Running head: MIDTERM: CASE STUDY 1

Midterm: Case Study

Madison Weimer & Holly Braun

Ivy Tech Community College

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Question 1

Brad is at the pre-conventional morality stage: punishment avoidance and obedience in

Kohlbergs stages of moral development. Brad is at this stage because in this stage, people

make decisions based on what is best for themselves, without regard for others needs or feelings.

They obey rules only if established by more powerful individuals; they may disobey if they

arentt likely to get caught (Educational Psychology, 2002, pg.82).

The first example I would like to give puts more emphasis on the fact that Brad would be

fitting in this stage would consist of how he has acted in the classroom on Ms. Browns watch.

Brad first is caught cheating off of Rogerss paper for the multiplication table pretest. Ms. Brown

noticed but did not act right away so Brad thought he got away with his action. This is an

example of Brad thinking he is able to cheat if no one saw him actively doing it. It was until Ms.

Brown talked to him after class where he felt guilty and ashamed. He felt this way because he

was caught red handed cheating knowing it was wrong to do so.

The second example would be when Roger brought in the Wolverine action figure for

show and tell. After Roger presented his toy, Brad asked Ms. Brown if he was able to go to the

restroom. Once again Ms. Brown watched Brad closely walk near her desk and grab the action

figure out of the box and stuck it under his shirt. Ms. Brown waited again until school ended to

talk to Brad one on one. Upon asking the first time, Brad denied knowing where it was. It was

not until Ms. Brown changed her tone of voice did Brad speak up and tell her he had it. Once

again he thought he wouldnt get caught but he did and faced the consequence once again. The

last example consists of Brad taking money out of Ms. Browns wallet. This final time she did

not see him do it but another student did. Ms. Brown had had it with Brad and finally called a

meeting with Brads parents.

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The interesting thing is the timing in between each incident. The first time Brad was

caught cheating, it took him two weeks to act out again and take Rogers action figure. After

being talked to by Ms. Brown stating he knew stealing is wrong and he would never do it again

he took Ms. Browns five dollar bill out of her purse a month later. It seems as if Brad felt guilty

about each bad action for a short time then a longer time but after some time he was able to

continue doing it.

I feel like a moral educational method that seems to work best with children at this stage

would be to solve the problem as soon as it happens. Unlike Ms. Brown, she waited until the end

of the school day to deal with Brad. I think that acting fast with a situation like that means more

to the person and they would get more out of the conversation. I also believe that a teacher

should be firm with telling the child how they feel and give a punishment if needed. Another

method that could have helped these situations would have been if Ms. Brown talked calmly to

Brad instead of accusing him of each situation so fast. Brad needed to be talked to on a more

personal level that showed Ms. Brown cared for Brads best interest.

Question 2

I feel like the Erikson Stage of personality development that Brad seems to have

unresolved crises in would be Eriksons Stage of Industry versus Inferiority. This stage deals

with the idea of children becoming capable of performing increasingly complex tasks. As a

result, they strive to master new skills. Children who are encouraged and commended by parents

and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. Those who receive little

or no encouragement from parents, teachers or peers will doubt their ability to be successful

(Ormrod, 2002, pg. 62).

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A good example as to why Brad has unresolved crises with this stage is because when

Ms. Brown was explaining the multiplication tables and how to imagine a picture in your head

Brad became confused and uncertain whereas when others asked questions she would go into

broad detail to answer their question. It was almost as if Ms. Brown was ignoring Brad on

purpose. This made Brad feel inferior. He did not get proper encouragement to be able to feel

confident about multiplication. Brad was not able to understand multiplication at all before

taking the pretest which resulted in cheating off of someone that seemed to have understood

(Aka Roger). I think therapy techniques for this stage would include receiving the proper

encouragement from your teacher and parents at home. I feel like Ms. Brown did not help Brad

in anyway understand multiplication when telling her he was unsure about it.

