EdPsych Modules PDF Cluster 6

cluster six

Case Studies

Early Childhood:

“Caterpillar Circle”

Elementary School:

“Ecosystems”

Middle

School:

“Classroom Safety”

High School:

“Refusal to Dress”

Module 18:

Creating a Productive Learning Environment

Outline and Learning Goals

324 Physical Environment 325 Establishing Norms and Expectations for Behavior 328

Establishing a Climate for Positive

Relationships 334 Summary 338 Key Concepts 338 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect and Evaluate

339

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C L U S T E R

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

classroom management

and instruction

Module 19:

Understanding and Managing Student Behavior

Outline and Learning

Goals 340 De

ﬁning Student Misbehavior 341 General Ways to Address Behavior

Management 344 How to Handle Speci

ﬁc Misbehaviors 349 Summary 355 Key

Concepts 355 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect and Evaluate 356

Module 20:

Planning for Instruction

Outline and Learning Goals 357

Designing Effective Instruction 358 Choosing Teaching Methods 361 Summary 370 Key

Concepts 370 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect and Evaluate 371

Module 21:

Grouping Practices

Outline and Learning Goals 372 Grouping by Ability 373 Cooperative Learning 377

Applications: Best Practices 380 Summary 384 Key Concepts 384 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect

and Evaluate 384

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316

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

arah Brennan is the lead teacher in a university-based, half-day preschool program where she teaches a morning

class from 8:30 to 11:30 and an afternoon class from 1:00 to 4:00. She gets some help from Steve Shoemaker, a
graduate student who works part-time while completing his degree in Early Childhood Education. The children call
them

“Miss Sarah” and “Mr. Steve.” Sarah really enjoys working in this environment because of its diversity. In her

morning class, 5 of the 18 children were born outside the United States. Mudiwa

’s family is from Nigeria; Jun-ho and

his twin brother, Soon-Kim, are from Korea; and Ellia and Constantine are both from Greece. Some of her students
also have special needs. Holly sees a speech therapist once a week for her articulation dif

ﬁculties, and Brady has a

degenerative condition called Newman-Picks disease, which affects his muscular control.

This morning, the children have just taken their seats for snack time. There are four

snack tables, each equipped with a plastic pitcher of milk, paper cups, napkins, and a box of granola bars.
Constantine uses the pitcher on his table to carefully

ﬁll the cups of other children at his table. Ben passes out the

napkins and Mudiwa hands everyone at the table a granola bar. Soon the room is

ﬁlled with giggling and chatter.

Sarah and Steve each pick a group to sit with today, and

Caterpillar Circle

Early Childhood

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they join in the conversation. The teachers make a point of
alternating the groups they sit with so they have an opportunity
to visit with all the children over the course of the week. As they
ﬁnish their last sips of milk and bites of granola bar, the children
begin to get up, push in their chairs, and throw away their paper
cups and napkins. Brady helps Steve wash off the tables as
Sarah calls her class of 3- and 4-year-olds over to the carpet for
circle time.

“Today we’ll be reading one of our favorite stories, The Very

Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle,

” she tells them. “I’ve brought

something special today to go along with our story.

”

Sarah has brought some

ﬂannel pieces for the children to

stick on the

ﬂannel board as she reads the story. Eleven children

sit quietly in various spots on the

ﬂoor in the story area, while

four others are struggling to sit closest to the teacher and two
remain over by the sink, where they have just

ﬁnished washing

their hands after snack. Brady heads toward the circle, having
ﬁnished his job as table cleaner.

Sarah rings a set of chimes to indicate that it is time to

begin the story and opens an oversize book to the

ﬁrst page.

Holly and Mudiwa ignore the chimes and begin splashing in the
water at the sink. Steve, who has been doing a

ﬁnal survey of

the snack area, quickly intervenes to redirect the girls to join the
group. Ben, Jacob, Austin, and Tyler are still shoving one
another as they try to get a favored spot next to Sarah.

“On your carpet squares, boys,” Sarah says as she points to

the four empty carpet remnants, each labeled with a child

’s

name. As Sarah reminds the boys where to sit, they grin
sheepishly and crawl over to their designated spots. Once
everyone is settled and quiet, Sarah begins reading.

Steve takes a seat near the reading circle. Sarah keeps the

children engaged by inviting them up one at a time to place
items from the story on the

ﬂannel board. “I’m looking for

someone who is sitting quietly to help me put Mr. Caterpillar on
our

ﬂannel board. Then I’ll need some helpers to feed him.”

To Ellia, who is wiggling and shouting

“Pick me, pick me,”

Sarah simply says,

“Show me that you’re ready.”

