Field Observation

Wendy Ellsworth
EDU 201
Susan Bridges
12/2
THE FIELD OBSERVATION ASSIGNMENTS: Cooperating Teacher assigned to CSN
student

ASSIGNMENT #1 (Culture): Using the questions below, carefully observe and evaluate the
culture of the school. School culture refers to the way teachers and other staff members work
together and the set of beliefs, values, and assumptions they share. A positive school climate and
school culture promote students' ability to learn. Remember you are evaluating the school for its
educational culture, place of learning, sense of safety, invitation for learning, promotion of self-
actualization, development of values and socialization. Use online resources such as your
assigned school’s CCSD webpage, http://nevadareportcard.nv.gov/di/,
https://www.publicschoolreview.com, and https://www.greatschools.org/nevada/las-vegas/ to
answer the following questions.

Physical Characteristics: Look at a picture(s) of the school to determine atmosphere, comfort,

and feelings the school creates for students in the educational setting.

1. Consider the school property: building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping, trees,
parking lot, crosswalks, gates, signs and symbols. Describe in detail.

2. Next, (if available) study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting,
doors, windows, hall colors and decorations and entrance security. Explain in detail.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and/or observe to determine the climate, values, and
atmosphere within the school.

1: What are your first impressions of the school? Enrollment, graduation rate, proficiency
rates, student/teacher ratio etc.
My first impression of the school is that it reminded me of my elementary school, and I felt
welcomed by my teacher and the other employees.

2: Please describe the student make-up of the school, including gender, ethnicity, students
with disabilities, ELL students, and any other attributes that are important to note you
found.
The teacher that I was working with taught students with IEP’s and we had a few “peers” in
our classroom to set a good example for the other students. We had students with different
genders, as well as ethnicity and disabilities.

3. Explain the school’s mission/vision statements, motto, and mascot.

No student left behind is a good motto. The staff does everything they can to help all
students as well as keep parents in the loop.
 4. Examine school traditions, achievements and awards; community recognition or
community partners; extracurricular activities/clubs and athletics. Look for and document
sources of community pride and sense of identity through ceremonies, assemblies, trophies,
and artifacts.
I didn’t get to see any trophies or any awards that the school has but, I do know that they
have a lot of activities in the school that are traditions. They have these to keep the students
and families of the school connected.

5. Briefly describe three other pieces of information that can be found on your assigned
school’s website.
I found fundraisers, contact information, and a school calendar which is very helpful.

Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.

1. What are the teacher’s expectations for learning and success?

She just wants every student to try the best that they can. That's all you can really ask for.

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does not?
In the classroom I noticed that the kids who are peers do a lot of the talking and answering
questions. People who have a problem with speech usually don't seem to participate in
classroom discussions much.

3. Evaluate the interactions between teacher and students, rapport, cohesiveness,

distribution of power, teacher personality.
The teacher knows that not all kids learn in the same way so when things aren't going to
plan a certain way she teaches then she will change it to help students understand in a
different way.
4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the class. Are they using
any chat features to communicate with each other?
I noticed that before class starts there are a few kids that are early and they will talk
sometimes before the teacher goes back on the meet. It is more difficult to have student-to-
student interaction when everything is online.

ASSIGNMENT #2 (Observations)

1: What are your first impressions of the virtual classroom environment? Is it warm,
inviting, organized, etc? Describe the virtual environment in detail.
 It is very organized and inviting. The students are always having fun and most times happy
to be in the classroom.

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.
Almost everybody in the class is on an IEP but some students are peers, and they are there
to set an example. Students in the class have many differences from disabilities, to gender,
to race.

3: Are their posted class rules or course expectations? If rules/expectations are posted
write them exactly as they appear.
There are a few rules for example no eating, no going off mute when it’s not instructed, and
no talking when the teacher is talking.

4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules/expectations? What rewards or consequences
are used for compliance or noncompliance?
Yes she does enforce these rules. When they don’t follow they will get a warning and if the
action continues an email home. When they are doing good, the teachers tell them that they
are doing great, and say’s to keep up the good work.

5: What is the posted daily/weekly schedule for different subjects or periods?

We have our morning songs and calendar, after we do ela and math. In Between math time
and ela we have a short story and dance.

6: Do you see evidence of the school’s mission/vision statements in the virtual

environment?
Yes I see that students are working together being respectful, and most of all no student is
ever left behind.

