CSN Education Department - Alternative Field Observation Activities Packet

Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects of EDU 202, is the opportunity you’ll have to observe in a school
classroom where students are actively engaged in learning. Each of these three CSN courses require
students to complete a 10 hour "Field Observation" in a Clark County public school. If CDC Guidelines for
Covid-19 prevent you from physically attending a school campus during the current semester, this packet
will offer the alternative experiences required to satisfy your “Field Observation” requirements for this
class virtually.

If possible, to pair you with a cooperating CCSD teacher, your placement will be processed by CSN’s
observation coordinator, and you will receive details regarding your assigned school from your CSN
professor. Only then, will you contact the school and meet virtually with your assigned CCSD
“cooperating teacher”. Both you and your cooperating teacher will design a mutually agreeable schedule
to complete your required contact hours once you meet for the first time.

Within this packet, you will find the required field experience assignments that you must complete in order
to pass this class.

Your Name: Rosamaria “Rose” Popp

CSN Course: EDU 202 Introduction to Secondary Education

Professor: Connie Christensen

Professor’s email: connie.christensen@csn.edu

CCSD School: Rancho High School

Cooperating Teacher: Ellen Brownridge

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DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION FIELD EXPERIENCE GUIDELINES

Standards of Conduct
You are student representatives of the CSN Education Department and the teaching profession.
Candidates are expected to maintain high standards of personal and professional ethics.

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular attendance and punctuality are mandatory. Once you determine a schedule with your
cooperating teacher, this becomes an agreement in which you are expected to adhere to. You are
expected to login and log-off to virtual meetings at the scheduled time. In case of illness or emergency
that would prevent you from joining a scheduled class virtually, you must contact the cooperating teacher
a minimum of 3 days in advance to let them know you will not be in attendance on that day.

Relationships
You should exercise respectful discretion when voicing your personal views. It is important that your
demeanor and opinions remain confidential. Under no circumstances can information about any students
be released to, or discussed with, any unauthorized person. It is forbidden to have any contact with
students outside of the classroom you are assigned. This restriction includes CSN students contacting
CCSD students in person, through any electronic means, or through the use of social media.

Dress Code
CSN Department of Education wants you to be a success. Therefore, we have adopted the CCSD dress
code for students fulfilling their observation requirement in the assigned school district. Appearance
creates credibility; make a good first impression by dressing professionally, even when meeting virtually.

Required Acceptable Attire:

Males:
• Shirts with collars
• Ties (optional) with button down shirts
• Khakis, trousers, slacks; belts if pants have loops, (no sagging, rips or tears)
• Simple jewelry
• Shoes and socks that cover the toes and heels

Females:
• Shirts or blouses that cover the shoulders & waist; no see-through or mesh
• Sweaters worn over shirt
• Pants, pantsuits, khakis, trousers, slacks (no sagging, rips or tears)
• Jumpers, dresses, skirts (in length from 2" above the knee to the ankle)
• Shoes and socks that cover the toes and heels
• Leggings worn under dresses/skirts/jumpers
• Simple jewelry or none
• Little (daytime) make-up

Not Acceptable Attire: jeans, shorts, tank tops, halter tops, muscle T-shirts, tight fitting clothing,
warmups, sandals, flip flops, stilettos; no cleavage showing, no sagging or frayed hems; no head covering
except for religious reasons, such as a yarmulke or turban-like. No nontraditional hair colors/styles.
Undergarments and tattoos should be covered. Remove facial jewelry. *School principal/supervisor has
the sole discretion on questionable clothing or appearance that distracts from student learning.

Classroom Conduct: At all times, the cooperating teacher maintains legal responsibility for pupils in his
or her classroom. You should never assume that responsibility and be left unsupervised with children.

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You should not discipline students. You are an observer, who should take notes to discuss during your
next education class meeting, or to record in your Field Observation packet.
Professional Conduct:
Never speak to staff or students in an abusive manner.
Never touch or be alone with a student for any reason.
Never give a student food, drink, or other items without the teacher’s permission.
Never take photos/video of students or staff without written permission from the principal.
Never make or accept calls/text using any communication device while at the school.

CCSD WAIVERS
Review the terms of the CCSD Waiver Forms provided by your instructor.
“Student Statement of Responsibility” (Exhibit B) “Student Confidentiality Statement” (Exhibit C)

These 2 waiver documents MUST be agreed to in order to secure your observation placement. While
submitting your Field Observation Request, you will be prompted to check that you have read and that
you agree to the terms of the waivers. Completion of the CSN Field Observation is a PASS/FAIL
component of the course.

