Sunday, February 2, 2014

Curriculum Barriers - Case Study Silvia

Silvia (name changed) took my 11th grade US Government class.  She is an engaging, eager ESL student who struggles not only with English comprehension but with note-taking, focus (may have undiagnosed ADHD), and reading the textbook.  Within a month or two, we dropped her expected level of achievement by switching her from the Level II to Level I grading system.  None of her classmates knew this as she remained in the same class and received largely similar assignments.

Despite the changed expectations, she still misses key information I present in class lectures.  I often will prompt her to keep her focus while taking notes, yet still I notice her notes are sporadic and incomplete.  To help with this, I seated her in the front of the class and placed a student next to her with high comprehension  and good note-taking skills.  Still, her notes remain incomplete.


After completing the tutorial, I would like to provide her with an outline for note-taking more often.  This could also be given to other students in the classroom who struggle with note-taking.  Also, I could provide time for students to share their notes with another and check for completion.  By making it more collaborative many students may pick up missed information.  Finally, I could ask Silvia if she would like to record my mini-lectures so she can review them at a later point.  By providing three additional ways to access the information, she may succeed more!

1 comment:

  1. Gabriela,

    It seems as though completing this module has helped you work with your students. You have taken what you have learned in class and applied it to helping one of your students, in the area of note taking. Although you have dropped her expectations, you realized she continues to struggle. I think providing her with an outline for note taking is a great idea. I also think adding more collaboration with peers would be ideal..this will help your students gain knowledge from one another by sharing notes they have taken.

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