Learning the Ropes

Learning the Ropes

1. Mindy lack of knowledge showed when she was afraid she would get in trouble for breaking the crayon. She also did not know what recess was, but saw how her classmates reacted when it was announced so she figured it must be something good. She later concluded that recess was a place and time where running was allowed, unlike the classroom. Then she saw how Mr. Corbett complimented a student for walking nicely to the door to line up so she was anxious to show Mr. Corbett that she could do the same.

2. Mindy and Tanya expressed their inner thoughts aloud about what they were doing as they did it. Paiget surmised that children of the pre-operational stage (age 2-7) lack the conservation skills. Vygotsky believed that this act of Mindy and Tanya was called “private speech”. Private speech is the second step of life development according to Vygotsky and this basically is talking to one's self. Private speech helps a child work through and solves an issue.

3. Mindy constructs that recess means some good, and this meaning came from her observation of he classmates’ excitement once recess was announced. She also constructs that it is like a park, but smaller because it included the same things of a park (swings, monkey bars, etc.)

4. Mr. Corbett uses demonstration of one students’ good behavior as an example for other students to model after (positive reinforcement).

5. Mindy experienced vicarious reinforcement when Mr. Corbett made special recognition for Sam, who walked correctly to line up. She then made certain that walked as careful as she could when she joined the line.

6. She experienced vicarious punishment by observing Mr. Corbett’s blowing of the whistle when some students were acting inappropriately on the playground. She then made sure she played nicely with Tanya so he would not blow the whistle on them.

7. He engaged the students by having them to color their personal nametags as they sat at tables for interaction with each other. He also makes his students feel at home when he provides an ice-breaker moment for them. He asks them and helps them to introduce themselves to each other. Following this introduction moment, he defined learning from repetition when he explained to Mindy that it was okay to break it and that when she keeps using them and gets use to writing and coloring with them, she would then be less likely to break them.

8. Mr. Corbett may have been assessing the class on student- interaction or how well they could color in the lines when he had them coloring their individual name-tags at their tables. Upon completion of that assessment, or maybe to use another day, he could assess each student

orally by calling them to his desk one by one and asking them questions. He would ask such questions as colors, shapes, numbers, recognition of their name, and to state their address and phone number while other students continue to move from one learning station to another.

9. INTASC standards 2, 5, and 8 were addressed in this case study.
Standard 2: Student Development - Mr. Corbett understood how children learn and develop, and provided learning opportunities that support a child’s intellectual, social, and personal development. He provided opportunities for students to assume responsibility for and be actively engaged in their learning by accessing student thinking as a basis for instructional activities through group/individual interaction and written work (listening, encouraging discussion, eliciting samples of student thinking orally and in writing).
Standard 5: Motivation and Management - Mr. Corbett used an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encouraged positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. He analyzed classroom environment and interactions and made adjustments to enhance social relationships, student motivation/engagement and productive work.
Standard 8: Assessment – Mr. Corbett understood and used an informal assessment strategy to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner. He used a performed task as his assessment.

10. The T-PAE component of Assessment, Social Cultural and Human Diversity, and Community and Global Awareness.
Assessment was defined in the previous response.
Social Cultural and Human Diversity – The case study did not specifically speak of the students’ cultural diversity but based upon my reading, I am sure that there were students of different cultural and or ethnic backgrounds.
Community and Global Awareness – Mindy was the main character who was coming into an understanding of awareness with her new school community (classroom, classmates, playground, etc.)

11. NAEYC Standard 1. Promoting Child Development and Learning was used.
Mr. Corbett used his understanding of young children’s characteristics and needs, and of multiple interacting influences on children’s development and learning, to create environment that was healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for all students.

12. Ideas of future assessment were previously stated in some of the above responses. Other than that, I would not change a thing with Mr. Corbett’s way of teaching. He seemed to have conducted his class quite well.