Running head: EDU 615: Module 8: Case Study in Motivation

EDU 615 Fall B: Module 8 Assignment Shawnette Johnson December 16, 2011 University of New England Professor Darren Akerman

Introduction The student that I chose for the case study is Tyrone. Tyrone is an eleven year old African- American male with one older sibling and three younger siblings. H e lives with his mother, three of the four siblings and his stepfather. Tyrone i s the middle child, and he is constantly seeking encouragement from his mother. However, he does not receive the attention and positive reinforcement he needs f rom his parents. Although Tyrone has great potential, he lacks the intrinsic mot ivation to let his potential manifest in the classroom setting. For preschool children language acquisition does not start until age 2 approxim ately. Before language acquisition occurs, these children use their senses to re lay feelings of want and need. In addition, children learn basic language from i nteraction with parents before entering school. According to Slavin, language be gins with one word utters such as, bye-byeor Mommy, which represent objects the chil dren recognize as important (Slavin, 2009, 66). Eventually these words combine t o form two word sentences, and during this time vocabulary increases with rules of spoken language (Slavin, 2009, 66). The book mentions that children in middle class families have wider vocabularies than those from working or lower class f amilies. Typically, children begin to develop language between four and six mon ths. Tyrone experienced his developmental milestone of speaking his first words between 24 and 36 months. He was not able to formulate sentences until after 36 months. Consequently, Tyrone received speech and language therapy due to his lan guage delays. As early as kindergarten Tyrone experienced academic deficiencies which led to gaps in learning. Since he was retained in kindergarten, a school psychologist administered which led to a psycho-educational evaluation. Tyrones academic perf ormance is reminiscent of a see-saw ride at a playground. In previous years, Tyr one did not do as well academically, in the first half of the school year, recei ving Fs in all subject areas and by fourth quarter improving grades from failing to passing. Currently, Tyrone is receiving grades ranging from Bs to Fs. Science tends to be Tyrones strong point, which also correlates with his highest grade. At times he would put forth effort by working on the level of an average student which includes class work, homework, and participation. However, at oth er times, he seems to be the exact opposite: refusing to participate, lacking mo tivation, and displaying a defiant attitude. I have realized that Tyrone has lo w self esteem and he also thinks that the most important person in the world to him, his mother, does not care about him. Tyrone has been observed on several o ccasions making comments such as, So, my momma dont care, and She aint gonna do nothi

ng. Because of feeling the lack of parental support, Tyrone responds to parental requests with complete and utter refusal. Tyrone does not get intimidated by ad ults, not even his father. While I have a variety of students to choose from in my emotiona l behaviorally disordered class, the student that I have chosen is very unique i n his abilities and efforts. Although every student has academically good and b ad day, this students academic good and bad days are extreme. On days that this student feels like working he produces above average work. During whole group i nstruction time he is focused on the lesson. He has the capability to answer an y question that you ask him, he is willing to participate, whatever the task, an d when his assignments are turned in, he receives As and Bs. These particular gra des even make him smile. In contrast, when he is not having a great day, it is very evident. His attitud e is different towards class work. He boldly states that he will not do the wor k. He puts his head down with his jacket over his head and goes to sleep. No matter what we do or say to him, he becomes defiant, reluctant, and stubborn. H is school work does not get turned in, and he does not care if he receives a fai ling grades. The student also likes to initiate trouble between other students. While he is small in stature he likes to instigate things with the other boys in the classro om by gossiping. This student is very unpredictable, because he can come to cla ss with a smile on his face, and those will be the days when we can barely get a ny work out of him. This student at times can be a great challenge for any teac her. The motivational theories I think would be best tailored to fit the stud ent is a combination of self-determination theory and attribution theory. This student has a strong determination; unfortunately it is determination to do the wrong things. My desire is to change that by the end of the school year. With attribution theory, we will conference about assignments and grades and work on the three dimensions of attribution; stability, locus and control. Instructiona l interventions I plan to use include: providing more choices for him, placing h im next to a student, whose self-esteem is stronger, who will encourage him, hav ing him do his assignments in smaller sections, having him work one on one with the teacher, and allowing him to teach the class on lesson that he feels confide nt about. Tyrone tries hard to please adults. His academic skills are very weak. He seem s to learn better when he gets individual attention, and he seeks the approval o f others when he gets answers correct. Frequent reinforcement for correct answe rs is a good motivator for Tyrone and his classmates seemed to have noticed that as well, and they try to encourage him as often as they can. Observation 1 The classroom is arranged with individual desk each separated by partiti ons for science class. The partitions are there to aid students in focusing on the instructor and classroom activity. During this particular science lecture s tudents were engaged in a discussion about weathering. The instructor was attem pting to have students recall information from previous lectures and notes. She used a question answer approach, allowing students to answer the questions at w ill. Due to the non- traditional structure the teacher allows, Tyrone was sit ting slouched back in his chair, appearing inattentive and unmotivated. As the teacher asked the questions, the students began calling out the answers. Among t he sea of incorrect answers, Tyrone was able to answer the question correctly. Although Tyrone appeared uninterested in the lesson, his nonchalant correct ans wer proved that science is a strong point for him. He quickly scanned the roo m, with a grin to searching for approval from peers and other adults, and was en couraged to keep up the good work. Small celebratory gestures from adults and p eers aide in keeping Tyrone motivated in an untraditional environment that can c ontribute to his lack of commitment to school. Observation 2

