Student Story| Minnema

Anna Minnema
EDUC 202
Cracking the Code
In a school, set back from the street, there is a student. There are
many students in reality, but there is one in particular who stands out in her
classroom. This outgoing, blonde headed, individual stands out against the
majority dark headed class. She, also, is unique in that she speaks English as
her first language unlike many of her classmates (teacher), she acts out
(field notes and teacher) which is a concern for neurodevelopmental skills
such as social cognition and problem solving. These factors also point to
trying to uncover a sociocultural variable like perspective reasons for her
social interactions and social behaviors. Now, before diving straight into the
learner, Laura, it is important to first look at the environment from which she
lives and learns.
Driving to Godfrey Lee Early Childhood Center, I was a little surprised
when my map told me to turn onto a street that seemed to be completely full
of houses. I didnt think there would be any room for a school on the street I
turned on. As I followed the street back and rounded the bend there the
school sat, almost as a hidden treasure of sorts. I never expected this school
to be placed where it was. As I pulled into the parking lot and got out of my
car to walk in, I felt very safe by my surroundings, if I would have gotten out
of my car a few blocks back I wouldnt have felt so confident and safe
because there were lots of people sitting on the streets and I frequently drive
past police cars as I drive through these couple of blocks. Getting out of my
car in the parking lot I see people doing yard work or walking to the mailbox,
activities I am much more accustom to than the latter.
It seems that the school itself felt pretty safe in their environment
because I could open the door without having to speak to anyone. Of course,
I did need to walk into the office and sign in before I could enter the rest of
the school, but the office door was unlocked as well. The hallways were filled
with paintings of fun animals and as I pasted the kitchen loud, fun, Spanish
music was playing. Godfrey-Lee serves their students breakfast and lunch
which is prepared by a chef and their dining services (Godfrey-Lee website).
Spanish can be found alongside English on signs or spoken in Godfrey Lee.
Seventy-six percent of the students are Hispanic, 86% of the student
population are ELL, therefore their parents might speak Spanish instead of
English in the home (GL website). The school accommodates this language
difference by writing signs in both English and Spanish and making sure at
least 10% of teacher are ELL certified (GL Website). In the classroom, the
teacher uses Spanish commands such as, Levantate or Eschucha to
gather students attention (All days, field notes). Godfrey-Lee claims to be
ready for all types of students yet, when I walked through the office one
day, one lady peered out from her office and said, does anyone speak
Spanish in here? and no one responded (GL website, description of ECC). I
wonder if just a portion the teachers need to know Spanish and not the rest
of the staff. Is there a staff member in the front office who can translate? Do
 Student Story| Minnema

they encourage staff members who frequently speak with families to learn
Spanish? Was that person who is normally the translator gone that day?
From the statements on Godfrey-Lees website, it seems they value
the student as a whole. For example, the website states, we celebrate the
diversity of our learners, respect each child as a unique individual, and
accept challenges in a positive and productive manner (GL website, ECC
page). Not only do they want the student to succeed academically, they
want them to succeed in their relationships and self-worth, as Godfrey Lees
Early Childhood Centers page states, we will nurture and encourage a
positive exploratory approach to education, relationships and life, that
fosters a love of learning and creates a bond between children, families,
school, and the community. In the book Schools for All Kinds of Minds,
authors Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson state how learning leaders should
act toward students. In their model one point is, a set of five core beliefs
about how all students are treated (2010, p. xxi). They want every child to
feel safe and able to succeed. In the introduction, Pohlman explains how he
did not feel successful in his school, none of the teachers knew how to teach
or help him learn. His school experience ultimately gave him lower self-
esteem to try and succeed in school (Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson,
2010). In hopes of decreasing the amount of students who feel the same way
as Pohlman, Godfrey-Lee states that our responsibility is to highlight each
childs strengths and promote learning in all developmental areas (GL
website, ECC). Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson carry a theme in School for
All Kinds of Minds, they want all educators to work toward being able to cater
to any students needs and all students should get the chance to learn in
their style in order to succeed. One way Godfrey-Lee caters to the whole
student is giving them healthy breakfast and lunch because the school draws
from a predominately disadvantaged neighborhood: 92% of the students
come from an economically disadvantaged family and 89% of students are
on Free lunch (neighborhoodscout.com). In order to be successful in school, a
child needs to be healthy in body before they can give all their brain power
to learning. Neito and Bode (2012) describe one of the six out of school
factors that affect learning is food insecurity. In more depth they state, the
research on out of school factors is helpful in explaining how the lack of
health care, inadequate nutrition, inadequate housing, and unstable family
life impinge on school experiences (Nieto and Bode, 2012, p. 266). All
students deserve to have a fair chance to learn and succeed in school. The
school understands the demographic and tries to equip students with as
many resources as possible, for example breaking language barriers and also
physical barriers such as being hungry less of an issue and learning more
accessible.
As I walk into the classroom at 8:30am the class tends to be
transitioning from breakfast to Math. They meet at the orange chair to go
over past or learn new material. Diving into Math, Mrs. James uses KAGAN
pedagogy when she teaches math (teacher). When I researched KAGAN
online, because I was unfamiliar with this specific pedagogy, I found that it
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encourages teachers to allow students to be in communication with each

