boh7850x_CL2.p092-101.indd

cluster two

Case Studies

Early Childhood:

“Fire Safety”

Elementary School:

“Project Night”

Middle School:

“Frogs”

High School:

“The Substitute”

Module 6:

The Brain and Development

Outline and Learning Goals 102 The Relevance of Brain Research 103 Physiology of the Brain

105 Applications for the Classroom 111 Summary 115 Key Concepts 115 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect

and Evaluate 116

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C L U S T E R

the developing

learner

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Module 7:

Cognitive Development

Outline and Learning Goals 118 Constructivist Theories of Cognitive

Development 119 Issues in Cognitive Development:
Piaget and Vygotsky 125 Applications: Principles for Effective

Teaching 128 Summary 130 Key Concepts 130 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect and Evaluate 131

Module 8:

Language Development

Outline and Learning Goals 133 Understanding Language

Acquisition 134 Development of Language Skills 136 Applications: Encouraging Language

Development in the Classroom 144 Summary 147 Key Concepts 147 Case Studies: Re

ﬂect

and Evaluate 148

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Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

’s Fire Safety Week at Rolling Hills Preschool, a half-day preschool in the small suburban town of

Westview. Mrs. Grace Palmer, the head teacher for nearly 20 years, is supervising Angela Hodan, a
student teacher from a university in a neighboring city. Angela begins today

’s activities by explaining

emergency situations for dialing 9-1-1 and having children practice how to dial 9-1-1 on pretend phones.
She also has the children recite basic safety information, such as their

ﬁrst and last names, address,

phone number, and parents

’ names. The children trace the digits of their phone numbers on giant

ﬂash-cards that Angela prepared to help them recite their phone numbers, and then they color and
decorate them.

“I’m going to pick pink ﬁrst,” says Michala. “I’m trying to stay in the lines.”

“I like purple best,” says her best friend, Brianna. “You know, my

dad

’s a ﬁreﬁghter. He’s coming to visit our school tomorrow.”

As Angela listens to the chatter and observes the coloring, she

feels satis

ﬁed that things seem to be going smoothly.

On Tuesday morning, the preschool classroom is buzzing with

excitement because the children are expecting a visit from the
Westview Volunteer Fire Department. After snack time, Angela
announces,

“Boys and girls, please ﬁnd a spot on the carpet. We’re

going to read a story about

ﬁre safety while we wait for the ﬁreﬁghters

to arrive.

”

Brianna and her best friend, Michala, rush to sit on the letter M

on the alphabet rug, the coveted spot opposite the teacher. The girls
begin pushing and shoving as each tries to occupy the letter M
space.

“I was here ﬁrst!” Michala shouts.

“No you weren’t!” Brianna responds.
“Well, M is for Michala, so I can sit here!” Michala yells, almost in tears.

Angela asks the girls to apologize to each other and suggests

that they sit on two different letters today, F for

ﬁreﬁghter, and D for

dragon, the main character in the story they are about to read.
Brianna and Michala are happy that they can sit next to each other,
because no one has chosen to sit on the E. Angela eagerly
announces,

“I need all of you to put on your listening ears for our

story.

” Once the children have settled down, Angela sits in a tiny

chair at the center of the carpet and begins to read No Dragons for
Tea: Fire Safety for Kids, a rhyming book about a dragon who starts
a

ﬁre at a girls’ tea party. As Angela ﬁnishes the story, distant sirens

grow louder and louder.

“The ﬁreﬁghters are here!” some of the

children shriek, wriggling with excitement. Angela leads them outside
for a tour of the

ﬁre truck.

Back inside, the children take their seats while

ﬁreﬁghters Dan

and Tracy, in full gear, demonstrate what to do and what not to do in
a

ﬁre situation. “If you hear a smoke alarm when you’re in bed,

should you hide under your covers?

” Dan asks.

“Oooh! Oooh! I know,” says Brenden. “You don’t hide in your

bed. The dragon in our story hided under a rug when he started a
ﬁre. That was bad.”