ONCE YOU ARE ASSIGNED A COOPERATING TEACHER WHO IS DISTANCE LEARNING

1. Pre-plan for initial contact with the school you are assigned and make sure that all interaction with
CCSD employees and students is respectful, courteous, and professional. You are a representative of
this class and the college. CCSD is allowing you to observe their teachers to further your understanding
of the teaching profession. It is imperative that your actions reflect a willingness to learn, and are
reflective of a future professional educator. The school will select a teacher for you to observe and
provide you with their contact information.

2. The first half of your field observation/experience will be centered around learning background
information about the school you were assigned, and focusing on the general and unique characteristics
of its culture. You will be looking at, and reflecting upon things that are going on in the virtual classroom at
the school level that you were assigned. You are simply observing during this time. Your cooperating
teacher may give you guidance on how your experience can be expanded beyond simple observations, if
he/she feels comfortable with your professionalism and skills.

3. Contact your Cooperating Teacher to introduce yourself. Since this is your first contact, ask the
teacher for the necessary information to access their virtual classroom, and when the live sessions occur
that they would prefer you to join. Share this “Field Observation Activities Packet”, with your cooperating
teacher as well as the last 3 pages which contain the “Cooperating Teacher Information”, the “Time
Log” and the “Field Observation Student Evaluation”. Let the teacher know that you will be taking
notes during the observation for your packet assignments, that you will be asking them to verify your
hours of attendance, and evaluate your participation once the total observation hours are complete.

4. When logging in with your cooperating teacher and their students during a virtual meeting, it is
recommended that you keep both your microphone and video camera OFF during the observation,
unless the cooperating teacher directs you to speak or be seen while observing. In that case, make sure
your home workspace is void of background distractions, or anything in view that may be considered
inappropriate for students to see. Your online attire should be the same as if you were visiting the school
in person. Employ the use of typical lighting and image framing to make the most of your broadcast. The
typical “Rule of Thirds” works well, whereby the camera height is adjusted so that your eyes are

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positioned in the top third of the window. Front lit subjects look better on screen than being backlit by a
window or artificial light.

THE FIELD OBSERVATION PACKET ASSIGNMENT DIRECTIONS

Read through all the assignments and take notes during your observation visits. You will gather
information on more than one assignment during an observation. Then, using your notes answer
the questions for each assignment.

• All assignments must be word processed. Your detailed responses to assignment

questions must demonstrate careful analysis of the questions and the observation
information.

• Questions and their responses must include thorough explanations and examples from
the classroom observation. All responses must be written as complete sentences.

• Include the question number, along with your response as a short essay response as in
this sample below:

Assignment #2 - Question 1: What is your first impression of the classroom

environment?

Response: “The classroom environment is friendly and welcoming to the students

and seems a fun place to learn. The classroom is decorated with the students’
work, interesting posters and the teacher shows respect to the students.”

When it is time to submit the Field Observation Packet for grading, these items must be
included:

• The cover page of the Field Observation Packet

• All observation assignments

• Time Log verifying hours spent within virtual meetings

• The Cooperating Teacher Evaluation

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 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.

Rancho High School looks very inviting for its vibrant school colors of green and
white that stand out so animatedly that you’re soon to be in full spirits of the home of
the Rams. I have had the pleasure of visiting Rancho High School before because I
used to attend basketball/football games. The landscaping is kept up so that when
people drive by, they can get a nice first impression of how beautiful it looks. There are
tall palm trees at the front of the building when you walk into the entrance, along with
a nice shade above that is painted in accents of green. In the front are also some nice
small boulders and flower bushes that are eye-catching. What I like most is that there is
a Wall of Honor outside of the school that has the names of all Rancho High School
graduates who passed away in service to our country- it takes on the shape of Nevada.

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.

The interior of Rancho High School was remodeled back in 2006 and construction
designed it to resemble a mall, with an open-air like esplanade in the center above. In
the gymnasium is a painted ram, to replicate their mascot. Because of the newly
designed esplanade in the ceiling, there is more room for natural light to shine in
through all of the windows on the hallways and entrance of Rancho High School. This
immaculate 2-story campus mirrors a mini-college like campus experience.

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.

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 I knew Rancho High School was a large school, but I was surprised to learn that as of
last school year, 2019-2020, according to nevadareportcard.nv.gov, Rancho had 3,308
total enrollments. Their graduation rate was 96.43% and they are rated a 4-star school,
which is pretty impressive. Rancho High School is the second oldest school in Las
Vegas that offers a Magnet Academy of pre-medical and aviation programs. There
was no data for student/teacher ratio.

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.