other through partner work and games. It gives 5 easy ways that a teacher
can successfully walk students through talking with each other
(kaganonline.com). In Affirming Diversity, Neito and Bode state that
pedagogy refers to the strategies, techniques, and approaches used by
teachers in their classroom, that is, teachers practices (2012, p. 124).
Using KAGAN as a pedagogy on a day to day bases sets a routine for the
students. For the most part, students are able to aspect a variation on what
they have done in the beginning weeks of school. Since I have been
observing, they engage in a similar order or pattern (field notes, days 1-8).
The student may be put at ease knowing that they will have individual work
and partner work and then play a game. Pedagogically speaking, Mrs. James
is creating an atmosphere that appears to be less stress because each task
has been asked of the students before; they are able to talk through their
answer with a partner before they are asked to give an answer to the whole
group. This strategy may be very helpful for some students, explaining to a
partner is very good way of making sure a student firmly understands their
own answer. Using partners may benefit students in many ways other than
just understanding a math problem. Anita Woolfolk summarizes the 5 major
recommendations for English learners from Peregoy and Boyle (2009) study,
point number five states, make wide use of peer-assisted learning,
particularly work in pairs, to complete academic tasks (2013, p. 65). Since
many of Mrs. James student are English Language Learners, KAGAN seems to
be a good way of allowing student to speak with their peers and use English
instead of just hearing it.
Language plays a big role in succeeding in the school. It may be
frustrating for a student to be in a classroom that doesnt provide a sufficient
amount of resources for an English Language Learner. Godfrey-Lee and Mrs.
James are doing their best to help the students who need help crossing the
language barrier. For example, Godfrey-Lee allows teachers to give a test
orally and write down answers for a first year ELL student (teacher). Doing
this allows a student to convey the concept as best they can without
struggling to read and write in a foreign language. Having a teacher read and
write for a student takes away some of the pressure in receptive language.
Receptive language is being able to read and understand information as well
as understanding oral information (Barringer, Pohlman, Robinson, 2010, p.
44). The practice of reading and writing for a student may be helpful for a
student who struggles with decoding and receptive language, yet it may not
be helpful for a student who struggles with expressive language. Receptive
language can also be difficult is a student struggles with differentiating
between sounds, they could easily misunderstand a sentence because they
heard one sound wrong, making the word mean something completely
different (202 lecture). Receptive language can be just as difficult reading as
it is listening in some cases. Expressive language represents the output side
and includes communication and producing ideas orally and in writing
(Barringer, Pohlman, Robinson, 2010, p. 44). This aspect of language seems
 Student Story| Minnema

to be difficult for a school or teacher to compensate, a student has to be able

to explain what they are thinking. A teacher is not able to dismiss or overlook
an ELL for not having adequate ways of expressing what their answers or
ideas. Is the way of providing a resource for expressive language allowing a
student to answer in their native tongue? Could there be alternate ways of
helping a child convey their idea without knowing their language? The longer
a student is in an English speaking classroom, hopefully the better they
understand the language and are able to communicate, hopefully expressive
language comes with more knowledge of English. Another way Mrs. James is
encouraging expressive language is through partner work. Having a one peer
seems to be less stress than giving an answer to the whole class. Partners
lets students speak and practice communicating without the stress of being
exactly correct or embarrassment of misspeaking.
Communication in a classroom benefits all learners, both first language
English speakers and English learners. In Johanna Kuyvenhovens book, In
the Presence of Each Other: A Pedagogy of Storytelling, she tells about her
journey with storytelling and language. She observed a storytelling teacher
and found out many different ways a teacher and students can benefit from
stories. Kuyvenhoven writes about how allowing students to converse and
exchange ideas benefits their oral language and literacy skills. On the topic
of students talking academically in the classroom Kuyvenhoven writes, they
developed oral language abilities as well as a deeper understanding about
the language needed to share information, themselves, and their
experiences (2013, p. 120). The classroom and school Kuyvenhoven was
observing in was much like Godfrey-Lee, many students didnt speak English
as a first language. This was a pedagogy one teacher used in order to
advance her students in language literacy. Mrs. James is using KAGAN and its
ability to allow students to talk together and advance language. Language
seems to be a strength for Laura, the learner. She seems to able to speak
and write her thoughts eloquently for her grade level (artifacts, day 11). On
one of the artifacts acquired, Laura wrote at the bottom of her page,
together and then proceeded to explain how she spelled it. I sounded it
out, so first there is a to, but not the number two, just T-O. Then a get, and a
her. To get her. Together (Day 11). The ability to use the English language
within this classroom gives Laura some advantage. Mrs. James speaks some
Spanish, but they come in more command form, Escucha and Donde
estan la linea (all days, field notes). Instruction is done in English in this
general education classroom. As far as language is concerned, Laura seems
to be developing well, and looks to be able to grasp, use, and manipulate the
English language with great ability. Mrs. James classroom benefits from
having Laura and students like her learning within it, they gain her
knowledge of language. Yet, Laura speaks clearly and creatively to Mrs.
James and a select group of her friends she doesnt always engage in partner
work (all days of field notes). It seems that it is not lack of ability to speak,
could it be she is unmotivated? Perhaps she has anxiety with speaking to her
peers? Or maybe Laura would rather to speak to an adult than her peers?
 Student Story| Minnema

