The Case of Jamie Edwards

1. Connection to text: My Zone of proximal development (ZPD) may be closer to an upper limit where assistance of an abled instructor is need for my success p.45. In this case, Individual Tutoring helps p.292.

2. Identify Issue/Problem: Jamie is not receiving the correct support both academically and socially. He has spontaneous outbursts and slow academic achievement. Jamie needs to work with the In-school Team so that they can determine strategies for his success.

3. Student Perspective (Kevon)

3.1. I don't like school because I can't understand what is going on. I'd rather be at home playing my video games cause no one ever seems to have time for me. All of my teachers including my new teacher Ms. Singh spends so much time with the older students who seem to be much smarter than I am; its kinda like mommy and daddy who work all the time and leave me with the lady next door until they are finished working. The only time I seem to get attention is when I yell out something in class to get the attention of others. So far only Ms. Markesh is the nicest person cause she actually spends time with me. I felt really sad at first that I had to leave my other class friends twice a week and thought that I was a failure but she has really helped me and now I'm actually starting to understand my work a bit better.

4. Parent Perspective (Sabine)

4.1. I am worried that it may be too much time out of the classroom.Needs to be monitored to make sure he is not falling further behind.

4.1.1. Hoping that the goal is to get him back into the classroom.

4.1.2. Appreciate that the teacher and LRT are assessing Jamie, but where will this be documented and how will you share it with his future teachers. Will these assessments be documented in the form of an IEP?

4.1.2.1. Without an IPRC we have no legal recourse.

4.1.3. If needed how will Jamie get a psycho-educational assessment

5. Interpretation/Connection to Text: Jamie seems that he needs some extra time on assignments, better scaffolding, and some differentiated instruction in the classroom. He does not need specific identification but will continue with assessment for planning continued success. Jamie is not in need of identification, his Individual Education Plan, will include modifications or alternative learning exceptions and/or accomodations. His teacher will accomodate her lesson plans for UDL and differentiated instruction for all students. Jamie will have continued assessment from his classroom teachers and the school's learning resource teacher, as well as the In-school Team as a tool for his future success.

5.1. Connection: "Differentiated Instruction requires teachers to 'begin where their students are, not the front of the curriculum guide. They accept and build upon the premise that learners differ in important ways." (Bennett, p.26) This connects to Jamie's case because Ms. Singh is now developing her lessons for differentiated instruction.

5.2. Connection: "In many cases, much time can elapse between when a student is referred for assessment and when the assessment is actually conducted and the results shared with those who need to know this information. During this period, the student with special needs is expected to receive a program designed to meet his or her needs, and it is up to the teacher, confident or not, to provide one." (Bennett, p. 27) Jamie will have continued assessment as part of his individual education plan, but as the text is saying, there could be much time between the referral and the actual conduction of assessment. Even though Jamie is not identified as special needs, the teacher has to duty to provide accommodations for Jamie, while he awaits his assessment.

5.3. Connection: "Regular classroom teachers in Ontario serve a growing number of students with diverse abilities. According to school board statistics, most students with special needs spend at leasts 50% of their instructional day in a regular classroom being taught by classroom teachers. It is imperative that inclusion means not only the practice of placing students with special needs in the regular classroom but ensuring that teachers assist every student to prepare for the highest degree of independence possible." (Bennett p. 28) Even though Jamie is not identified he is still spending time outside of his regular classroom with Ms. Markesh, the learning resource teacher twice a week. Jamie is still spending a significant amount of time in his regular classroom and inclusion is evident in this situation. The teacher uses UDL to assist every student to prepare for their highest degree of independence.

5.4. Connection: "Step One: Identify a student who may need a special eduction program and/or service. Step Two: Discuss the student with the special education resource teacher assigned to the school. Step Three: Bring the student to the attention of the In-school Team. (An individual education plan may be developed at this point.) Step Four: When necessary refer the student to the attention of the IPRC. Step Five: Implement IEP (adjust as necessary as per IPRC recommendation.)" (Bennett, p. 40) The school has taken the first three steps for Jamie up to this point. They will continue to assess and monitor him incase the next two steps may need to be taken.

