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Alison Culver
Professor Sevensma
Education 202
November 14, 2013
Initial Synthesis
Throughout this past semester I have had the amazing opportunity to observe in a
classroom. I sit in on two high school classes at Seashore High School. I start my time at 8:30 in
an English classroom taught by Mr. Rooks. This class lasts until 9:20 when all the students
gather for community time. Community time if followed my 4
th
period. During this time, I
follow my assigned student to his next class which is science with Mrs. Potter. The school
specializes in learning disabilities and offers a range of accommodations for their students. Over
my time at the school I have been observing one student in particular, Nathan. Nathan is a
special student who has his own set of strengths and weaknesses. It amazes me how over this
short while, I have been able to observe situations in the classroom through observing Nathan
that I was taught in class at Calvin. Specifically, I have noticed so far through my observations
and knowledge gained from lectures and readings, Nathan has a big personality and captivating
presence. These observations have also given me reason to believe he struggles with different
attention controls. This school uses 504 plans. 504 plans help the students reach their greatest
potential. When they are first enrolled the parents and teachers have a meeting where they
discuss where the child is at and what accommodations should be made for them. This is all
included in their 504 plan. The main goal for the 504 plan if for it to be the least restrictive for
the student. Nathan like many other students at the school have, what the teacher referred to as,
a specific behavior plan, which goes along with the 504 plan, to address what needed
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improvement. I did not observe enough to say anything for certain but, made these tentative
interpretations during my time at the school.
Seashore school is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, just off a main road. It is behind
and around other businesses. The school has around 60 students. There is a small playground
outside of the school and a parking lot surrounding it. When you walk inside you can see that it
is a well-kept school. The school has clean, well organized classrooms and offices with bright
colored walls. There are up-to-date desks and chairs for the students that are on clean carpeted
floors. The school educates children ranging from first to twelfth grade. The high school classes I
was in are on the second of two floors. The classroom has a comfortable feel. It has a couch and
cushioned chairs in one corner and the floors are carpeted. The class consists of nine children, all
boys, except one. The learner I was specifically observing, Nathan, appeared to be African
American. He is the only student that provided ethnic diversity to the classroom, including the
teacher.
Right from the first day of observing, I could see that the physical aspects of this
classroom were comfortable and relaxed. The way it is run has a level of casualness. I sat at a
table on the side of the classroom. This gave me a great view of the entire class. From this spot I
quickly noticed the friendly interaction that went on between Nathan, the other students, and the
teacher. When I arrived, all the students were filing into the classroom to start the period. This
transition time was filled with small talk and conversation between all individuals. The teacher
interacted with the students by asking them about their personal lives and joking with them. It
appeared that the teacher really strove to have a relationship with her students. Nathan in
particular, joined in conversation with his peers and teacher. I got the impression within
moments of being in the classroom that he was very outgoing and talkative. For the most part
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Nathan, spoke to make a comment or make people laugh. I also noticed something else. When he
spoke to the teacher he always answered with a yes maam. The teacher later told me that it is
in his daily goals to be more respectful towards authority. Specifically, he needs to look people
in the eye and reply with respect. This specific goal was asked to be implemented in the
classroom by his parents.
In contrast to the first classroom, the second classroom I visited, science taught by Mrs.
Potter, has a much different tone. When the students change periods, they move to a new room
with a new teacher. This class had a very different environment. There are no couches in this
room. Instead, it has two columns with four rows of tables. Each table seats two students. All
tables are not full. Nathan sits in the last row along with a partner. The physical appearance was
not the only thing that differed between the two classrooms. The tone this teacher set is really
what made the difference. When the students arrived and got seated there was no small talk or
talking with the teacher. The teacher got right down to work and began by telling them what they
would be doing. On multiple occasions when the children are working, she told them to settle
down. She does not allow small talk and instructs them to be seated and start their work. Nathan,
who was walking around the class, is told to get to work. I can tell that the students sense the
change. There is far less light conversation between students. There is also a very noticeable
difference in Nathan during this class. He talks much less and has lost much of his spirit.
I believe the examples above describe the culture of the school and how the culture of
each class differs. The language in particular, used by the teachers, greatly differs from class to
class. This creates two very different environments. The culture of the first class is captured
perfectly by the quote the teacher has on her wall. Educating the mind without educating the
heart is no education at all. - Aristotle. This teacher clearly believes that creating a comfortable
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environment is important and personal relationships with students make a huge difference. The
second teacher is much more disciplined and believes in getting down to business as soon as
class begins, maximizing learning time.
The schools population is also a factor in creating an environment. The Community
Research Institute website (11/12/13) says that two thirds of the Ridgemoor area, where the
school is located, is 90% white. The southern sector of the area is 30% or more black. The Asian
population is even smaller generally ranging from around 3% to 10% through the area. The
Ridgemoor and its surrounding areas have a Hispanic population from .01% to 12.54%. The area
south of Ridgemoor is slightly higher ranging from 12.55% to 19.99%. These statistics are
represented in the school. In the classrooms I observe, Nathan is the only student of color out of
12 students total. Within the faculty the theme continues. All the teachers including the secretary
appear to be Caucasian, except one. This gives me the impression that the members of the school
are local. What I do wonder is if any of the students travel far to attend this school. I would like
to know how far the school reaches out to other communities.
