Colleen A. Thoma, PhD
Teacher's Manual
Teacher's Manual
Self-Determination
The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction
Examples
Assessment
Evaluation
Lesson Plan Resources
Self-Determination and Standards of Learning
Case Study - Jimmy
Jimmy is a 15-year-old student whom has experienced learning and emotional problems since preschool. He is served in special education under the category of emotional and behavioral disorders and participates in both self-contained and mainstream courses in his home school. He was in a self-contained classroom for emotional disorders throughout elementary school. When Jimmy entered middle school he began to earn his way into regular education courses. He is now integrated into regular classrooms for Art, Science, and PE.
Jimmy continues to struggle with his behavior in classrooms that lack the familiarity, structure, and individualization that he grew accustomed to in his self-contained classrooms. Jimmy invariably regresses with inappropriate behaviors that are offensive and disruptive to both his classroom peers and teachers. He has become verbally abusive to his teachers and has engaged in fights in the hallway with students that ridiculed his Native American heritage. Teachers are concerned about Jimmy’s inability to engage in appropriate behavior in his regular classes. However, Jimmy continues to advocate that he wants to be in regular education classes with his peers.
Jimmy is a leader in his self-contained classrooms and continues to express interests in leaving this setting full time. He truly enjoys art and his art teacher communicates that he is very talented. The Art teacher would like to see Jimmy be able to take more art courses. Jimmy also has a strong interest in his Native American culture and a lot of his artwork reflects this interest. Jimmy is motivated by his peers and likes to hang out with his friends after school. Jimmy would like to find a job for the upcoming summer and would also like to spend more time on his artwork.
What will happen to Jimmy? How can the self-determined learning model of instruction be used with Jimmy?