Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data...All Kinds of Minds® Success for Puzzling...

All Kinds of Minds®

Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data

(Attuning a Student: Process and Tool – Part 2)

ONLINE MODULE WORKBOOK

Copyright 2000 – 2009 ALL KINDS OF MINDS

All rights reserved. No part of these materials may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any

form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from All Kinds of Minds.

All Kinds of Minds® and Schools Attuned® are registered marks of All Kinds of Minds.

www.allkindsofminds.org

Table of Contents

Part 1: Introduction

Participant Objectives 1

Part 2: Student Work Analysis

Attuning a Student Diagram 2

Charles Narrative 3

Charles’ Writing Assignment 6

Charles’ Writing Sample 7

What I See What I Think Form 9

Work Sample Academic Task Components and Possible Underlying Constructs and Functions

10

Student Work Analysis Habit of Mind Questions 15

Part 3: Building a Profile

Profile Building Habit of Mind Moment Questions 16

Part 4: Management Planning for School Success

Management Planning for School Success Habit of Mind Questions 17

Part 5: Preparing for a Demystification Conversation

Demystification Steps and Guidelines 18

Demystification Sentence Starters 26

Preparing for a Demystification Conversation Habit of Mind Question 27

Part 6: Implementation and Measurement of Impact

Implementation Habit of Mind Questions 28

Attuning a Student Journal 29

Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data | 1

© 2000 – 2007 ALL KINDS OF MINDS

Participant Objectives

As a result of participating in this module, participants will: 1. Form evidence-based hypotheses about students' neurodevelopmental strengths and

weaknesses.

2. Have demystification conversations with students and their parents around the student's strengths, weaknesses, and affinities.

3. Utilize management resources and implement management strategies to support students' school success.

4. Reflect on student's progress and modify the management plan.



Charles Narrative

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Charles is in seventh grade. He has attended three schools. His current school is private, and his

first two were public. His father reports that Charles’s school difficulties became apparent in first

grade. His first grade teacher thought Charles had ADHD because he was constantly in motion.

His second grade teacher considered him to be “hyper,” and urged the family to seek an outside

evaluation. Charles’s parents took him to his pediatrician who prescribed Ritalin, and Charles’s

parents reluctantly put their son on the medication. They were never sure if Ritalin was an effective

intervention, however, because they were moving to a new city at the time, and weren’t able to

carefully monitor Charles’s response to the medication.

When Charles entered his new school at the end of second grade, his parents decided to

discontinue the Ritalin. The second grade teacher at the new school reported that Charles was a

polite boy, but she expressed concerns about his ability to wait to hear directions. She was not as

concerned about his activity level, per se, but wondered if he could somehow be slowed down.

She expressed regret that Charles had transferred to her class so late in the term, giving her only 8

weeks to work with him. She had wanted to focus more on his peer acceptance, because his quick

style was interfering with his ability to make friends.

Charles’s third, fourth and fifth grade teachers emphasized that it was important for Charles to

take more time to read and listen carefully. His fourth grade teacher suggested speaking with the

school psychologist about options for managing Charles’s hurried style and lack of follow-through

on homework. His parents did not pursue this option, believing that medication might be

suggested, and they did not want to pursue that path again.

By sixth grade, Charles was spending a fair amount of time in after-school detention for incomplete

work, talking out in class, distracting his classmates, etc. His parents worried that there would be

no way to redeem his reputation in the school, so they placed him in a private school for seventh

grade.

Charles lives with his parents, two sisters, and one brother. His grandfather also lives with the

family. His mother describes Charles as affectionate and caring. She says that he plays hard and



then crashes, often taking naps on weekends or after school. Charles has difficulty waking up in

the morning, and this is becoming an area of tension in the home. His mother reports that he was

a late-talker compared to her other children, but that he “hasn’t shut up since.” She and her

husband are concerned that there is such a disparity between what they think Charles can do, and

the work he produces in school. They are dismayed that the smaller class size and individual

attention available in a private school does not seem to be making a difference in Charles’s school

performance.

When interviewed, Charles stated that “if the teaching is slow, or if I already know it, I feel sleepy

and doze off.” He also said, “I learn best not by someone telling me, but by someone showing

me.” Charles’s favorite subject is math, and he hates grammar and foreign language. He says that

he has lots of friends, although his teachers indicate that there are several students who ask to be

moved away from Charles, or not to be placed in learning groups with him, saying things like, “He

always goofs around and ruins the projects. If you want an A, you can’t work with Charles.”

Charles belongs to a youth group at his church that does community service, and he enjoys that

immensely. He wants to be an architect or engineer, and speaks excitedly about his building

projects that he does with his grandfather at home. They have made a grandfather clock together

and are now working on a garden bench. While not an agile child and not involved in official

school sports teams, Charles loves to play many sports (football, basketball, baseball), and he

participates on intramural teams. He has an excellent memory and, as such, is the sports trivia

expert in his family, creating quiz games of esoteric sports history facts for his relatives to play.

