CASE ANALYSIS IN EDUC 201 (Psychological Foundations of Education)

Chapter 2:

Case 1: Joyce Davidson : Joyce is not making much progress teaching her remedial English
class and is particularly concerned about an extremely shy student who is not responding to
her teaching methods and style. (Ninth grade—Topics: Diversity, English Teaching,
Instruction, Motivation)

1. How would you evaluate Joyce Davidson's teaching techniques with the class? What
do you think of her teaching style?
ANS: I would evaluate Joyce Davidson's teaching techniques with the class by gathering
appraisal data, conducting classroom observation, and receiving student feedback on her
teaching techniques, which would also include a principal evaluation. I think her teaching style is
Facilitator because she encourages self-learning in her class by using grouping frequently, and
she usually let students work with whomever they wanted, particularly when they were in pairs;
additionally, she asked her students questions rather than giving them answers in order to help
them develop a deeper understanding of the topic; and even when she was having difficulty
getting her students to concentrate on their lessons, she asked them questions rather than giving
them answers. She attempted to create a lesson that would keep her students' attention despite
their distractibility and raucousness. Joyce worked hard to make her students feel at ease in her
classroom so that they could fully engage and learn. Joyce Davidson is an engaging,
compassionate, and open teacher because she encourages her students to speak up in class, ask
questions as they arise, and actively engage in all discussions, regardless of their level of
confidence. She's the kind of teacher who will strive to create learning scenarios and activities
that enable students to process, motivate and apply course material in unique and innovative
ways.

2. What can Joyce do to reach Beth Martin? The rest of the class?
ANS: Create a trustworthy relationship with Beth Martin and the rest of the class by interacting
privately every day, because if Beth builds a relationship with you, she will be more likely to
participate, and by using very small social groups to allow for more peer interaction. Place Beth
in a cooperative activity with a warm, calm, and welcoming peer. Consider seating shy students
next to outgoing, outgoing classmates, and teach students that we all have differences so that
they value diversity in the classroom because it teaches students to understand different
viewpoints and draw better conclusions. Students will learn how to communicate with their peers
on a social level by challenging them to consider multiple viewpoints. These are skills they can
use for the rest of their lives. Joyce will also do peer-to-peer work, in which she is implicitly
mentored and embraced in the same setting, as well as speak with Beth's overprotective parents
about opportunities at home to improve social interaction with others.

Chapter 2:
• Case 2: Toby: Toby, an elementary school student, experiences difficulties with phonics
and basic reading skills. (Elementary school—Topics: Basic reading skills, instructional
methods and techniques.)

1. If you were Toby’s preschool teacher, how would you have dealt with his misconduct?
What disciplinary measures would you have taken?
ANS: If I were Toby’s preschool teacher, I would have dealt with his misconduct by removing
the child from the place of misbehaviour. I will use isolation as a disciplinary measures as well
as a time-out to encourage him to reflect on his behaviour, and I will give him a brief verbal
correction or reassurance, followed by supervision and an example, and then I will ensure that he
apologizes to the class, and I will allow Toby to assist in cleaning up his mess to teach him
accountability.
2. Evaluate Mrs. McDonald’s instructional and remedial techniques. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of her methods? What else could she have done to
improve Toby’s learning environment? How should she have handled the children who
were teasing him?
ANS: Mrs. Mcdonalds instructional and remedial techniques was quite appropriate to do in the
case of Toby. First she can easily evaluate Toby's case and determine why he is having trouble,
what part of the reading process is problematic for him, where they are on the continuum of
reading disabilities and what can be done to help them achieve to read. One of the advantage of
her method is review missed words from the previous day’s story before reading a new story that
it helps Toby to prepare for what he are about to read and set a purpose for reading that it
allows us to transfer new knowledge and skills from short-term to long-term memory, and then
keep it there. On the other hand the disadvantage of methods that Mrs. Mcdonalds use is she's
not starting with phonics methods to help Toby learn how to break words down into sounds,
translate sounds into letters and combine letters to form new words because as early she know
that Toby have poor phonics analysis. Toby exhibited other reading problems, such as frequent
reversals that it is common handwriting issues of Toby's on how to write. Mrs. Mcdonald forgot
to make an early intervention with reversals to ensure that letters are turned around, enabling
Toby go on to know how to read. Another downside of Mrs. McDonald's method is that she did
not tell the child's parents of what she saw in the child, nor did she report his progress to them,
and she did not record the child's progress as her principal said. She simply delegated
responsibility to the LD teacher in order for Toby to be able to learn, claiming that she had done
everything and that she "washes her hands of him." The case is that the LD teacher has no record
of the child's success or difficulties because she hasn't written or records it. Mrs. Mcdonalds
should use assessment- centered, which emphasizes the value of input to learning, to enhance
Toby's learning environment. Students need opportunities to receive input in order to improve
their work. Assessments must be aligned with learning objectives. Teacher feedback on work,
fast checks for comprehension in the classroom, and arranging daily times to meet and establish
predictable instructional routines are just a few examples. I propose that one of the ways she
dealt with the children who teased Toby is by collaborating to build environments that work for
all by learning about their classmates' differences and educating them about their cultures so that
they can quit tease him.