ASSIGNMENT #3 (Classroom Layout): Take screenshots of the learning management system

used by the teacher (Canvas, Google Classroom, Seesaw etc..)
 1: Describe the workflow of the online environment. Is the space and time used efficiently?
Yes, I think the space and time is used efficiently. The kids are always busy doing either
independent work or on google meet learning new lessons.

2: In your opinion, how can the virtual arrangement of the room be improved?
Maybe move unused supplies into the storage closet.

ASSIGNMENT #4 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time with your assigned

Cooperative Teacher, and record your observations when presented with the questions below:

1: Is instruction delivered in small groups, centers, whole groups, individually?

Instruction is delivered mostly in small groups.

2: Describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style.

She likes to discuss with the students and sometimes she does hands-on activities.
 3: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give
examples.
She uses a lot of hands on activities. We use play dough to shape letters when they are
learning to spell their names.
4: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented? Please explain.
Although sometimes certain students have a hard time staying on task, they are engaged for
most of the lessons.
5: Are there any students isolated or not present/participating in the class? Explain?
No, the students are never isolated during the lessons.
6: How does the teacher handle absences from the class?
When a student is absent for more than a day she will contact the parents to see what's
going on.
7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity?
Are the transitions efficient?
We have a song or story in between the two subjects to get them ready.
8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc. Are
they effective?
When students are not on task she will put her hands on her ears and say “it's time to put
our listening ears on”.
9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the teacher
handle the behavior issues? Be specific.
There are many kids that can't sit still for long, or start playing with toys. She will
incorporate fun things in her lesson to get the students moving.
10: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time? Please
explain them and how they help or hinder instructional time.
I have not yet experienced this while in the classroom.
ASSIGNMENT #5 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned
classroom during direct instruction.

1: What drove you to choose this student?

I chose this student because she is a “peer” in the classroom and I wanted to see what she
does to help the other students stay on task.
2: Explain what the student did during the observation.
She was staying on task and setting a good example for the other students.
3. Summarize the lesson given and the student’s responses to the lesson.
The lesson was a patterns lesson and she was participating and answering the questions.
4. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented by the
classroom teacher.

5. Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles, involvement in
class, and his/her educational needs.
 I noticed that sometimes she gets a little bored because she is ahead of the classmates. So a
hands-on style fits her best.

ASSIGNMENT #6 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Arrange for a convenient time to

interview your cooperating teacher either on the phone or by video conference. Ask the
questions below. Include any school document, handouts, etc. the teacher provides..

1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher? Loves children.
2: What are the main challenges you face as a teacher? Being patient.
3: What is the best part of being a teacher? Seeing the students growth.
4: How do you determine where students sit in class? Random usually, until they give me a
reason to change them.
5: How do you select members of any flexible groups? Watching who works well with
each other.
6: How often do you interact with parents in person? What are the main reasons for
interactions with parents?
Very rarely, usually parent teacher conferences.
7: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?
Most is graded already through online lessons. I enter the scores on an infinite canvas.
8: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
Usually 4 hours.
9: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
Planning my lessons ahead and going over them.
10: What positive reinforcements have you used successfully? What behavioral
consequences seem most effective with this age group? Words of affirmation are the most
successful.
11: How are specialist teachers involved in your instructional planning and process?
Help with lesson planning, keeping students on task, and even teaching sometimes.
12: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the administration
for determining your teaching performance? Not too often. I mostly just have to keep track
of student growth and complete the evaluation on time.
13: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable? N/A
14: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession? How attached you get to the
students.
15: What drives their lesson plans? What standards do teachers use during lesson planning?
She usually folds last week's lessons in a little and elaborates. Also videos and songs that
go along with the lesson are important.
16: If they are teaching at a Nevada Charter school, are there lessons prescribed from core
standards or from other resources? n/a
17. How do you accommodate ELL, GATE, General Ed and Special Education students?
 Her classroom is a special education classroom so that is all she really has, except for the
few peers in the class to set good examples.