There are also researchers who claim that the presence of teachers may
interfere with, and even inhibit, the childrens interactions with peers the
children are socially oriented towards the attractive adult partners rather
than towards their peers (Hillesoy, 2016). Maybe Laura is uncomfortable
with her peers which is why she doesnt enjoy partner work?
Neito and Bode also explain that getting stuck in one pedagogical
approach will not solve learning problems for all students (2012, p. 126).
They caution teachers to continuously develop pedagogy in their classroom.
Does Mrs. James use this method and routine for every subject?
Understanding students and how they learn and humanizing pedagogy so
to say, will help many more students in the classroom. No child learns the
same as another so using various approaches makes all learners able to,
hopefully, understand more content. Understanding that the way Mrs. James
structures math is not necessarily the same way she structures all subjects,
could it still be helpful to change routine in math? For a student who doesnt
learn through this particular structure, will they be able to succeed in math?
Mrs. James seems to be very excited about KAGAN, she tells me to ask her
any time about how this method works. She also stated that many teachers
in the school uses KAGAN. Is this a method the school encourages or if every
teacher is incorporating KAGAN? From my research and observations, I think
that KAGAN may be a good foundation for facilitating communication
between students. After 10 days of observing in Mrs. James classroom, Ive
found the flow of the lesson began to change. Instead of everyday walking
into students sitting on the carpet with their journals, they are at the desks
(day 11) or busy cutting out flash cards (day 12). It seems that Mrs. James
used her original structure for the beginning of the year and as she knows
her students better she is able to change the structure and routine.
Since the environment of neighborhood, school, and classroom have
been fully described, the learner can be understood more effectively and
completely. Laura, the girl with blonde hair that scales her back and
porcelain-like white skin sits near the edge of the cluster of students. From
her hair and skin color I believe she may fall into the Caucasian category. She
stands out to me because her class is made up of about 60% Hispanics, 30%
African American, and maybe 10% Caucasian (field notes). Laura finds
herself to be the minority in her classroom of students, yet looking around at
the teachers of Godfrey-Lee they seem to all resemble Laura. Looking around
the school and walking through the halls, many seem to be Caucasian
females. I question if this impacts Laura in any way. Does she notice that she
is in the minority among her peers? How about if Laura notices she is alike
with those in authority? I am not aware that Laura views herself as above her
classmates, but Im not sure if her race affects how she learns. Laura looks
up and sees a teacher who resembles herself, where the other students most
likely do not. Racism as an institutional system implies that some people
and groups benefit and others lose. Whites, whether they intend to or not,
benefit in a racist society (Nieto and Bode, 2012, p. 65). I do not believe
that I have seen Mrs. James try to benefit some students over others, yet I
 Student Story| Minnema

