Year 9 Pupil Pen Portraits

YEAR 9 PUPIL PEN PORTRAITS

AISHA Aisha is a high achiever in most areas of the curriculum. She performs particularly well in mathematics and science, and also has very good literacy and language skills. She achieved a level 6 in English, maths and science in year 6. Aisha grasps new concepts very quickly, however the material is presented; she can be impatient with what she perceives as repetition. She likes to establish basic principles and to work from definitions - she is less interested in anecdotes or personal responses. Her strong analytical skills mean that she is often in a position to take the lead in group work, but she finds it difficult to work with those who grasp theoretical ideas more slowly or have priorities which are different from hers.

DANIEL Daniel generally gets on well with people and is popular with his peers. Teachers find that he is happy to make constructive verbal contributions in lessons but that his attitude changes and he ‘acts the fool’ when they set a written task. In year 7 he got off to a bad start with some teachers because he was invariably the last to arrive at a lesson and would usually give some excuse about being lost or having forgotten what time it was. Daniels’s difficulties stem from the fact that he is dyslexic. His difficulties with literacy were recognised early in KS2 and most of his teachers were sympathetic and supportive, with the result that he did much better in his end of KS2 tests than originally expected. Provision was made for a reader/scribe in his maths and science tests and for part of English. He only managed to achieve level 3 in English but gained secure 4s in maths and science. Daniel finds it difficult to read from the board, especially if he is some distance from it, and cannot copy from the board at any speed. He finds it difficult to communicate his ideas in writing and gets frustrated when this is the only way to demonstrate his understanding. Structuring a piece of writing is particularly difficult for him. He reads competently but slowly and often stumbles if asked to read aloud.

BEN Ben’s performance data on entry to secondary school indicate that he was working below the level of national expectation in key areas of the curriculum. He achieved level 3 in all 3 year 6 National Curriculum tests (English, maths and science) and had a reading age 14 months below his chronological age. He did, however, gain a level 4 for his teacher assessment in science. His final primary school report described Ben as a quiet child who needed to develop greater confidence in his own abilities. Ben has been placed in low sets for maths and English and a middle set for science. His reading age is now 10 months behind his chronological age following an intensive reading course in year 8. Although Ben has made progress in Key Stage 3, he is unlikely to attain level 5 in end of KS3 tests. Ben finds it difficult to concentrate during teacher expositions and doodles when required to listen for any length of time. He responds positively when visual stimuli are used to help him to understand new concepts. Ben is left-handed and writes slowly and awkwardly, producing poorly formed script. In subjects which require extensive reading and writing, Ben is poorly motivated, slow to start tasks and gives up easily when he encounters difficulties. Written work is rarely completed. Ben does not seek help either from his peers or his teachers. In fact, he is at pains to avoid drawing attention to himself and always appears to be working hard whenever a teacher approaches. Ben does not enjoy group tasks, especially group discussions, and contributes little when he is obliged to work in a group. Although Ben’s fine motor skills are poor, making intricate tasks difficult, he nevertheless enjoys practical activities. Ben likes investigating how things work and designing and making things. Ben has an older brother, an able, confident boy in his final year in the sixth form. Throughout his school career, his parents and teachers have had expectations of Ben based on his brother’s achievements. Unfavourable comparisons have dented his self-esteem.

What problems might these pupils have in ICT lessons? What support could an ICT teacher give to promote their learning?

[Pen portraits taken from Preparing to Teach in Secondary Schools edited by Val Brooks, Ian Abbott and Liz Bills (2004), published by the Open University Press, Maidenhead]