“Right, that’s not safe. You never hide in the house if there’s a

ﬁre. You get out!” replies Tracy. The ﬁreﬁghters continue to
demonstrate safety tips, such as feeling a door for heat before
opening it, crawling low under smoke, and stop-drop-and-roll, with
each child practicing in turn. When the

ﬁreﬁghters leave, everyone

receives a shiny, red

ﬁre hat as

Fire Safety

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a reward for learning the safety rules. The children eagerly line up to go outside. They can

’t wait to play ﬁreﬁghters on

the playground!

In the last half-hour of preschool, Angela reviews what they learned from the

ﬁreﬁghters. “Who can tell me what

we do if our clothes catch

ﬁre?” Several children happily drop to the ﬂoor and begin rolling around. “Okay, I see you

remember stop-drop-and-roll. Now, what number do we call in a

ﬁre emergency?” Angela asks.

“9-1-1!!” they all shout.
“And where do we call 9-1-1?” she asks. The children look confused. “Where did the mommy in the story call

9-1-1? From her house?

” asks Angela.

Raising her hand, Dominique answers,

“She ran to her neighbor’s house.”

“That’s right. She went to a safe place to make the phone call,” Angela responds. “We need to give our address

when we call 9-1-1 so the

ﬁreﬁghters know where the ﬁre is. Aakshi, can you tell me where you live?”

“Two-two . . . uhhm . . .” Aakshi pauses.
“2249 Hunter’s . . .” Angela hints.
“2249 Hunter’s Ridge Road,” Aakshi replies. The children all have a turn at recalling their addresses and phone

numbers.

After the children leave, Grace and Angela discuss how the

ﬁre safety lessons are going. Grace listens as

Angela describes what she thinks was effective and what wasn

’t working. Together they identify what needs to be

changed and come up with some modi

ﬁcations of the lessons for the rest of the week. They agree to meet at the end

of each day to evaluate the children

’s learning and Angela’s teaching.

Assess

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

1. Would you consider Rolling Hills Preschool a stimulating environment for four-year-olds? Why or why not?

2. In your opinion, are the lessons that Angela prepared appropriate for preschool children? Why or why not?

3. Based on your knowledge of preschool-age children, describe their language skills. Can you

ﬁnd examples of

preschool language skills in the case?

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Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case? Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

n March, students in Mr. Carlos Morales

’s ﬁfth-grade class begin a project-based unit in social studies. They

choose a topic for their project based on any of the social studies units they have completed during the school year.
Carlos has provided them with a long list of topics from

ﬁve areas: Native Americans, explorers, colonial America,

forming a government, and the westward movement. The students begin by conducting research in the school

’s

media center with the help of Linda Porter, the library media specialist, who taught them to

ﬁnd information on their

topics using encyclopedias and Internet searches. Carlos knows that his students need to develop and practice these
important research skills.

After students have compiled and read information they collected on their chosen topics, Carlos forms

“research

evaluation teams

” to help students learn to identify important information and evaluate their sources. In research

teams, each student has an opportunity to explain to the others what information they think they should include in

their projects and why it is important. To help team members evaluate the presenter

’s ideas, Carlos gives them

question starters:

Project Night

Elementary School

“Can you make your point clearer?”

“An even better idea is . . . .”

“I’d like to know more about . . . .”

Carlos likes using this procedure. It helps improve the quality of the projects by giving students practice at

evaluating their own and others

’ thinking. The question starters also have been especially helpful for the bilingual

students who are not as

ﬂuent in English. Carlos monitors students’ progress in the research teams and assists when

needed. Research teams continue for several weeks, until everyone has had a turn to present his or her project
resources.

Students then meet individually with Carlos to pick a project design. They have many choices, including:

writing a skit,

writing a poem,

creating a painting or sculpture,

developing storybooks,

developing a board game,

writing songs to illustrate an era, and

writing a newspaper article or a letter from the perspective of a historical

ﬁgure.

