Case Study
Ms. Ford is a first-year teacher. Her third-grade class includes a large number of students who can be termed “at-risk” according to a variety of standards. Many come from single-parent homes; over two-thirds qualify for reduced-price school lunches, and almost one-third speak a language other than English at home. It is the third week of the semester, and many of Ms. Ford’s worst fears have failed to materialize. Her students have not created any significant classroom management problems. On the contrary, they have been orderly, well-behaved, and quiet. Ms. Ford’s three classroom rules are posted neatly and clearly on the bulletin board:
Respect other people and their property.
Raise your hand before speaking.
Listen when others talk.
Even though Ms. Ford has spent a great deal of time coming up with clearly defined consequences for not following these rules, she now feels the time has been largely wasted. The problem is not that students speak out without raising their hands; it’s that they seldom speak at all. They listen quietly, but only to her because few classmates volunteer oral responses except the most simple one-word answers. The students sit in their alphabetically assigned seats, copy sentences from the board without making a sound, and spend extra effort in forming letters that are as round and perfect as the models in the handwriting exercise. Ms. Ford had been all set to manage rambunctious 8-year-olds, but now she is at a loss about how to light the spark of engagement in her shy and passive class. After spending most of the weekend rethinking her classroom strategies, Ms. Ford enters her class on Monday with a new plan. She stands in the doorway as her students enter the classroom, but instead of giving a stoic nod, she now greets them with a smile and quiet reference here and there to a “pretty new sweater’ or ‘ a cool backpack.” She allows herself to rub Juan’s short-cropped head and asks him if he is joining the Marines. He smiles shyly up at her. More surprises are in store for the third-graders. Gone are the neat rows of desks, and in their place are tables set in small groups to accommodate five or six students each. “Find your name at a table and be seated there,” Ms.Ford tells the students. The organization is not alphabetical but random, or at least it appears to be. It is not necessary to tell the class that the composition of each group has entailed the same attention to detail as for making a first-draft football selection. At each table are at least two students whose primary language is English, as well as one who seems conversant in both English and Spanish, Which is the dominant second language in the class. Ms. Ford explains, “All of you at the same table will be part of a team that will be working together on several projects and assignments. But first, you will need to get to know each other a little bit better. I thought today we might talk about our favorite animals since each group will be named after the animal of its choice. Ask yourself this question: If I could be an animal for a single day, what animal would I choose and why? “I’ll start. If I could be any animal I wanted to for a day, I would be a horse-a wild, black stallion in the mountains of Wyoming. I would love to run and feel the wind in my mane, to rear up and paw at the sky, and to run like thunder through the canyons. I think it is the horse’s freedom and beauty, it’s speed ad strength, that I admire so much. “Take a few minutes to think about this yourself, and then take turns telling your group which animal you would like to be.” Ms. Ford is amazed that after less than a minute, many students are already sharing their animal choices. And she is in for a few surprises, too. Shy Patricia, whose eyes always seem downcast, is demonstrating between giggles what her life as a monkey would be like. Romero, who knows only a few English words, is completely at home as a pouncing and growling black panther. It is with a sly smile of satisfaction that Ms. Ford has to gently remind students near the end of the session, to keep their voices down.
How did Ms. Ford change the climate in her classroom? Which learning outcomes were most helpful to her in changing the climate in her classroom?
