CSN Education Department - Field Observation Activities Packet

Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects of EDU 201, EDU 202 and EDU 203 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 all students to complete a 10 hour "Field Observation" in a Clark County public
school.

Once your placement is processed, you will receive details regarding your assigned school from your
CSN professor. Only then, will you contact the school and meet with your 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 and other documents that you
must complete in order to pass this class.

Your Name: Stephanie Mora

CSN Course: EDU 203 Intro to Special Education

Professor: Vicki Rieger

Professor’s email: vrieger@interact.ccsd.net

CCSD School: Whitney Elementary School

Cooperating Teacher: Leilani Salenga

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ASSIGNMENT 1 (Observations): After arrival, take a seat in a nonintrusive location to begin your
classroom observations. Complete the questions below:

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

My first impressions of Ms. Rackley’s (a third-grade teacher that Ms. Salenga co-teaches with)
classroom was that it was inviting, but a little cluttered in the area close to the door and in the teacher’s
corner. It was inviting because it was colorful, had posters that help the students (i.e. bubble maps and
writing strategies) as well as student work.

Observation 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.

The class has a total of 17 students. Out of the seventeen students, twelve are Hispanic, four are African
American, and one is Asian. The Asian student was ELL. In fact, he had only been in the U.S. for a total
of one month, so the special education teacher would talk to him in his native language from time to
time.

Observation 3: What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written)
1. Follow directions
2. Listen while others are talking
3. Respect yourself, others, and your school

Observation 4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules? Are rewards or consequences being used
for compliance or noncompliance?

She does enforce the posted rules. As far as rewards and consequences, she uses a clip behavior system.
When a student is being bad or not following the rules their clip is moved down. Similarly, if they are
behaving and following the rules, their clip can be moved up.

ASSIGNMENT 2 (Classroom Layout): Use graph paper or drawing software to create an accurate
overhead view, labeled drawing, of your assigned classroom before answering the questions below

Classroom Layout Question 1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently?

Yes, I believe it is. The teacher uses up all the space in her room, but makes sure that the classroom is
not crowded. The student and the teacher are able to move around the classroom freely and easily.

Classroom Layout Question 2: In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be
improved?

I think one think she could improve on would be the reading/library corner. As on now, it seems a bit
cluttered with lots of rolling carts full of books in front of the bookcases. I think that if she organizes the
rolling carts a little better, the corner would look less cluttered. Additionally, the student desks next to
the teacher’s desk make it hard to walk through that area. Maybe she could move the student’s desks (in
the middle) up more, so that she could place the other kids towards the back or she could move the two
students desk in front of the main group of desks if she wants to have them closer to them. I think this
could be better because as of now she has a pretty roomy area in the front of the classroom.
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 White board Smartboard White board
Teacher’s
bookshelf

Desk

cabinet
Teacher’s
chair

desk
Student

chair

Student
desk
chair

chair

kidney
table

Circle table

Student computers and chairs

chair
chair
desk
bookshelf

Rolling cart
Trash cans

with books
desk

bookshelf cabinet water

door fountain

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ASSIGNMENT 3 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time in your assigned classroom, and
record your observations when presented with the questions below:

Instruction Question 1: What is the posted daily schedule for different subjects or periods?

Ms. Rackley’s third grade classroom

9:10AM -10:20 AM—Math
10:20AM – 11:20AM –Reading Rangers
11:20AM – 12:20PM –Reading
12:20 PM- 1:20PM –Lunch
1:30PM- 2:30PM –Intervention
2:30PM – 3:15PM –Writing

Instruction Question 2: Is instruction done in small groups, centers, whole groups, individual?
Instruction by the general education teacher is usually done in whole group.

The instruction by the special education teacher can be whole group (when she is co-teaching along a
general education teacher), small group (when she is parallel teaching with the general education teacher
or she pulls out the students to give them additional help on a specific topic), or individual.

Instruction Question 3: How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style?

Ms. Salenga seems to be a very relaxed and positive teacher. She allows for movement and some
playing around by the students, but at the end of the day she expects them to be respectful, to learn, and
to participate in the activities she is providing. Also, she loves to give positive reinforcement whenever
possible. She usually gives high fives or gives words of praise.

Instruction Question 4: Does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? If so,
give examples.

I think that Ms. Salenga does incorporate the sensory modalities. For example, when they were learning
about writing numbers in different forms (expanded, block ten, etc.) she allowed them to use
manipulatives. When students needed extra help structuring their sentences, she used a app to help the
students practice building sentences.

Instruction Question 5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented? Please
explain.

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When Ms. Salenga was going over the word family -op with a few 1st graders, they all seemed to very
engaged. All of the students were participating, some more than others, but they were all saying the
letter sounds, blending the sounds, and then enthusiastically and loudly saying the word.

Instruction Question 6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class for any reason? Why?

In Ms. Rackley’s 3rd grade classroom, there were two students that were isolated from the rest of the
group. They had they desks positioned next to the teacher’s desk. I’m not sure if it was because of
behavior problems or because they didn’t stay on task, but from what I heard the teachers say, I assume
at least one of the students was placed there because she didn’t do her work unless she was constantly
asked to do it by the teacher.

Instruction Question 7: Is instructional time managed efficiently? Please explain

I think that Ms. Salenga manages her instructional time efficiently. Because she only has about 30-40
minutes in every class, she makes sure to get straight to the point. In other words, because she only has a
limited amount of time to help the students, she makes sure to start the lesson (if she is pulling kids out
in the hallway) or to start helping the students as soon as possible (sometimes the students are taking
tests or doing other important assignments) or as soon as she gets to the classroom.

Instruction Question 8: How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions from one subject or period
to another, and are these transitions efficient?

When Ms. Salenga takes the student to her classroom/or hallway she has a method of counting to five to
make sure the kids aren’t running to the door or leaving their chairs pulled out.
The method works like this: when she says one, the students stand up. When she says two, they pull in
their chairs. When she says three, the students wait to be called on to line up. When she says four, the
students, who are all line up now, get in HALLs (hands crossed and mouths shut).When she says five,
they walk out of the classroom.

Instruction Question 9: List ways that the teacher attempts any “attention getting” commands? (Ex:
Countdown, Light flicker, Heads on Desk) How effective are they?

One attention getter she uses is a method called High Five. The teacher says high five, and the students
raise their hands, look at the teacher, and stop talking. Once the students are quiet, they are told to put
their hands done. This is pretty effective with the older children because the kindergarteners and 1st
graders need to practice and do it multiple times before they are quiet.

Instruction Question 10: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does
the teacher deal with these behavior issues? Be specific.
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One of the behavior issue the teacher deals with is lots of moving around by the younger students (1st
graders) and students who are easily distracted. She deals with these issues by constantly reminding
them to stay on task and if their behavior gets too out of control, reminding them that she too can move
their behavior clips down.

Instruction Question 11: Are there any policies or procedures in place that help or hinder instructional
time? If so, explain them and how they help or hinder use of instructional time.

I think something that hinders instructional time could be the small frame of time that Ms. Salenga is
allowed to be in a classroom. She is in a classroom about 30-35 minutes because her schedule gives her
no time to get from one class to another. For example, she is scheduled to help a third-grade teacher with
Math from 9:10 AM to 9:50AM and then at 9:50AM – 10:20AM she is scheduled to help a 1st grade
teacher. The short amount of time could make it hard for the teacher to finish a lesson. Also, because she
is not always in the same classroom, she might not get to see the students and finish the lessons until a
few days later.

ASSIGNMENT 4 (Culture): Using the information provided below, carefully observe and evaluate the
culture of the school where you are assigned to observe. 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.

Physical Characteristics: Look at the physical areas 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.

As a whole, the school seems pretty welcoming. The front of the school has some trees around it.
There’s fencing around the whole school, and the fencing sections off the playground used by the
pre-k students and the one used by the older students. You can kind of tell that the school building is
kind of old towards the back of the building, but overall the school looks pretty decent.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting, doors, windows, hall colors and
decorations and entrance security.

There are a lot of murals on the walls of the school. There are some in the cafeteria as well as on the
hallways. The hallways are also decorated with students’ projects as Reading Ranger bulletins boards
that show what level (i.e wonder, power, thunder, mega) the students are in. The office area is pretty
plain. It only has the Whitney Code of Character as well as a few checks that they have received.

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

1. Identify the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot.

Mission Statement: We are a community dedicated to nourishing achievement, promoting

independence, and building positive character in a safe environment.

The school’s mascot is a wizard; they are the Whitney Wizards.

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and faculty interactions in
other areas of the school.

The office staff are polite, but you can tell that they are busy. They will keep conversation short.
For example, if a student arrives late, they will ask them what they need and send them on their
way. Same thing will happen they are talking to a parent or visitor.

When a teacher or the administration sees a kid at lunch or another place, the interactions are
always friendly and kind. They tend to refer to students as “friends” a lot. If a child is doing
something they shouldn’t do, the teacher will point it out or give them a reminder of what they
should be doing. For example, if a student is walking in the hallway and talking too loud, the
teacher will say “HALLS” which reminds the student that they shouldn’t be talking I the halls.
Or, if a student is running on the blacktop, they will say “walking feet”.

3. Look at the formal practices: School bell schedule, and the grouping of students. (i.e. grades, block
scheduling, periods) Does the school use inclusion, or a pull-out program for special education students?

At Whitney Elementary school, the students are grouped by grade level.

The school bell schedule is as follows: breakfast, announcements, Pledge of Allegiance,

Whitney’s Code of Character, and individual classroom schedule.

Lastly, they have two special education teachers. One of them is in charge of the pull-out
program/resource room, and the other teacher (Ms. Salenga) is in charge of the inclusion
classroom.

4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the building. Observe where students
gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, playground, etc.

In classroom, the children help each other if they need help with their assignments. However, there
were instances in which some students would bug or bully the other students. The school was a
lunch system where they 5th graders and kindergarteners go to lunch together. They buddy up and sit
together in the lunchroom. The older students help the younger ones open their milk or food. The
buddy system ends in the lunchroom because once they go to the playground when they play with
the kids in their grade level.

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5. 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.

The school seems to really emphasize being a person of character and being kind. They also want kids to
be proud of their reading and math achievements because once they level up, they are given rewards and
their achievement is announced during lunch time.

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

1. Look for teacher(s) expectations for learning and success, interactions with students, and his/her
personality.

She expects all of her students to learn and be successful. She knows that not all are at the same
level, but she strives to help them all be the best they can be. She is very positive and optimistic.\

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does not? What
modifications, accommodations, and/or inclusion techniques were observed?

A majority of the students participate. There are only a few students who do not do what they are
supposed to do. Some accommodations and modifications in this classroom include talking
Spanish to the ELL student and allowing him to use his nametag that has the shape and shape
name when they were taking their shape quiz.

3. Evaluate the interactions between teachers and students, rapport, cohesiveness, distribution of
power, tone, frequency and reinforcements.

When she talks to the students she sounds nice, but serious. She likes to keep the interactions
positive, but if the kids start misbehaving she will remind them about the behavior clip. That
seems to works most of the time.

ASSIGNMENT 5 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Complete the questions below by interviewing

your cooperating teacher during a convenient time. Include any school documents that your cooperating
teacher will allow you to photocopy for your packet.

Interview Question 1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

The primary reason I became a teacher was because I wanted to work with children and make a
difference in their lives.

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

The main challenges I face as a teacher are the insurmountable paperwork with deadlines, constant
changes in educational policies, and the lack of parental support when dealing with students’ negative
behaviors in school.

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

The best part of being a teacher is when you see that your students enjoy coming to school to learn to the
point of inspiring them to become teachers as well in the future.

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

I determine where students sit in class depending on their behaviors, personality conflicts, as well as
their ability level.

Interview Question 5: How do you determine the members of any flexible groups?

I determine the member of any flexible groups by how they were able to grasp the concept/skill that was
taught – if they need reteaching or need to be challenged more.

Interview Question 6: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly?

The other assessments that I use regularly are formative assessments, such as using the white boards for
students to write their answers on, thumbs up/down to show how much they understand the
concept/skill, exit tickets, etc.

Interview Question 7: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents?

I am required to report progress of my students progress on their IEP goals/benchmarks to their parents
on a quarterly basis.

Interview Question 8: How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person, and what type of
discussions do you typically have?

I interact with my student’s parents in person during Parent-Teacher Conferences and IEP meetings. The
discussions typically focus on the student’s present levels in the academics or behaviors.

