Scenario for Role Play 9
Teacher role
Brian is an eight-year old second grader. He is a well-behaved and liked by his peers. Brian has great difficulty with his reading because of an IQ just above the special education level. His mother will not give her permission to put him in chapter reading. She is more concerned with keeping him out of "that class". Brian’s stepfather doesn’t want to get involved at all. Brian can hardly wait for summer to come so he will not have to read any more. You have just finished reading a book aloud which you selected especially with Brian in mind. It was very difficult for you to find a book about baseball that you thought second graders would enjoy. You gave the students an assignment in their journal and noticed that Brian is doing nothing. You move to Brian and talk to him.
Considerations
- Possible background information
- Behavioral causes
- Possible solutions
- Consider theories, models, or other information used to help guide your decision making
- Create a script for talking with Brian
Student role - Brian
You are an eight-year old second grader. You are a well-behaved boy who is well liked by your peers. You have great difficulty reading. You and your mother do not want to go to a special class where your friends will not be. Besides you do not need to read because you are going to play baseball. You can hardly wait for summer because you get to start little league this spring and you can play baseball all summer and you won’t have to read. You just listened to a book your teacher read about baseball. You liked the story but you are not doing anything in your journal. Even though you liked the story you hate reading and anything associated with it.
Teacher - Suggestions
Suggestions to encourage change from self-limiting behaviors to mastery oriented behaviors. See Conversations to change behavior
and possible verbal interactions and interventions.
Short term
- Talk to the student and see if they understand the assignment.
- Use interest boosting.
- Use hurdle helping to get the student started.
- To punish the student for their behavior would not allow them the opportunity to accept their behavior or being taught an acceptable behavior.
Long term
- Invite the parent(s) to visit the classroom and the special education rooms.
- Continue to explain to the parents the advantages for their child by being in a special program.
- Make a referral and let the parents sign off NO. and continue to have future teachers make referrals every year and have the parents sign off NO.
- Provide a tutor for the student (adult paraprofessional or peer tutoring).
- May increase the use of cooperative groups.
- Recommend Read-aloud or other reading program outside of school.
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