Carlos thinks that the range of options will allow right-brained and left-brained students alike to use their

strengths. He has arranged some time each week for students to work on their projects at school, and he has
provided as many supplies as possible to sup-

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port their projects (paints, clay, wardrobe items). Because his students
come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, he wants every child
to have an equal opportunity for success.

Project Night has

ﬁnally arrived, and it’s as much fun for Carlos as

it is for his students. It

’s a wonderful opportunity for students to show

off their class projects to students in other grades, teachers, and
parents. Carlos enjoys viewing the projects of students in other
grades, conversing with his students

’ parents, and beaming over the

success of all his students. As Project Night winds down, Carlos
announces to his students,

“Class, I want to congratulate you all on

your hard work and achievement. Give yourselves a pat on the back.

”

Parents and children clap enthusiastically.

“Make sure you enjoy some

refreshments

— you’ve earned it. Thanks everyone, and have a good

evening.

”

Later that evening, Carlos reviews the project self-evaluations students turned in before they left.
“I liked that we got to choose a project. So I picked something that interested me.”—Ahmad
“My favorite subject is art. So I liked this project because I got to
make something to show what I learned. I was happy I didn

’t have

to take a test. I always do bad on multiple choice. Thanks, Mr.
Morales.

”—Isaac (student with a learning disability)

“Working in the research teams was fun and helped me think
more about what I wanted to do for a project. Doing projects is
better than tests. I don

’t like memorizing a lot of facts.”—Leah

“I learned a lot. The research was hard and it took a long time to
read. But I had fun in the media center and in the research teams.
It would be more fun to do group projects.

”—Sonia (a

Spanish-English bilingual student)

Carlos is surprised that many students made comments like Sonia

’s

about wanting to work in groups. He is also disturbed that not much
self-re

ﬂection is evident in the self-evaluations. But, as always, his

students

’ comments give him much food for thought about how to

improve the project unit next year.

1. Was Carlos correct in assuming that students are right-brained
or left-brained? Is your response opinion, speculation, or based on
some source, such as a course, a textbook, or a news report?
2. In your opinion, is the lack of re

ﬂection in the students’

self-evaluations typical of

ﬁfth graders? Why or why not?

3. Based on the students

’ comments, are their language skills typical of ﬁfth graders? Why or why not?

Assess

EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

s the second-period bell rings Monday morning at Exeter Middle School, eighth-grade students begin

ﬁling into their science labs. This morning in Ms. Morgan Thesdale’s biology lab, students will be
dissecting frogs. Dissection is a new addition to the district

’s curriculum, and Morgan, who taught

tenth-grade biology for three years, is eager to try dissection with middle school students. She

’s sure the

students will enjoy the hands-on format.

After students take their seats, Morgan brie

ﬂy covers laboratory

procedures, han dling and storing the frogs, and the lab

’s

objectives. She reminds students that one objective is to
compare the frog

’s body systems to those of humans

and discuss the similarities and differences between frogs and
humans. She then divides students into six groups of three. Students
will take different roles: cutting and probing, drawing the frog

’s

body    systems,    and    taking    lab    notes    on    their    discussions.
During

the    lab,    Morgan    walks    around    the    room    to    monitor    the
groups    and    join    in    their discussions.

Alanna, Yumi, and Keon have already made their

ﬁrst incision,

have sketched the diagram of their dissection, and are discussing
what they saw as Yumi took notes. Morgan stops to compliment their
progress. Then she walks toward Haley, Kyla, and Erin, who are not
as far along.

“Kyla, like I heard Robert asked you out. Is that true?”

Haley asks as Erin tries to draw the frog diagram and listen at the
same time.

“Yeah, but my parents won’t let me go out on a date yet. So

’re going bowling this weekend like with a bunch of us. You wanna

. . .

” Kyla says, as Morgan interrupts.

“Ladies, I’m not sure how this relates to biology. Keep your

conversations on the frog, please,

” Morgan warns.

