Teaching+Cases

//**1. Jaques and Alex** Narrative:// Jacques was a senior in my 4th period chemistry course. He kept up with his work and was doing a pretty good job in class. On the weekend that fell 2 months before graduation, Jacques had the misfortune of getting into a fight and ended up being beaten so badly that he was hospitalized for 3 weeks time. He was in critical condition and was placed on a respirator. Needless to say, the least of Jacques worries was chemistry. As it turns out, one of the students who beat Jacques was a student named Alex in my period 4 Chemistry class. The same class! When Jacques returned to school to meet with me and to get "missing work", charges were filed against Alex and as a result, a restraining order was placed on Alex. I was ordered by our building police officer not to allow Alex in the chemistry room for the rest of the year. And, I was ordered by Jacques doctor to allow him to miss the remainder of the year because he would be undergoing reconstructive maxilofacial surgery. Both of these students have the right to receive an education even though they can not physically be in my chemistry classroom. That means they are held to the same standards, yet the conditions for their learning are much different than "typical".

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation?

The first thing to remember when dealing with this situation is that you are their teacher, not their probation officer. It is your job to be unbiased. Whether or not you believe that Alex beat the living daylights out of Jacques, or believe that something else really went on here, it is irrelevant. Your job is to give both of these kids a proper and equitable education.

So, neither are able to attend class. With new technology right at our fingertips, communication should not be an issue. Set up a daily e-mail schedule with Alex to start with. He is unable to attend your class, but should be able to correspond with you daily, as he is not facing the physical challenges that lay in front of Jacques. Alex can submit his assignments via e-mail, and have an open line of communication with you. Additionally, I would ask if anyone in the class would volunteer to be his "buddy," for lack of a better word. At this point in the year, you should know your students well enough to know who their friends are. Choose someone in the class who would be willing to work with Alex a few times a week after school. This way, Alex may turn in larger projects, etc. that cannot be simply e-mailed without having to come to class.

I also think this is a great time to get creative. It is difficult to give an objective test to someone for completion at home and not expect them to use books, notes, etc, so this is the perfect opportunity to try out some new ways of assessing student knowledge. Since it is the last few months of school, I'm sure that all of your students will be pleased to not have to sit at their desks and take an objective test. Try things outside of the classroom, like nature walks or tours of local drug-testing facilities. Try to make these last few months as interesting as possible. This way, Alex may get the chance to participate, either with the class or on his own.

Unfortunately, some of the options available for Alex will not also be available for Jacques. If he is undergoing major reconstructive surgery, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to correspond through daily e-mails or go on field trips. You can; however, enlist the help of his parents and other resources. For starters, I think videos would be a great idea. Since he probably isn't able to get out of bed much, it might be a nice change of pace for him to watch some educational videos, rather than his usual soap operas all day long. I would imagine that his parents are with him a lot of the time if he is in the hospital, so I think it would be reasonable to ask for their help. Ask them to read to him or watch the videos with him and discuss them afterwards. Maybe they could even ask his doctors or nurses to teach him a thing or two about the chemicals they are injecting into his body. If he's able to be in a wheelchair, they could even show him around the hospital to the anesthesiologist's wing, where he could learn about different prescription and intraveneous drugs. It would also be a great idea for you or a friend from class to go see him on at least a weekly basis. If you can commit to one day a week, and someone from class can commit to another day, Jacques will have the benefit of discussing what he has learned at least twice a week with people directly related to class.

This issue is clearly one where there is no right or wrong thing to do. Its a difficult situation involving two students you care about. Differentiated instruction is key here, as it is nearly impossible for your expectations from each student to be the same. If you cannot expect the same result from every student, it obviously doesn't make sense to have the same manner of instruction for each student. Do your best to keep the lines of communication, and don't hesitate to enlist help from friends, parents, and anyone else who is willing.

