Grady Bryant EED 308 Assignment 1 11540786

Case Study Analysis

Introduction:

K is a 16-year female student within my class that lives at home with her mother and
younger sister. Recently K has mentioned that her mother works two jobs to support the
family, leaving K as the primary caretaker of her sister at times. I am worried that this
may be putting K under stress because of the duties she is undertaking in her
household at such a young age. K also has trouble interacting with others and is
struggling to make friends. I have observed that K is often sitting alone during breaks
and that she is not often picked by other students when pairing up for activities. K may
be having issues with her self-identity, feeling that she does not belong within the
groups at school. I am concerned that K may not be receiving the social interaction that
is necessary for a young adult, as she spends her leisure time taking care of her sister,
with minimal social interactions with her peers or the wider community. If these issues
are to continue or worsen I fear that K will fall behind her classmates, impacting her
future studies and her life outside of school.

Cognitive

The common adolescent within the classroom is expected to be experiencing a vast

amount of changes that range from cognitive, physical, social and emotional. During this
stage of adolescence students are most vulnerable as they are exposed to everyday
alterations and adjustments (Casey, Jones & Hare, 2008). Cognitively a student such as
K during adolescence is expected to be capable of applying complex and concrete
thinking in response to everyday stimuli. For instance, techniques such as abstract
thinking, considering other perspectives and formulating new questions and ideas
assists in establishing high end skills that students can utilise in real life circumstances
outside of school (University of Rochester, 2017).

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These learning techniques in return contribute in developing a students critical and

creative thinking, higher order thinking, communication skills, perspectives of the world
and most importantly creating their own sense of identity. Although K is showing she is
capable of completing classwork and assignments to an average standard and is
usually on time, we may be able to extend her in a way that will push her to reach her
full potential. I do not believe K has a cognitive disorder or learning implication as she is
able to apply herself in tasks she is interested in such as the sudoku puzzles. However,
K is less likely to engage and contribute in tasks that involve concepts or topics that she
is unfamiliar with. Before making changes within the classroom I would first inquire
about Ks engagement and achievements with other colleagues and ask whether there
were specific strategies they used to teach to Ks learning style specifically. It is crucial
that I first identify if the issue with Ks social interactions and engagement of content is
just within my classroom or if it is also evident in other classes. Despite that K is
achieving average marks in my class, it is evident that she can apply logical thinking
processes such as problem solving skills which is exhibited in her performance of
sudoku puzzles (University of Rochester, 2017). Due to this I would benefit by inquiring
how K applies herself within mathematics and could potentially observe her during a
maths lesson. This would allow me to reflect on my own teaching practice and also
observe the strategies other teachers use to engage K, as well as the content she is
interested in and interactions that K has with teachers and other students. If these same
issues are consistent across classes, it may be best to recommend K to a tutor if her
mother supports it.

Vygotsky emphasises that adolescents construct knowledge through social interaction

(Santrock, 2016). Therefore, it is crucial to develop a variety of social contexts within the
classroom, in order to effectively appeal to the vast amount of learners in the classroom.
As K finds it difficult to interact within a classroom environment, it may be appropriate to
suggest that K completes one on one sessions with me or other teachers. As reducing
the number of people present, whilst still maintaining a level of social interaction may
enable her to progress to contributing within the classroom.

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Physical 600 words

A host of psychological changes accompanies an adolescents pubertal development

(Santrock, 2016, p. 57). Recently K has been coming to class complaining that she is
lethargic and has been getting headaches. This is concerning as it has an impact on her
ability to concentrate and actively engage in class, which affects her capacity to
complete her assessments to a higher standard. This may be caused by a number of
different issues, that we can investigate and if necessary, address.

Physically, K is showing signs that she may require glasses, due to the presence of
constant headaches and her inability to focus. This may also be a contributing reason to
why she is feeling lethargic as her eyes may have trouble constantly focusing on stimuli
around the room, causing her to get headaches. I would like to get into contact with her
mother and inform her that she may need to see an optometrist to assess her eyesight.
However, K could also be suffering from lack of sleep as this is often a common issue
among adolescents. Studies from The National Sleep Foundation have found that more
than 45% of adolescents have reported that they get inadequate sleep on school nights
(Santrock, 2016). Inadequate sleep in adolescents is also related to emotional and
peer-related problems, including anxiety and depressed moods (Santrock, 2016). I have
recognised that K s often sitting alone during breaks and is not usually picked to pair up
with others during classroom activity. It is possible that K chooses to sit alone in an
attempt to manage her fatigue and headaches. K has made it apparent to me that she
does not enjoy physical exercise and does not perform well during school sport. A lack
of exercise may also be contributing to her fatigue and headaches. Exercise is linked
with a number of positive outcomes in adolescence (Hoare & others as cited in
Santrock, 2016, p. 67). Exercise is also associated with adolescents cognitive abilities
that can benefit attention, memory, effort, goal-directed behaviour and creativity in
adolescent students.

