Running head: SECONDARY SETTING OBSERVATION

Secondary Setting Observation Melissa R. Lim California State University, Long Beach

SECONDARY SETTING OBSERVATION Secondary Setting Observation

An urban city brings a diverse population into its city limits; which reflects in the classrooms of its schools. The challenge for teachers today is to reach every one of their students in a meaningful, educational manner even when their first language may not be the same. On Thursday September 19th, 2013 I went to observe this challenge. Specifically, to witness a teacher meet the needs of a student who is identified with special education services and as an English Language Learner in a general education setting. The middle school I attended is located in the heart of an urban city that serves a population where over 90% of the students come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. I found my way two rooms down and met with Ms. Webber, the 8th grade English Language Arts teacher during passing period, right before 2nd. I had a seat in the back of the class to observe the lesson. As students came in, she told me softly that the student I would be observing, Jamie, would be sitting just two desks away from me. While students found their seats and began to write the homework in their agendas, I took in the following surrounding setting. The classroom even at 10am in the morning is a bit stuffy thankfully, there are only 24 students maximum in any given Mathematics, English or Science class due to a grant the school had received. The main board (north wall) has directions, the quick write of the day and the agenda written upon it. The desks were facing the main board in 5 rows, 6 desks back. To the right of the students was a large chalk board and to the front, a white board with a screen at the front center for the projection/ELMO use. The teachers desk was located in the right, upper corner where her computer could also be found. Jamies desk was located on the fifth row, closest to the blackboard, 4 seats back, far place for a student with an intellectual disability to sit.

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Ms. Webber welcomed the class and reviewed the quick write posted on the board. As she reviewed the question and wrote down the process of the editing, I noticed Jamie was disengaged from what she wrote and said. Instead, he looked around and drew on his notebook. Later, it is brought to my attention that the translator that assisted in the classroom is only hired for Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Unfortunately, it was Thursday and due to the fact that Jamie is a student with a low-intermediate level of English Language understanding, is unable to follow along. However, the school being composed of 64% Latinos and that being his first language he is quickly able to begin a discussion with his neighboring peer. Ms. Webber instructs the class to work with a peer on revising their paragraph that they have been working on. When all began to work, she went back to where Jamie was working along his neighboring peer and asked a fellow student to assist in translation. She first asked if they had completed their 5 steps of editing, they shake their heads no and she writes it down for him. She than gave him a written prompt and instructed both students to look at the five sentences that are in no particular order. Using those 5 sentences, they are to create a paragraph. Here, Ms. Webber spends 20 of the 50 minutes with these two students. By 10:30am she has written three of the sentences in the necessary order for them. It is only at that moment that Jamie understood the assignment and explains in Spanish what they need to do to his peer. Ms. Weeber walked around, the students completed the last two sentences, and now had ten minutes to talk to each other in Spanish about subjects such as facebook and twitter. Two minutes before the bell, Ms. Weeber collected the completed assignments and the students fly out of their seats as the bell rang. I have observed a lot of collaboration from all the students as the move to complete the task. But because the rules as well as the warm up was in lecture format, Jamie was not engaged. With no visuals he wasnt able to fully understand what

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was being asked of him. However, the Hand-on did assist him, as well as the one-on-one time that the teacher gave the students in completing the task. At a point, Ms. Webber even pulled out her Iphone to find how to translate the word paragraph, a word that none of the surrounding students knew in Spanish. She did demonstrate to Jamie how to complete the quick write task, but it was unclear whether he retained the information since it was written for him. I debriefed with Ms. Webber after the class and she informed me that having the translator is such a huge help, when she is there. Ms. Webber had also begun to write in English and Spanish, words of objects used every day. This included clock, desk, pen, pencil, board, door, bathroom, and other words with visuals posted along the room. These steps are great tools however it doesnt cover the fact that the student did not seem too engaged or challenged. In the article, From pity to equality, Snow writes about having low expectations for students and giving the student too little to do (2005, p. 2). I fear that this is what was occurring in the classroom. First, it is difficult to engage any student if too long in lecture add that the student is identified with an intellectual disability as well as an English Language Learner. The one on one assistance was an incredible help however due to the fact that the teacher wrote the first three sentences in the necessary order gave the student a process of elimination for the last two sentences. While other students were working right up to the bell, Jamie and his peer were able to discuss off topics for 10 minutes having placed the last two sentences in order. I feel a scaffold approach to the assignment would have been more useful. Ms. Webber could have asked them to draw or in their own words explain each sentence. They could have used the time to give her two sentences in the correct order but be given the skills and tools to decipher that with rules to what the first sentence may look like. Or the first sentence could have been highlighted and they had to work with another partner who is stronger in the class and the language than partner the two struggling

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students together. The students should also be closer to the front of the class away from the back distractions and have the ability to visually check in. It was, as Snow writes, the relationship when one person is always the provider of help and the other is always the recipient (2005, p.2). I would love to see a collaboration between the teacher and the student, with Jamie giving feedback to Ms. Webber and demonstrating his understanding and knowledge of the subject matter. This was a brief observation and in no ways provides the leaps and bounds that the student may have development in the past months after. In the beginning months its challenging for a teacher to find the balance of providing assistance and giving the answers. Ms. Webbers handout is a good start but there must be a connection to the material provided that had not developed at that point. Although the observation was not a glowing report it does provide insight to the struggle that face our schools in which perhaps the teacher feels less than prepared for. I do however, find this necessary to view and challenge so that as I go through the program continuously ask myself what tools will I have in place. In that essence, this has been one of the stronger observation to go back and dissect to see strengths and weaknesses.

SECONDARY SETTING OBSERVATION References

Snow, K. (2005). From pity to equality: whats your position? Retrieved from https://bbcsulb.desire2learn.com/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=21