“Tyler, you are waiting patiently,” says Sarah. “How about

coming up to help with Mr. Caterpillar?

” Tyler eagerly hops up to

add the

ﬁrst piece to the ﬂannel board. When she sees that Ellia

is sitting quietly, Sarah invites her to come up and take a turn.
As she nears the end of the story, she notices that Jun-ho has
started to

ﬁddle with the magnet blocks in a basket on the shelf

behind him.

“Jun-ho, how do you think this story is going to end?” she

asks. Jun-ho stops playing with the blocks and tells her about
the butter

ﬂy that will appear on the next page. It has taken much

practice, but the children seem to be getting used to the morning
routine.

Assess

Based on this short scenario, how would you rate the teachers

’ classroom management skills?

What examples of misbehavior did you notice?

Which elements in this scenario might have required

advance planning and preparation on the part of Sarah and
Steve?

How might interacting with children of various backgrounds and abilities in

ﬂuence a child’s

learning?

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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318

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

eilani Anderson teaches third grade at Lincoln Elementary School. This year her class includes 23

students with a wide range of learning characteristics. A few of her students, Missy, Tamika, and Steven,
still struggle with basic reading skills, while Jackson and Alissa already can read at a

ﬁfth-grade level.

Some students, like Kelly, Jason, and Megan, have great verbal skills but really struggle in math. Jorge,
who recently moved here from Mexico with his family, speaks very little English.

The wide range of skills and ability levels makes lesson

planning, as well as general classroom management, a real
challenge. Leilani has found that things run much more smoothly
when she plans ahead and tries to anticipate potential behavior
problems, rather than waiting until problems occur. This bit of
teaching wisdom was passed along to her when she was a

ﬁrst-year

teacher, and she has found that a proactive approach works well for
her

—in both traditional and mixed-age settings.

Today Leilani

’s class is making ecosystems out of 2-liter soft

drink bottles. On the tables at the front of the classroom, Leilani has
amassed large amounts of dirt, rocks, grass seed, and water. These
materials alone could quickly have set the stage for a messy
free-for-all, but Leilani has a plan

—and she also has a

parent volunteer who should be arriving any minute to lend a
hand. Before distributing any materials, Leilani has the students
gather around her dry erase board.

“Class, before you get started with the exciting project we have

planned, we need to make sure everyone knows exactly what to do,

”

she explains.

“When the project is ﬁnished, this room should look just

as clean and organized as it does right now. I need each of you to
listen very carefully to the instructions and help one another
remember them.

”

They go over the supplies and instructions needed for their

groups to make the ecosystem. Leilani holds up an example of what
a

ﬁnished ecosystem might look like. “Cool!” several of the children

murmur. She has the group repeat the instructions to her and then
sends them back to their seats, with four or

ﬁve students seated at

each table in the room.

Students are called up one table at a time to get their supplies.

Robyn Walsh, the parent volunteer, helps the students measure out
the amount of each item they need. When a group is

ﬁnished getting

their supplies, those students return to their seats and are told to sit
quietly and patiently until everyone is ready to begin. Leilani has put
an ecosystem handout with a set of instructions and questions at
each student

’s seat. As they continue to wait for their turn, students

are encouraged to read through the questions they will need to
answer.

Things seem to be getting a bit backlogged so Leilani joins

Robyn in passing out the materials. With two adults helping, the
process moves quickly, and soon every group is ready to get started
on building the ecosystem. As the groups are working, Leilani notices
the students at two tables getting too loud. She does a hand clap
beat, signaling the class to stop what they are doing and repeat the
clapping pattern. Once she has their full attention, she says,

“I see

everyone working busily, but I need to remind you to keep your
voices low so we don

’t disturb other classes.”

Then she and Robyn circulate around the room,

reminding students of what they are supposed to be doing and
providing assistance when necessary. Leilani notices

Elementary School

Ecosystems

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

that Austin has spilled the water at his table. Having expected an
occasional spill, Leilani takes it in stride.

“Austin, grab a couple of paper towels from that dispenser by the

sink and let

’s get this cleaned up,” she says. Austin grabs a wad of

paper towels and hurries back to the table. After Austin has wiped up
the spilled water, she tells him to re

ﬁll the cup and continue working.

At one table an argument ensues, and Leilani walks over to see what is going on.
“I worked the hardest on this project, so I get to take it home,” says Hannah.
“No way!” shouts Kelsey. “I worked just as hard as you did.”
Cole interjects,

“Hey, we all worked on it, so it’s not fair for one person to keep it.”

Brandon groans and says in a mocking voice,

“What should we

do, Stupid? Rip it into four pieces so we can all take it? Impossible!