Another stage of Eriksons stage of personality development that Brad has unresolved

crises with is probably the stage: Identity versus Role Confusions. This stage states, adolescents

explore their independence and develop a sense of self (Cherry, 2017). I believe he struggles

with this because he felt the need to explore cheating off of someone else and stealing to see if he

could get away with it. In this stage the child may question themselves, Who Am I? Ms.

Brown should have stepped in when the actions took place because this gave Brad time to think

that he was able to get away with anything rather than not noticing Ms. Brown knew. This

confused Brad in each situation because even the last time when he took Ms. Browns money,

even she did not notice that time. Brad does not know his identity just yet and is still exploring

the rules. A therapy technique for this stage might include helping children in their search for

identity by providing opportunities to explore various roles they might play in adult society.

Question 3
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Brad would have a performance goal orientation toward learning. This is because Brad is

more likely to be extrinsically motivated and cheated on his multiplication test to obtain good

grades. The book Educational Psychology states, Learners with performance goals seek

feedback that flatters them (Ormrod, 2002, pg. 351). Brad did not receive proper attention from

Ms. Brown therefore he was not confident. I believe he also has a performance goal orientation

because he also tried to seek answers from Ms. Brown in able to understand the material but was

ignored. In the case that that happened Brad seemed that his only resort to get a good grade on

the pretest was to cheat off of someone who understand the material.

This orientation developed in Brad probably when he started elementary school because

he now has other peers to compare his behaviors with and they may see themselves coming up

short and in this sense is exactly what happened with Brad and the multiplication lesson. It was

sad to see how Ms. Brown handled the lesson. She did not handle it well at all. In fact, it was

making the students nervous because she did not go back and make sure everyone knew the

material before quizzing them and also did not let her students interact with each other. I also

caught how Ms. Brown only taught them one way to look at multiplication and that obviously

didnt work for Brad and upon asking for extra help Ms. Brown ignored him resulting in feeling

like he came up short.

What could have been done to help move toward a mastery goal would been to not have

ignored him when asking additional questions in the classroom and teaching different methods of

learning to the class. Brad did not understand visualizing a picture of two pennies in a group in

his head but that is the only way Ms. Brown taught the class. When not understanding, Brad did

the right thing and asked additional questions only to find out that Ms. Brown ignored him,

rushed through the lesson and have a pretest waiting for the class. If Ms. Brown could have
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taught the multiplication lesson multiple ways and made sure she answered each question from

any students having problems, Brad would have felt confident in what he was doing. Also, if Ms.

Brown let them work together in group or talk to their peers Brad would have felt better asking

others how they learn it. Another thing that did not help was the pretest right after. If Ms. Brown

would have passed out a worksheet for them to work on that would not make the students stress

as much therefore would result in a better grade. One last example would be to give her students

feedback on how she thinks they are doing and what they could do to improve.

Question 4

When Brads parents became involved in the situation, they seemed to be very apologetic

to Ms. Brown and questioned as to how their son could act that way when they do not see that

kind of behavior at home. The fact that the article brought up each parents jobs also made me

think. If the dad was a lawyer, and the mom was a high school teacher, how is his life at home?

Does he receive any attention or positive affirmation? Because if he received plenty of attention

and positive affirmation at home why is he acting out in the classroom?

They also mentioned how Brad receives a well amount of allowance and would not

understand why he would steal. All they really had to say was how they were confused that he

was acting that way and very apologetic to Ms. Brown. Brads dad even slipped her a 20 dollar

bill after the fact of Brad stealing some money from her. It seems to me that Brads parents think

that money and objects can buy his love.

Clearly Brad does not receive a lot of attention at home but money and objects for doing

what he is told. Brad most likely does not receive a lot of encouragement from his parents or

additional help when needed. The kind of actions he portrayed in class were a result of these

underlying issues. He was acting out for attention that no one was giving him. His parents also
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most likely work a lot so they dont see Brad as much as they should. This probably makes Brad

feel lonely and unloved. The only thing keeping him feeling loved and appreciated are the money

and toys he is given when at home.