The physical and hormonal changes K is experiencing throughout puberty may also be
a contributing factor. Studies have found that 29% of adolescent girls experience

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headaches often, whilst another 30% report that they experience fatigue throughout the
day (Ghandour, Overpeck & Huang, 2004). If these issues are persistent it might be
worthwhile mentioning this to her mother so she may seek further advice from a
professional. K may also be showing signs that she is under stress due to the amount of
responsibility that is placed on her within her household, having to look after her sister
alone for extended amount of time. The absence of her mother due to work
commitments may also mean that K is not eating healthy and nutritious meals. This
could mean that her body is not receiving the nutrients that she needs potentially
resulting in her headaches and fatigue. Within the classroom this could be addressed by
educating all students about the positive effects of healthy eating or even a meeting with
Ks mother to discuss her eating habits at home.

Social and Emotional 600 words

The development of self-understanding in adolescence is complex and involves a

number of aspects (Santrock, 2016). These can include historical, economic, social
and cultural influences that can influence an adolescent every day. Due to the nature of
Ks role within the household, she is at times the primary caretaker for her younger
sister which may be conflicting with her sense of self identity. Some latchkey children
may grow up too quickly, hurried by the responsibilities placed on them (Santrock,
2016, p. 290).

Ks situation could be directly associated with Erik Eriksons theory of identity vs identity
within the confusion stage. During adolescence most students are confronted with new
roles and as they enter psychosocial moratorium (Santrock, 2016). Identity-versus-
identity confusion is a period whereby, adolescents are seeking to determine the
distinctive and unique qualities that shape them, whilst also pushing the boundaries to
identify what they are capable of. If an adolescent is unable to resolve this identity crisis
they usually isolate themselves from peers and families (Santrock, 2016). Considering
that K is quite withdrawn from her peer groups and has issues with classroom

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communication, it is a possibility that Ks conflicting roles at home and school are

causing her to have an identity crisis. In order to address these issues within the
classroom, perhaps an individual meeting between K and I would be proactive, in order
to discuss any issues. Inquiring with other colleagues about Ks engagement and
communication within their classes may also assist in identifying the issue. If this is a
reoccurring issue within other classes then maybe we could recommend that K see the
school counsellor. However, if it is just within my classroom then perhaps I need to
reflect on my approach as K may be feeling intimated, requiring a more direct or one-
on-one approach. The five Cs of positive youth development may be a technique that I
could apply within the entire classroom, by creating a positive social context that
promotes competence, confidence, connection, character and caring/compassion
among each individual student (Santrock, 2016).

Due to the absence of her mother at home, K is required to undertake responsibilities

that are not expected from ordinary adolescents. K has been visibly showing signs that
she is under both physical and emotional stress, which may be directly linked to her
mothers working hours and increase in house hold responsibility. It is recognised that
parents with poor working conditions, such a long hours, are found to bring stress into
the home environment, as well as engaging less with adolescents and being more
irritable (Santrock, 2016). Whilst, positive moods after work were linked with
adolescents reports of more positive affect, better sleep quality, and longer sleep
duration (Lawson & others as cited in Santrock, 2016, p. 289). As this is a sensitive
topic, it may be in Ks best interest to seek advice from the schools counsellor
regarding this issue or possibly organise for K to meet with the school counsellor.

Conclusion

In summary, within the case study K is displaying a vast amount of cognitive, physical,
social and emotional challenges that can all be interrelated. Therefore, the difficulties K
is experiencing may not be isolated to a single factor, but rather is likely to be influenced
by multiple events, responsibilities and physical factors. It is necessary to correctly

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determine the contributing factors before making any assumptions, in order to assist K
in effectively overcoming these issues. The appropriate teaching strategies and
interventions must then be applied, in conjunction with Ks other teachers and with the
support of her family.

By Grady Bryant

References

Casey, B. J., Jones, R, M., & Hare, T, A. (2008). The Adolescent Brain. Annals of
The New York Academy of Sciences, 1124, 111-126. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2475802/

Ghandour, R, M., Overpeck, M, D., & Huang, Z, J. (2004). Headache,

Stomachache, Backache, and Morning Fatigue Among Adolescent Girls in the
United States: Associations With Behavioral, Sociodemographic, and
Environmental Factors. JAMA Paediatrics, 8, 797-803. Retrieved from
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/485782

Santrock, J. (2016). Adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill Education

University of Rochester (2017). Cognitive Development in Adolescence.
Retrieved from
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=9
0&ContentID=P01594