Teahing+Cases

//1. Jaques and Alex//
//Narrative:// Jacques was a senior in my 4th period chemistry course. He kept up with his work and was doing a pretty good job in class. On the weekend that fell 2 months before graduation, Jacques had the misfortune of getting into a fight and ended up being beaten so badly that he was hospitalized for 3 weeks time. He was in critical condition and was placed on a respirator. Needless to say, the least of Jacques worries was chemistry. As it turns out, one of the students who beat Jacques was a student named Alex in my period 4 Chemistry class. The same class! When Jacques returned to school to meet with me and to get "missing work", charges were filed against Alex and as a result, a restraining order was placed on Alex. I was ordered by our building police officer not to allow Alex in the chemistry room for the rest of the year. And, I was ordered by Jacques doctor to allow him to miss the remainder of the year because he would be undergoing reconstructive maxilofacial surgery. Both of these students have the right to receive an education even though they can not physically be in my chemistry classroom. That means they are held to the same standards, yet the conditions for their learning are much different than "typical".

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation? I would deal with this situation by using e-mail to communicate with both Jackes and alex and if they can't recieve e-mails a family member could pick up a hard copy of the work to be completed along with any class handouts. Another option would be online chemistry labs if available. With this type of situation it is important for teachers to communicate with the rest of the class that those two students will be allowed to complete there assignments and labs at home to recieve a final grade but they must do the work correctly to pass the class. I believe it is important for you to follow standards even in difficult situations, I believe it is alright to adapt to individuals needs but all students should be held accountable for their work and their grades should directly reflect their work no matter what the situation is.

//2. Andrew//
//Narrative:// On the first day of my 6th period chemistry class one of our school counselors //Bruce// entered my class with //Andrew// (student) his advocate //Jeff// and his mom //Sally//. I said //"hello"// to Andrew and noticed right away glazed-over eyes. Andrew couldn't hear me. He was listening to music from his ipod. Bruce began explaining //"Andrew has Schizophrenia and is taking psychosomatic "meds" for treatment.//" His mom chimed in //"As you might have noticed, he is under medication as we speak".// I held out my hand to Andrew and said //"welcome to chemistry"//. Andrew kind of smiled and looked down. Bruce then spoke //"Here is Andrew's IEP (individualized educaion plan)." "There will need to be major modifications made so that Andrew can be successful."// Sally said "Andrew might miss you class for weeks or months at a time. It all depends on his meds." //"One thing that helps him cope is his music.//" Bruce and Sally left the room and Jeff commented //"I'll come by after school to discuss further".// Andrew went over to a desk in the back of the room, sat down, looked blankly at the front of the room. He turned his music up - I could hear it from the front of the room. Shortly thereafter, Andrew had his head on his desk with his eyes closed, a hoodie pulled over his head. He stayed that way until the end of class. The next day of class, Andrew's mom called and explained that Andrew would not be in class for at least the next two weeks and requested that I provide the next two weeks of lessons that he would miss.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation?

I would handle this situation by exchanging e-mail addresses and letting Andrew and his mother know that they can e-mail me anytime with any questions or concerns they might have. Also I would ask his mother to meet with me at least once a week to go over assignments and due dates. I would encourage her to bring Andrew to thse meetings if at all possible. The IEP is a large part of working with Andrew and everyone involved with this plan should sit down and have a meeting to decide the most inclsive way to handle this particular student so that learning is achieved.

//3. Dianna//
//Narrative:// Diana from Brazil not speak English. She entered my chemistry class 2 weeks after it started. She was a very successful student in Brazil, and her parents have met with me regarding their expectations that she do well in chemistry. The text used in chemistry is in english, as are all of my resources.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation?

I would do my best to find resources to provide the materials required for the course in her native language as well as English. From what we have talked about in class there are resources online that can transfer english text into any language so that is what I would try to do for her. We could also see if the book is offered in her native language and if so I would order it and have it mailed as soon as possible so she wouldn't fall behind. I would offer after school assistance and try to get a translator in my class if necessary.

//4. Gabriel//
//Narrative:// Gabriel was a student of mine who was taking one of my online AP Physics courses from the University of California College Prep. (UCCP), Santa Cruz. As per the accreditation for online science courses, it was mandated that the laboratory component be "physical", whereby students manipulated "real" equipment to study physics-related concepts. The students that I would have in the online AP Physics courses would be from all over the country and, in some cases, international. In fact, one of the reasons some of these learners were form all over the country and international was that many had exceptional talents above and beyond the AP Physics courseroom. For example, one learner was training to compete in the winter Olympics as a figure skater, while another was a world renowned pianist. Some students attended schools that did not offer an AP Physics course. And ever since a 1999 [|class-action equal access suit filed] against the state of California, students are to be guaranteed the right to access college-prep or AP courses, even if their school does not offer such courses. If their school does not provide such programs, it is the district's and/or state's responsibility to provide such opportnunities. Hence, online AP Physics. Now keep in mind the earlier statement that the labs for these courses were to be "physical". This meant that the school that the students attended was to have a mentor to ovversee the proper use, set-up, and safety of the physics lab equipment. Even if the school did not have the equipment, the mentor was expected to get creative and utilize similar supplies such that the lab could be performed. And get creative we did!

OK, so Gabriel attended a school that lacked "common" science lab equipment (e.g., voltmeters, ring stands, circuit kits, and so forth). And, he was to complete the AP Physics "physical" labs prescribed for the course. I received a call from Gabe's mentor regarding how the labs were to be completed without the necessary equipment. In essence the majority of the labs could not be completed because the host school did not have the requisite equipment. Technically, Gabe's hosting school (someone other than the Mentor) signed that they had access to all of the necessary equipment, so Gabe was enrolled with UCCP. And, Gabe enrolled 2 weeks after the course began.

//Question:// How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation? What should I tell the mentor?

I would deal with this siuation by setting up a meeting with Gabe, his mentor, a parent, whoever signed saying that the school had the equipment and the school principal. Ideally everyone except the online teacher will meet in person and have the teacher on speaker phone or set up an online conversation if available. Hopefully everyone can come to a conclusion that would work for everyone needs. Maybe there is another school in the area that that could be used. I would tell the mentor to call around and see if any labs in the area would be willing to let Gabe and his mentor to use the lab facility only to complete the physical labs.

5. Brian Brian shows up at your preseason practices overenthusiastic and ready to respond to your every command. The problem is, he doesn't follow directions very well because he has several learning disabilities and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). During practices, Brian shows some pretty good skills but you can tell he often either doesn't appear to understand the strategy of the sport or fails to execute strategy correctly.

Question: How should you respond to Brian's desire to play your sport?

Coach Brian just as you would anybody else, but make sure you have his attention when instructing, repeat the instruction several times, and invite Brian to summarize what you just said. Try teaching him some basic strategy, and see if he catches on. If he plays as well as other members of the team, allow him to make the cut;if not, cut him from the team just as you would any other player.