According to nevadareportcard.nv.gov, in the 2019-2020 school year, there were

75.51% Hispanics, 9.16% Blacks, 8.22% Whites, 2.18% of two or more races, 0.82%
Pacific Islander, and 0.21% American Indian/Alaskan Native students that made up the
school. According to publicschoolreview.com, there are 49% male students and 51%
female students. The nevadareportcard.nv.gov website claims that there are 23.28%
English Language Learners and 9.4% students with IEP’s (Individualized Education
Plans).

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

The Magnet Academy’s mission statement is to educate students to become

Responsible, Achieving, Motivated, and Self-Reliant citizens, who are well-rounded
and well-prepared for future success. Established in 1954 Rancho High School is the
second oldest high school in the Las Vegas valley.  RHS introduced its Academy
programs in 1997, adopting the “school-within-a-school” model to promote cultural,
social, and economic diversity. Part of a comprehensive high school, the RHS
Academy provides students with rigorous and relevant learning experiences within the
magnet programs as well as in the general curriculum. RHS challenges students with a
wealth of Honors and Advanced Placement offerings. Faculty and administration
continuously monitor the academic needs of students to provide them with the best
educational experience possible. RHS fosters student creativity and ingenuity through
dynamic electives such as orchestra, theater, dance, band, choir, and art. After-school
athletic programs and club activities address students’ social needs by providing a
sense of community. In all its endeavors, the RHS Academy programs strive to educate
students to become Responsible, Achieving, Motivated, and Self-reliant citizens.
Rancho High School’s mascot is the Rams

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.

Just this year in 2020, Raiders, in partnership with the NFL Grassroots Program,
announced that they would be donating $250,000 towards an all new synthetic turf for
Rancho’s football field. Their old football field was deemed as unsafe, so they are very

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 grateful for this new field. However, now due to COVID, they still must wait to put the
nice field to use. Rancho HS is a certified national magnet school, having been
awarded a national award of merit for excellence by Magnet Schools of America.
Rancho HS is known for their magnet programs of pre-medical and aviation programs.
They also have an excellent JROTC program. I didn’t see a list of clubs/activities on
the school website; it just states to contact a staff if you have any inquiries. I assume
because of COVID, clubs/activities are either halted and/or meeting virtually.

5. Briefly describe three other pieces of information that can be found on your assigned
school’s website.

On the main page, you will be able to find that Ranch HS offers a link to a document
where parents/guardians can find community resources such as: CCSD learning
distance, housing assistance, healthcare, early childhood education, food assistance,
workforce and employment, and much more. There is also a tab on the main page on
the right called the “counselors corner” where you can find out more information on
college/career opportunities, with link links to scholarship opportunities, and an
introduction of each of the counselors, and their contact number in case you’d like to
get ahold of one of them. Also, on the main page is a built-in calendar of all upcoming
and past events; this is beneficial to help keep parents/guardians, students, and staff on
track.

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?

The teacher’s expectations for learning and success are that she wants them to actively
participate in discussion and reflections throughout the semester. She also expects them
to treat faculty, staff, administrators, substitutes, other students, and their self with
respect. The students should be dressed in appropriate school attire while on Google
Meets. The students should also have their supplies ready at hand when class starts.
And the teacher expects them to remain on task, using the Google hand to raise their
“virtual” hand if they have any questions. The teacher also expects them to follow The
Nevada Department of Education and the Clark County School District’s policies and
procedures listed out in the code of honor and student code of conduct.

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does
not?

During my classroom observations, I noticed that there were more male students who
had their camera on, than female students. I also noticed that both genders participated
equally, only the males chose to speak into their microphone, and the female students
chose to type in the chat box.

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

distribution of power, teacher personality.

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 The interaction between the teacher and students was very good. She had what seemed
to me to be the best virtual classroom management. She was really good about keeping
the students on task, even if the topic got off subject, she was able to easily steer them
back, by saying, “Ok, do we need more time on this assignment?” or “Does anybody
have any questions about what they’re supposed to be doing?”. The teacher, Ms.
Brownridge overall had a pretty laid-back personality. I never saw her get irritated,
mad, or have a negative attitude not one time. She was very engaging with the students
and in return, they were very engaging back.

4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the class. Are they using
any chat features to communicate with each other?

Some of the students interacted with each other via the microphone option. Other
students, mostly the female students would answer or ask a question via the chat box.
Even when the teacher broke them out into break-out rooms, when we would visit each
break-out room, it seemed that the male students were still the only ones conversing
with each other, while the female students used the chat box.

ASSIGNMENT #2 (Classroom Observations)

1: What are your first impressions of the virtual classroom environment? Is it warm,
inviting, organized, etc? Describe the virtual environment in detail.