Also, from the Community Research Institute website (10/ 3/13) are some statistics about
the income of the Ridgemoor area. The median income for this area ranges from $43,849 to
$51,646. The median income of the area south of Ridgemoor is less than $34,324. Income in the
areas to the northeast and west increase lightly or remain about the same. This pattern continues
for the percent below the poverty line and the percent of civilians unemployed. For the Ridgmoor
area, .01% to 4.99% of individuals are below the poverty line and 11.51% to 17.99% of civilians
are unemployed. One of the things that came up while I was observing was fundraising for the
school. They are not fundraising to help with tuition or money for the schools building
payments. They are specifically fundraising to buy Ipads. This gives me the impression that the
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school is doing well financially, if they could devote such resources to investing in technology.
This makes me wonder if the school gives financial help to its students given that many of the
students in the high school grades attend a different school in the afternoon. The Vice Principal
did inform me the school is not connected to the public schools and doesnt get funding from the
state. Another thing I learned while observing was how many students have their own
technology. In the English class I sat in on, every time they did individual work or quizzing, they
pulled out their devises as the teacher called them to listen. This gives me the impression the
students are from households that had the funds to spend money on these things and even further,
were financially stable enough to spend money on technology for their children.
Family and home life have a huge effect on a student and how they act in school. I do not
know a lot about Nathans family, but from what I have learned, I believe it has had a lot of
influence in shaping him as a student. First of all, Nathan has had an ever-changing academic
history. He was in public schools until seventh grade and then was homeschooled by his mother
for eighth grade. This year he is attending Seashore school in the morning and then leaves to
attend another school in the afternoon. I also know that his family is very involved. The teacher
has told me that they are very helpful and are willing to work with his teachers as best as they
can. I know they have expressed that they want their son to work on his respect for authority. As
I mentioned earlier, they specifically asked for his behavior plan to include that he say yes
maam and always look people in the eye. These things make me believe that he comes from a
supportive home where the parents value education and work with their son to give him the best
chance at reaching his greatest potential. What I question is if Nathans very inconsistent
academic history has affected his learning. His English teacher mentioned that when he arrived
he was behind in English and she wondered if he should be in eighth grade instead. This makes
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me think that Nathans constant moving has hurt his ability to learn. I would tentatively say that
part of his struggle in school has nothing to do with his abilities, but is greatly influenced by the
external factors of his environments. Having said that, throughout my time observing, I saw
evidence of Nathans personal struggles with academics.
Attention and memory is a concern I saw evidence of often with students in the
classroom and especially with Nathan. One of the most obvious things I observed was how often
he needs to be told by his teachers to keep on track. I also observed that he constantly looks
around the classroom during times when the students are doing individual work. Nathan does not
sit at a separate table like three of his classmates, but remains at the desks that are arranged in
three rows with each desk touching each other. He has a standard desk chair while other students
have roller chairs. In addition, I noticed than when taking quizzes he does not use headphones
like the majority of his peers. All the things listed above are accommodations the school has in
place for students who struggle with attention. Accommodations are (Sevensma, 2013a). I
wonder why Nathan does not use any of the accommodations I see other students using in the
classroom. I am not sure if they have already been tried and were not successful or if the teacher
doesnt think they will work. It appears to me that he is extremely aware of the people around
him and is a very social person who gets easily distracted by what other people are doing. I see
this when he constantly looks around the room. He also has the tendency to talk to his classmates
during inappropriate times, like when taking a quiz. One Friday during a quiz, the teacher
suggested that he finish his quiz out in the hallway because everyone else was finished. He did
not agree with this suggestion at first. I believe this is because he didnt like the idea of possibly
missing out on things that would be happening in the class. The idea of being out of the group
was not appealing to him. I have also noticed a successful way to get Nathan to start working
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after being distracted. The teachers walk over to his desk to get his attention. Otherwise, he will
continue with what he is doing. After observing these behaviors I am able to make some
tentative interpretations about Nathans attention.
When considering what I observed and what I read about attention controls, I feel Nathan
struggles with mental effort, span, satisfaction, and the majority of the output controls. Mental
effort has to do with being able to finish tasks. I observed multiple instances where Nathan
would want turn in a quiz without finishing. Another example is when he was told to organize
his binder; he would find multiple things to do before and during to distract him. More
specifically, I believe this has to do with his struggle with span and satisfaction. He cannot
concentrate long enough on one thing to finish a task. This I believe spans from his need for
excitement in the classroom (Levine 2002). It is clear that he has a lot of energy, I believe this is
why he gets so easily distracted sitting in a desk. Listening doesnt keep his attention. This can
hurt his academic performance when he is told to do individual work. During these times he is
constantly told to keep on track. The teacher told me specifically that he needs a lot of help in
this area. Having said that, I have also been able to see how his energy and excitement can be a
strength in the classroom.
