Post #5 - Mandy Hyde

Elementary Education Case Study

You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner.  You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems.  She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning.  She constantly interrupts others in her group.  She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.

Yes, I definitely believe there are tools from a behaviorist view for both encouraging productive behaviors and discouraging undesirable behaviors that can be applied to this case. Some of these tools can be inclusive and based on the whole third grade class, such as a class bingo. Evert time students do what they are told in a timely fashion, like washing their hands, getting their lunches, and lining up at the door, they will receive a number pulled from the bingo board. When they connect enough numbers to get a bingo, they get a small celebration, like ice cream at lunch. This influences them to work for an end goal, and when they reach it, they feel they have accomplished something. This could also work for just small groups in the case study, if they grasp the material and complete their project they could receive an end goal, like a treat at lunch or another thing that interests them. As an individual, Lisa is bringing down her group, so this needs to be addressed. I would talk with Lisa about her actions and reactions in her group, and see if she realizes what she is doing and how she is effecting her group. Addressing the problem is a primary concern, and then I would implement a clip system for that student that only she knew about. It is easy to just say clip down, if she is acting out and distracting her group, but you can also have her clip up if she is demonstrating positive behavior, like paying attention and being on task. Having her parents involved with the clip system will also help Lisa learn how to monitor and control herself. You could send home a report every day that gives parents an idea of how she did that day. This can teach Lisa how to hold herself to a higher standard and work on regulating her own emotions.