My first impressions of the virtual classroom environment were very warm and inviting.
Ms. Brownridge introduced me to the class and they students received me in a positive
manner. I was intrigued at how many students were logged on at the time (it was about
30 students). Less than half of the students had their cameras on, which I noticed to be
only the male students. A lot of students liked using the chat box to ask and answer
assignment questions. The way that Ms. Brownridge used her time in teaching online
was very useful; the students had plenty of time to work on assignments and turn them
in. Ms. Brownridge did a great job at explaining the assignment to the students to where
they were able to understand, and they were not afraid to ask her questions.

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.

In most of the classes I observed, I noticed that there were predominantly Hispanic male
and female students. I noticed a few white students. If there were black, native
American, or Asian/pacific islander, I did not see them because their cameras were off. I
did not observe any students that were ELL, but in my last observation, I realized there
was a DHH (deaf and/or hard of hearing) student. He did have hearing aids and I
realized there was also an interpreter that communicated to him via sign language. I did
get to hear him speak a few sentences that were very clear, and you wouldn’t have been
able to even tell he was DHH, because his words were so clear that anybody could

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 understand him. This particular student told Ms. Brownridge (via the interpreter) that he
doesn’t speak enough because he can’t hear himself, and his answer to the journal
prompt for that day, “What is something that you are proud of? Explain”, his answer was
that he was proud to be deaf.

3: Are their posted class rules or course expectations? If rules/expectations are posted
write them exactly as they appear.

There is an orientation module in Canvas to which she goes over Online “Netiquette”.
This is what her message/flyer include: As we will be communicating frequently using
the tools in Canvas, it is important to be aware of how to communicate politely and
respectfully online! Please review the infographic below to get a sense of the online
etiquette that is expected in this course. We will also be exploring the concept of digital
citizenship. Any questions about it? Send me a message!

 When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You
don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to
communicate your meaning; words -- lonely written words -- are all you've got.
And that goes for your correspondent as well.
 Computer networks bring people together who'd otherwise never meet. But the
impersonality of the medium changes that meeting to something less -- well, less
personal.
Remember the human
 In real life, most people are fairly law-abiding, either by disposition or because
we're afraid of getting caught. And, perhaps because people sometimes forget
that there's a human being on the other side of the computer, some people think
that a lower standard of ethics or personal behavior is acceptable in cyberspace.
 Be ethical: Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what
you can get away with." if you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace,
consult the code you follow in real life. Breaking the law is bad Netiquette: If
you're tempted to do something that's illegal in cyberspace, chances are it's also
bad Netiquette.
 You're taking up other people's time (or hoping to). It's your responsibility to
ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.
 You are not the center of cyberspace
 Don't expect instant responses to all your questions.
 When you're working hard on a project and deeply involved in it, it's easy to
forget that other people have concerns other than yours.
 Don't assume that all readers will agree with, or care about, your passionate
arguments.
 You may not be judged by the color of your skin, eyes, or hair, your weight, your
age, or your clothing. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your
writing. Use proper spelling and grammar.
 Pay attention to the content of your writing. Be sure you know what you're
talking about; bad information propagates like wildfire on the net.  In addition,
make sure your writing is clear and logical. It's perfectly possible to write a

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 paragraph that contains no errors in grammar or spelling, but still makes no sense
whatsoever.
 When someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error, a silly question
or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If you feel strongly about it,
think twice before reacting.
 If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and
preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the
doubt; assume they just don't know any better.

4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules/expectations? What rewards or

consequences are used for compliance or noncompliance?

During my time of observing Ms. Brownridge and the students, I did not witness any
students that were disobeying the rules that she set forth. The students were very
respectful of each other and when she sent them in break-out groups, they all did a good
job of working with one another, although I imagined the boys must’ve been frustrated
that the girls didn’t use their microphone, but the boys never mentioned it.

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

Since Rancho HS has a blocked schedule, Ms. Brownridge posts a daily journal prompt.
The class starts out with the journal prompt on the Google Meets, Ms. Brownridge gives
them time to answer and then if they’d like to share out loud, she gives them the
opportunity. If the student misses a journal prompt, it is available in the first module in
Canvas. The students then read some material together and they work on their next class
assignment of doing annotations and answering questions to help them to prepare for
their quiz. Ms. Brownridge’s modules are broken down by assignment and the readings.
It is very organized so that the students can easily find what they need to work on.

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

environment?

I did not see any evidence of the school’s mission/vision statements in the virtual
environment or Canvas.

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

system used by the teacher (Canvas, Google Classroom, Seesaw etc..)

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 1: Describe the workflow of the online environment. Is the space and time used
efficiently?

