Case study 13 and 14

Case Study 5

The case in question is about a group of seventh-grade students in a resource room. When their teacher Mr. Keene, from their general education social studies class announced that there would be a test, the students asked Ms. Weiss if she would help them prepare for the test (Lerner, 2015, p. 153). Ms. Weiss had them analyze the vocabulary, discuss the meaning of each word. The took topics headings from the chapter to make an outline, developed questions to ask each other and acted out parts of the text (Lerner, 2015, p. 153). Their scores were better than the rest of the class and some of the students complained because the students in the resource room had help studying the chapter (Lerner, 2015, p. 153).

Questions:

If you were the principal, how would you answer the charge that is was no fair?

The school principal should dismiss the case because the students took the initiative to consult their teacher and received the help they needed. The students who complained to the school principal had the chance to ask the teacher but failed to do so. Mostly, punishing the students would be wrong because it would be similar for punishing their initiative and hard work. The students understood that they wanted to do well and took all measures necessary to pass the test, which included consulting their teacher.

What role do you think motivation played in doing well in the test?

The students had been motivated to do well and committed their time to study in the Resource Room. On the same note, they knew that the only way they could pass the test would be to consult their teacher and spend time in the Resource Room. Motivation has significant effects on students' behavior and learning. For instance, it directs the learners' actions towards desirable goals and determines the goals to which students strive. The approaches of learning strategies, they can use them in many learning situations (Lerner, 2015, p. 153). Hence, it is evident that motivation played an essential role in the students' choices and the behavior they exhibited. Effective learning occurs in a social context where the interrelationship between a student and a teacher is critical (Lerner, 2015, p. 153).

What strategies from this chapter did Ms. Weiss use in her teaching?

Ms. Weiss employed functional learning strategies, which empower learners to make the right choices. When teachers help students acquire learning strategies, students learn how to learn (…) they ask themselves questions and they organize their thoughts. They connect and integrate the new materials and that they are trying to learn with prior experience and with knowledge that they already possess (Lerner, 2015, p. 151). From the case study, the teacher used interactive learning strategies such as interactive dialogue, which are conversations between students and the teacher (Lerner, 2015, p. 152). that help the students to master the content, gain confidence, and perform well in the test. According to Palinscar, Brown & Campione (1991) an application of interactive dialogue is reciprocal teaching, that has been used to teach reading comprehension strategies (Lerner, 2015, p. 152).

Reference

Lerner, J. W, (2015). Learning Disabilities and Related Disabilities: Strategies for Success. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning