Final Essay of Case Discussion- Plotting Case Description: Liberty school is a small, rural K-8 school in a very small

town. Ms. X is in her third year teaching science here. She finds the new students are making discipline more difficult, especially Lucas, who is a new boy and rarely complies with her rules. Besides, Lucas thought Ms. X is dumb since she gave a wrong answer in class. In a middle-school outdoor activity, Ms. X teased the boys by saying that her sons team will beat them and calling Lucas Mr. Injury after he got hurt in the game. The boys, especially Lucas, were pretty upset and angry about her, so they planed to conspire against her by asking questions everyday and correcting her when she gives incorrect answers. Case Analysis: I would like to analysis this case from the six perspectives based on the theories of child development. The Psychoanalytic Perspective: Firstly, Lucas did not receive enough reinforcement during the development of self-identity. According to Freds theory, the personality can be divided into three parts: the id which is present at birth and unconscious, ego which is the conscious sense of self, and superego which brings inward the wishes and morals of the childs parents and teachers. (Rathus, 2008) According to it, children acquire moral and social standards to regulate their own behaviors from rewarding and punishment. The early experiences gradually shape their own value system by internalizing others

expectations. In the case, Lucas not only misbehaved but also ignored his teachers disapproval and felt no guilty when breaking the rules. Instead, he considered the rule was not a big deal. Based on his behaviors, Lucas might have permissive parents, who are rated low in their attempts to control their children and in their demands for mature behavior (Rathus, 2008). Receiving no support and response, Lucas stopped communicating with parents his problems in school and chose to deal with the situation in his way. Without the reinforcement during childhood, Lucas might assert that there is no point to comply with the rules and form his value system based on it.

Secondly, In the light of Eriks theory of psychosocial development, Lucas is experiencing the stage of identity diffusion. Adopting the I dont care attitude, Lucas continued visiting friends during class although Ms. X asked him to stop several times. Besides, Lucas also possesses other traits such as being angry, alienated, and rebellious and rejecting socially approved goals, values, and beliefs (Kroger, 2003; Snarey& Bell, 2003) by questioning and challenging his teachers authorities and showing no respect to her. (Xuena Cui, W5) The Learning Perspective: Firstly, Ms. Xs negative reinforcement probably encouraged Lucass misbehavior to some extent. Lucass consistent misbehavior is possibly his way to draw the teacher and peers attention since he can receive frequent response form Ms. X. In addition, her criticizing can create anger and hostility, which worsen her relationship with Lucas and stimulated the plotting.

Secondly, social cognitive theory shows that much of childrens learning occurs by observing parents, teachers, other children, and characters in the media. To start with, I guess Lucass parents employed too much power-assertive methods. When educating the noncompliant child like Lucas, parents tend to use physical punishment and denial of privileges (Rathus, 2008). These enforcement methods relying on force are likely to account for his aggression and even cause delinquency. In addition, Aggressive children may associate with peers who value their aggression and encourage it (Cairns & Cairns, 1991; Stauffacher & DeHarrt; 2006). When Ms. X joked with Lucas by calling him Mr. Injury, the peers words exaggerated Lucass anger and contributed to his idea of revenge. When Lucas brought up his plan to get even with Ms. X, no boy expressed disagreement but all participated in carrying out the plan. One boy considered it as excellent, this is going to be so cool! We can see that the peers actually encourage his aggressive behavior. Moreover, Ms. Xs attitude towards her students might be a negative modeling. She cheered against them before the game and teased the boys by saying my boys team is going to whip your butts. After Lucas got hurt, she didnt show any concern but calling him Mr. Injury. All these inappropriate words and actions provoked the boys and contributed to their aggressive behavior through observational learning. Finally, at this age of information, children will be easy to be exposed to the aggressive models through media. The exposure to violence in the media and the lack of parents guide are the possible contribution to Lucass aggression.

The Cognitive Perspective: In the light of Jean Piagets theory, adaptation consists of assimilation and accommodation. Cognitive assimilation refers to the process by which someone responds to new objects or events according to existing schemes or ways of organizing knowledge (Rathus, 2008, P. 19) Thus, the aggressive boys like Lucas are more likely to regard others hostile and consequently responded in an aggressive way. In addition, Lucas probably lacks the capabilities such as empathy and perspective taking. He shows no understanding of Ms. Xs feeling when breaking rules, interrupting class and plotting. The Ecological Perspective: Ecological systems theorists put emphasis on the interaction between children and the settings in which they live. As in Lucass case, he refused to communicate with parents about his situation in school and his noncompliant traits might affect their parenting styles, which made him more aggressive; his misbehavior in class had an influence on the teachers attitude towards him and more negative reinforcement, which create more anger and hostility; the interaction between Lucas and peers becomes a part of peer pressure. Children are easily affected by peer pressure because they want to be accepted and liked by friends, especially adolescents. As a result, all boys joined the plan, even though some might consider it disrespectful or inappropriate. In conclusionLucass interactions with parents, teachers and peers became a vicious circle.

The Social Cultural Perspective: Firstly, according to Lev Vygotsky, children internalize socio-cultural dialogues as ways of guiding their own behavior and developing problem-solving skills (Rathus, 2008, P. 29). As shown in the case, Ms. X failed to interact with the students in a nurturing and respectful way, which was likely to be embedded with the children. Secondly, because of the gender difference, boys are more aggressive and less gentle than girls. On one hand, at the age of puberty, the hormones made Lucas and other boys easy to act out of blind impulse and fight back when getting provoked. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of gender-schema theory, gender identity alone can inspire gender-appropriate behavior (Ruble et al, 2006). It was possible that Lucas refused to follow the rules because he believed that it showed masculine character. Possible Solutions: What the teacher and the parents should do? Firstly, be a good model. Since children learn from observation, being exposed to positive modeling, the kids will engage in pro-social behaviors and form correct value system. For example, whenever dealing with the misbehaviors, the teacher should keep calm and hold the most appropriate attitude. (Li Ma, W6) Secondly, try to provide praise or other positive reinforcement when Lucas behaved in an appropriate way and ignore his misbehavior. In this method, Lucas cannot earn the attention of parents or teachers, thus his disruptive and aggressive behaviors will decrease. Thirdly, keep a good communication with Lucas. On the one part, communicate their

expectations to Lucas and the reasons to follow the rules. On the other part, be a good listener. Only knowing what the kids think and want, are the parents able to give suggestions and provide support. Fourthly, build a partner relationship with each other. Parents and teachers should work together to foster kids academic, cognitive and social development. Fifthly, respect the children and provide them with warmth. The children will try their best to be a good kid if they know you care them. Finally, keep learning. Learning education is an endless journey. However, our knowledge about education, for example, how to deal with bullying; how to help disabled children; how to lead an effective communication with misbehaving kids, will make a difference in childrens life. What the school should do? Firstly, provide a safe, warm, welcoming environment. It is an indispensable part of childrens social and cognitive development. Secondly, offer classes to teach the ways to cope with feelings of anger or depressions. It is important to nurture the children with social skills and problem solving skills. Thirdly, hold a survey to get to know whether the new students adjust to school and provide corresponding support. Finally, help building students self-esteem. For example, school could invite successful people in various areas to deliver a speech sharing their experience. Conclusion: When reading the case, Lucas reminds me of several aggressive boys in class, who

made me feel headache. The learning experience of this case is also a reflection of my own teaching, through which I got a deeper understanding and a closer insight of their development and their world. Hopefully, next time when I meet a boy like Lucas, I can change him in a better way.

References: [1] Spencer A. Rathus(2008), Childhood and Adolescence Voyages in Development, 3rd Edition, New York University [2] Cairn, R.B., & Cairns, B.D. (1991). Social cognition and social networks: A developmental perspective. In D, J, Pepler & K. H. Rubin (Eds.), The Development and Treatment of Childhood Aggression. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. [3] Ruble, D. N., Martin, C. L., & Berenbaum, S.A. (2006). Gender development. In N. Eisenberg, W. Damon, & R.M. Lerner, Handbook of child psychology (6th ed.), Vol. 3, social emotional and personality development. Hoboken NJWiley.