I recently had the opportunity to join a classroom at Horseshoe Trails Elementary school and observe a boy that will be referred to as Nick. Before the observation began I was able to speak with Nick’s teacher and obtain some background information about his development over the past year, his daily issues, as well as some family history. Nick is currently in second grade and has been struggling in the classroom for a multitude of reasons. For example, he has an individualized education program (IEP). In addition, he experiences issues with speaking clearly and concisely, due to a minor stutter. Nick also needs help with nearly every task that is asked of him but is extremely sensitive, which makes it difficult for teachers or peers to …show more content…
Although they were quick exchanges he seemed to have the ability to engage with his peers and they were always willing to communicate with him. While this seemed like a positive sign, the interactions looked they they occurred because he was restless more so than because he needed some sort of help. Once the teacher announced silent reading time was over the kids put their books away in their designated cubbies on a shelf that were organized alphabetically. Nick was one of the last to put his books away and, because he was one of the last to do so, the gap where his cubby was supposed to go had slightly closed enough to where he couldn’t easily slide his cubby in place. In trying to put his cubby back Nick exhibited a hill-climbing problem solving strategy. This means he was trying to solve the problem by choosing a method that he believed would get him to his goal the fastest. What he did was continually smash his cubby into his spot instead of taking the time to push the other cubbies back so his would fit. He smashed the cubbies five or six times which made several of them fall over, at which point a classmate became frustrated, but helped him get everything back in the right place. This event took place while most of the class was sitting quietly waiting for the teacher to give them directions about their next