I think Ms. Brown could have helped Brads behavioral issues by talking to him calmly

and as soon as each incident happened. The fact that she waited to speak with him was a much

delayed response and did not help him understand he was in the wrong until later in the day.

Another way Ms. Brown could help Brad would be to help shape his behavior into new

behaviors at school. In the book, Educational Psychology, it states some steps including,

Reinforce any response that in some way resembles the terminal behavior (Ormrod, 2002, pg.

284). I also think that if she took more time to pay attention to Brad and help him with any

additional questions would make him feel more loved and cared for instead of ignoring him.

Clearly he is ignored at home so the best a teacher could do would be to give Brad

encouragement when learning new things or even teach different methods for multiplication. I

think if Ms. Brown had long talks with Brad other than shaming him and telling him he was

wrong would go a lot better than yelling at him.

Question 5

Akia has established a competition classroom environment. Upon teaching the lesson of

multiplication, Akia gave them one method of learning multiplication which was using your

imagination of visuals for example two pennies in one group. In some students cases, they

understood this concept right away, but in Brads case he was left very confused and lost. Only

one fourth of the class openly said they understood the lesson. Ms. Brown did not address the

other students who did not say they understood her at all before going ahead with her pretest.

Ms. Brown has created a divide here by separating the students into two obvious groups, those
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who understood and those who did not. This separation can create poor self-efficacy and degrade

the classroom community. Ms. Brown could have separated the class into groups, each group

with one student who raised their hand saying they understood Rogers statement. Allowing the

groups to work on an activity together gives the students who understand a chance to strengthen

or take their understanding to the next level. All the while helping the students who did not

understand the basic concept of the lesson. I think a concrete example instead of a visual would

help the students tremendously.

When Brad tried to ask Akia what other students comments meant and trying an example

on his own, Akia ignored him fully and went onto other students questions. Her lack of attention

towards him most likely made him feel as though he was not important. After a short lesson with

a couple of questions, Ms. Brown administered a pretest telling them that they had to work on it

by themselves. A pretest with only enough instruction to confuse students and lower their self-

efficacy on their ability to perform well on the test results in a competitive environment where

students could be feeling anxiety over whether or not theyll do well compared to their peers. In

the instance Ms. Brown would have given the pretest before any instruction she would have

gathered more knowledge about what the students already knew. Instead Ms. Brown created

many preventable variables such as anxiety and the feeling of competition. Ms. Brown should

work in her future lesson plans to strengthen the students automaticity which is claimed, to

reduce anxiety about mathematics, (Poncy et al., 2007; Parkhurst et al., 2010).

Question 6

From a cognitive learning perspective, Akias imaging technique in getting her students

to learn the multiplication tables is hardly effective. A few of Akias students understood her

instruction well enough to apply the information to new problems. Only one fourth of her
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classroom was involved in this understanding. The teaching instruction was effective however

only in a very small percentage. A way for her to improve the method she was already using

would be to bring in pennies first. The students would have the opportunity to see what she was

saying before visualizing it. Ms. Brown could have explained to the children the idea of grouping

by showing the students the pennies in a single group do not leave that group. She could

introduce several groups showing the students when a new group is introduced it has the same

number of pennies in it as the first group did. Akias pretest results most likely would not have

been very high. The six, and the hesitant seventh, students may have possibly scored relatively

high. The other eighteen or nineteen students would have scored much lower. The pretest should

have been administered before any instruction occurred or after she had all students at the point

of understanding.

A method she could have used to be more effective are activities that enhance students

rote memorization of the multiplication facts to increase fluency and automaticity of the facts

themselves. Fluency is the ability to recall the facts quickly and accurately. Automaticity is the

ability to recall the facts when used in the middle of another activity without obvious conscious

thought (Hasselbring, 1988). The activities include flashcards or competitive games or even

consistent, routine worksheets. Utilizing the rote memorization of multiplication facts allows the

teacher to free[ing] up general cognitive capacity, for other subjects (Poncy et al., 2007). The

automaticity comes into play here. In a subject such as science the students may be required to

access their multiplication facts when recording a table or finding an average in an experiment. A

student with high automaticity would be able to recall the facts without becoming distracted from

the experiment at hand or excessive time spent on the multiplication itself.