//2. Andrew//
//Narrative:// On the first day of my 6th period chemistry class one of our school counselors //Bruce// entered my class with //Andrew// (student) his advocate //Jeff// and his mom //Sally//. I said //"hello"// to Andrew and noticed right away glazed-over eyes. Andrew couldn't hear me. He was listening to music from his ipod. Bruce began explaining //"Andrew has Schizophrenia and is taking psychosomatic "meds" for treatment.//" His mom chimed in //"As you might have noticed, he is under medication as we speak".// I held out my hand to Andrew and said //"welcome to chemistry"//. Andrew kind of smiled and looked down. Bruce then spoke //"Here is Andrew's IEP (individualized educaion plan)." "There will need to be major modifications made so that Andrew can be successful."// Sally said "Andrew might miss you class for weeks or months at a time. It all depends on his meds." //"One thing that helps him cope is his music.//" Bruce and Sally left the room and Jeff commented //"I'll come by after school to discuss further".// Andrew went over to a desk in the back of the room, sat down, looked blankly at the front of the room. He turned his music up - I could hear it from the front of the room. Shortly thereafter, Andrew had his head on his desk with his eyes closed, a hoodie pulled over his head. He stayed that way until the end of class. The next day of class, Andrew's mom called and explained that Andrew would not be in class for at least the next two weeks and requested that I provide the next two weeks of lessons that he would miss.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation?

The first thing to remember is that despite the complications of Andrew's condition, you are stillhis teacher. Your job is to make sure that Andrew has ample opportunity to be successful in your class. I would suggest finding a friend for Andrew. Does he have any friends in school? Are they in your class? If Andrew's friends are in your class, you will likely have much greater success. If a friend is not in the same class, I would make efforts to switch one of them in. If Andrew comes to class highly medicated, it is unlikely that you will be able to get through to him in the same way that you could get through to your other students. Do your best to incorporate Andrew as much as possible, but also rely on the friend to help. Give homework assignments that are hands-on. Allow all students in class to work together in pairs or in teams, and encourage Andrew to work with his friend. This will allow all students the chance to work collaboratively, and will give Andrew a chance to be more involved.

Another important thing to remember is that you also have the priority of your other students. Andrew's lessons may need to be adapted, but your other students are equally important. Equality becomes a big issue here. You don't want your other students to feel resentful or confused because they are not given the same preferential treatment as is given to Andrew. Try to create rules in your class that accomodate everyone. For example, if Andrew is allowed to wear his headphones during quiet work time and tests, all students may have the opportunity to listen to music during these times. If there are some things that are simply not feasible for all students, be sure that students understand the situation. I don't think that legally, you can tell other students about Andrew's condition, however, you can make sure students know that everyone's best interest is always number one priority. Explain to students that there must be general rules for the basic functioning of the class, but that individual exceptions occassionaly need to be made in order to make class the most positive place possible. Try to figure out a way to be lenient in other areas for your mainstream students, which will lend a bit of equality to the situation.

//3. Dianna//
//Narrative:// Diana from Brazil not speak English. She entered my chemistry class 2 weeks after it started. She was a very successful student in Brazil, and her parents have met with me regarding their expectations that she do well in chemistry. The text used in chemistry is in english, as are all of my resources.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation?

Well, I think it's time to get more resources. If she is a true ELL (English Language Learner), she should have access to an assistant, someone who speaks her L1 and English and is able to come into the classroom to help her through assignments, directions, etc. I would also suggest that you were with her ESL instructors. As chemistry has a great deal of directions and step-by-step procedures, I would reccomend that the ESL teacher begin with the language of directions to best serve Diana. Additionally, I would request the book you use in your classroom in her L1. Diana has rights just like every other student in your classroom, and these rights include having access to a textbook that can assist and guide her through the course. Most textbooks come in a variety of different languages, so this shouldn't be too big of a problem.

If Diana was a successful student in Brazil, it is unlikely that she had no exposure to English. Most countries employ the use of English in their instruction from a very young age, although their instructional methods are very different. In other countries, the majority of English instruction is in the written form. In the United States, students learning English, as well as other languages, participate in many hands-on activities, experiments, and real-life applications. In other countries, including Brazil, most students are given worksheets and read out of textbooks. Having this background knowledge can be used to your benefit. First of all, you should check with her ESL instructors to determine her level of English proficiency. These teachers will also be able to help you with specific methods for specific lessons. Next, try to give Diana, as well as the other students in your class, as much as possible in writing. Read through the directions out-loud that are written on the paper. All students learn more effectively when they are provided with two different mediums of instuction.

The most important thing to remember here is that Diana is a student just like every other child in your class. She has a right to learn, and you have a responsibility to make sure this happens. She seems to be a very bright student, so with some adaptation, understanding, and a little bit of creativity, I'm sure she can be successful in your class.

