A Case Study: John

 Student Case Study 

Sean Calabrese

Name: (changed) John

Age/Grade: 12, entering 7th grade

John was a student I had in my on level 6th grade math class last year. His family moved from Brazil and he is bilingual, speaking both Portuguese and English. He has two significantly older brothers and one younger brother; the age difference has made him more “aware” than most his age and he often tries to act older. He is a very social student who has many friendships but is often involved in social drama. He is kind, enthusiastic, and great at engaging adults in conversation. He is far above his classmates when it comes to using technology—which may be due in part to his older brother who is a computer science major at a nearby university. He is able to create websites, access and effectively use most computer or IPad applications, and is even known to help teachers out with technological difficulties or malfunctions; he once was able to reboot and reconnect a computer that was knocked off the school’s server (this requires some knowledge of coding!).

Though he is undiagnosed, teachers and school specialists agree that he most likely has ADHD hyperactive type. He is far above grade level for reading but has difficulty with mathematical concepts and lacks some basic facts and skills. He can often act like a “know it all” and bosses other students around when he feels he understands something; when he doesn’t, he gets overly frustrated and loses all confidence. He struggles immensely with blurting out, staying seated, working collaboratively, and completing tests on time. In a classroom, he often distracts the entire class with his comments and body movements; he truly “vibrates” in class, unable to sit still and often talks so rapidly it is hard to understand him.

John is a student who the faculty often discusses and it is not unusual to see him in administrative offices for behavior. Many teachers struggle with his outbursts and distractive tendencies. When I had him in class, I tried a few strategies (which I now know to be student centered). I will also discuss some interventions or techniques I could’ve used to help him succeed. The activities I actually tried last year will be marked with an asterisk.

1. Embrace the learner: I think the most important “student-centered” approach is to embrace and love what John brings to the table. Yes, it is frustrating dealing with him at times but that’s what the faculty need to work on changing—our attitude. Enjoy his enthusiasm and spark.

2. Stimulation/Movement: students with ADHD (hyperactivity) have fewer dopamine receptors. Activities that increase stimulation, movement, and are hands on tend to help them focus and stay engaged better.

3. Choice topics/assignments: take John’s interests into account. Students (especially with ADHD) tend to be more engaged when its something that interests them and can even end up hyper-focusing on the assignment. Give John a chance to incorporate content that interests him.

4. Student Seating**: Because John struggles with staying seated, I often let him stand during class or walk around in the back. He understood that this was okay as long as he wasn’t blocking anyone’s views. He never needed to ask me for permission as long as he moved to his walking space quietly and kept on working.

5. Keyword/mindfulness*: John benefited last year when he and I chose a secret code word. This word allowed me to redirect him without embarrassing him or calling him out in front of other people. I would either write this word on his paper or quietly say it.

6. HW modification: one way to help John would be to modify or shorten the HW I assign. I also think that modifying the medium in which he completes his HW would be especially helpful for him. He is great with computers; maybe by allowing him to create a Prezi on how to add fractions (complete with some examples) he would feel more interested and end up really focusing in on what the process of adding fractions is.

7. Active Math*: John did well when our math activities were more physical or active. This included “math Olympics” outside where he had to run from station to station solving math problems. He also did well in his 5thgrade year during outdoor math problems that involved measuring and creating structures like car ramps. In the future, teachers could include activities like creating a blue print of his room when teaching perimeter, area, etc.

8. Mentor: teachers could work to become a true mentor to John, leveling with him and what makes him work best. By having conversations with him and adjusting instruction based on what he says (even with simple student surveys), teachers can make John feel more in control and can make their classroom a fluid, adaptive place.

9. Create “talking” opportunities: Because John is so social, teachers should create opportunities for him to get some of that talkative energy out. In class, we could take a break-it-down moment and have students talk out the new math strategy together. His 5th grade teacher also noted that John did exceptionally well with power point presentations; he loved being in front of his classmates and was always one of the best public speakers in the class.

10. Take notes: what will ultimately help John is for all teachers to be observant and aware of what makes him tick. If we try out strategies that work- write it down. If we try out strategies that fail miserably- write it down. If John has an idea of a new project or activity, write the type of activity it is down. This will help his future teachers teach in a student centered way and the notes could even be given to John and his family.

References

ADHD: Building Academic Success. Retrieved June 27, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ldonline.org%2Farticle%2F5925%2F

Berman, M. O., Blum, K., Chen, T. J., Braverman, E., Waite, R., Downs, W.,. . . C. (2008). Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and reward deficiency syndrome. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment NDT, 893. doi:10.2147/ndt.s2627

5 Ways to Make Your Classroom Student-Centered. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/24/ctq_powell_strengths.html

Student-Centered Teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Student-Centered.html

What Works for Differentiating Instruction in Elementary Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-replication-tips