”

Leilani interrupts the work session to tell the whole class that they

have done a great job today.

“Let’s take out our reﬂection sheets.

Start by listing three things you learned. Then write down what worked
well in your groups today, what problems you encountered, how you
solved them, and any ideas you have for improving collaboration next
time.

” The students quickly settle down, take out their reﬂection

sheets, and begin writing.

How well did Leilani manage the ecosystem activity? Would

you have done anything differently if it were your class?

What strategies did Leilani use to get the students

’ attention

quickly? Do you know of any other strategies that might work to
signal students to be quiet and give the teacher their full attention?

Describe what might have happened if Leilani had simply set

materials out on each table in advance, along with an instruction
sheet. What other issues do you think she had to consider when
planning her ecosystem lesson?

In your opinion, was it a good idea for Leilani to arrange the

project groups according to the tables at which the students sat?
Are there any other ways to form groups for this type of project?

Assess

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320

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

t was one minute until the tardy bell, and Saul Gardino was waiting expectantly for the last of his group

of seventh graders to arrive. He had been teaching industrial technology at Crosby Middle School for
several years, and he had been working with this particular group of students for three weeks. Every nine
weeks a new group of students would rotate into his classroom, and Saul had noticed that this group had
its own distinct personality.

Saul spent most of the

ﬁrst week discussing rules and

procedures. Safety was of paramount importance in his room
because students used potentially hazardous tools while completing
their class projects. He would be teaching them to use the band saw,
drill press, cylinder sander, combination belt and disk sander,
engraver, and air compressor, as well as basic tools like the vise, the
handsaw, hammers, and various clamps.
Working with power tools generally created an exciting

—but potentially chaotic—

learning environment. Saul had devised a silly role-play situation that
usually got students laughing but also focused their attention on the
importance of using all tools properly. Rules and procedures were
clearly posted in his classroom, and on the

ﬁrst day with a new group

of students he would send home a

“Safety Contract” for students to

read over with their parents, sign, and return.

By the third week of class, the students had been sorted into

project teams, and each team was in the process of deciding what
they would design and make for their class project. Saul smiled to
himself as he recalled the

“job interviews” he conducted to select

project managers. Any students who were interested in leading a
group were encouraged to submit a letter of application outlining their
skills and quali

ﬁcations for the position of project manager. Last

week, he had interviewed the applicants and had decided to

“hire”

Angela, Rodrigo, Ben, and Kate to each direct a team. Saul then met
with his project managers to remind them that they were being given
a great deal of responsibility. They would need to:

help their group members decide on a project to make,

assign each group member a role in the development of their product,

set clear expectations,

keep their team members on task, and

make sure the completed project met all grading criteria for the assignment.

Angela, Rodrigo, and Kate were excited to get started. Ben was

a little nervous, because this was the

ﬁrst time he had ever been put

in charge of anything. Saul sensed this and stopped to whisper

“Go

get

’em, Tiger!” as Ben headed toward his group.

Things went smoothly on the

ﬁrst day of project work. Saul had

listed clear instructions on the board so that each group would know
how to proceed:

Introduction of group members.

Brainstorming session for project ideas (all ideas welcome and written down).

Middle School

Classroom Safety

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Discussion of ideas (advantages and disadvantages).

Voting among group members to make a

ﬁnal decision.

Assignment of roles and responsibilities.

Saul circulated around the room as the groups were engaged in

discussion. He observed that Angela came to class with a project
already in mind, and even though her group did some brainstorming,
she managed to generate a lot of enthusiasm for her birdhouse idea.
Members of Kate

’s group tried to talk over one another when

brainstorming, and Saul found it necessary to give them a stern
glance and move closer to them until they quieted down. Ben really
wanted his group to make toy army tanks, but after some spirited
negotiation, the group

ﬁnally settled on making toy frogs with wheels.

Two weeks later, the members of Rodrigo

’s group were working

busily to create the key chains they had chosen for their project. Kevin
and Nick were assigned to do custom engraving on the dog-tag-style
key chains once the shapes were cut out and the edges were sanded
smooth. As they worked together in the industrial technology lab,
Kevin had been using a ruler to line up the key chain on the engraver
and was now proceeding to poke Nick with it repeatedly. Nick

’s

response seemed to be mild irritation, but Saul assumed it was all in
jest and did not intervene. All of a sudden Nick started shouting
profanities at Kevin and shoved him. This resulted in a retaliatory
shove, causing Nick to go sliding across the

ﬂoor. Nick stumbled back

onto his feet,

ﬁsts clenched, and headed toward Kevin to continue the

scuf

ﬂe. A few of the other students in the class began chanting “Fight,

ﬁght.” As Nick advanced toward Kevin, Saul intervened, placing
himself between the two students and sternly telling them to knock it
off. The

ﬁght was over in a matter of seconds, and the two students

were sent down to the principal

’s ofﬁce. When the class had calmed

down and attention was refocused on the project work, Saul sat down
to document exactly what had happened for his records. Later in the
day, he left a copy of this documentation with the principal and

ﬁlled

out a Student Behavior Alert form to be sent home to each boy

’s

parents.

