Case Study of a Learner 1

University of the Pacific

Benerd School of Education

Case Study of a Learner

Caprice Flores

EPSY 121
Dr. Marilyn Draheim
11/22/10
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Part One:
Description

The manners in which adults or children learn are a result of quality instruction and

positive reinforcements. The teacher has the ability to engage the learner and teach a

subject or activity so that learner can grow from the experience. Thus, the learner young

or old can generalize their learned experience to other lessons and create an even more

enriched learning environment. Additionally, I find the process of the young student

learning to be a resourceful experience as a pre-service teacher and a parent! For

example, when a young preschooler exhibits restlessness loves to move around and can’t

sit still through circle time. The teacher observes the child fidgety movements and

inability to focus with activities. Then the teacher utilizes several methods to engage the

preschooler to learn. She finds through her observation that having the preschooler sit

near teacher assistant for redirection. Also allowing the child to use a fidget to self

regulates behavior which allows the preschooler to attend to circle time. Conclusively,

the teacher has adapted her teaching to engage the learner and achieve a positive learning

experience. Similarly, I observed the interactions of my youngest daughter Ariella Cortez

engage in activities that include learning her alphabet in a home environment.

Ariella Cortez is a 5 year kindergartner at Claudia Landeen School in the Lincoln Unified

school district. Ariella lives with her family which includes Mom, Dad, and her older

siblings Ariella is a very artistic and loves to create all types of art. She persists in

creating a variety of art with different materials she finds in her environment. Ariella is
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physical oriented and seeks all types of outdoor play. For example, she runs, climbs and

builds. She likes dramatic play and does a lot of role playing. It is through play that

Ariella seems to engage in social interactions with her peers at school or in public play

areas. Like wise, she likes reading books and making up stories with her mom at bedtime.

Also, she seeks immediate results with game applications such as the iphone phonic or

word games. She has recently been showing an increasing interest in music and

instruments. For instance, she has been talking of her music teacher Mr. C and what he

has taught her about music notes, Ariella says, “Tee Tee Ta Swish Swish” (she drew me a

picture to illustrate what she learned).Overall, Ariella seems to get along and maintain

relationships with teachers and peers. She can also be temperamental and fails to persist

in activities she doesn’t prefer to attend to such as learning her alphabets.

While, I have explored Ariella characteristics, I will further explore the environments

where she spends most of her time as a learner. At home Ariella spends time relaxing for

two hours before working on homework or practicing alphabets. When I first began to

teach Ariella her alphabets it was absolutely horrendous. Initially, I used flashcards,

paper, and books to assist her articulation of basic memory, word recognition and literacy

that she learned in school. However, this method of teaching did not suit Ariella and she

seemed to be a struggle every time we did homework. Obviously, as a parent I was not

utilizing her learning style at home and deterring Ariella away from a positive learning

experience. As a result Ariella would complain or easily get frustrated when it got too

difficult. She would often say “I can’t!” or “I don’t want to no more!” Ariella would
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completely shut down after ten minutes of work and throw her pencil down. I began to

worry because she wouldn’t respond or seem interested after setting up a reward system.

In contrast, to my beliefs Ariella was exhibiting signs of frustration because she was not

interested nor did she benefit from the activity. As a parent I researched the internet and

reflected upon what was going wrong with the situation. While, focusing on why Ariella

resented sitting for more than ten minutes, working with flashcards and recitation of the

alphabets. Simultaneously, I compared how Ariella’s characteristics for physical, creative

and musical learning styles contrasted with the rigid activities I had developed. I had to

stop and really think how I could make it fun and fit in our routine so it was not a chore.

As I result I changed my teaching strategy by using the iphone phonics applications

which sound out letters and reward the player with electronic stickers. Also, Ariella types

out words with my laptop while I do my work. Another way we spell is using the

Banangrams which are quite convenient and easy to manipulate. For example, Ariella

uses soda cans, cereal boxes, and newspaper to look at words and spell it out with the

Bananagram tiles. We also use free time in the car to point to objects and spell. We use

made up songs with silly melodies to sing out rhyming words and spell out her name. In

addition, Ariella makes alphabet books with drawn objects for each alphabet.

Subsequently, Ariella has been increasingly interested in learning her alphabets. The

extraordinaire difference is that Ariella is independently engaging in her own learning of

the alphabets. For instance, she goes to the art container and grabs her white board to

write her alphabets while singing out loud. She seems to enjoy attending to non

restrictive activities she previously experienced before hand. Furthermore, she comes to
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me and asks, “What does this say?” or “What is this word?” instead of saying, “I can’t!”

it is amazing!

In conclusion, the quality of instruction is detrimental in teaching a young learner. As a

result I have learned that it is not really the amount of time a teacher or parent puts into

the activity but the quality of instruction that makes the difference. Thus, the role of the

parent or teacher directly influences a positive or negative impact on the young learner.

For example, if I had persisted the first method of instruction which did not work with

Ariella’s learning style. Eventually, would have given her a negative attitude towards

learning. As a result would have blocked her from further learning experiences at school

and at home. However, I had the ability to reflect and respond appropriately to my

daughters learning style which created a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning.

Furthermore, Ariella’s articulation of basic memory, word recognition and literacy

increased with changes made to instruction at home. Conclusively, Ariella has become a

passionate learner by engaging in quality instruction and positive reinforcements.