Question 8
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Brad seems to be primarily operating in the love and belonging tier in Maslows

hierarchy of needs. Jamie L. Vernon in an American Scientists article, The Path to Self-

Actualization, summarized this tier as involving, love, acceptance, and confidence (2016).

Brads basic needs are met. He has a home, food, clothes, and as he parents stated in the

conference he has everything a child his age could want. The reason Brad is stuck in the love

and belonging stage becomes apparent in Ms. Browns conference with his parents. Brads

mother and father tell Ms. Brown they give him everything he wants including money as an

allowance and toys along with other things. They seem to have little meaningful interaction with

Brad. The parental interaction of throwing money at children instead of time and affection can be

detrimental to the childs ability to reach their full potential in all aspects of life. Tim Elmore

states in 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid, memorable experiences replace superficial

entertainment, (2014). When parents throw money or things at their children, the children

develop the understanding their parents do not care because no thought is put into the decisions.

Children notice the lack of conversation and interaction. Children apply this interaction to the

rest of their lives and relationships. Social interaction can suffer due to the child using money

and material things to communicate and problem solve.

Akia can use this information to help Brad to feel a sense of love and belonging. Brad

may be able to advance into the next stage of Maslows Hierarchy if he experiences either of

these feelings. Akia Brown can use her classroom and her interactions with Brad to strengthen

how he feels emotionally. Ms. Brown can only show so much affection as a teacher but there are

many other ways to show love for a child. One of those ways is to set boundaries by saying no or

punishing him. Saying no or punishing a child for wrong behavior shows them as the adult you

are observing them, reacting to their actions, and helping them correct or move forward. Another
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way is to invest time, energy, and wisdom in conversation, (Elmore, 2014) as a way to show a

children leadership. For a child to feel loved, they need to feel as though the time and energy

spent on them is valuable and meaningful. Children pick up on small things such as tone of

voice, facial expressions, etc. and are easily susceptible to interpreting these things in various

ways. Ms. Brown can make herself aware of this. She can make her tone sincere and

understandable to help Brad feel the attention and carefulness she is paying towards him. Ms.

Brown can also simply talk to Brad more, individually and in front of the whole class. The

talking can be positive or negative just as though she is giving him an appropriate amount of

attention. Brad does not appear to receive much attention at home resulting in him feeling

unloved or as if he doesnt belong. Brads behavior could be a result of this. If Ms. Brown was to

help Brad feel as though he was receiving enough attention he may stop acting out in her

classroom. Ms. Brown could teach Brad how to effectively communicate his feelings as well

rather than lying or acting out for attention. Not only does Ms. Brown handle the misbehaviors in

her own classroom by doing this but she also gives Brad tools to use after he leaves her

classroom in dealing with his uninvolved parents.

Question 10

Brad has acquired values revolving around material things and the good of an individual

rather than the whole by the example his parents have set for him. His mother and father give

him anything he wants. The reason they give for doing this and the reason for Brads behavior is

the emphasis on competition and getting your own way by walking over other people in the

society surrounding Brad. Brads parents behavior in their conference with Ms. Brown shows

they value competition when Brads father talks about how other students should be coping Brad

instead of the other way around. Charles, Brads father, wants Brad to be on the top and
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obviously expects it from him by labeling Brad as smart. Brads parents by giving him

everything he could possibly want have taught Brad there is no value to material things.

Materials things having no value results in Brad having no concept of ownership. Brad also

views money and material things as disposable. Brad having these views is the cause for his

taking of his peers toy and Ms. Browns money. Brad does not understand those things were

someone elses holding meaning to the owners. A parent saying no gives the child an

understanding of what you can and cannot have. Brad also does not understand he cannot simply

take whatever he wants.

A method of value clarification and change Akia can use as a tool when working with

Brad and his parents is to have the three of them as a group look at a list of values and determine

what they value most as a family. From there as a group they can determine the values already in

place. Once the parents are aware of the values they are teaching Brad or what Brad has

understood from their behavior, it may become easier for them to change their behavior. Ms.

