Observational Learning

Jordan Horne

Introduction to Special Education 203

Reflection Paper

Thursday December 14, 2017

 Observing Mrs. Lewis’s special education class at O.K. Adcock Elementary School was

such a wonderful and eye-opening experience! Upon entering her classroom for the first time, I

felt an immediate burst of vibrant energy. The room was filled with color, decked out with warm

and festive holiday décor, and had many child-centered attributes. As her students began to line

up outside of the door and stumble in one-by-one, each seemed a bit confused, but altogether

delighted to have a guest in their classroom. At first, I was a bit nervous about interacting with

the young students. I was worried that I would not be able to connect with them, but boy, was I

wrong! Within the first couple of minutes I had fallen head over heels for this class. Before

instruction began, the class and I played a quick little ice breaker game to get to know each other.

Afterwards, we had a short open discussion and the students took turns asking me questions.

Some were sweet, and others were downright hilarious! I felt extremely welcomed and positive

that it was going to be an amazing day!

When instruction began, I sat back and observed non-intrusively. I was amazed by how

engaged and self-sufficient the students were. Each student was familiar with the daily schedule

and classroom procedures, and they knew exactly what was expected of them. It was so

interesting to see the instruction from both the teacher’s and the students’ point of view! It was

also refreshing to see just how close and harmonious Mrs. Lewis’s relationship with her class

was. The positive classroom culture she maintains truly allows her to easily understand and

familiarize herself with the feelings, interests, and personal learning styles of her students. She is

also able to effectively communicate with her students, which is very important. When she

speaks, she uses a friendly, slightly humorous, high-pitched tone of voice.

 Being that Mrs. Lewis teaches a self-contained special education class, a large part of her

curriculum focuses on behavior management and basic life skills. Her thirteen students are

grouped by their special needs and abilities rather than by grade, so their ages range anywhere

between five and nine years old. Throughout the school day Mrs. Lewis’s students are

accompanied by a teacher or classroom aide while they transition from location to location,

whether it be to specials, lunch and recess, or to specific general education classrooms or

resource rooms for scheduled amounts of time. Many of her students have behavioral issues and

severe processing and learning disabilities. She also has one kindergarten student with autism

who often has violent outbursts in class. When I asked Mrs. Lewis about any other behavioral

issues her students may present, she mentioned how blessed she feels to have such a great group

of students this year, compared to a handful of her past classes. She explained that the only real

behavioral issue she frequently encounters is excessive talking and work avoidance. The

repercussions for bad behavior in Mrs. Lewis’s class are fair and give students multiple chances

to improve and correct their performance. Mrs. Lewis uses a daily token board to reward good

behavior, however, the main type of positive reinforcement she uses with her students is kind

words and encouragement.

Mrs. Lewis appears to be an incredible teacher with many years of experience behind her.

I feel that I have learned a whole lot from observing her class instruction and teaching style, as

well as personally talking with her about my chosen profession. Thanks to her, I have gained

more knowledge and insight about common core standards, IEP’s, inclusion, lesson planning,

classroom management, parent involvement, positive reinforcement, targeting personal learning

styles and interests, accommodations, modifications, differentiation and so much more! I am now
also painfully aware of some of the unique stressors and pressures that come with being a special

education teacher. All in all, I am extremely grateful for this observational learning experience,

and I hope to visit again someday soon as a volunteer!