WHAT YOU SEE IN THE CLASSROOM: Charles frequently interrupts his teachers and his peers when they are talking. He blurts out

information without raising his hand and, on the rare occasions when he has raised his hand, he

will often say, “Oh, I forgot!” by the time he is actually called upon to answer. He shares his

commentary about the contributions of his classmates spontaneously and audibly during class, and

yet, he does not seem malicious, just tactless. Charles almost always approaches his teachers after

directions have been given to ask for clarification regarding the assignment. Recently, he

approached his science teacher, test in hand, asking “What are we supposed to do here?”

(referring to a section of the exam requiring compare/contrast short answers).



Charles takes every opportunity to move around the room and school during the day. If he is sent

to another location (e.g., from study hall to see a teacher for individual help), he is not efficient in

getting there. He will often meander through the halls, stopping to get a drink of water, waving at

peers in classrooms, stopping at his locker, visiting the restroom, etc. In contrast to this motoric

activity, Charles will sometimes actually fall asleep in school! For example, the other day, when he

was sent to work on a project in the computer lab, his teacher found him curled up on the floor in

the corner of the computer room “resting.”

Charles has an excellent fund of general information, and he can usually speak knowledgeably

about topics in history class. For example, during the study of ancient Egypt, Charles shared

detailed information he knew about hieroglyphics, as well as information he knew about various

other alphabets and recording systems from other cultures.

Charles can understand the literal and the inferential when studying literature. His insights about

literature reveal an understanding of human nature and an appreciation of literary devices.

However, his oral expression is sometimes awkward. In discussing how the protagonist in a story

could improve his relationship with the people of the village, Charles said, “He could tell them

‘sorry,’ and offer if he could do something extra.” When discussing the primary election system in

history class, he said “They should appoint new laws.” When Charles reads aloud, his reading is

not at all fluent. He repeats many words (often getting them right on the second or third try), and

misreads or omits the little words such as “an,” “on,” “to,” etc. He reports that the words often

run together when he reads. Interestingly, when he speaks, he often has to repeat words to say

them properly. He tends to sequence incorrectly the syllables in such multi-syllabic words as

“conductivity” (cod-nuk-tivity) and “recombinant” (re-con-bom-ant), etc.

Charles’s mental quickness serves him well in math class, where he grasps concepts readily and

performs calculations correctly and efficiently. Charles has expressed frustration at having to

explain how he gets answers in math, believing that “the right answer should count more than

writing how I solved it.”

In physical education class, Charles often decreases the time the entire class has for activities,

because he does not dress for gym in a timely manner. When he is finally in the gym, he often

starts an activity before the teacher is finished explaining it, and continues the activity long after the

teacher has called an end to it. He cannot catch or throw a ball with age-appropriate accuracy,

and his running is not graceful. Charles seems to enjoy being in PE class, nonetheless.



What I See, What I Think Form

You may use this form to document strengths and weaknesses from student work samples or you may simply write them on the sample itself.

What I See (Academic Sub-skills)

What I Think (Neurodevelopmental

Constructs and Functions) Areas of Strength:

Areas of Weakness:



Writing Sample (e.g., paragraph, essay, story)

Academic Task Components Possible Underlying

Neurodevelopmental Constructs and/or Functions

Writing an appropriate amount

Neuromotor (Graphomotor), Memory (Active Working), Higher Order Cognition, Attention (Mental Energy Controls)

Elaborating/developing ideas Language (Expressive), Higher Order Cognition

Organizing and sequencing ideas Temporal-Sequential Ordering, Attention (Production Controls)

Correctly using appropriate vocabulary Language (Expressive)

Using correct grammar Language (Expressive), Memory (Long-term)

Writing with a variety of sentence structures

Language (Expressive)

Accurately capitalizing and punctuating

Language (Expressive), Memory (Long-term)

Handwriting legibility

Neuromotor (Graphomotor, Spatial Ordering)

Self-correcting, editing, revising Attention (Production Controls)

Being aware of audience Higher Order Cognition



Math Calculations Work Sample (e.g., math facts or computation)



Recalling basic math facts Memory (Long-term)

Accurately reading numerals and signs Attention (Processing Controls), Memory (Long-Term)

Regrouping

Memory (Long-term: Procedural), Higher Order Cognition, Attention (Processing and Production Controls), Spatial Ordering

Using algorithms involving several steps

Memory (Active Working, Long-term: Procedural), Temporal-Sequential Ordering

Working with visuals or manipulatives Spatial Ordering

Applying correct procedures (e.g., when working with fractions or equations)

Memory (Long-term)

Understanding Fractions Higher Order Cognition

Keeping work visually organized (e.g., aligning numbers)