The workflow of the online environment is right on point. Ms. Brownridge usually
spends about 15 minutes on the journal prompt. This gives the students time to write in
their “virtual” journal the question and their answer and this allows them time to answer
any other journal prompts that they might’ve missed. During the 15 minutes, Ms.
Brownridge like the students to share what they wrote. Next, they finish off where they
left off in the reading, and she typically spent about 10 minutes on this, asking the
students questions on their comprehension in between. Then, they worked on their next
class assignment by annotating what they just read, and they spent like 35 minutes on
this. During my time in observing them, we went over The Scarlet Ibis and Thank You,
Ma’am. The students got to work in groups while working on this document in Google
Docs since it is live, which I thought was a great idea, since more than one student can
work on it at a time. Doing these 3 activities took up the whole class time of 60 minutes.

2: In your opinion, how can the virtual arrangement of the room be improved?

In my opinion, I think one way I’d try to improve the virtual arrangement is by going
over the reading comprehension more in-depth, by choosing random students to answer
my questions. Ms. Brownridge didn’t typically call on any one student in particular to
answer questions, because there were quite a few (mostly male students) that shouted out
the answer or that raised their “virtual” Google hand. But, by not picking students at
random, how do we know that each student actually understands?

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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?

At the beginning and middle of class, instruction is delivered to the whole class. Once
she assigns them the class assignment for the day after reading the material together, she
puts them into break-out rooms to work together in small groups. She even does this in a
normal class setting (pre-COVID). I didn’t notice any students who volunteered to work
on an assignment individually, but I noticed that this might be why her students show up
to virtual learning because she gives them the opportunity to work on their class
assignments together. I suppose if the student is absent a lot, then they might have to
work on this assignment by themselves.

2: Describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style.

I loved Ms. Brownridge’s teaching style. She is great with teenagers and very patient. In
the end, I found that our philosophies were the same in the sense that we have more of a
student-centered approach when it comes to teaching students. I told her how my
philosophy was social reconstructionism, to which she agreed that was hers too. She said
that there are some teachers (mostly the teacher-approached ones) that think the students
will connect with them because they’re so “wise”, but actually it’s not like that anymore.

3: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give
examples.

Pre-COVID 19, Ms. Brownridge has the students take the learning style quiz in the
beginning of the school year. In regular class setting, she said she’s able to usually tell
what learning style a student has. She usually tries to incorporate differentiated
instruction so that all students are able to learn what she is trying to teach them, but since
distance learning went into place, it has been a little bit more difficult to do that. I did
notice that she used more visuals than any of the other learning styles. For example, in
the annotation class assignment, she asks the students to annotate (highlight) in Google
Docs what the symbolism, setting, foreshadowing, ect. in the stories we read.

4: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented? Please explain.

The students do seem engaged in the lesson(s) Ms. Brownridge presented. As stated
above, I noticed there were quite a few students (mostly male) that liked to blurt out the
answers to her questions. Some were more reserved and liked using the Google “virtual”
hand to “raise” their hand. If a student didn’t understand something, they had no
problem asking questions so that she could better clarify. During my 10 hours of
observations, I probably witnessed like 3 students who politely excused themselves from

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 the class; their reason being that they had to go with their parent/guardian somewhere.
One reason that made me realize that they were engaged and interested in the lessons
and assignments was that there wasn’t much chit chat amongst the students about non-
academic related things.

5: Are there any students isolated or not present/participating in the class? Explain?

There were a few students who I noticed didn’t participate, but that were present. They
were mostly the female students. I assumed it was because maybe they were shy and
didn’t want to show their face on the camera or talk through their microphone. I noticed
that Ms. Brownridge also did not call on these “muted” students too much. The only
time I heard her calling on students was if she had the gradebook open, and she was
checking to see who had turned in assignments and who hadn’t; and the ones who hadn’t
is who she would call on and inquire about it. Even still, they would just type in the chat
box.

6: How does the teacher handle absences from the class?

During distance education, there is more assistance in handling absences. Ms.

Brownridge informed me that there are people at Rancho HS that are assigned to go
knocking on the doors of students who miss at least a couple days in a row. In person,
she handles it a little different. If they were absent frequently (in-person), she would
send the counselor an email asking if there is anything she needs to know in particular
with regards to the student. If there was not, then she would try to call home. If they’re
chronically absent, when they did show up, she’d pull them aside and ask them what’s
going on and encourage them to keep coming to school. She said one of her weaknesses
is calling home (presumably because she doesn’t have time for it).

7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity?
Are the transitions efficient?