Morgan notices that Jay, Tyler, and Vincent are also talking. But

they insist that they are already

ﬁnished. However, when Morgan

asks them questions about the frog

’s digestive organs, it is clear that

they have not done much discussing at all. Jay, who is outgoing and
a natural-born leader, did the cutting, while Vincent sketched and

Tyler took notes. Tyler, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome
and has a language delay, receives special education
accommodations such as extended time tests and notetakers.
Morgan is perturbed at the boys for assigning Tyler to a note-taking
role, for speeding through the lab assignment without any discussion
or collaboration, and for not taking Tyler under their wing. Morgan
ﬁnishes making her way around the room and tries to initiate and
support students

’ discussions in the rest of the groups—she realizes

that the students need a lot more assistance with the comparing and
contrasting than she originally thought.

On Friday, students take a lab exam. They rotate through

several stations set up in the classroom showing frogs at different
stages of dissection. Students identify organs, indicated by tags, by
ﬁlling in the diagrams on their exam sheets.

The following Friday, after the class

ﬁnishes the unit on body

systems, students take a written exam that includes questions about
some of the same items from the lab exam, as well as
multiple-choice and essay questions.

On Monday Morgan hands back the lab and the written exams.

“Class, the good news is that everyone did pretty well on the lab
exam. However, I

’m very disappointed in the results of the written

exam. Many of you did

ﬁne on the lab questions and multiple-choice

Middle School

Frogs

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questions. But I was disappointed by many of your essay responses. I
expected to see a lot more explanation to show me that you were
thinking, but I saw a lot of regurgitation of facts.

”

“But Morgan, I studied a lot,” says Keon. “I can even show you my ﬂashcards.”
“Yeah, Morgan, some of us studied together. We quizzed each

other on the de

ﬁnitions in the notes and the textbook,” Haley chimes

in, as Erin, Kyla, and others nod.

Vincent raises his hand and comments,

“Your test questions are

tricky. I mean . . . the multiple-choice questions are not exactly like the
de

ﬁnitions in the book.”

“I’m not sure I even understood some of the questions!” Alanna

adds.

“I mean, you know, what does exemplify mean, anyway, and I

don

’t know how to even compare the former with the latter.”

Morgan and the students continue to discuss study techniques.

She is glad she took the time to discuss this important issue. But she
knows inside that in order to get students to learn material in a
meaningful way, she has to make changes in her teaching as well.

Assess

1. In your opinion, what role

—if any—should knowledge of

adolescent brain development play in teacher planning of curricula
and teaching methods?
2. Should Morgan have the same expectations for teaching biology
in middle school and in high school? Why or why not?

3. How would you describe the language skills of the middle school students in this case?

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100

Prepare:

As you read the case, make notes:

WHO

are the primary participants in the case?

Describe them.

WHAT

is taking place?

WHERE

is the case taking place? Is the environment

a factor?

WHEN

is the case taking place? Is the timing a factor?

s the

ﬁ

rst-period bell rings Monday morning, a hush falls over Mr. Reddy

’s British literature class

as a young man in his 20s walks through the classroom door. A new substitute teacher! Mr. Reddy was to
return to work after a recent surgery, but due to complications he would be on medical leave for the
remainder of the semester. Mr. Jake Matthews has been hired as a long-term substitute.

“Good morning

class. I

’m Mr. Matthews. I’ll be taking over Mr. Reddy’s classes while he’s on medical leave. I understand

you

’re reading A Tale of Two Cities, one of my favorite novels,” he says. Mr. Matthews, a newly certiﬁed

secondary education teacher, exudes con

ﬁdence and energy. The students deﬁnitely are not used to

someone so young and vibrant.

Mr. Reddy is predictable and

—well, boring. He assigns his junior

class chapters of the book to read, they come to class, and he

lectures for most of the 50-minute class about the progression of the

plot or about Dickens

’s life while he was writing the novel. The

students take notes and study for exams on the books they are

reading.

But this morning Mr. Matthews stands in front of the class,

leaning against the teach-er

’s desk. The students all look at Mr.

Matthews and then at each other, not sure what to expect. They are
eager for a change of pace from Mr. Reddy

’s usual routine.