5.5. Connection: "Scaffholding is a technique of changing the level of support over the course of a teaching session with a more-skilled person (e.g, teacher or more-advanced peer) adjusting the amount of guidance to fit the student's current performance level" (Santrock, p. 291). Jamie requires more of a directed learning approach when beginning a new subject to help him understand the material. Once he understands the basic concepts, he can use a less-guided approach to expand on his knowledge.

5.6. Connection: "Universal Design for Learning encourages teachers to take the needs of all their students, whether academic, social, intellectual or physical into account when planning instruction. This consideration is to occur at the outset of planning, rather than making adjustments after the planning occurs, as has traditionally been done."(Bennett, p. 26) The teacher is adjusting her programming and taking Jamie's (as well as her other students') strengths and needs into account as she develops her lessons for the day. She explored UDL and differentiated learning considerably in her professional development over the past two years and designs lessons for a variety of learners.

6. Principal's Perspective (Julia)

6.1. The principal is a part of the In School Team discussion on behavioural and academic skills. The principal should sit with the Ms. Singh and Jamie's parents to discuss the issues with Jamie. The principal should be aware of Jamie's outbursts in class and how Jamie is integrating socially in his class so that Jamie feels like he is in a safe and accepted environment when he comes to school. The principal acts as a manager of the school and should check in regularly with the teacher and classroom to see what kind of lesson plans and how to teacher is using UDL and differentiated instruction in their classroom. The principal should be enthusiastic with the parents and student so that they feel comfortable with the administered assessments. The principal should continue to monitor the student's progress if the need to call an IPRC should arise.

7. Teacher's Perspective (Nicole)

7.1. "Jamie is a good kid, but he's in an environment where it is difficult for him to learn. He is falling behind in class, which is making him more frustrated that prevents him from being able to concentrate on the lesson. I have a large class with students of different abilities, so I don't have the time to always work one on one with Jamie, even though that is one technique that works very well with him. If I try to simplify the lesson, many of the other students get bored and don't pay attention because they feel that the lesson is too easy and that they already understand it. Besides the fact that it is difficult for me to create lessons that are inclusive of both Jamie and the rest of the class, Jamie can also be very disruptive in the classroom. When he doesn't understand something, he will yell out that he doesn't get it. Even when the students are doing quiet independent work, he will yell out when he doesn't understand what to do, breaking the other students' concentration. When I try to talk to him about this issue, he becomes grumpy and refuses to speak to me, saying that I'm not paying attention to him or trying to help him. Once he began meeting with Ms. Markesh, I have noticed a marked change. She helps him catch up on assignments, and explains the lesson one on one with him. When he comes back into the classroom, he is calmer and less frustrated because he no longer feels like he is behind the rest of the class. He also feels as though we care about him, so he is more responsive to us as teachers. We have created a hand sign that he can show me to communicate that he doesn't understand the lesson. We have also made an arrangement where he comes to see me in the morning so that I can show him what we're going to be doing that day. I have been studying UDL (universal design for learning) for the last two years, and have been struggling with how to implement it in my own class. Although Jamie is benefiting from going to the resource teacher, I can tell that he feels singled out since he's the only one in the classroom who goes to see her. He's also concerned with what the other students might be saying about him behind his back about the fact that he goes out of class for a while. I want to have a classroom where it's not necessary for him to leave in order to keep up with the class. This experience with Jamie is making me want to spend more time focusing on how integrate UDL into the classroom. I have been working with Ms. Markesh to design lessons that will work for all the students. While we have made lessons that were successful for my past grades, every group of students have different needs. We have using group work a lot, and are currently observing the class to figure out which students would work best when grouped together."

7.2. The teacher needs to: assess the student to understand what he does / doesn't understand, understand his zone of actual development and zone of proximal development, understand his learning preference and the speed that he learns at, create lessons that match his speed and preference of learning style, use assessment methods that match his speed and preference of learning style.