Nathans energy and charisma give him a great presence in front of a group. It has been
easy to see that, when Nathan speaks, people listen. I believe this is why he needs to be told to
keep working so often. He not only gets himself off track, but he also gets other students off
track. One class period the students were practicing their speeches in small groups. I noticed
during this time Nathan took the opportunity to be out of his seat to walk around the room and
talk about many other things before getting to his speech. When he finally did practice his speech
he did well.Compared to his peers speeches, Nathans speech was the most captivating and the
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easiest to listen to. His energy and excitement kept you interested. He also appeared to have
more confidence when speaking. He occasionally looked at his notes but for the majority of the
time he was looking out at his audience. This was something most of his classmates were not
able to do. This was a situation where I was able to see Nathans strengths in the classroom. I
wonder if his ability to speak could be more utilized in the classroom. If he could give speeches
or vocalize his thoughts instead or writing them.
In addition to having trouble with attention control I have also seen evidence of Nathans
struggle with spatial and sequential ordering, specifically with spatial organization (Sevensma,
2013b). Spatial organization helps us to perceive how parts fit together as a whole it also
helps us organize are various material necessities throughout the day (Levine,2002, p.32). Mrs.
Rooks told me that the school uses a binder system to help teach its student organization skills.
The vice principal also informed me that one of the schools goals is to teach its students life
skills. The majority of them struggle with organization. The times that I have observed when
their binders have been collected, Nathan needed help from the teacher to get it organized. In
another situation Nathan said that he forgot his folder at home when the teacher told him to put
his papers away in the folder. These are examples to me of how Nathan has problems with
keeping organized. This hurts him in class because we wont have the papers he needs or what is
even more common he doesnt turn in his papers because he loses them. There have also been
signs during his quizzing that he does not time manage well. He will look for a pencil in his pack
back and walk around the classroom before getting started on the quiz. He will end up needing to
finish in the hallway because he is the last one still working. He has trouble finishing the work
given in the time allowed. I believe his time management problems are also connected with his
lack of intrinsic motivation.
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My observations have led me to believe that Nathan has a hard time motivating himself
in school. I think this goes right along with his struggles with attention and special ordering. He
does not seem to have the same drive to get things done in class as the other students do. I have
also seen instances where in class motivations have not helped either. The teacher will give a
deadline for the work he is doing. This is often the end of the period. Time and time again I have
seen how he does not finish the work in class and is given an extension. This leads me to think
that perhaps consistency on the teachers part is a part of the problem. I wonder if perhaps when
his teachers give a deadline, his actions would change if they stick to it. That way Nathan could
see that his actions and behaviors in class have consequences. In addition, this motivator
introduced by the teacher could function as a motivator because he would know that the deadline
was finale.
Last but not least, through my weeks of observations I have noticed most clearly
Nathans strength in social development. Referring back to the speech example I used earlier, I
could see how well Nathan speaks in front of people. He has confidence and is able to address
the crowd well by giving then eye contact. He is the only child in the class to interact with me.
This was not because I was able to take the initiative and interact with him more. He came up to
me and started conversations although; occasionally it was at inappropriate times in the day. I
also think it is worth noting that he interacts with his fellow students well for this being his first
year at the school. He is only with these students for half the day, but he still appears to be
friends with them. In passing I hear then talking about getting together out of school He is
always with a large crowd of people during community time. His strength with social
development is something that I see really sets him apart. I wonder if this is something that
comes naturally to him or not. I also question how the social dynamic in the classroom has
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changed since Nathans arrival. I wonder whether his contribution to the class has increased
other students interaction with one another or has decreased it.
In conclusion over the past weeks I have been able to observe Nathan in two of his
classes. It was a small window, but a window none the less into who he is as a learner. I saw his
strengths in public speaking and in leading his peers. I am amazed by the confidence he had and
how he was able to captivate those around him. I also saw some of the things he struggled with
like attention. He has a hard time finishing his work or even getting started with it in the first
place. He needs a lot of attention and one on one help with his individual work. I believe that
through these observations I can say that Nathan is a smart capable student. He has a hunger for
excitement and movement that I dont believed if filled in the classroom. I think changes can be
made to his requirements to allow him to move around more in class and take advantage of his
strength in public speaking. I see him achieving great things in the future and I believe that
although his self-discipline could use improvement he will go fare with his natural talent he has
with people.


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Bibliography
Community Research Institute. (2010). Percent employment, median income, percent below the
poverty line (Ridgemoor) [Data file]. Retrieved from
(http://gis.cridata.org/maps/mapas/map.html?lat=42.9198293189&long=-
85.6007811188000010&level=13)
Community Research Institute. (date that data from neighborhood was collected). Population
(Ridgemooe) [Data file]. Retrieved from
(http://gis.cridata.org/maps/mapas/map.html?lat=42.9198293189&long=-
85.6007811188000010&level=13)
Delpit, L (2006). Other peoples children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York, NY: W.
W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Levine, M. (2002).A mind at a time. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.
Pearson. (2013). Education 202 The learner in the educational context: Development and
diversity. Boston: Pearson Education Company
Sevensma, K. (2013a). Ability disability.[Lecture].
Sevensma, K. (2013b). Spatial sequential ordering.[Lecture].