Tyrone is observed in an independent work setting, which is his preferred method of learning. Social Studies class is taught by a veteran teach er with sixteen years of experience working with students with special needs. T he teacher has a command of the classroom, and students are taught to raise thei r hand before answering a question. The teacher begins each phrase with Raise yo ur hand to promote appropriate behaviors. Tyrone tends to dislike social studies due to the amount of read ing that is required. He is easily intimidated by the number of words on the pa ge. When he was given an article on the Holocaust, Tyrone was very adamant abou t not completing the assignment because of the amount of reading, making comment s such as , Thats too hard, Im not doing all of that, or thats too many words. His reading assessments indicate that he has difficulties in the areas of reading fl uency, and comprehension. On the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) Tyrone scor ed on a second grade level for reading comprehension. Another test was administered in the beginning of the school year, the Test of W ord Reading Efficiency (TOWRE), for sight word recognition, Tyrone scored on a s econd grade fourth month level. Phonemic decoding efficiency was also tested an d he scored on a second grade level. GRASP (Georgia RESA Assessment of Student Progress) was also administered and he scored within the second grade range on t hose test as well. Tyrone seems insecure about his ability to perform. His insec urities often cause him to look to his instructors for reassurance, when working one on one. As a result the teacher works independently with Tyrone to keep hi m from completely disengaging from the lesson this allows him to feel more comfo rtable and be successful. Observation 3 Testing is a requirement for all students, rather formal or informal, an d Tyrone was observed once again in the science setting. Tyrone was given a sci ence test to take on moon phases, and although Tyrone knew the information quite well, he immediately said that he wasnt going to take the test, for no apparent reason. The teacher sat down next to Tyrone and attempted to read the test ques tions to him and he would respond to each one I dont know! Effective Strategies For Tyrone to be successful in the classroom setting and master the conc epts involved in the Georgia Performance Standards, he needs positive reinforcem ent, praise and acknowledgement. These are effective strategies I could use to e nsure that Tyrone achieves his potential. Tyrone rarely hears encouragement fro m his mother due to their dysfunctional relationship. Because of the amount of s iblings in the household, Tyrone is in constant competition with his siblings fo r his mothers attention. The classroom setting is one of the few environments whe re Tyrone can receive the positive feedback he needs to move toward success. Tyr one needs extrinsic motivation. Examples of acknowledgment include giving high f ives, fist bumps, or verbal encouragement such as Good job! and Awesome! I would als o make sure that my verbal encouragement was specific, such as Tyrone, I like th e adjective you used to describe the monster. Awesome job!. However, I have to ma ke sure that my praise for Tyrone is sincere and that I do not overdo it; otherw ise, it can backfire and Tyrone may doubt my sincerity. I would also make sure t o state this in front of the class so Tyrone could also receive positive acknowl edgment from his peers. Other incentives I could provide for Tyrone include occasional treats. T he rewards need to be sporadic so he will not expect it every time he masters a concept. Instant feedback and progress monitoring are also effective strategies I could use to increase Tyrones motivation. When Tyrone is able to see his progre ss toward a goal, he can work harder to accomplish various tasks. It is imperati ve that I provide him with feedback on ongoing formative assessments so he can k now how much progress he has attained at a specific point. One strategy that would not work for Tyrone is the incentive chart and s tickers. Tyrone was very indifferent to stickers on a chart. However, depending upon Tyrones moods, sometimes tickets would be effective in curbing unwanted beha vior. Tyrone was very interested in knowing how many tickets he had earned towar d the point values.

There are many different types of learner in the classroom and it is important t o differentiated instruction. Due to the fact my student Tyrone becomes easily i ntimidated by work he has never seen before it is important to break work into s ections. For example on an average day in science a student might read an entire unit within a chapter and then answer the questions at the end of the section. Tyrone would become easily demotivated, shut down, and then would refuse to do w ork. Therefore, it became important to give him work in smaller sections and mov e on to the next subject and then come back to the unit either later in the day or the next day. In conclusion, I have learned many things about my student Tyrone and the differ ent approaches to learning and discipline I need to take in order to be successf ul with him. There is not one right way to teach or motivate Tyrone and it is im portant to display that in the classroom. When it came to Tyrone, I realized ear ly on that every day is a new day when it comes to working with this particular type of student. One approach very rarely worked with him because his days, actu ally hours, were very sporadic. One class period the student would be on task an d learning and within the next minute the student would become intimidated by a worksheet that was given. Over the course of the semester that I worked with the student I realized he was actually very brilliant and had the mental capacity t o retain and apply information at his grade level. I also learned his home life and his mother was very unstable. Tyrone has constantly seeked approval from her but very rarely received any; his interpretation of the situation was if my mot her does not care why would anyone else care. The student trying to overcome all of these issues such as intimidation of work, family, and self-esteem has truly come a long way with the methodologies I have implemented. One thing I learned from this study was, using a thematic approach to teaching the different compone nts of reading, could possibly increase a students level of motivation, by giving them a sense of ownership and allowing them to become experts on that topic. Fr om doing my own research I have come to the realization student develop their ow n meaning and understanding. Important strategies I will continue to implement w ithin the classroom is positive reinforcement. Many of the students I teach do n ot receive enough positive feedback for the good that they and it is important t hey hear when they have great achievements.

Reference Slavin, R.E. (2009), Systematic Reviews of Research Educational Programs: Me thodological and Substantive issues. In R St. Clair (Ed), Education Science: Critical Perspectives (pp. 5370). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense.