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Case Study Report

Part I: Childs History

John Myers is a 7th grade student who has not been successful in his English Language

Arts (ELA) learning environment. He is a generally small boy with blond, sandy hair. He wears

glasses and is slightly awkward when conversing with others. He falls asleep during class

regularly and has trouble completing his work most of which is written. Although he shows

interest when listening to the daily read aloud (particularly when the class studied The

Contender), his teacher seems to have labelled him as a hopeless case. One might say that John

is struggling academically, but it appears that he is not bothered by his current failing grade. I

chose this student because, unlike the others in his class, John is completely disengaged from his

learning. The questions I sought to answer while gathering data for this case study report are:

What keeps John from engaging in his school work? If he were to have an Individualized

Education Program, what would it entail? Can John be successful in the educational setting of

Alton Middle School?

Though John has attended Alton Middle for only two years, he has a reputation with the

teachers. His ELA instructor defines him as squirrely and notes that he seems to have some

behavioral issues, though he is unsure as to what specifically those are. While most students

have class in the Owen building their 6th grade year, Johns courses were confined to the Annex:

a building beside the main that hosts children with learning disabilities. He was moved to Owen

early in his 7th grade year, however, when he reported that he was being bullied. My

cooperating-teaching informed me that many teachers in the Annex believed John to be the bully
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himself. Since then, Johns grades have not improved. He currently has a 35.48% in his ELA

class, but unlike in the classroom he seems to be more lively and energetic in the halls.

Part II: Observations

In speaking to his instructor, I learned that Johns home life is less than ideal. Neither his

mother nor father live with him. He is being raised by someone (whether this guardian is a

grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc. his teacher is not sure) in rural Alton, IL. On parent-teacher

conference night, no one from Johns family attended on his behalf. In an interview with the

ELA teacher, I discovered that John had recently lost someone close to him, and that this has

made it even harder to reach him academically. Though John doesnt act up in class, it appears

as though he is completely apathetic to what goes on in the classroom. He does not seem to have

strong relationships with any of his peers, and in a learning environment in which his teacher

does not check in with him, John goes mostly unnoticed and uncared for. His home life is where

we can only hope his strong relationships lie. Having lost one of those seems to have left

John feeling more alone than ever.

Johns home life is somewhat a mystery. Because his teachers do not know who has

custody of him, it is uncertain as to whether or not John is getting academic support at home.

The obvious answer seems to be that hes not. Unfortunately, it is common for him to come to

class unprepared. One day, when the students were all getting ready to take their weekly stem

(prefixes and suffixes) test, John began panicking. The ELA instructor gave the students five

minutes to review, and John sat with his head down, bouncing his legs at his desk. I asked him if

he felt ready for the test. John replied, No I never have any time to study, because as soon as
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I get home I have to go duck hunting. Its normally dinner time when I get home, so I just eat,

shower, and go to bed. A student, overhearing the conversation, offered to help John review.

John somewhat hesitantly agreed. They worked together until they were asked to turn to the

front. The tests were handed out, and John laid his head back on his desk.

Johns behavior in the classroom is completely different than his behavior outside of it.

While John struggles to maintain interest (or to even maintain consciousness) during class

sessions, he enters the room before they full of energy. Multiple times, he has yelled or

grumbled things loudly. In a couple of instances, hes initiated conversation with me. However,

when the ELA instructor starts the lesson, Johns interest fades fast. Even though its only the

second period of the day, he begins to grow tired. When he does engage in the lesson, raising his

hand to answer questions mostly having to do with the read aloud he is ignored. One time,

he was not called on once while another classmate of his was selected to provide answers four

separate times within the same period. How might this make John feel? Is he acknowledged for

participating in class sessions? Is there any difference in the way he is treated when he does

engage in the lesson and when he does not?

Part III: Interpretations/Analyses of Research

It is my belief that Johns failure in school can be attributed to his dysfunctional

household and a somewhat lackadaisical school system. He doesnt have the support he needs at

home to succeed in school, and his teachers dont seem willing to go out of their way to make

sure that hes keeping up with his classmates academically. I think that John would really
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benefit from more engaging classroom activities as well as a peer-confidant. Because he shows

interest during read alouds but not in written work, I might ask him to create a drawing or a

diagram of what he enjoys about The Contender. Filming a video, creating a book trailer,

designing a comic strip these are all ways to promote differentiated learning and allow John the

chance to take ownership of his learning.

