    X10   

5    X10   

6    X10   

7    X10   

8    X10   

9    X10   

  

Part III

Now plot your scores on the bar graph provided:

  

  

  

Part IV

Key:

Section 1 – This reflects your Naturalist strength

Section 2 – This suggests your Musical strength

Section 3 – This indicates your Logical strength

Section 4 – This illustrates your Existential strength

Section 5 – This shows your Interpersonal strength

Section 6 – This tells your Kinesthetic strength

Section 7 – This indicates your Verbal strength

Section 8 – This reflects your Intrapersonal strength

Section 9 – This suggests your Visual strength

100                           

90                           

80                           

          70

                          

60                           

50                           

40                           

30                           

20                           

10                           

0  Sec 1 Sec 2  Sec 3   Sec 4 Sec 5 Sec 6 Sec 7 Sec 8   Sec 9

Appendix F – Mindset Survey

Mindset Quiz

Mindset Quiz Complete the quiz for how you believe your child would answer the question. To what

extent do you agree or disagree with these statements:

Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree

1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much. ______2. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit. _________3. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are. ___________ 4. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. 5. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are. ___________ 6. Music talent can be learned by anyone. ___________ 7. Only a few people will be truly good at sports – you have to be “born with it.” ___________ 8. Math is much easier to learn if you are male or maybe come from a culture who values math. _ 9. The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it. ___________ 10. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. ___________ 11. Trying new things is stressful for me and I avoid it. ___________ 12. Some people are good and kind, and some are not – it’s not often that people change. ______13. I appreciate when people, parents, coaches, teachers give me feedback about my performance.

___________ 14. I often get angry when I get feed back about my performance. ___________ 15. All human beings without a brain injury or birth defect are capable of the same amount of

learning. __________ 16. You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are. ___________ 17. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can’t really be changed. 18. Human beings are basically good, but sometimes make terrible decisions. ___________ 19. An important reason why I do my school work is that I like to learn new things. _________20. Truly smart people do not need to try hard. ___________

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