am not there every day all day and I have not seen everyone in authority
and how they act towards students. But I wonder if based on Nieto and
Bodes statement of whites benefiting in our society, if Laura feels that sense
of entitlement. On occasion I have witnessed Laura have a temper tantrum
about what someone has said to her. For example, Laura wasnt at school the
day her group decided who was going to take their project home, so another
student took it home and when Laura discovered that she didnt get to take
it home she cried and rolled her body on the ground (day 13). Some other
examples include Laura not wanting her group to participate in the game
(day 6), Mrs. James telling Laura to continue doing her work (day 9), and the
instances stated in the next paragraph. Could this difference in race,
subconsciously, be the reason Laura acts out in these situations? Or is Laura
trying to use acting out to her advantage: to get attention?
Imagine this, Laura crouches over her notebook, notebook is laying on
the floor and her back to the ceiling with her face close to the notebook. She
is drawing or writing in the notebook while Mrs. James is presenting
information at the board when none of the other students are writing in their
notebooks. This situation has happened every day I have observed this
classroom (7 days). It is possible Laura uses this tactic to not participate in
class, she could be acting as if she is still writing the information on the
board. I know I have used this tactic in my life, if you continue to look busy
the teacher will not pick you, would be my thought. Lauras body language
seems to be unengaged in what Mrs. James in teaching when she sits in this
crouched position, yet it looks like she knows what is happening with the
content on the board. Is Laura a genuinely slow writer? Maybe she is doing
this as a defense against participating? Another instance I observed Laura
distracting herself from participating was when she continued to sharpen her
pencil (day 6). The class has transitioned from their desk to the carpet by the
orange chair and they were asked to bring their notebook and a pencil. Laura
continued to look for a pencil after everyone else had sat down at the carpet
as noted below:
9:00: Laura searches in her pencil box for a pencil
9:02: Teacher tells Laura to look for a pencil in the writing center
9:05 Laura find a mechanical pencil
9:06: Laura stands up to sharpen the mechanical pencil
You couldnt find a pencil that was already sharpened? (teacher) Laura doesnt
respond
9:07: Teacher asks if another classmate will loan Laura a pencil. Another
classmate gives Laura their pencil
9:10: Lauras pencil breaks. She stands up again to sharpen it.
After this 10-minute period of sharpening the pencil, Mrs. James tells Laura
that she is having a rough day and should probably call Lauras mom.
Laura started to cry saying, everyone is being mean to me! Does Laura act
out like this often? Also, are these distractions stemming from Laura perhaps
having ADD or ADHD or is Laura good at getting out of group participation?
Or perhaps Laura struggles with higher order thinking or social cognition?
When Mrs. James partners up the students Laura doesnt talk to her partners
 Student Story| Minnema

and she distracts them from playing the game or talks about a different topic
than the one instructed (observation from days 3,4,5,6,7). This lack of
participation leads me to think that partner work may not be helpful for
Laura, as she seems to be too easily distracted when working with other
people. It may be more beneficial if she was able to do task individually to
see if she actually can understand the concept. And since KAGAN is a fairly
partner based method I am not positive that it is as effective for Laura and
her style of learning.
Jesus story holds many similarities to Laura in the way they act in the
classroom. Jesus is not able to sit down at his desk and do his work. He
continues to get up and wander around the classroom, he plays with other
classmates rulers and he needs to sharpen his pencil (Taylor and Whittaker,
2009, p. 26). Laura, also, finds herself wandering the classroom when she
should be sitting with the others. She seems to have a hard time focusing on
a given task. While trying to work it seems that other students around are
too distracting for Laura. In the story of Jesus, his teacher wants to know
more about his home life, when she meets with his mother she found that he
also struggles to focus on his homework. He often gets frustrated or would
sometimes have a defiant outburst and leave from doing his homework
(Taylor and Whittaker, 2009, p. 27). When Laura was told that she had
completed her worksheet incorrectly she had had a defiant outburst as
Jesus teacher has depicted some of Jesus behavior. She became very
frustrated that her method of completely the worksheet was not right. I am
right! She is lying to me! She is trying to make me look like the worst child!
She is telling me lies! Laura shouted. From my time being in this classroom I
have only noticed Laura raise her voice this one time in particular. Jesus
teacher notes that he only had a few defiant outbursts as well. These two
students seem to have some overlap in their behavior in the classroom. From
our discussion in class we thought that Jesus may be struggling with his
identity because of how he learns. Is this also the case for Laura? Is she
struggling to learn in the classroom and also struggling to understand where
she fits because of it?
Another aspect of Laura I have come to notice is how she problem
solves. The times Laura is unable to find a pencil, she looks almost distraught
and seems unable to fix the situation. Why arent you working on your
paper, Laura? (Mrs. James) I dont have a pencil. (Laura) How are you
going to solve this issue? (Mrs. James) Um (Laura) Writing center, ask a
friend, use a color pencil, (Mrs. James) (day 8). Laura, where is your group,
you should be working with them. (Mrs. James) I need a pink colored
pencil! (Laura) You need a pencil (Mrs. James) No, I need a pink colored
pencil and I cant find one! (Laura) (day 12). These are just a few situations I
have recorded of Laura acting as if she cant solve her problem. These
examples lead me to ask if she has a difficult time with aspects of higher-
order cognition. Perhaps she struggles with applied reasoning, thinking in a
systematic way in order to solve problems that no have a readily apparent
solution or maybe brainstorming and creative thinking, generating original
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ideas or perspective; thinking in innovative ways concerning expression,