Spatial Ordering



Math Reasoning Work Sample (e.g., applied problems, word problems, math vocabulary, chart and graph reading, geometry)



Using geometry terms (e.g., quadrilateral)

Language (Receptive, Expressive)

Using visuals, diagrams, graphs, tables, or manipulatives

Spatial Ordering, Higher Order Cognition

Solving word problems

Attention (Processing and Production Controls), Language (Receptive), Memory (Active Working, Long-term: Procedural)

Generating answers that are reasonably close to the correct answer

Higher Order Cognition, Attention (Production Controls)

Solving problems involving multiple steps

Memory (Active Working, Long-term: Procedural), Temporal-Sequential Ordering)

Detecting errors Attention (Production Controls)

Working consistently, avoiding random errors

Attention (Processing and Production Controls)



Spelling Work Sample



Visually close but phonetically inaccurate (“mether” for “mother”)

Language (Receptive)

Phonetically close but visually inaccurate (“dun” for “done”)

Memory (Long-term), Attention (Production Controls)

Omissions within words (“sigs” for “sings”)

Language (Receptive), Memory (Active Working), Attention (Production Controls)

Letter transpositions (“juts” for “just”) Memory (Active Working), Attention

(Production Controls), Temporal-Sequential Ordering

Letter combinations that violate spelling rules/regularities (“lazyer” for “lazier”

Memory (Long-term), Language (Receptive), Higher Order Cognition

Inconsistent, random errors Attention (Processing and Production

Controls)

Substituting homophones (“role” for “roll”)

Language (Expressive), Attention (Processing and Production Controls), Memory (Long-term)



Reading Comprehension Work Sample (e.g., answers to questions about a reading passage)



Identifying main ideas Attention (Processing Controls), Higher Order Cognition

Understanding comprehension questions from the assignment

Language (Receptive)

Formulating complete answers to comprehensive questions

Language (Expressive), Memory (Active Working)

Drawing inferences from the text Higher Order Cognition

Using a variety of appropriate words, avoiding non-specific words such as “stuff” and “things”

Language (Expressive)

Summarizing

Attention (Processing Controls), Memory (Active Working), Temporal Sequential Ordering, Language (Expressive)



Student Work Analysis Habit of Mind Questions

1. What pieces of information might you obtain about student learning in the process of

grading papers?

2. How might the context of an assignment impact the student work sample? What do you need to know about a child in order to select the most appropriate work sample context?

3. The next time you grade papers, what will you make it a habit to notice?



Building a Profile Habit of Mind Questions

1. What are some reasons that may account for parents holding different viewpoints about

their child than you do?

2. How might you leverage different viewpoints to build alliances with parents?

3. What can an individual profile teach you about instructional decision making?



Management Planning for School Success Habit of Mind Questions

1. What are some of the most powerful elements of the process of selecting strategies?

2. How might you embed those elements classroom-wide or school-wide to influence the educational care of more students?



Demystification Steps and Guidelines



Demystification Sentence Starters

> I see that when you…you do very good work

> I notice when you…you are able to…

> You were very successful when…

> It seems that…is easy for you

> I’ve noticed that you seem to be struggling with…

> It seems that…is difficult for you

> It looks like…is hard for you

> This reminds me of when…

> I’m wondering what gets in the way when…

> Tell me about…

> What do you think about…

> Let’s figure out together how we could help you…

> I really understand why you find…so frustrating. I am like that when…

> Some things I’ve been seeing…

> How does it feel when…

> We all have things we can do well…

> Have you noticed that…

> What happens when…

> What makes it easier…harder…

> What do you like…

> I’ve noticed that a lot of kids…

> A lot of kids say that…



Preparing for a Demystification Conversation Habit of Mind Question

1. In what ways might you apply the demystification concepts into your everyday

conversations with parents and students?



Implementation and Measurement of Impact Habit of Mind Questions

1. What are some of the reasons why you might not see the results that you are hoping for at

the time of measurement?

2. What are some of the ways that you might address unsatisfactory results?



Reflection Question from the “Using Data” Module

Based on what you have learned about Attuning a Student …

In what ways is this process similar to what you’re already doing with your

students?

USI

NG

DA

TA M

OD

ULE

In what ways does this process differ or build on what you’re already doing with

your students?

(FOR FUTURE REFLECTION)

How has my thinking evolved about this

question?

Date:


How has my thinking further evolved? Date:

(continued)



Based on what you have learned so far about Attuning a Student, what benefits do you see for …

Students?

Teachers?

USI

NG

DA

TA M

OD

ULE

Parents?


How has my thinking evolved about this

question?

Date:


How has my thinking further evolved? Date:

Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data...All Kinds of Minds® Success for Puzzling...

Documents

Transcript of Success for Puzzling Students: Making Sense of Data...All Kinds of Minds® Success for Puzzling...