The Learning Academy is a private elementary school that provides students (grades second to sixth) the opportunity to learn techniques, by way of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach, that will better assist them through their lifelong journey with their reading disability. Dyslexia is very hard to diagnose, but many of the students at this school are assumed to have this reading hindrance. Reading difficulties begin to arise and become recognizable in the first grade, which is why this outstanding school does not start until grade two.

 

Classroom Observation

This is the first week of the semester at The Learning Academy, and I have been placed in Mrs. William’s third grade classroom. Two girls and six boys makeup this classroom, and Mrs. William informed me that the two girls are new to The Learning Academy. The classroom does not utilize traditional classroom desks, but tables are put in their place. Two students share one table, and the tables are arranged in a “U” shape around a grey carpet which is positioned directly in front of the Smart Board. Mrs. William has her desk located in the back of the classroom. There are many stacks of papers on her desk. Many books are in the classroom; they are located on bookshelves, window ledges, and the kidney-shaped to the left hand side of the Smart Board.

During my forty minute observation window, I was able to speak with my case study student and observe the tail end of their daily OG instruction. The students all sat at their assigned table and were given a blank sheet of lined number paper. Mrs. Williams read aloud five words and after each word, the students would tap out the phonemes and then say the individual letters. After this, they would write the full word on their paper in the allocated spot and Mrs. Williams would call on a student to spell out the word written on their paper. For the two compound words, the students would employ their full arm- they would tap the upper portion of their arm (above the elbow) for the first syllable, and then tap the lower part of their arm (below the elbow) for the second syllable. ​

 

Classroom Reflection

The layout of Mrs. William’s classroom is nicely arranged and promotes a sense of engagement from all students. The students are able to participate in discussions and are all able to see the Smart Board. During OG, Mrs. William’s was able to informally assess her students- the layout provides for a quick and easy scan of the students and their work. Mrs. William was quickly able to approach students when they did not understand the difference between the short and long-vowel in a word. This brings up a strong commitment to individualization. Mrs. Williams has a small class (one of the many perks to attending The Learning Academy). One of the students, Conner, had difficulty with the spelling of a compound word and Mrs. William was able to quickly approach him, get down on his level, and work one-on-one with him. I love that Mrs. William had books galore located in various spots in her classroom; however, I believe that there should be designated spots of the various genres that way the students know where to go for the certain type of the book they are looking for. Because Mrs. William has a cluttered desk, I have the impression that she rarely sits there during the day- perhaps she is continuously being engaged in the learning process, working individually with students, and walking the perimeter of the “U” to look for and take note of any struggling students.
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Case Study Observations

I was assigned one of the newest students, Hannah. Hannah will be my case study student for the rest of the semester, and I will track her literacy assessments and growth.

I spoke with Hannah during the first twenty minutes of my forty minute observation. During this time, I asked Hannah questions based on a previously drawn up Interest Inventory. Due to Hannah’s grade level, I did not place the inventory in front of her; instead, I discussed the questions in a conversational tone as I did not want her to stress. Many times, I had to explain what I meant by a certain question. A clip of our conversation is as follows:

Hi, Hannah. I am Miss Harvey, and I am going to be with you every Wednesday. We are going to have so much fun together! We will play games. Is that okay with you? I am going to ask you some questions, and then I will answer some for you. Can you please tell me when you were born?

Hannah knew her birth month and day, but did not know her birth year (this information was going to help me figure out her age and if there had been any previous grade retentions). She later told me that she lives with her nine year old twin sister, mom, dad, dog, and hamster. She lives in a nearby city located roughly twenty minutes from the school and she stated, “I liked my old school better because it was right next to my house and I had friends.” Hannah likes to play the Mine Craft video game in her spare time. Hannah used to play piano, tennis, and swim but she became “too busy to do anything after school.” When Hannah gets home, her babysitter takes care of her and her sister (who still attends Hannah’s old school). If Hannah could be any animal for a day she would be either a cat or a bear because her two favorite books are, “Warrior Cats” and “Seekers.” This fact brought up a question not listed on my inventory, “What kind of books are these?” An explanation of this was needed, “Do the books have chapters or are they short books?” She quickly asked, “Are they chapter novels?” After I shook my head yes, she said that they were both chapter books but she did not actually read them- she listened to them through an audio device. Hannah wants to be an artist when she grows up. Her favorite subject is art, and her least favorite is mathematics. Hannah says that her three best qualities (explanation of word needed during conversation) are playing Mine Craft, crafting, and climbing. I asked her what she wants to see in me in order for me to be the best teacher ever, and she said, “I like when my teachers are playful, funny, and flexible (yes, she used the term flexible on her own). I hope that I can fulfill her expectations. After each question, wait time was provided as Hannah stuttered during the forming of her words.

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Case Study Reflection

As with any third grader, Hannah knew her birthday month and date, but I was a little shocked to hear that she did not know her birth year. Based on the question of who she lives with, I was able to gather her age and make the determination that she has not been held back in school. Hannah makes quite a commute of her age, and I assume that she must get up earlier than her peers to make it to school on time. Getting up early has me wondering how tired she gets as the school day progresses- does the tiredness correlate to the days later work? I am interested to see her assessments with me and her work with Mrs. William. I will ensure that I ask Mrs. William if I can see Hannah’s work that has been completed close to the end of the school day. Hannah talks about Mine Craft a few times during our discussion, and I am worried that she focusing on that and not on her homework- does the afterschool babysitter allow this to happen? Additionally, I am curious to see where Hannah’s Lexile level is because she is not reading those chapter books on her own. She did not mention having a frustration with reading or language arts (it is not her least favorite subject), so maybe these books are more advanced. Hannah mentioned liking her previous school better than The Learning Academy. In my past experience with asking the question of where they liked it better, most students love their new environment and do not want to go back. As my time progresses throughout this semester, I want to observe Hannah around her peers to see where her comfortability level is in the classroom.