resolving dilemmas, and overcoming obstacles (Barringer, Pohlman,
Robinson, 2010, p. 41). Both of these functions point to problem solving.
Especially with being prepared, Laura seems to struggle with understanding
how to fix an arising issue. It would seem that perhaps her behavior may also
stem from maybe struggling with how to problem solve. Could Laura be
frustrated with not knowing what to do when a problem come about? Is she
acting out, out of frustration?
Social cognition seems to play hand in hand with higher- order
cognition. Having trouble problem solving may play out in issue like working
in a group setting, a struggle with social cognition may play out when one
group member struggles with acting appropriately when the problem arises.
One example of Laura seeming to struggle with social cognition was my 12th
day of observation. The students were able to choose who their partner
would be, and it just so happened that with the amount of students there
needed to be a group of three. So, Laura and two girls (seemed to be friends)
became a group of three. Mrs. James explained their jobs and how they
changed to include all three people. Laura was walking around the classroom
looking for a pink colored pencil when Mrs. James was explaining, so her
partners explained how they would do the game to her. Laura seemed to not
like this because she started saying, No, I dont like this, I dont understand,
you are wrong! So Mrs. James came back and explained to Laura the way
they were to play. I still dont understand and they arent playing fair. They
started without me said Laura. Mrs. James had told her to solve the problem
with her group because she had now explained how to play twice to their
group. Laura crawled to the corner of the room and started crying. This
incident makes me think that Laura doesnt know how to act in a social
situation, that she may not be able to navigate how to work in a group. Could
this be the reason she doesnt like to work in partners, why she doesnt talk
when Mrs. James instructs the students to converse with their partner? Could
this also be a reason that Laura acts out and cries more often than most of
her peers?
Perhaps, Lauras acting out is very different though. It could be that
Laura understands in class, yet just doesnt want to participate. She could
have struggle problem solving and making friends but maybe she isnt acting
out because of those things. Maybe she is acting out for attention. Not all
behavior problems are rooted in neurodevelopmental weaknesses
(Barringer, Pohlman, and Robinson, 2010, p. 117). A potential reason for
Laura acting out could be simply it works. It is reasonable that Laura wants
the attention of the teacher and acting out in these manners could have
worked for her in the past. Maybe at home, even if she gains negative
attention, she is getting attention. It seems that this year, Mrs. James gives
Laura attention when she acts out. She has tapped her behavior to send to
Lauras mom (day 12), and while this may be a good way to document
behavior, it still allows Laura to get a lot of attention from her teacher. It is
very possible that Lauras behavior is rooted outside of a
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neurodevelopmental struggle, while she could still have these struggles, the
reasoning for her acting out could be a strategic choice. Maybe it has worked
in the past, so she hasnt learned that acting out in a classroom isnt normal
or acceptable. Could it be this easy to give Laura no attention at all when she
is acting out? Perhaps this is a solution to a problem, perhaps the struggles
lie deeper.
When I first started observing Laura all I could think was she might
have ADD, yet now when I reexamine in my field notes, it seems to me that
Lauras struggles might not be in attention. Her surroundings and race may
play into the way she is acting, or perhaps a struggle with higher-order
cognition, problem solving, or social cognition could be a more accurate way
of explaining her behavior. It has been a puzzle and a joy to dig deeper into
this blonde haired, porcelain-like skin girl. As Mrs. James has said, She is a
tough one, have fun cracking her code.
 Student Story| Minnema

Work Cited

Barringer, M., Pohlman, C., & Robinson, M. (2010). Schools for all kinds of
minds: Boosting student success by embracing learning variation. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hillesoy, S. (2016, April). The Contribution of Support Teachers in Facilitating

Childrens Peer Interactions. International Journal of Early Childhood, 48(1),
95-109. Retrieved December 7, 2016, from SpringerLink.

Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (2009) Kagan Cooperative Learning. San Clemente,

CA: Kagan Publishing.

Kuyvenhoven, J. (2013). In the presences of Each Other: A Pedagogy of

Storytelling. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming Diversity (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.

Taylor, L. S., & Whittaker, C. R. (2009). Bridging Multiple Worlds: Case

Studies of Diverse Education Communities (2nd ed.). In Pearson Ed. Pearson
Education.

Woolfolk, A. (2013). Education Psychology (12th ed.). In Pearson Ed.