Ms. Brownridge thinks she could do better at transition, but I think she did a great job at
it and like I said above, I think she makes great use of instructional time when she’s
giving out different assignments. Ms. Brownridge said if class was in-person, she’d use
attention getters to grab the student’s attention, especially if they’re working in groups,
she thinks she can easily get them back on task. Another thing that Ms. Brownridge does
in-person is that she writes the schedule for that day on the whiteboard so that they’re
visually able to see it and that way they can keep themselves on task, too.

8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc.
Are they effective?

Some of the ways that Ms. Brownridge uses “attention getting” in-person is if it gets too
loud and because she has a soft, low voice, she’ll say, “Clap once if you can hear me”.
Sometimes she has to do it at least a couple of times in order to get the full class’s
attention.

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 9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the
teacher handle the behavior issues? Be specific.

Ms. Brownridge said that she had more behavioral issues in-person as opposed to
distance education learning. She says typically if a student gets off-task or not doing
what they’re supposed to be doing, if she quickly addresses it right then and there, by
saying, “What is it that you’re supposed to be doing?”, then the student will quickly
change his/her behavior. She says there are also stages in noticing when a student is
becoming agitated and/or aggressive, but the earlier you figure it out, fixing it before it
escalates and gets out of control is key. Ms. Brownridge also said she rarely has to call
home on a student that flat out won’t listen to her.

10: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time? Please
explain them and how they help or hinder instructional time.

The policy/procedures that Ms. Brownridge has in Canvas about online netiquette seem
to help the distance education instructional time. As I stated before, I didn’t observe any
students being disrespectful towards one another and I think they’re doing a great job of
following Ms. Brownridge’s policies/procedures in order for them to have smooth,
successful class time.

ASSIGNMENT #5 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned

classroom during direct instruction.

1: What drove you to choose this student?

During my last observation, I observed a student who was the only student out of about
29 students who had his camera on. So, because he had his camera on is why I decided
to observe him so that I could physically see him. He was patiently waiting for
instruction to start after the journal prompt.

2: Explain what the student did during the observation.

This student in particular started moving his fingers, as if her were using sign language; I
eventually figured out that there was a sign language assistant in the class and who was
his interpreter. The student even spoke a little bit to Ms. Brownridge, which I understood
completely. This student, you could tell was just physically happy, smiling from ear to
ear and I thought that was awesome.

3. Summarize the lesson given and the student’s responses to the lesson.

The students were all working on their journal prompt for that day, and the question was
“What is something you are proud of? Please explain”. The student typed in the chat box
his reply, “I am proud to be deaf”. That really touched my heart, as I had never heard

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 anybody say something like that before. I think the teacher was shocked as well, but she
replied, “That is good, Tony! That makes me happy!”. His positivity is inspiring to me.

4. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented by
the classroom teacher.

The teacher gave instruction on the symbolism of The Scarlet Ibis and asked the class to
raise their “virtual” hand if they understood what she was explaining. This student in
particular raised his “virtual” hand. The teacher only assisted with a couple of the
questions on the assignment and the students were to work on the rest of them on their
own. She would periodically check in to make sure everyone was on top of it and
completing the assignment by asking certain students if they were good or needed help.
The interpreter continuing to use sign language to explain the assignment to the DHH
student, he seemed to understand, but I didn’t see him working on anything.

5. Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles, involvement
in class, and his/her educational needs.

Ms. Brownridge explained to me that she thinks it’s pretty difficult for online learning
with the DHH student, whose name is Tony. She said that even through distance
education learning, his personality still comes out strongly. Since Tony is a DHH (deaf
and hard of hearing) student, he does require an interpreter in all of his classes. He also
wears hearing aids, but he still needs to have an interpreter, and of course, he uses and
understands sign language. His learning style is that you can pick up on how much
interaction he needs and wants, and he benefits more from someone having a
conversation with him, because he really likes that involvement.

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?

I really wanted to do something that dealt with people. That’s something that I’ve always
wanted to do. Both of my parents are teachers and they suggested that I try it once I was
done with school and they figured I wouldn’t try it any other time, plus I love teenagers,
I think they’re great.

2: What are the main challenges you face as a teacher?

I like most of it. There’s not a whole lot that I don’t enjoy about being a teacher. If
I have to narrow it down to something, I think a lot of the bureaucratic stuff (like
the standardized testing) is probably the most frustrating thing to me. I know some

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 of it’s necessary, but I think there are more important things to be worrying about.
There’s a lot of unnecessary things that are not helping the kids and I would like
more time to teach the kids more important things.

3: What is the best part of being a teacher?

I think just being able to see their moments of exploration. I like teenagers because
that’s the moment that they’re realizing who they are, and they are developing their own
thoughts and have their own feelings about stuff going on in the world.

4: How do you determine where students sit in class?

