EDU 203: Intro to Special Education

10 Hour Field Observation

Jaycee Fowler

Ms. Rieger

EDU 203
Assignment One:

1. What are your first impressions of the classroom/school environment? Warm? Friendly?
Organized etc? Describe the physical environment in detail.
a. The school is very friendly. The staff is very welcoming when you walk into the building/
the classroom is very comforting. The lights are dimed, and the classroom is organized.
The physical environment of the classroom has a very fun atmosphere. There are a lot of
colorful shapes, colors, and labels with pictures for the students all over the wall.
2. Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL, students with
physical challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important to note.
a. The gender is all male with two female students. The ethnicity of the classroom is two
students are African- American and four white students. No students have any physical
challenges. There are no students that are ELL.
3. What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written)
a. Raise Hand
b. Hands to yourself
c. Do NOT Interrupt
d. Work Quietly
e. Do your work
f. Listen to teachers.
4. Does the teacher enforce the rules? Are rewards or consequences being used for compliance or
noncompliance?
a. The teacher does enforce the rules sometimes. The teacher assistant enforces the rules
when the teacher is busy with another student. If they do follow the rules she gives
them a good praise. If they students do not listen to the rules she stops them and
repeats the rule they broke and makes them follow the rule before the continue with
what the child was doing.
Assignment 2:
1. Describe the work flow of the room. Is the space used efficiently?
a. The work flow of the room is used well. There is enough room for very student to do
their work/ or goals. The flow of the room is very spacious and easy for everyone to
move. The things the students need to get are easy for them to reach.
2. In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be improved?
a. I feel that the room is set up best for how the class works. It is set up in stations. When
a child needs to do work they for to a certain area of the room and do their work or
activity.
3. In your opinion, are there any concerns regarding safety during a normal school day or during
the possibility of fire, shelter in place, or lock-down?
a. There are a lot of bins that the kid’s can reach and pull down. It can be a safety hazard if
it is pulled onto a child. The teacher also uses lamps in the classroom instead of the
building lights. During my observation I have already seen a student banging the light
against the wall; this can be a hazard for not only the student but for others as well. For
any sort of drills the classroom gives no hazards.
Assignment 3:

1. What is the posted daily schedule for different subject’s periods?

9:00am Bus

9:05am-9:30am Breakfast

v9:30am-9:35am Bathroom

9:35am-10:00am Circle

10:00am-11:30am Centers

11:30am-11:55am Recess

12:00pm-12:30pm Lunch

13:30pm-12:45pm Library

12:45pm-1:00pm Social Skills

1:00pm-1:25pm Functional Skills

1:25pm-2:15pm Specials

2:15pm-2:30pm Recess

2:30pm-2:45pm Snack

2:45pm-3:15pm Whole Circle

3:15pm-3:21 Bus

2. Is instruction done in small groups, centers, and whole groups, individual?

a. Instruction is done in all of the above. She gives instruction to the individual student to
go do a task while other students are doing work. She also gives instruction in small
groups. While she is doing circle she has a small groups of three. She gives instruction
during a song. The songs give instruction on clapping, letters, and simple actions. When
the teacher is doing centers she works one on one and gives the other students simple
instruction to do something. The instruction as a whole is to line up or read books at
library.
3. How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style?
a. Her style was explained to me as if while doing an activity and one of the students aren’t
following directions she praises the other students for their good behavior. She is very
 strict at times if the student is being frustrated. If the child is cooperating she praises
them and is very relaxed. While doing centers and working with a child she has to
constantly restrain his hands because he likes touching and focuses on that instead of
work. She works and corrects the behavior. When the child does well she allows
multiple 1-2 minute breaks. She is very organized and firm. She is patient.
4. Does the teacher incorporate learning style preferences? If so, give examples.
a. The teacher incorporates different learning styles during the day. In the beginning of
the day the class starts off with circle time she uses musical/ kinesthetic. Their circle
time contains songs; one of the songs goes through the alphabet, along with the song
the kids do actions that start with a letter of the alphabet. Ex. “K” is for kick so the kids
would actually kick their legs. For “E” it is for elbow so the kids point to their elbows.
During centers the teacher uses visual/verbal. She holds up pictures of cow, horse,
soap, etc. she says the object and the child repeats after her. Sometimes the child
knows the objects before the teacher says it.
5. Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented?
a. Every day is different. Sometimes you have all the children engaged and following along
and other days one maybe two of the three gentlemen does not do what they are told.
They will randomly get up and go do something. Sometimes they get up to go get a
drink other times it is just running to go stand by the door or a wall, and they get up and
go do something that reflects their stem.
6. Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class for any reason? Why?
a. The only time a student is ever isolated is when a student did something really wrong
they put him in a chair called the cool down chair. This chair is used to separate them
from the rest of the group. The child is only in the chair for one to three minutes.
7. Is instructional time managed efficiently?
a. The teacher’s time management is good at certain moments. The class’s schedule calls
for circle time between 9:35am-10:00am and on April 8, 2011 the students were playing
individually either on the computers playing music or playing with toys. However,
yesterday on April 7, 2011 the teacher had them at circle time on time. Then she
followed circle time with a short break and then continued to doing following the
schedule. Her time management is alright. When she is giving instruction she has four
songs during circle time that last the set time period. During centers she uses a digital
timer to keep track of how long to be with each student.
8. How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions from one subject or period to another,
and are these transitions effective?
a. She handles the transitions ok. The teacher herself doesn’t do a lot of transitions from
activity to activity. When she does need to change from an activity she just states that
she is. She tells the boys “alright it is centers, lunch time, recess, etc.”
9. List ways that the teacher attempts and “attention getting” commands? (Ex: Countdown, Light
flicker, Heads on Desk)
 a. The teacher does her attention getting on an individual basis. She holds a childs hands
and tell them to look at her. At that point if the child does not focus she directs using
her finger on their chin to get them to look at her.
10. What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with?
a. Some behavior issues that is present within the classroom. Some of them are hitting
others, running in the classroom and the halls. The kids also scream a lot in the
classroom. There is one student that says “NO!” when asked to do something.
11. Are there any procedures in place that help or hinder instructional time?
a. There are no procedures within the classroom.
Assignment 4:

A) The physical characteristics of the school is an invitation to learning. The front of the school is clean
and sturdy; however the parking lot is very small. The field of the school is really large. The field itself is
about an acre long, but it is split in half with the neighbor school Guy Elementary School. When you
walk into the school you see a lovely mural of children in school shirts reading. As you walk through the
school you see children’s work all over the walls due to Nevada Reading Week. All the walls on the
bathroom that have the sinks have murals also there is a very friendly atmosphere. All of the fixtures
are up to date. The colors of the school are red and yellow.

B)

1. Mission Statement: The mission of the Wolfe Elementary community is to work collectively to
endure a safe, nurturing, and cooperative environment, where all children have the opportunity
to achieve academically, develop socially, and grow emotionally.

Motto: Live For Learning

Mascot: Desert Suns

2. The interactions within the school, in the main office are very friendly. The staff is always
friendly. They make all visitors sign into the computer before they enter the school. The staff
and the teacher’s interactions are always friendly toward each other. They have small talk and
seem very much like a team. The student teacher interactions are different then I’ve ever seen.
The students give finger hugs and they are always shouting “Hey” to any teacher the students
have had in the past. Sometimes the students will run or walk up and give the teacher a hug.
3. The different grade level has a different schedule to follow. Since we are in an elementary
school the ages of students range from five to eleven. Every month there is a different calendar
of events. They group the students in great rooms by grade level.
4. The student/student interactions are very minimal due to the fact that they walk in line arms
folded, no talking. When the kids are on their bathroom break the students talk and interact a
little more. The students wear backpacks that carry their homework. The students books are in
there desks due to the fact that it is an elementary school.
5. Grade levels are in great rooms. Each grade level has their own area. The only grade level that
does not have their own great room is third grade. There are four third grade classes so they
split them and put two classes in the first grade great room and the other two classes are put in
the second grade classroom.
6. Since the school opened there have been two things that became a part of the school. There is
a good citizen award given away each month and there is a small reward system called thumbs
up. Some other things that the school does is star of the week, super line, spaghetti dinner, two
festivals, volunteer breakfast, morning opening, and school colors on Friday. Some of the
sports and after school activities are: soccer, basketball, football, cheer, art club, choir, drums,
and recorder club. The school holds a jar of the dirt when they broke ground to build the
school.
C)

1. Viewing a couple classrooms different teachers have different expectations for learning, they
also interact with students differently. Some are more engaged while other teachers barely
interact with students other than fiving instructions. Different teachers have different
personalities.
2. Student’s participation level is different in every class. Some classes the students always have
their hands up while other students never have their students up.
3. Teacher/student interactions is friendly when need be and stricter when need be. Some
teachers are softer than others then seem to have no control over their class. While other
teachers have a better control on their class.
Assignment 5:

1. What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

a. To make a difference in students lives.
2. What is the main challenge(s) you face as a teacher?
a. Fining strategies that work with the students.
3. What is the best part(s) of being a teacher?
a. When her students get it and make the connection.
4. How do you determine where students sit in class?
a. Depends on how the students behave next to each other.
5. How do you determine the members of any flexible groups?
a. By academic level.
6. Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly?
a. Star reading, Lexia, Dibels, teacher made assessments.
7. What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents?
a. IEP progress reports and report cards.
8. How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person?
a. Some daily and some for IEP meetings or revisions.
9. What type of discussions do you typically have with parents?
a. Behavior and progress of students and goals.
10. How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?
a. Collects data daily and graphs it weekly.
11. How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
a. A week.
12. What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
a. Over preparing, schedule, extra worksheets.
13. What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with?
a. ABA
14. What behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group?
a. Reinforcing other students and token boards.
15. How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process?
a. They are mostly involved, some talk with teacher to get strategies.
16. How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool(s) is used by the administration for
determining your own performance?
a. Three times a year with observation sheets
17. What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?
a. You can lose your job or probation.
18. What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially or professionally form the
school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction?
a. $1000.00 a program a year, PTA gives $100.00, and mentors.
19. What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?
a. How tiring and rewarding it is and all of the paper work.
Assignment 6:

