Behaviour Management - Case Study - Jane

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7303 EPS Behaviour Management - Assignment Two

Case Study: Secondary School - "Jane"

Jane is fourteen years old, and has obviously suffered from learning difficulties for many years. It is important also to note that she has limited social skills. This may be a problem with various contributing factors, having developed over a period of time - and could now possibly be adversely affecting her educational experience.

As Jane has a supportive family and school environment1 and has managed to remain within the mainstream schooling system, it would be a necessity to attempt to keep her in this environment if at all possible. The actual fact of whether or not Jane fits in and is comfortable in the presence of her peers in the classroom is also of importance though. A potential problem with a student who has a 'severe' learning difficulty is that they can become the victims of teasing and embarrassment in the school environment. This may or may not be the case with Jane - it would certainly be something that could be investigated in regards to her 'shyness' and apparent lack of social skills.

I think the fact that Jane is talented in the sporting arena could be used successfully in the educational side of her schooling. Using this interest and success in one area could then be channeled into other areas, whether it be History, English and so on. Having something positive to focus on, for the teacher, for Wendy, and her peers, could just provide a 'window of opportunity' to increase her confidence, spark an interest or aid in teaching certain material etc. If her teacher can provide some materials based on Jane's interest in sport, thus engaging and motivating her - much better progress could be made.

The role of Jane's parents, and the fact that they are supportive is also fundamentally important to her education. When educating children such as Jane who have serious learning difficulties, parental involvement and a real concern and commitment to their child's educational and social growth would play a pivotal role.

As Jane is in a secondary situation, her teachers would generally only be taking her for one particular subject. However, the role these teachers play would involve the same principles and strategies. Above all, providing a supportive learning environment is perhaps the most important role of the classroom teacher. They would need to be aware and actively participate in any specialized learning program that has been designed for a student experiencing difficulties - and also be prepared to implement their own teaching strategies in order to meet the demands of providing a quality educational experience for Jane.

The classroom teacher should also seek out advice and communicate regularly with support staff and all those involved with ensuring the curriculum meets the learning needs of Jane throughout the entire spectrum of subjects and schooling.

This concept of 'teamwork' is very important, and is mentioned in several studies and works dealing with educating children such as Jane. These include a University of Miami study 1, that highlights the importance, but also some of the dangers of different teachers being involved with the one student. It makes the point that in order to succeed, "open lines of communication" and "adequate preparation" are absolutely essential.

It is likely that Jane would have been 'appraised' in primary school, as, according to their policy guidelines, Education Queensland schools seek to "identify those with learning d This information and the fact that some of Jane's problems may have already been identified and addressed would be very useful, as she is not long out of the primary school situation.

The Support teachers employed at Jane's school play an important role also, as mentioned, their collaboration with the classroom specific subject teachers can be of great benefit to both teacher and student. These specialist teachers can often get a much broader picture of what is going on with a particular student, and what subject areas or methods of teaching they may be responding to or struggling with the most. Classroom teachers often make the comment that it is very difficult to give adequate attention to students experiencing difficulties in large classes without the help of support teachers.3

The study by researchers at Miami University also concluded that in order to successfully teach students such as 'Wendy', additional resources, and importantly staff, were essential in the school system. The study received feedback from teachers such as the need for "consulting support so (they) do not feel they are on their own ", and "some extra help in the classroom. "4 This would apply equally to a teaching situation with Jane - that would, as mentioned, require special strategies, materials, and a great deal of the time. This extra one-on-one time would then enable the specialist support teachers to develop a much broader insight into how to implement an appropriate learning framework in the classroom, and perhaps devise a support plan which could then be implemented by Jane's different teachers.
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Also playing an immensely valuable role in Jane's education are her parents. Any particular concerns and feedback from her parents could be beneficial to developing a greater understanding of her particular problems, strengths and weaknesses and so on. Parental involvement is seen as highly desirable and important when dealing with children with learning difficulties. 5

This is also outlined in documents such as The NSW government's Special Education policy, which addresses the rights and responsibilities of parents and caregivers quite explicitly. This, and other similar documents from education departments around Australia, states that "parents and caregivers have ...

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