Helping him meet his emotional needs by pairing him with a peer-confidant might also

help him to embrace school as a place of comfort and safety. Currently, he does not seem to

have a lot of friends and his teachers dont seem to be asking him about how hes feeling, how

life at home is, etc. Creating a buddy circle in which John is able to openly express his upsets,

frustrations, concerns, and fears could be extremely beneficial for someone like him. By hearing

his peers (or peers) troubles, it is likely that John would begin to identify with them. If they

established a good relationship, Johns peer-confidant might even be able to help him form

connections with those outside the buddy circle.

I think, in this structure, it would also be important for Johns teachers to check in with

him and act as his mentors, friends, and role models. If one teacher were to meet with John once

every week, this might encourage him to become more trusting of them. He might begin to

confide in his teachers, and if Johns not getting his work done at home, his teachers may be able

to sit with him while they grade so that he has a structure that promotes his academic success.

Part IV: Conclusions

Overall, I believe that John does poorly in school because he does not feel supported or

valued in Alton Middles academic setting. However, this could be corrected if his teachers
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simply made more of an effort to get to know and check in with him. They could easily support

John emotionally by taking the time to talk to him and/or placing him in a buddy circle. It seems

that most of Johns behavioral and engagement problems come from not feeling valued at

school, having a difficult home life, and not being catered to in the classroom. Johns natural

inclination towards good story-telling is apparent in the attention he pays to read alouds. If his

teachers his ELA instructor in particular gave him different ways to interact with the

information, he would probably be able to accurately show his understanding of literacy and be

motivated to improve upon it.

Abraham Maslows theory regarding his Hierachy of Needs is something that is directly

correlated to what this student may be experiencing. Maslow makes it clear that student learning

cannot take place until the individual feels properly cared for. In order to reach self-

actualization, scholars must first feel that their physiological needs are being met. They must

also experience safety and security, which come from things such as family and health. Love

and belonging also factors into what students need before they can succeed. Friendship, family,

intimacy, and sense of connection all fall into this category. These are things that are not

provided for John at Alton Middle. It is unsurprising that he struggles to connect to his peers and

teachers, doesnt perform well academically, and behaves poorly in this kind of educational

environment.

Part V: Intervention Plan

The following is an intervention plan created for John specifically. A normal week for

this student might look like this:

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John goes to his classes throughout Monday-Friday as usual. His teachers have met to

create an alternative program that will engage him in his studies without separating him from his

classmates. The IEP allows John the opportunity to show his learning in different ways while

keeping the natural flow of the classroom and the lesson structure. Johns modifications are

generally easy to make. For example, in his ELA class, he may be given a copy of the read

aloud book so that he can follow along. Afterwards, his classmates would work on their written

assignments. John would have the choice to stay in the classroom and create a display of what is

happening in the novel or go into the hall and record a video journal. His is simply given the

opportunity to interact with the same core curriculum in a different way.

On Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he eats lunch with his buddy circle peer. They

talk casually about whatever it is theyd like to discuss, though they do have discussion questions

in case neither of them have anything specific on their minds. Through this process, John

develops a genuine relationship with his buddy circle peer. Once a week, John meets with one of

his teachers for lunch. They sit together and dialogue in either the cafeteria or the students

classroom. A peer may join John for this meeting if he prefers it. During these sessions, Johns

teacher asks him how his classes have been, how hes feeling, whats been going on at home, and

anything else that may authentically arise during the conversation. If John is uncomfortable

talking, his teacher allows him to draw a representation of his feelings. If a guidance counselor

is available, John may choose to meet with him/her instead of his teacher. Through these

meetings, John is able to be mentored and he has someone to turn to in case he ever needs to talk

about things such as his close relative passing away.

This intervention plan does not take much time or effort to implement, but it provides

John with a network of people to rely upon in case something comes up. With these
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modifications, it is highly likely that Johns behavioral problems would begin to subside. He

would almost certainly begin paying more attention in class, and it is extremely probable that he

would be able to forge good relationships with his peers. Though John might be off to a rough

start this school year, teacher involvement and strong peer relationships could get him on the

right track. This intervention plan is just one way to lead John towards finding success in the

classroom.