Case Study

Description of Student:
Kevin is a six-year-old Caucasian male, who comes from a low-income family. He is the
oldest child with a younger brother. He lives with both parents, his mother is a stay at home mom
and his dad works while he is in school. Kevin is in the first grade and academically, he is doing
a little below grade level. He is a fluent English speaker and he did not attend kindergarten. This
is his first experience being in the school system. He usually is off task and likes to distract his
peers from learning. When given extra attention and positive feedback, he excels. He has been
working really hard and is close to being at grade level in reading and math. He came into first
grade not knowing the alphabet and now he can write various sight words and can read basic
words. He has been acting silly in the classroom and really enjoys making his peers laugh. When
he does something that is against the rules, he feels remorse and automatically says, Im sorry.
He is a very bright child. He tries his best and is curious about learning. He participates in
class and actively listens to the lessons. Most of the time, he is the only one who knows the
answers to the review questions. He likes to help his classmates and is kind to his peers. Usually
when he is off task, he is talking with his peers or making faces to make his classmates laugh.
My concern is that when he is not challenged, he begins to slack off in his work.
Curricular Decisions /Strategies:
The best way to support Kevin and help him reach his potential is to use extrinsic rewards
and positive reinforcement. I will create lessons that are geared towards his strengths/needs. I
will give him many examples so that he could refer to them at home while doing his homework
and give him stickers if he gets above a 90%. I recently worked with Kevin in small group. He
was the only one who took his sight words home and studied them. He always tries to make a
connection with what he is reading to what he already knows about the subject. I decided to give
him two warnings before asking him to flip his card. I want to give him a chance to improve his

behavior before he has to flip his card. If he continues to misbehave, there will be a consequence.
I will follow through with implementing the consequences but I will also remind him of the
reward he will get if he stays on green.
I used the College of Education Case Study Framework (CSF) to help guide my decisions
and give me a better idea of what works and what does not. The CSF allowed me to interpret my
observations and reflect on the best course of action with Kevins behavior and instruction. I
realized that Kevin responds well to positive feedback and needs constant reminders to behave. I
will give Kevin stickers for excellent work and acknowledge his good behavior by saying, I am
so proud of you Kevin. Keep doing awesome work.
Results:
When given positive feedback and rewards, Kevin excels. He stays on task and the
behavior problems decrease. He shows me his work whenever he finishes so that I could give
him positive feedback. When he misbehaves, I give him a warning and he usually stops. I always
remind him that he could earn a green ticket for exhibiting the core values (honesty, integrity,
responsibility, and respect for self and others). The green tickets help students get coupons at the
end of the week for privileges in the classroom. When I remind him to be a model Washington
Elementary student, he becomes reflective and modifies his behavior. He takes leadership roles
seriously and helps his peers. If he gets distracted during a lesson, I move his seat in order to
minimize the distraction. I sit with him one on one when I notice that he is struggling and I draw
visuals or give more examples to help him understand. He has been doing better on exams and is
more productive in the classroom. Overall, he has been doing really well and I will continue to
help him reach his highest potential.
Reflections:
My curricular decisions have helped him become a more engaged and successful student.
I realized that Kevin is a bright student that needs constant positive reinforcement. He craves
attention and when he gets it, he does very well. The COE CSF is beneficial in providing

observations that can help educators assess how students learn and how to help them improve. As
educators, I believe it is important to accommodate to our students needs. I learned how to use
my observations to help modify instruction and create rewards that will motivate my students. I
also realized that each student has a unique background and their home lives can influence how
they behave in school. I will take the time to get to know my students and understand their
various backgrounds/cultures. I wonder if Kevin will continue to progress in his studies. He has
shown significant progress in learning and he is very close to being at grade level for reading and
math. My next step will be to try to instill a love for learning and I want him to be intrinsically
motivated to stay on task. I will try to raise his self-efficacy and self esteem by providing
positive feedback. I hope his effort to learn and excel gets stronger as he progresses through his
educational career.

Observation

Interpretations Hypothesis

Curricular
Decisions
If he continues If he
to memorize
continues to
his sight
do well in
words, then
small group,
he will be able then he will
to read at
be moved to
grade level.
the reading
group that is
at grade
level.

Reflections

1. Kevin is on task
today. He is the
only student in
his reading group
who memorized
his sight words.

Kevin might
be practicing
at home with
his parents.

2. Kevin was

Kevin may not

Having activities
that are
interactive and
fun can help him
progress through
his work. Also,
giving him more
challenging words
to learn can help
increase his
vocabulary and
help him read at a
higher level.
When reminded to

If continues to

I will

playing with a
peer and when he
did not win he
said, I dont
care. Its just a
game. It doesnt
mean anything.

be used to
playing with
other students
and losing.

3. Kevin flipped
his card today for
standing on his
chair while we
were saying the
pledge of
allegiance.

Maybe Kevin
thought that
by being silly,
he would gain
the attention
he wanted.

4. Kevin chose to
work with a
special needs
student in the
class. He chose to
read with him. He
read to him and
kept telling him,
Im your friend.

Maybe he
wanted to
help his
classmate
when he knew
his classmate
was
struggling.

5. Kevin was the

only student who
remembered the

Maybe he was
actively
listening in

act like this

every time he
loses, then I
will teach him
ways to show
sportsmanship
.

observe him
to see how
he interacts
with other
students. I
will teach a
lesson on
sportsmans
hip and how
to respond
to
classmates
when you
win or lose.
If he is aware
I would have
of how his
Kevin
behavior is
explain the
unsafe, then
rules to me.
maybe he will I would tell
not act this
Kevin that
way in class.
his behavior
is unsafe. I
want him to
understand
that his
actions
could lead
to him
getting hurt.
If he is
I will thank
acknowledged Kevin for his
for his positive kindness to
behavior, then his
he will
classmate
continue to
and tell him,
act like a
great job!
leader in
I will also
class.
give him a
green ticket
to motivate
him to act
positively in
class.
If he is given
I will reward
more
him for
information
actively

act kind with your

classmates, Kevin
really does a good
job. He helps his
peers and likes to
interact the all of
his classmates.

Kevin knows when

he is doing
something wrong
and always
apologizes for his
actions. When he
is reminded of the
rules, he acts
accordingly and
reflects on his
behavior. I think
he needs to be
reminded of how
to act in the
classroom.
Kevin is really kind
to his classmates.
He excels when
he is given
positive feedback
and wants to be a
leader in the
classroom.

When Kevin is
challenged, he
rises to the

word
photosynthesis
and what it
means.

class when I
showed them
the video on
plant needs
and how they
make their
own food.

and
challenged in
class, then he
will be more
engaged in
the classroom.

listening in
class. I will
provide
positive
feedback
and give
Kevin more
leadership
roles. I will
also give
Kevin books
to read
about plants
to learn
more about
them.

challenge. He
stays on task and
tries his best. He
constantly looks
for approval and
shines when he
gets it. I will
continue to
provide positive
feedback.