ASSIGNMENT #7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour
Field Observation. What did you observe, learn, realize about teachers, students, instruction, the
school environment? How has this observation better prepared you to understand the teaching
profession? How does the observation relate to the text information and class activities? What
specific ideas on teaching will you remember to include in your classroom?
While doing this I have learned more than I ever have about teaching. It has given me a good
outlook on what to actually expect. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity. I have learned
that having patients is very important and might be a struggle of mine in the future. I have also
learned how every student is different and it is important to learn to compensate for all the
different learning styles. Most of all I have become even more excited for what the future holds
for me.
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Remember that before receiving the final grade for this EDU course, the CSN student must
submit the completed Cover Page, Field Observation Activities, Time Log, and Student
Evaluation to the CSN instructor for grading.

The cooperating teacher must also email the instructor to confirm the successful completion of
the observation. The student is required to provide the CCSD cooperating teacher with their CSN
professor’s email, so the cooperating teacher can send an email to verify that the student has
successfully completed the 10 hours of observation. The instructor’s email must be provided on
the first page of this packet, and on the next page for the cooperating teacher.

Remember that completion of the Field Observation is a PASS/FAIL component of the course.
Students must save this completed packet in digital form, and as a hard copy for the Education
Department’s capstone course, (EDU 299) Education Portfolio or (EDU 220) Educational
Psychology

COOPERATING TEACHER INFORMATION - CSN FIELD OBSERVATIONS -

VIRTUAL

Dear Cooperating Teacher,

Thank you for assisting in the preparation of a new generation of Nevada teachers. Our education
majors are required to complete 10 field observation hours in: EDU 20____ Introduction to
__________________ Education

This class is where many of our students actually make the decision whether they will continue
further study of the profession. We appreciate you joining us in providing these students with a
wonderful first experience in the virtual classroom. If at all possible, please utilize the student to
assist you in supervised classroom instructional activities if you deem them ready.

We are hopeful that the information we have enclosed with this letter, which has been approved
by the Nevada College Consortium, will help you with a clear sense of how this field experience
works. When the student has completed his/her required 10 observation hours, please complete
and sign the “FIELD OBSERVATION TIME LOG” and “FIELD OBSERVATION STUDENT
EVALUATION” (along with the student). Then, return these two pages to the student who will
submit them to his/her professor.

For your convenience, the student has provided you with CSN contact information below. Please
contact the CSN instructor if there are any questions or concerns.

Also, before a final grade for EDU _____ can be assigned, the CSN professor MUST receive
your official email verification that the student successfully completed the 10 hour observation.
Please also “cc” the student on this email. The student WILL NOT receive a final grade in the
course until the email is received from you.

CSN Course # & name: EDU ______ Introduction to __________________ Education

CSN Professor: Susan Bridges

CSN Professor’s phone:

CSN Professor’s email:

Student’s full name: Wendy Ellsworth

Student’s email: wendy.ellsworth.1234@gmail.com

Should you have any concerns or questions about this process, please feel free to contact the
instructor directly, or the CSN Education Department at: (702) 651-4400.
TIME LOG - CSN Field Observations - VIRTUAL MEETINGS
CSN Student: Wendy Ellsworth

CSN Instructor: Susan Bridges

CCSD School Assigned: Dooley John Elementary School

CCSD Cooperating Teacher: Rena Dombrowski

CCSD Grade/Department: Pre-k

CCSD School Principal: Andrea Hill

CCSD School Phone: (702) 799- 8060

Log Log Hou

Date
On Off rs
8:0
2:00
11/2 0a 6
pm
m
8:0
2:00
11/3 0 6
pm
am

Total Hours: 12 hours

CCSD Teacher Signature: _________________________ Date: ___________________

FIELD OBSERVATION STUDENT EVALUATION - completed by Cooperating CCSD
teacher

Please complete the following evaluation using the Performance Indicator Scores below (with
the student) once the total observation hours are met. Your constructive comments are extremely
valuable to the student. Return this page to the student along with their Time Log to be
submitted to the instructor with the completed Field Observation Packet.

Enter the appropriate “Performance Indicator Score” in the spaces below

(4)=exemplary (3)=consistent level (2)=not consistent (1)=lacking

_____ Professional appearance, adherence to CCSD dress code

_____ Reliability, punctuality
_____ Communicates effectively with teachers and staff
_____ Demonstrates manners, graciousness
_____ Reflects upon observations using critical thinking
_____ Demonstrates enthusiasm and curiosity toward the profession
_____ Models respectful behavior with students
_____ Uses appropriate language
_____ Exhibits pre-service educator success indicators

Comments:
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Cooperating Teacher’s Signature: __________________________________ Date:__________