Boys: Girls:

I say this because the time period that I observe written the classroom. There are only boys in
the room. The teacher is always interacting with them. In twenty minutes time she talked to or
commented on a behavior whether it was an appraisal or repercussion. The teacher did talk to the boys
nine times. I am in the class in the morning so during this time she is closing circles and centers so there
is a lot of interactions between the teacher and students.
Assignment 7:

1. What are your responsibilities as principal at an elementary school?

a. As a school principal, I am responsible for all that goes on in my school. I oversee
facilities, budget, appraisals, discipline, special education, staff development, testing,
hiring, curriculum, and anything else.
2. What does it take to become a principal?
a. To become a principal, you will need to teach at least three years, have a master’s
degree as well as a mid-management/administrator certificate. My master is in
Educational Administration.
3. What is your favorite and least favorite part about being an administrator?
a. I enjoy working with teachers to help them improve their expertise. I also enjoy being
with the kids. I do not like doing the reports.
4. What do you do to help improve school test scores?
a. To increase test scores, I meet with staff to review or adopted curriculum and how we
can use our school resources to help kids become more successful. I provide resources
so that teachers can teach.
5. What kind of learning environment is at Eva. M. Wolfe? Are there ways you would like to
improve it?
a. I feel we have a warm supportive learning environment at Wolfe. Kids, parents,
community and staff are treated with courtesy and respect. I wish we have more money
to provide extra technology equipment.
Assignment 8:

A)

1. Do your students participate or behave differently in these classes in comparison to their regular
academic classes?
a. I would have to answer that yes and no. I say that because the students do have their
moments, however from what I have seen they have do seem to be a bit calmer and
quieter than in the classroom. I went to Library with the students. They went right to
work instead of like within the classroom where they usually grab a toy.
2. Does any student seem to have a particular talent? Explain.
a. Since I only viewed them in Library there was no child that showed a particular talent.
3. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education class?
a. Well the students get to sit down and read books and occasionally go onto the
computers. Within Library there is no set curriculum the students basically get to roam
around and do pretty much anything. This is and not similar to the classroom because
the students get to do whatever they want at some points during the day, and other
parts the teacher has the students on a set schedule.
4. Describe the specialist teacher’s instructional style.
a. She is very calm and orderly. She tries to speak with them with a very peaceful voice.
When a student is having a fit she takes control immediately and has the situation under
control.
5. What different strategies do you notice this teacher using that is successful?
a. She is very calm. The students seem to react well to that then compared to their
teacher who seems to be very loud and sort of impatient.
6. What are the challenges the specialist teacher has to deal with?
a. The kids have stems. The Library specialist has to deal with random out bursts and if the
students have fits or a tantrum the librarian has to be able to deal with that.
7. How are the student’s needs being met?
a. The assistant stays with the students and she brings a bag full of toys and objects that
the students really like so that way they have something to do during the time period if
they choose not to read.

B)

1. Do you notice any social and academic difference between the kids in this class and in the
regular education classes?
a. There is an academic difference between the GATE classroom and a normal classroom
because the education is a little more advance and the students are being taught to be
more independent in their work.
2. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education class?
a. It is more advance and in-depth than a normal classroom work.
3. Describe the GATE teacher’s instructional style.
 a. She is more firm with the students. She doesn’t let them slack off or mess around. She
is very serious ever within a fun activity.
4. Would you rather be in this class or the regular education class? Why?
a. I would rather be in a regular education class, because there is so much more you can
do as a class where no matter what the child’s level is he or she can participate. I also
say this because GATE is a specialty within an elementary school. I would rather teacher
general education than a specialty.
5. How are student needs being met?
a. Their minds are being tested each and every time they enter the classroom. The get
interesting puzzles and activities that maybe their other classrooms don’t offer them.
Assignment 9:

The lesson that was being given during the period of observation was the speech teacher working one
on one with the student. The child had to match pictures to the same pictures. On the pictures there
were actions. For example, spin around, eating, jumping. Once the student matches all the pictures
correctly the student himself does all of the actions. The student that I was observing was having a bad
day prior to the speech teacher coming in to work with him. This affected his focus on the assignment.
The student tends to yell when he is frustrated or upset. When the teacher told him to match a picture
he threw the picture and yelled at the teacher. When she tried to ask him again he would cover his
ears. The teacher tried to get his attention back and get him on task she gave him a five minute break.
The child went to go grab fruit snacks and a computer game. After the child got to relax and have a
break he got back to work. He was still fussy and had some trouble focusing on work, however he was a
lot better then what he was to start with. The child had to take about three breaks within a thirty
minute time period. The child is nonverbal so from his point of view I can see how trying to do the
actions and not completely understanding they can be difficult.