Eddie is a student in Mrs. Potter’s class who is imaginative and well liked. However, he has not been getting his work done and often has trouble sitting still. It is clear that Mrs. Potter needs to make some accommodations for Eddie to learn to his fullest potential. The first thing I would tell Mrs. Potter to do is talk to Eddie’s parents or guardians. These are the people in Eddie’s life who know him the best and Mrs. Potter can learn a great deal from them about his behavior at home. In addition, I would suggest that Mrs. Potter try a few “tricks” mentioned in this weeks’ readings.

First, I would give Eddie something to hold onto during group time or any other time where he does not need a pencil in his hand. The Kostelnick article talks about how Marcus was able to attend to a lot more things if he had something to hold onto. Therefore, I suggest proving Eddie with a small squishy ball to work with or a smooth rock to stroke. I have learned in my child development classes that if you provide something for one child you should provide it for every child. Therefore, something to hold onto like a fidget should be made available to everyone, but soon most children will realize they don’t need an object to help them focus and will choose not to use it.

 Secondly I give Mrs. Potter the idea of providing Eddie with lots of visual supports. For example, if Mrs. Potter were to assign a worksheet to the class, she could provide Eddie with a first/then or a behavior visual like those mentioned in the Breitfelder article. A first/then visual would have a picture of completed homework on the ‘first’ side and a picture of a boy drawing a picture or something else Eddie enjoys doing on the ‘then’ side. This will help him see what is expected of him at that time and what he gets as a reward if he completes the desired task.

During the tadpole lesson Eddie was excited to look at the tadpole jar, but could not repeat how many eggs a frog can lay. Therefore, group lessons may also need lots of visuals to keep Eddie interested and focused on something. If the teacher is just talking, Eddie may zone out and not pay attention. If there is something to look at he may connect the words the teacher is saying to the pictures on the visual and be able to focus and keep himself engaged with the discussion.

The bio of Eddie also mentions that he is well liked by his classmates. I am wondering if more group work would be beneficial for him. Strategic planning of groups can help children. For example, Mrs. Potter could put Eddie with children who stay on task and could positively remind him of the assignment they are to complete during the group work.

Another idea I have is to make things very active and engaging for Eddie. He seems like he needs a lot of time to strength his muscles and use his gross motor skills. Learning can be done in multiple ways and one of those ways is to have class outside.