Case Study 1

Gabriele Johannsson
EDTE 532
Case Study
Why did you choose this student as your “wonder” child?

I chose “A” as my “wonder” child because he is new to our classroom and there is so
much I have to learn about him. A struggles with stamina and behaviour and I need to
know how I can better support him.
What do you know about this student as a learner?

A came to kindergarten for the first time in January and is believed to not have attended
any prior formal learning or peer interaction groups. It is understood that he has
experienced some level of trauma in his life prior to coming to school. I am working to
get to know him still, but what I do know about him is that he often chooses to avoid
transitions. When students have a list of activities to complete in a specific order, he will
often stay on one task for as long as possible even if the second task is believed to be
more desirable. For example he will colour in every square inch of a worksheet before
moving on to a play based activity like literacy baskets. Sometimes A gets frustrated
and shuts down. I have watched other adults respond to his frustration in a disciplinary
way and this only escalated his behaviour. I have had good outcomes from approaching
him with a calm demeanor, listening to him and trying to de escalate his frustration.
What else do you need to find out about this student as a learner? What
strengths, capacities, and/or “passions” do you see in this student?
A can by very compassionate and likes to help others. However, he can get fixated on
helping and may leave what he should be doing to help someone that doesn’t need
help, the other child often resists and he gets frustrated, it seems to not likely that he will
move on. He seems to enjoy complimenting his peers and adults, I have noticed that he
may repeat himself until the person receives his compliment.
What questions do you have about this student’s strengths and capacities?
What are his can’ts vs. won’ts?
What do you need to learn more about in order to offer powerful support (e.g.
social-emotional learning, engagement, interests, relationships, previous
experiences)?
I need to take more time to get to know him and his interests. I will be spending more
time talking with him during centres and other informal play times. I need to build a
bigger repertoire of de escalating and calm down strategies that work for him to help
him manage his moods and emotions. His day seems to be dependent on his mood
when he comes in in the morning. For example, one morning he came in wearing his
mother’s socks, which were too big and didn’t fit in his shoes properly. This discomfort
Gabriele Johannsson
EDTE 532
manifested as frustration and the inability to complete his morning jobs. Because he had
such a late start, he was behind in his morning jobs and was asked to come to the
meeting mat before he had completed everything, this caused frustration too. As well,
because his socks weren’t fitting in his shoes he decided not to wear socks, and
because he wasn’t wearing socks his feet got hot, and then he took of his shoes. He is
already frustrated and has been feeling behind all day, and because he isn’t wearing
shoes, adults in the building are going to tell him to put his shoes on, not realizing the
implications of that comment. I will need to make an extra effort to check in with him in
the morning on top of greeting him at the door which I already do for every student. A
can become very distracted during lessons and I will need to figure out how to get his
attention in a respectful way without loosing the whole class in the process.
What does the student think about his/her learning?

I don’t know very much about what A thinks about his learning, but I do know that he
enjoys reading. I will be taking more time to conference with him about his learning in
my longer practicum.
What else did you learn after observing?

During a school based team meeting about A, the counsellor pointed out that he will
need to feel like he is staying here. We will need to really work on making him feel like
he is apart of the community, which has been hard for the other students who are
already established in the classroom. A has not had the same time to gradually build
stamina as the other students, he will need more breaks and help refocusing.
How did your thinking about the student change/deepen?

I imagined that there was a reason for his behaviour, but after speaking to the school
based team I have a better understanding of what that really means. I will be continuing
to learn how to approach teaching through a trauma informed lense. Wanting to feel a
sense of belonging may be the root of his behaviour more than anything.
What surprised you?

My teacher has told me that he has been violent in the past, but I haven’t seen this
behaviour from him.
If you were planning for this student’s learning, what could you do to support
his/her? Why?
I think that A would benefit from mindfulness practices and self soothing/ calm down
strategies that he can do independently. During the school based team meeting the
CYC working said that she will be running play groups to help facilitate him making
friends. As well, she will try pulling him out to work with a big buddy to help out around
Gabriele Johannsson
EDTE 532
the school. I think that the main focus will be building community and making him feel
involved as well as helping him self regulate.
What can you include in your unit/lesson planning to support this student?
I can give him in depth tasks that don’t require a transition. As well, I can integrate
group and partner work to help him build relationships in the classroom.
What theories and information from the course connect to your decisions?
I think this course has given me the confidence to travel lightly. A calm and
compassionate approach will get me started. I am working on listening to him before
offering any help or advice. I understand the importance of seeing the child first and
remembering that his behaviour is not targeted at me. I will be working with a goal of
helping him to be successful.
How does this experience inform your thinking about teaching and learning for
inclusive education?
In order to really make big strides towards an inclusive classroom I need to spend the
time to focus on building a relationship with each student. I also think that we need to be
extremely aware of how we respond to student behaviour, remembering that they will
likely match our tone. We need to model the volume, tone, and behaviour we expect
from them.

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Gabriele Johannsson

Why did you choose this student as your “wonder” child?

What do you know about this student as a learner?

What does the student think about his/her learning?

What else did you learn after observing?

How did your thinking about the student change/deepen?

What surprised you?

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