Inclusive Education Inquiry Student Profile for TW: TW had a designation labelling him out for behaviour support. His behaviour was always noticeable in being confrontational and off-task. Student is frequently proficient in his comprehension of subject content and has very good critical thinking skills. He is often also an early finisher. Wonderings: ● Is TW doodling a distraction from his learning or is it the way he learns? ● Do we need TW to sit still and look at the teacher to make him learn in the classroom? ● Is it ok to allow TW to embark on his own advance learning or side project while we engage as a class on some task? ● Is TW actually as proficient as he seems or does he need to be reminded to engage during classes? Observation Teacher Response Student Response TW doodling on paper and later on iPad after finishing work One time I approached TW and tried to initiate a conversation. A second time I complimented him on some artwork he had done in his notebook. I did not force the conversation both times. TW did not respond and ignored me both times. TW found doing his own experiment outside the boundaries given my Mr. H EA and I tried to initiate a conversation while going around. EA and I discussed how best to address his tendency to ignore us. EA brought it up to Mr. H and Mr. H asked her to let him know in future so he can have a chat with TW. TW ignored us TW chooses to engage in the Gizmos Learning Lab while I was leading the class in a worksheet based on the lesson I chose to ignore his off-task behaviour as I reasoned that he might already be proficient in the content we were discussing and might get more out of the Gizmos lab. In addition, he was not distracting other students. TW chose to walk upto the bell schedule and take a closer look while I was teaching I chose to ignore the behaviour as it was not too distracting and I reasoned that TW might have just needed a movement break. Mr. H did bring it to my attention as it was an SA observation lesson and asked why I did not address it. Discussion with Mr. H: I explained to Mr. H how I chose to ignore TW’s offtask behaviour because I did not find any of his behaviours particularly ‘wrong.’ I explained that I did not want to attach any negative connotations to doodling, moving around in class and moving onto another learning activity. I was choosing to ignore it as I did not have a way of positively interacting in these situations. Mr. H gave me the idea of a general check-in individually with Tw. Something along the lines of ‘Hello TW, are you doing ok?’ to make him feel recognized and seen. This would be a great positive way to recognize his presence and make him aware that I see him and am available to help him overcome any challenges he might have. TW answers a question during class wide discussion. This was like a surprise breakthrough moment of connection. I recognized his contribution to the class discussion by thanking him for sharing his learning so all of us could learn from him. I did also individually check in with him during the individual work time. TW seems very pleased to have helped us learn and be recognized for his knowledge. TW responds to my check in positively. TW helped switch off the lights when I started a video for the class to watch. I noticed TW’s engagement and thanked him. TW smiles TW takes initiative to help a fellow student who was having trouble logging into Fresh Grade. I noticed and thanked TW for helping classmate. TW seems happy at his contribution to his classmate’s learning. Student Profile for GB: GB does not have any designation but the EA does have her on her list of students who need help. Over the course of my time at Sullivan Heights, I observed her almost non-existent class engagement and participation individually or in group work. Wonderings: ● Is GB hoping that if she stays completely still in class she will be ignored and her existence in the classroom will be forgotten? ● Does GB hope the teachers will leave her alone if she consistently refuses to engage work or respond when called upon? ● When students like GB refuse to engage in any manner, is the solution to leave them be or should we be gentle demander? Observation Teacher Response Student Response GB is minimally engaged in class often not having the notes or worksheets that the class is engaging in. During individual and group work, the student stays aloof and does not engage with the group. GB is good at appearing to be on task while in reality not having any work done. I only observed the first few times so as to understand if the behaviour was consistent or a one-time instance Stays absolutely still when you walk by GB not engaging in written class work I try to initiate a conversation GB ignores me but I do not force GB GB not engaging in written class work I initiate a conversation and ask GB if she has any questions GB responds with shake of her head to indicate no I call upon GB to read a portion of the worksheet we are working on and GB just stares at me I ask if she would read like to read the portion on the worksheet for the class GB responds saying no and I accept her decision I try to be the gentle demander in the classroom in my approach to GB. I keep trying to initiate conversations and motivate GB to engage in tasks during the class and I keep calling on GB to read or respond in class giving her the choice. I hoped to communicate to her that I would not just give up on her if she stayed still enough and did not respond to me. Through my interactions I wanted her to know that despite her stillness and silence, I saw her and she was a valuable member of my class. Over time I found her responding ever so slightly to my questions and requests for participation in class. Often she tends to do the bare minimum when I am near her desk and wait till I move on to stop working. When called upon she keeps passing the opportunity when given the option or saying she doesn't know. I call upon GB to read out a portion of a worksheet and GB looks at me blankly I repeat my instruction for her to read the portion on the worksheet without giving her an option to pass and GB does read in a quiet voice. wait patiently for her to do so Student Profile for GB: SS has an active ELL program and struggles to understand Grade 10 commonly used science classroom language. I figured out quite late in my school experience how to find the students had ELL designations. It is then that I realised Sameer had an ELL designation and I felt bad that I had not been of more help. Before I found out about his ELL designation I had always wondered why he asked so many simple literacy questions. I learnt from this experience where I can check for student designations and to go over them early on in my school experience. I also wondered why Mr. H did not build in any extra help for students in his class who had ELL designation. This has left me wondering about how I should approach this in a high school science classroom while also feeling the pressure to cover content in the short time given. Wonderings: ● How can we help students like Sameer follow classroom instruction? ● How can I figure out how much help SS needs at the beginning and find ways to meet SS’s needs? ● What is the extra help available to SS? Observation Teacher Response Student Response SS often raises his hand and ask for clarification of words and phrases he does not understand I go over and help explain words to him Student prefers to ask me for help in comprehending and understanding words References ● Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2000). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective instruction. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill. Chapter 7 on Improving Motivation and Social Behaviour was particularly helpful in my high school classroom. It helped me realise some of the statements that come naturally to me were counterproductive to the behaviour I was encountering. It also helped me realize my natural enthusiasm can help a lot of students respond positively in my classroom. ● Ministry of Education and Child Care. “Supporting Inclusive and Responsive Learning Environments Video Series.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 27 Feb. 2020, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k12/teach/resources-for-teachers/inclusive-education/videos. One of my biggest take-aways was catching myself from ‘shoulding’ on students. I taught myself instead to ask questions to figure out where students are at and then gently guide them to the next step when trying to help. The other most helpful thing I learnt from the video on the ‘average.’ In every interaction when I was seeking to move a student forward, I reminded myself to listen for student voice in making the adjustments they needed. This was an exercise in unlearning and relearning with restraint and patience.
