Case Study 2

The following case study is based on work with a mainstream secondary school. The data was collected over the period of one term and analysed. The data indicated a number of interesting trends that instigated a development process to respond to the findings.

Having interrogated the data it was discovered that that 60% of incidents in the classroom had taken place when the activity was "text based". A high percentage of these incidents involved students who were on the S.E.N register. Incidents corresponding to activities aimed at other "intelligence" areas were considerably less represented in the data. The question asked was : "What is the link to behaviour and learning activity?"

Statistics suggest that students on the S.E.N register a seven times more likely to excluded from schools than their peers who are not. Does an over reliance on text based resources and classroom activities contribute to this?

Within curriculum teams programmes of study were evaluated to identify the learning styles involved in specific classroom activities. The process confirmed the data which suggested the over reliance on text based resources and activities which did not necessarily cater for the range of learning styles within class groups.

The data and subsequent evaluation lead to a number of positive outcomes:

• A cross department working party was established to improve inter department communication. All department areas would be made aware, each term, of what was being taught in other areas. It was considered this would allow staff to build on and refer to learning experiences in other areas, enhancing the relevance of learning in their own subject areas and reducing the risk of duplication.
• In the case of a school with a Learning Support Unit a testing method to identify strengths in learning styles has been developed. This information is then passed back to the department areas as part of a plan to support students upon reintegration.
• A similar approach was taken within the S.E.N department that contributed to the development of effective I.E.Ps.
• The process strengthened the school's links between the pastoral and academic support offered to students by evaluating the links of behaviour to learning.

The aim was to identify specific activities that corresponded to particular styles of learning and how these could best be developed and implemented.

Statistics suggest that students on the S.E.N register are seven times more likely to excluded from schools than their peers who are not. Does an over reliance on text based resources and classroom activities contribute to this?

Back to Case Studies Index

^{about us | sleuth} \ _{overview | behaviour | reduce | record | report | purchase | case studies} ^{services | news | support}