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Part Two:
Analysis

It is my opinion that developmental theories are not one size fit all. Instead early child

hood educators or k-12 teachers take a little from each theorist such as Edward

Thorndike’s trial and error approach or Maria Montessori’s importance of play. For the

most part educators can find a theory that is appropriate to the cultural or behaviors of the

students and apply it to their instruction in a positive manner. Moreover, I could find

similarities between a few developmental theories in comparison to Ariella’s process of

learning the alphabets.

Ariella is a five year old girl that seems to developing along the typical milestones and

expectations of developmental theorist. The developmental theory of Maria Montessori

believed that children should be allowed to move freely and utilize concrete activities

through hands on experiences. In addition, Thorndike trial and error approach seems to

relate to the experiences between my teaching method and Ariella’s resentment for the

activities. Thus, through the trial and error process I was able to create for a more positive

environment that includes Montessori‘s hands- on experiences and importance of play.

Additionally, developmental theorist John Piaget believed that the learning experiences

are associated to the biological, physical and mental stage of the child. I strongly agree

with Piaget because Ariella’s innate characteristic for art and music seem to be

genetically programmed. In our family we have the ability to draw, sing and play musical

instruments. As a result Ariella learns best through her creativity and musical

inclinations.
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As Ariella’s mother I am highly aware of her learning style through Musical, Linguistic,

and Bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. She is involved in appreciating musical patterns

(Mr.C “Tee Tee Ta Swish Swish) and recognizes the rhythm of words. For example, her

performance of singing out rhyming words such as “Hat and Bat”. Since musical

intelligence is similar to linguistic intelligences Ariella has been using spoken and written

language to express herself and retain word recognition. Ariella’s Bodily-kinesthetic

intelligence is the ability to use the body to solve problems when interacting with peers

and family members. For instance, Ariella gathers stones, leaves, and nuts around the

yard. She brings items to a bowl and sets asides the stones. Then, Ariella grabs the stones

and lines them on the railing counting out loud, “One, Two, Three…Ten”. Subsequently,

Ariella used her bodily-kinesthetic intelligences while running and searching for the

stones with the end result of counting up to ten.

The role of emotions has a tremendous effect on the tasks Ariella has learned. Ariella’s

interest in activity is based on her preferences. So for the most part if Ariella is exposed

to an activity she doesn’t prefer to perform. She most likely will not cooperate and she

may become frustrated. When this occurs during the process of instruction it creates a

negative environment and learning stops altogether. It is only when Ariella is emotionally

ready and engaged in the activity that she will proceed any further. For example, Ariella

had a hard day at school, comes home tired and I tried to playfully start a rhyming game

with her. She looks up at me and says, “No, I don’t want to!” In contrast to a day when

she is singing out “Nose and Rose” and draws her picture to signify what she has rhymed.

Thus, emotions regulate the child’s behavior which is a direct effect of the learning

process. Therefore, positive emotions and the preference of the child goes a long way in
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supporting the task learned because the student has internalized the task and can

generalize concepts with other lessons taught in the home or school.

In the final analysis of Ariella’s learning style has been facilitated by her family members

and Kindergartner teachers. I pursued my instruction with Ariella to the best of my

knowledge and with experience of early childhood education. As the mother of Ariella, I

have been able to associate my learning with her learning of the alphabets. Likewise,

every person in Ariella has contributed in some form to her learning process of the

alphabets. For example, kindergartner teachers teach basic skills such as math, reading,

and writing appropriate to their age but not necessarily to their learning style. However,

Ariella’s teacher Mrs. Toy has intentions of meeting her learning style but has a difficulty

in following through because of the No Child Left Behind Legislation. On the other hand,

I, the parent can supplement and support Ariella’s learning style at home as I integrate

our learning during our routine and daily life. Ariella’s grandmother also plays a huge

role in Ariella’s education because she assists her when I am not able to help with

homework. Ariella’s grandmother utilizes our teaching methods readily and most

importantly volunteers in Ariella’s kindergarten classroom. This has created a very

positive learning environment for Ariella because when grandmother volunteers she is

proud that “Nana” is helping. This support system has increased Ariella’s self worth and

her confidence in learning in all subject matters not only alphabets. As a result I rarely

hear Ariella say,” I cant!”. Additionally, Ariella’s family support system contributes to

her education and is part of cultural experience.

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Third Part:

Application

In an ideal world of teaching, I would create a learning environment that incorporates

culture, learning style and positive social interactions in a meaningful manner. I will

provide for opportunities to build understandings and practice skills with authentic

concrete activities in the class. As the teacher I will adapt instruction to model, explain,

and discuss the subject being taught. For example, when Ariella is using Bananagram

tiles to spell words, she asks, “What does this word say?” Furthermore, I say the word,

spell and use it a sentence. Then we draw a picture of the object and connect it with

something real and concrete.

In addition, the student’s sense of self worth builds strong abilities and expectations for

successful learning. Likewise, it is important I would create a safe environment that

allows students to feel safe. As a result they can become capable of directing and

controlling their own learning. Additionally, the teacher’s ability to apply developmental

theories to the child’s learning is very important in engaging and maintains interest. For

example, Ariella learned most importantly through play and movement. So when I began

to separate learning from life instead of integrating into our routine, it had become a

chore for the both of us. However, similar to developmental theorist John Dewey who

believes that the “education should not be separate from life itself”.
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Consequently, I learned through my self reflection that I needed to adapt my instruction

and adapted to the need of Ariella and our daily routines. In conclusion, the education of

the child should be child centered, provided with quality instruction, positive

reinforcements. The teacher’s role is to engage the learner and teach a subject or activity

so that learner can grow from the experience. Conclusively, the learner young or old can

generalize their learned experience to other lessons and create an even more enriched

learning environment.