//4. Gabriel//
//Narrative:// Gabriel was a student of mine who was taking one of my online AP Physics courses from the University of California College Prep. (UCCP), Santa Cruz. As per the accreditation for online science courses, it was mandated that the laboratory component be "physical", whereby students manipulated "real" equipment to study physics-related concepts. The students that I would have in the online AP Physics courses would be from all over the country and, in some cases, international. In fact, one of the reasons some of these learners were form all over the country and international was that many had exceptional talents above and beyond the AP Physics courseroom. For example, one learner was training to compete in the winter Olympics as a figure skater, while another was a world renowned pianist. Some students attended schools that did not offer an AP Physics course. And ever since a 1999 [|class-action equal access suit filed] against the state of California, students are to be guaranteed the right to access college-prep or AP courses, even if their school does not offer such courses. If their school does not provide such programs, it is the district's and/or state's responsibility to provide such opportnunities. Hence, online AP Physics. Now keep in mind the earlier statement that the labs for these courses were to be "physical". This meant that the school that the students attended was to have a mentor to ovversee the proper use, set-up, and safety of the physics lab equipment. Even if the school did not have the equipment, the mentor was expected to get creative and utilize similar supplies such that the lab could be performed. And get creative we did!

OK, so Gabriel attended a school that lacked "common" science lab equipment (e.g., voltmeters, ring stands, circuit kits, and so forth). And, he was to complete the AP Physics "physical" labs prescribed for the course. I received a call from Gabe's mentor regarding how the labs were to be completed without the necessary equipment. In essence the majority of the labs could not be completed because the host school did not have the requisite equipment. Technically, Gabe's hosting school (someone other than the Mentor) signed that they had access to all of the necessary equipment, so Gabe was enrolled with UCCP. And, Gabe enrolled 2 weeks after the course began.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation? What should I tell the mentor?

I feel like I answer all of these questions the same, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the most important thing to remember is that Gabe, just like every other student in your class, has a right to the same academic experiences of his peers. He is your student, so he has a right to learn, and you have an obligation to teach him. If his school does not have the necessary equipment, you are going to have to be a bit lenient and flexible. Is there any other way that Gabe could reach the target outcomes? Go back to the drawing board: Is the objective of the lesson utilizing voltmeters simply that students learn how to use a voltmeter? Or, is there a deeper and more in-depth expected outcome here? The objective for all students must be the same; however, all students need not reach this objective in the same manner.

Work directly with the mentor. What technologies //do// they have? Presumably the mentor is educated in Physics, so ask him or her for suggestions. Ask: 'With the materials that you have available to you, how do you think that we could bring Gabe to a level of proficiency in terms of this objective?' Also, check with nearby high schools. It may be that although Gabe's particular school does not have the materials that another school in the district does. Given the cicrumstances, and the fact that everything remains in-district, I would imagine there wouldn't be a problem with some sharing of resources.

First and foremost, tell the mentor THANK YOU. There's probably a lot of pressure in situations like this to make sure the student succeeds, so all parties involved need to be on the same page. Keeping in close contact with this mentor, and all mentors for that matter, will allow the lines of communication to remain open, something invaluable for the success of the student, as well as your own sanity.

=
Question: What could all of us have done differently? Did we fail as teachers? Was something else going on at home that I just wasn't aware of? What could I change if this situation were to occur again?
 * Case 5: Tyler** Tyler (name has been changed) was a student in the language arts class in which I was doing my observations several quarters ago. The students I work with are part of the extended core program, which is a type of gifted and talented program. All of my students are highly motivated, accountable, driven to individual success, and have great support at home. My biggest challenge with the majority of these students was to actually challenge them, as for the most part, they shocked me with how intelligent they consistently were. About three weeks into the school year, we had a student transfer into class: Tyler. Tyler was not like any other student I had ever had. He was not motivated to success. He didn't care if he failed or passed an assignment. He was not individually accountable. My first thought was that Tyler's home life might not be synonymous with the majority of my students, however, a phone call home and some research proved my theory incorrect. Tyler's mom and dad came into the classroom several times after school over the next few weeks to see what they could do to help Tyler. It seemed they wanted him to succeed just as much as we did. No matter what any of us did, Tyler just couldn't seem to be motivated to learn or do his work.=====