I always have seating charts. I usually always do it by alphabetical order unless the
student is hard of hearing or seeing, then I’ll put them towards the front. After the first
few weeks of getting to know them I will rotate them based on their individual needs and
I rearrange them every quarter. I try to see what students work good with others too.

5: How do you select members of any flexible groups?

When we’re in physical class, my desks are set up in pairs. They are always sitting next
to someone else because I like them to do group work. They can also turn their desks to
work in groups of 4 when I assign group work assignments. I have a high-high group, I
have a high-middle group, a low-middle group, and a low-low group. My hopes in doing
this is that they can work together to help each other level up.
6: How often do you interact with parents in person? What are the main reasons for
interactions with parents?

That’s probably the worst thing about myself. The school I work at is already not good
with interacting with parents due to language barriers and parents work schedules. That’s
just not something that I’m not great at. In person, I see them at open house and
sometimes when I attend games, but I never have them come into my class to talk about
their student. I’m also not good at calling home either. I should probably work on that…

7: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

It depends. When we were in-person, I tried to have at least 2 assignments a week that
were turned in and graded. In reality, there’s generally more than that but I try to have at
least 2. I have a total of 6 classes, so that’s a total of at least 12 different assignments that
I’m grading every week, and I have 240 students and especially for it being an English
class, I spend more time because it’s a lot of assignments that have to be read. I can’t
think of an estimate to give you because I grade sporadically throughout the week, but I
never realized how much time it was taking me…

8: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?

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 It doesn’t take me that long. I’d say the first couple of years, it took me a lot longer and
when you first become a teacher, you’re just trying to figure out what will work and
what won’t work. Now, it takes me like a couple of hours a week to plan everything.

9: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?

Right now, none. I would say I use a lot of time to check for understanding. I use a lot of
wait time. I also try to explain things in different ways, which is really difficult to do
online. I try to wait awhile so I’m giving them time to think and answer questions. I want
them to raise their hands if they get it and sometimes, I put them in breakout rooms so
they can work in groups if they want.
10: What positive reinforcements have you used successfully? What behavioral
consequences seem most effective with this age group?

Genuine positive compliments are the thing I do most because since they’re freshman,
that’s a tough age. And overall, I don’t know if it’s generational, but freshmen can be
pretty hard and critical of themselves, so I try to do a lot of positive reinforcement by
offering positive feedback. When I grade essays for example, if there’s negative
feedback, I also throw in some positive feedback to kind of balance it out. For me being
direct, because they know when they’re doing something wrong, being sarcastic or snide
is just not effective because they either don’t get it or might take it personal, but if
you’re just direct with them and ask them, “Is this what you’re supposed to be doing?”
or “What is it that you’re supposed to be doing?”, then they usually stop and get back on
task. The next step I’d take if it was in-person, I’d move their seats. The threat of calling
home is generally scary enough, but I try to not let it get to that point. Because if you
threaten them, and you don’t do it, then they will test you. I give them strikes. It usually
doesn’t get to the 3rd strike (calling home). The kid will usually get it after the first or
second time.

11: How are specialist teachers involved in your instructional planning and process?

I do have a cc teacher. It’s a hit or miss with her. I think she is close to retiring and she’s
a bit older, so she’s less inclined to really engage and learn about the technology.
Usually cc teachers co-teach but that’s not really been the case for me.

12: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance?
They have NEPF- Nevada Evaluation Performance Framework- and it’s a bunch of
standards that they grade you on. When you first start teaching, they observe you like 4
or 5 times. Now, I’m evaluated like 3 times a year, in the beginning, the middle, and the
end of the year. My current administrator now is pretty good about observing me on
time.

13: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

I think if you get a 2 or below, they put you on a warning and they have to observe you
more often, and during those times they are grading you with a NEPF and they offer you

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 suggestions on what to improve on to get a better score. Even if you’re doing well,
they’re supposed to be letting you know what you can approve upon still.
14: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?

This might sound rude, but I was surprised at how smart the kids are and how much they
taught me. I feel like there is so much that I’ve learned from them on a daily basis and it
made me have more appreciation for life, and I love how the kids are so full of wonder. I
actually think that that’s what makes a great teacher is a teacher who can learn from their
students. Teenagers get a bad rep, but they’re so resilient and the kids know if you care
about them or want to understand them. Teenagers are great at reading through
someone’s phoniness.

15: What drives their lesson plans? What standards do teachers use during lesson
planning?

Each grade level has different things that you’re supposed to teach. In English, it’s the
same for 9th and 10th grade and the same for 11th and 12th grade. I guess the thought
process behind it is they’re supposed to learn a skill at 9th grade and then in 10th grade,
they should be able to build on it. And the same thing for 11th and 12th grade. They’re
Nevada State standards but I’m not sure of what it’s actually called.

