CASE STUDY: Dillon Mrs. Herndon reminds the class that they are to work on their

Question

CASE STUDY: Dillon

Mrs. Herndon reminds the class that they are to work on their journals for the first 5 minutes of class, describing what they did yesterday. They will then complete worksheets about prepositions. Unlike other students, Dillon writes for a minute and then stares at the wall, until he notices everyone else is turning in their journals, so he turns his in too. When he gets his preposition worksheets, again he stares at the wall for a few minutes. He writes down one answer, and then puts his head down and closes his eyes. He pencil falls out of his hand and he jerks awake, picks up the pencil and does another problem. Then he sleeps for 10 minutes. He works for about 11 minutes of the 45-minute class period. Ms. Herndon thinks Dillon lacks motivation. She has recommended he repeat 8th grade, or go to an alternative high
school. She moved his desk away from other students to minimize distractions.

              
What other interpretation of Dillon’s behavior might be appropriate? What solutions would be most appropriate for this alternative interpretation?

What could be some of the reasons for Dillon's issues in class? Do you think the teacher was too quick to judge Dillon as having low motivation? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

Here are the answers to each individual question in your case study:

Answer 1. As Dillon stares at the wall frequently while performing a task and thinking about it, he may be facing a blank mind from time to time. One of the major reasons of mind blanking is hot cognition, under which an individual’s thinking is affected by his/her emotional state. Generally, under stressful or uncomfortable situations, hot cognition may lead to physiological and cognitive arousal. This can be noticed When Dillon slept for 10 minutes or got suddenly alert. The problem may also lead to poor decision making, as the individual is unable to concentrate on something at hand and take a decision due to poor logic and analytical ability. This is reflected by Dillon’s lack of concentration on his task at hand and getting lost on the wall for long. This problem may persist in some children until adolescence.

Answer 2. If we consider the above-mentioned alternative interpretation of Dillon’s behavior, then a developmental or clinical psychologist should be able to help him. The issue of hot cognition arises when the high levels of stress hormone called cortisol interfere with working memory. It can also affect memory storage, perception, and recall mechanism. These problems can also be noticed in Dillon’s case. However, the following solutions can be helpful to him:

Answer 3. Dillon’s issues in class may also be due to the following other reasons:

Answer 4 and 5. Yes, the teacher was too quick to judge Dillon as having low motivation, because the same behavior may result from some physiological, neurological, cognitive, or developmental issues. Motivation is not the sole factor in driving a student to perform well in the class. For the teacher, it was important to know the root of his problem and to also discuss Dillon’s issues with his parents to arrive at the right decision. Else, Dillon may experience the same problem in the alternative high school.

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