ED 271 Final Observation

Student: Tara Hamilton

Practicum Supervisor: Jennifer Margolis

School: Grout Elementary

Term: Spring 2016

On May 12, 2016, I observed Tara working in a CB-F (Communication and

Behavior- Functional) classroom for grade 3-5 students who have autism.
During this time, the students were out on the school playground, and Tara
made sure students were safely participating in various activities.
Tara did an excellent job of interacting and engaging students through a
variety of tasks: playing basketball, rolling a ball back and forth, walking with
students, and just sitting and talking with a student. She interacts easily with
the students, both in groups and 1:1, and its clear that Tara and the
students have developed mutually respectful relationships. At one point, one
of the students walked up to Tara, took her hand, and asked that she walk
around the perimeter of the yard with her.
Tara then assisted the staff in helping the students transition back inside to
the classroom, and made sure the students had washed their hands and
were ready for snack. One of the students who uses a communication icon
board was getting frustrated about waiting for the popcorn snack, and Tara
reminded him to change the icon and say the words of what he wanted,
which he did.
Having observed Tara over the past two terms, its wonderful to see how
much she has grown in her role in the classroom. Tara has increased her
ability to work 1:1 with students, and is not afraid to try various approaches
to working with the students. She is able to work independently, and is
consistent in her interactions with the students. Tara is patient and warm
with the students, and is not afraid to set boundaries as she follows the
classroom management plan. Based on her Journal entries, Tara is very
observant and notices how small changes in the students behavior can
affect classroom dynamics. At the end of this observation, I mentioned to
Tara that anyone observing the class wouldnt be able to tell that she was a
Practicum student in her first placement as opposed to one of the paid staff,
as she so seamlessly fits in with the rest of the team and does such an
excellent job. Tara mentioned that the other paraeducators in the classroom
consider her to be a part of their team. Taras ability to work closely with
several other paraeducations and with a challenging group of students
indicates that she would be a great addition to any team.
Nicely done!