16: If they are teaching at a Nevada Charter school, are there lessons prescribed from
core standards or from other resources?

N/A- teacher works at Rancho High School and has never taught at a Charter school.

17. How do you accommodate ELL, GATE, General Ed and Special Education students?

I would say with ELL and Special Education students, it’s kind of similar. But, with all
students it’s important to scaffold things. There should be lots of structuring on how they
should do things. Scaffolding is really important. You want to do it in a way that they
feel confident and do it in steps, so they don’t feel overwhelmed. For ELL, there’s a lot
of things that they need defined for them and you’ll find yourself using synonym a lot.

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?
I learned that the teacher I observed, Ms. Brownridge and I, have similar philosophies, which are
student-centered approaches. I am lucky to have been able to observe her, because after
observing her teaching style, I can vividly paint a picture in my head of what my teaching style
will look like. We both have a calming manner about our self which really aids in the teaching

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profession. What I did already know is that I loved that not only one day will I be teaching them,
but that I’ll have plenty of students that will be able to teach me something. I loved hearing the
conversations that Ms. Brownridge was having with her students; it was a very safe, positive, and
healthy learning environment, and I could tell the students were happy to ask her questions about
anything- and that’s the type of classroom environment I hope to one day create. I am bummed
that we weren’t able to have in-person observations due to COVID, but I know later on down the
road, I’ll get to observe in an actual class and be more hands on. I was amazed at how well Ms.
Brownridge “virtually” managed her classroom and used instructional time in an efficient
manner. This observation has better prepared me to understand the teaching profession in the
sense that students are so imaginative and have so much to say, but they also have so much to
learn, and I’d like to find a way that I can incorporate the two, so that by the end of the day, I’m
satisfied just as much as my students are. This observation related to some of the text and class
activities because I got to see how MAP testing interrupted the teacher’s instructional time; I got
to see how to incorporate the sensory modalities into lessons; I observed that I will most likely
have the same teaching style as Ms. Brownridge and I think it’s also because we think alike in a
lot of ways when it comes to education; And she had informed me of the language barriers that
she and the school have with the parents/guardians in the community and that the communication
is not what it should be. Some things I’d like to remember to include in my classroom is just to
be myself. I realized after observing Ms. Brownridge that I don’t have to be a mean, uptight
authoritative figure, because that doesn’t mean that the students will necessarily respect you
more. I think as long as I remain patient and kind and really get to a point of understanding my
students and their backgrounds, while encouraging them to be the best that they can possibly be,
I will run a smooth classroom, and my students will turn out successful. Something else I’d like
to incorporate in my classroom that Ms. Brownridge really didn’t is the communication with the
parents/guardians. I’m all about being on one accord, and in order for my students to be
successful, they’re going to need all of the adults in their life to help hold them accountable. I
want them to know and understand that I’m all about communication and that I don’t have any
problem calling home. I want to make positive phone calls home as well. It’s rare when a
parent/guardian receives a positive phone call. When I used to work in the Dean’s Office at
Mojave HS, I always heard one of my Dean’s making positive phone calls- usually the Dean’s
are always the bad guy because they’re the ones who have to deliver bad news about their
student’s bad behavior at school, but when he would make those positive phone calls, I would
see a difference in the student’s attitude. I also want to include creating certificates for my
students as a way to incorporate positive reinforcements. I know that those small, sentimental
things mean a lot to students, especially if they usually never receive recognition for anything.

______________________________________________________________________

Remember that before receiving the final grade for this EDU course, the CSN student must
submit the completed Field Observation Activities Packet, 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 instructor’s email is provided on the first page of this packet, and on the
next page with “Cooperating Teacher Information,” and the student can provide the CCSD

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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.

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) or (EDU 220)

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 202
Introduction to Secondary 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 202 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 202 Introduction to Secondary Education

CSN Professor: Connie Christensen

CSN Professor’s phone: 702-651-4803 (Please leave a message)

CSN Professor’s email: connie.christensen@csn.edu

Student’s full name: Rosamaria “Rose” Popp

Student’s email: rosamaria.popp@student.csn.edu

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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: >>> Rosamaria “Rose” Popp

CSN Instructor: >>> Connie Christensen

CCSD School Assigned: >>> Rancho High School

CCSD Cooperating Teacher: >>> Ellen Brownridge

CCSD Grade/Department: >>> 9th/English

School Principal: >>> Darlin Delgado

CCSD School Phone >>> (702)-799-7000

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 DATE START TIM E END TIM E HOURS

TOTAL HOURS:

Cooperating 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.

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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:__________

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