Interview Question 9: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

Grading occurs at least 2-3 times a week.

Interview Question 10: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?

Preparing lessons for the week can take at least 3 hours.

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Interview Question 11: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?

The strategies I use to maximize instructional time is counting down from 10, using timers, etc.

Interview Question 12: What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with, and what
behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group?

A positive reinforcement program that I have used with much success is the Token Economy System. It
teaches the students to focus on positive behaviors in order to earn one quarter each time, and lose two
quarters as a consequence for each time they demonstrate negative behaviors. At the end of the week,
they count how much money they have earned and make a choice to buy something from the classroom
store or save the amount for the following week.

Interview Question 13: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process?

Specialists are involved in the instructional planning process by implementing the accommodations
(e.g., sit close to the instructional area to focus better, provide redirections to ensure understanding, etc.)
that my students need in a large group setting.

Interview Question 14: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance?

As a post-probationary teacher, I am observed by Administration at least twice during the year. An

evaluation report is then completed to show my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher, as well as other
goals I may have for the year

Interview Question 15: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

The consequence of an unfavorable evaluation is that it would be on your record permanently, which
could affect future job plans

Interview Question 16: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or
professionally from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction?

In special education, we are provided a budget for the year, which we could use to purchase instructional
materials for our classroom. Trainings are provided in the District to enhance our knowledge as teachers
in order to better serve our students.

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Interview Question 17: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?

What surprised me most about teaching is how much it has changed my outlook on life, in general, and
how I have learned to accept things that I cannot control, as well as love my job, even on days that are
most difficult.

ASSIGNMENT 6 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned classroom
during an extended period of direct instruction. Detail what was going on in the environment, and what
you observed the student doing while the lesson was being given. Make sure to document ALL behavior
in relationship to what was being presented by the classroom teacher. Please describe the setting, the
lesson that was given, if the student was on task and engaged in the lesson, and what you uncovered
about putting yourself in a lesson from the student’s point of view.

Ms. Salenga was in a 2nd grade classroom. When she came in, they were reading, so Ms. Salenga
started a Reading Ranger conference with one of the students. When she first started, the student seemed
very excited to tell Ms. Salenga about her book and the level she was on. The first thing the teacher
asked the student was whether the book she was a fiction or nonfiction book because according to her
Reading Ranger strip she still needed to read a nonfiction book. The student seemed confused and
started to get nervous because she didn’t know the answer. After she guessed about what kind of book
she had, the teacher explained to her the difference between a fiction and nonfiction. After providing her
with the information she needed to know to properly identify the book, she asked her once again what
kind of book she was holding. The student answered “fiction” which was correct. Then, they picked out
a nonfiction book together, and started the Reading Ranger conference. While this was going on the
student was constantly squirming around in her seat and looking all around the classroom because she
would get nervous when the teacher asked her questions she didn’t know. Various times during the
conference (where the teacher asked questions about the story to ensure comprehension) the student
would lose focus and the teacher would have to remind her to stay on task.

By putting myself in the student’s point of view, I was able to see that being constantly
questioned about what I have just read may be intimidating, but in the long run will help me better
understand what I am reading.

ASSIGNMENT 7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour Field
Observation Placement

During my ten hours of observation, I learned a lot of things. Because I was with the special
education teacher that goes into the inclusion classrooms, I was able to see what happens in this type of
classrooms. I was able to see the interaction between the special education and general education
teacher; I saw how they confine and depend on each other to fix any problems (academic or behavioral)
that arise in order to make sure that the students is successful in the classroom. Additionally, I was able
to see a few of the cooperative teaching methods we learned about in the textbook. I was also able to see
how the special educations knowledge of the students can aid in determining whether the source of the
issue in the classroom is the disability or if it is something else. For example, there was a 1st grade bay
with autism that was acting out and refusing to do what the teacher asked him to do. Ms. Salenga
believed that this behavior might something he learned from home, but she set up a behavior sheet that if
the student scored well would mean that he could receive something. In other word, she set up an

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incentive program that could be used to deal with the students defiance in the classroom. Lastly, I was
able to see what happens in an IEP meeting. I saw what an IEP looks like and how an IEP meeting runs.

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