Brown as a teacher can only do so much as to help the family change their behavior. She can

provide them with sources or exercises to do at home if the parents are willing. Ms. Brown has to

understand there is a line of where the help turns from appropriate to inappropriate coming from

a teachers perspective (http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/values-

clarification).

Question 12

The advice Celia should give Akia about working with Brad when he returns is to do

what she can to help Brad move onto the next stage of Maslows hierarchy. In the classroom she

can help to give Brad a sense of appreciation from her as the teacher and from his peers through

certain activities supporting all the students growth. Working on the whole class growth helps
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everyone without singling Brad out from the rest of the class. Ms. Brown can also meet with

Brad one on one and give him tools to use when dealing with his parents. Since she is Brads

teacher and she does not want to cross any lines she could teach Brad the coping tools involving

his peers. Brad can then in turn apply the social behaviors and values he has learned about

interacting with his peers to interacting with his parents at home. Ms. Brown can teach Brad how

to state his feelings and how to restate other peoples word. Restating others words helps Brad to

communicate his interpretation of the conversation at hand. Brads parents would be more aware

of the way their behavior and words are coming across to Brad. As a lawyer his father is most

likely a busy man. If his father is in a hurry he may not be thinking with his full conscious about

the words he is saying to Brad and how Brad is feeling as a result of his words. Brads father

would with the restating have an insight to how Brad is feeling. Ms. Brown can also teach Brad

how to effectively achieve goals or obtain material things he wants. Brad does not receive this

lesson at home since everything is right at hand with no work. Goal setting may be a good

exercise to show Brad the work that should go in behind achieving goals or getting what you

want.

The advice Celia should give Akia about working with Brads parents when he returns is

to explain the importance of their involvement in Brads school work. Ms. Brown can engage

Brads mother and father by keeping them focused on their interests (Christenson, 2014). Brads

father stressed how Brad was to attend college with a major in law. Ms. Brown can tell Brads

parents his success will be even greater in school if they are aware of his behavior and are

actively involved in helping him with school work in their home. The interaction that will occur

when the parents help Brad with his homework is one taking time and the transfer of knowledge
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from the parent to the child. This interaction may help Brad to feel the love and belonging he

needs according to Maslows hierarchy of needs.

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References

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Find Out About Stage 3 of Psychosocial Development. Retrieved March 21,

2017, from https://www.verywell.com/initiative-versus-guilt-2795737

Cherry, K. (n.d.). What Happens During Stage 4 of Psychosocial Development? Retrieved

March 21, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/industry-versus-inferiority-

2795736

Christenson, S. L. (2014). How to Engage the Uninvolved Parent (K. A. Olson, Ed.). Retrieved

March 22, 2017, from http://www.extension.umn.edu/family/school-

success/professionals/tools/how-to-engage-the-uninvolved-parent/

Elmore, T. (2014). 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid. Eugene, OR: Harvest House.

Hasselbring, T. S. (1988) 'Developing math automaticity in learning handicapped children: The

role of computerized drill and practice'. Focus on Exceptional Children, 20, pp.1-7.

Ormrond, J. E. (2002). Educational psychology: developing learners. Prentice Hall.

Parkhurst, J., Skinner, C. H., Yaw, J., Poncy, B., Adcock, W. and Luna, E. (2010) 'Efficient class-

wide remediation: Using technology to identify idiosyncratic math facts for additional

automaticity drills'. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 6 (2),

12, pp.111-123.

Poncy, B. C., Skinner, C. H. and Jaspers, K. E. (2007) 'Evaluating and comparing interventions

designed to enhance math fact accuracy and fluency: Cover, copy, and compare versus

taped problems'. Journal of Behavioral Education, 16, pp.27-37.

Values Clarification. (2015, November 9). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/values-clarification

Vernon, J. L. (2016). The Path to Self-Actualization. American Scientist, 104(3), 130.

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