“Where did you leave off?” Mr. Matthews asks the

class. Maya raises her hand sheepishly.
“The Jackal . . . page 89. That’s where we are,” she says.

“Great. Let’s start by recapping where we are in the novel. Who

wants to start off? You, sir, in the yellow shirt next to the window,
what

’s your name?”

“Dylan,” the boy says.

“Dylan, what’s been happening in the plot?” asks Mr. Matthews.

Dylan looks back at Mr. Matthews with a blank stare. He hasn

’t kept

up with the reading and has fallen asleep in class several times.
Dylan comes from a single-parent home and his mother works the
late shift. Recently, he has been hanging out late at night with older
adolescents, some of whom have dropped out of school. Rumor has
it that he has started drinking and smoking. So he easily falls asleep
at 8:00 A.M., especially when Mr. Reddy drones on.
“Who can help him out?” Mr. Matthews asks.

“We’re not sure,” says Collin, the outgoing junior class vice

president.

“Mr. Reddy doesn’t really ask us any questions. We just

listen to him and take notes.

”

“Hmmm,” Mr. Matthews replies pensively. “Well, we’re not going

to do that. I know this is a challenging story with some archaic
language. But the only way to understand it is to jump into it with two
feet and enjoy it. Let

’s start by discussing the historical backdrop for

the novel.

” Mr. Matthews is a history buff and is eager to begin by

telling the students about the late 1700s in London.

“Excuse me, Mr. Matthews. Should we be taking notes? I mean .

. . will this be on the test?

” asks Felicia. Felicia has always been

extremely anxious about taking tests and doing well.

“Don’t worry about any tests for now. What’s more important

right now is that you listen and get a feel for the setting,

” replies Mr.

Matthews.

High School

The Substitute

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

MIDDLE

SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The students sit on the edge of their seats, hanging onto Mr.

Matthews

’s every word. He has a way of lecturing that is more like

camp

ﬁre storytelling. Even Dylan is staying awake.

As the bell rings for next period, Mr. Matthews announces,

“Be

sure you

ﬁnish reading the next chapter for tomorrow. I have a special

activity planned.

”

The next day, as students take their seats, wondering what Mr.

Matthews has in store for them, he begins passing out booklets. Is this
a quiz? they wonder.

“Okay, everyone, these are scripts I prepared for today’s class,”

Mr. Matthews announces.

“Don’t worry. You will all get a turn acting in

a skit before we

’ve ﬁnished the novel. For today, I’d like some

volunteers. Who wants to be

ﬁrst?”

Jody, Mason, and Demeri raise their hands. Demeri, a bilingual

student who recently transferred to this school, for the

ﬁrst time feels

comfortable participating. Because the school does not have a
separate bilingual program, Demeri was placed in British literature
without any bilingual supports, even though his English reading skills
are two grade levels below those of his peers.

“Great! An eager bunch!” Mr. Matthews says. “Now, the rest of

you can follow along in your scripts.

” The students begin the skit as

the rest of the class watches attentively. Mr. Matthews can tell they
are enjoying themselves.

After the skit, Mr. Matthews arranges students in groups of four

and hands out a sheet of guided questions, including these:

Place yourself in the scene of the novel you acted out today.

How do you feel

—what are your thoughts, your reactions?

How do you think the characters felt?

What do you think will happen next? Why?

Mr. Matthews instructs,

“I want you to ﬁrst answer the questions

by yourselves. Write down your responses in your notebooks. These
won

’t be collected. They’re only for your reference. Once each

member of your group is done, discuss your points of view in your
groups for about 15 minutes. You may take notes if you want.

” The

students immediately begin writing. Soon the room is

ﬁlled with noise.

1. Imagine that you are a new high school teacher like Mr.

Matthews. What might you want to know about the brain and its
development in adolescence? Think of some speci

ﬁc questions

you might have.

2. In your opinion, is British literature developmentally appropriate
for juniors in high school? What about freshmen?

3. What aspects of language development should a high school teacher be

concerned about?

Assess

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