How would you describe the learning atmosphere in Saul

’s class?

Do you think Saul

’s classroom management was effective? Why or why not?

What aspects of planning and organization were involved in

Saul

’s introduction and super vision of the group project?

In your opinion, was the way Saul formed groups for the project effective? Why or why not?

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Assess

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322

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

he time is 7:15

., 15 minutes before the bell rings for the start of

ﬁrst period at Valley High School.

Maria Salazar makes her way to the main of

ﬁce, greets the secretary and principal, and picks up her

mail. She is in her second year of teaching and notes with relief that fewer students and faculty are
mistaking her for a high school student this semester. When she

ﬁrst arrived at Valley High, Maria felt

conspicuous as the new kid on the block, and at 22 years of age she was very aware of being only a few
years older than her students.

Maria is the physical education teacher, and she works with a

wide spectrum of students, from freshmen to those seniors trying to
get required credits for P.E. at the last minute so they can graduate.

Some of the kids in her class tower over her, but she has gained a
reputation as a

“petite powerhouse.” She is energetic and

enthusiastic and really cares about her students.

It is the middle of the semester. As Maria gets set up for her

ﬁrst-period class, she wonders how the day will unfold. At 7:26

., with a whistle around her neck, a pen behind her ear, and a

grade book in hand, she is waiting patiently for her freshmen to arrive
in the West Gym. The students are in the locker room changing into
their required gym uniforms, but one by one they begin to enter the
gymnasium. The late bell rings, class has begun, and Maria blows
her whistle, signaling the students to be in their assigned squad
positions. She opens the grade book and gives the students their

ﬁrst

assessment of the day: dressed or not dressed?

“. . . Jacobson, okay; Jennings, alright; Jones, good but keep

jewelry in your locker next time, . . . Johnson . .?

” Maria thinks her

eyes must be deceiving her. Brianna Johnson dresses in uniform for
gym every day. Maria walks in her direction, asking,

“Not dressing

today, Brianna? Is everything going okay?

” She is genuinely

concerned.

“I’m not dressing, and you can’t tell me what to do. Only my

momma can do that, and the last time I checked, your name wasn

’t

Cynthia Johnson,

” roars Brianna as she storms over to the

bleachers.

This certainly is not the reaction Maria expected. She is

uncertain about how to handle Brianna

’s tantrum, but she decides

not to dwell on it too much because there are many other students in
the class. Brianna is usually a very good student, so for the moment,
Maria decides to completely ignore Brianna

’s outburst and move on.

Participation is a major component of assessment in this class.

Even students who are not dressed for gym can still receive points
for the class

—minus points for not dressing in the required uniform.

Brianna opts to fall asleep after she has huffed and puffed while
sitting awhile on the bleachers. Maria continues to ignore Brianna

’s

actions and to focus on the rest of the class. The students are
rotating through four series of basketball drills, and fortunately none
of the other students have chosen to act up this morning.

At 8:19

., the second-period bell rings. Maria

ﬁnally decides

to say something to Brianna, but Brianna storms out of the room after
the bell has rung.

Brianna walks into her second-period class, English composition,

where David Williams has written sentences on the board for
students to

ﬁnd and correct grammatical errors. The students who

are taking this class have very low language and reading skills.

High School

Refusal to Dress

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Assess

There are some students with learning disabilities, and several
students are English language learners with limited English
pro

ﬁciency.

Brianna stomps to the back of the class, slouches in her desk,

and closes her eyes. As a second-year teacher, David is used to
motivational and behavioral problems in this second-period class,
although he

’s not always sure how to handle them. He knows,

however, that confronting a student in front of the class back

ﬁres,

especially with someone who already appears very agitated. So today
he chooses to ignore Bri-anna and continue with the lesson.

In your opinion, does Maria

’s gender make a difference in this situation? Why or why not?

Do you think Maria handled the situation with Brianna

appropriately during her

ﬁrst-period class? Would you have

responded the same way?

Are you surprised that the focus of a high school English class

is on a basic skill like teaching grammar? Why or why not? Is your
response based on prior personal experience, observation, or
knowledge gained from other classes?

Why do you think students in David

’s second-period class have motivational and behavioral problems?

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