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Running head: FIELD OBSERVATION SUMMARY

FIELD OBSERVATION SUMMARY

Caitlyn Gormley

College of Southern Nevada

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FIELD OBSERVATION SUMMARY

I had the pleasure of completing the 10-hour observation requirement in a Primary

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) classroom. The classroom consisted of ten students from

kindergarten through second grade. Throughout my time there, I was able to see in person how a

special education classroom can function, not just read about it in a textbook. My cooperating

teacher was incredibly helpful with answering any questions I had, discussing reasoning for why

certain procedures are in place, and providing insights into what the classroom is like. I was able

to see what the classroom routine is in the morning and the afternoon, as well as a variety of

situations and how the teacher responded to them. I was also given the opportunity to work with

the students myself, as part of their centers. I think observing in a special education classroom is

a great opportunity for anyone considering becoming a teacher.

The classroom I observed has a main special education teacher with an aide. The

approach in this classroom is similar to the one teach, one support cooperative teaching method.

In this case, it is not a special education teacher supporting a general education teacher, as the

Special Education in Contemporary Society textbook explains the method (Gargiulo & Bouck,

2018, p. 26). The aide assists students with their work and will go into the general education

classroom with the student as necessary. In this situation, the special education teacher is the

main teacher, while the aide provides support for the students. Continuing with the structure of

the classroom, the students are integrated, or mainstreamed, into the general education classroom

for a portion of the day. Gargiulo and Bouck define integration as, “the social and instructional

integration of students with disabilities into educational programs whose primary purpose is to

serve typically developing individuals” (2018, p. 70). The students in the special education

classroom are able to interact with their “typically developing” peers for a portion of the day, as
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well as receive a portion of their education from a different teacher. After all, students are

supposed to be educated in the least restrictive environment. Keeping students out of a general

education classroom, even for a portion of the day, when they could benefit from it would go

against the guidelines of PL 108-446, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(Gargiulo & Bouck, 2018, p. 70).

Going over the makeup of the classroom, the textbook talks about how students of

various cultures/ethnicities are represented in the special education classroom. Gargiulo and

Bouck (2018) state the following:

The fact that greater numbers of children from minority groups are placed in special

education programs than would be anticipated based on their proportion of the general

school population is commonly referred to as overrepresentation. At the same time, there

is a long-standing pattern of underrepresentation… in programs for children and youth

who are gifted and talented (p. 89).

However, in the classroom I observed, I did not see an overrepresentation of any ethnicities.

There was a blend of students from a variety of backgrounds, seemingly proportionate to what

has been observed of the general school population. It is crucial that all students are tested for

special education services in the proper way, to make sure no cultural barriers are influencing

their placement.

Everyday in the classroom, the teacher incorporates the various methods into the

instruction: auditory, visual, tactile/kinesthetic, affective, and technology (Gargiulo & Bouck,

2019, p. 28). Upon my second day in the classroom, the educator was playing a video of the

Berenstain Bears where the bear family was learning how to be healthier. The students were

engaged throughout the entire video, falling under the visual and technology categories. After the
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video, they discussed what foods were healthy or not, proper portion sizes, and moderation

scenarios (auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, and affective). This one lesson incorporated all five of the

instructional methods. At other times, only one or two instructional methods may be used at a

time. For example, the teacher incorporates hand gestures or sign language (visual and

tactile/kinesthetic) into certain directions because the students respond better when they see the

sign for “stand up” rather than just being told to do it, specifically. From what I observed,

children can retain information better when it is presented in various forms.

Continuing with classroom instruction, several forms of assistive technology were

observed. The textbook defines an assistive technology device as, “any item, piece of equipment,

or product system that increases, maintains, or improves functional capabilities of individuals

with disabilities” (Gargiulo & Bouck, 2018, p. 136). The students in the classroom all had

various needs, and it was clear the teacher was utilizing various techniques in order to help the

student learn the required material. While no evidence of mid-tech or high-tech devices was

evident, there were a couple of low-tech devices observed. For example, one student had a hard

time writing the letter “S”, so the teacher allowed her to use a marker and then trace over it with

her pencil. Similarly, another student was struggling with holding a pencil properly, so the

teacher provided him with a pencil grip to attempt to remedy the issue. During math, the students

are allowed to use counting blocks to help them with their arithmetic. In class one day, a student

made two sets of eight in order to find out what 8 + 8 equals. Various forms of assistive

technology can serve a wide range of students’ needs and can allow them an equal opportunity to

learn. Often times, all a student needs is a different way of accomplishing the task.

As mentioned earlier, the students in my observational class were very active and had

short attention spans. A lot of the techniques the textbook suggests for students with Attention
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Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were incorporated into the classroom, and will be

discussed throughout this section (Gargiulo & Bouck, 2018, p. 288-9). First, several strategies

are recommended for placing students with ADHD next to a role model and having greater

distance between desks. Once the teacher got to know the students and their personalities, she

carefully thought out which students would be seated next to each other. Students that fed off of

each other were placed as far away from each other as possible to limit their disruptions.

Students that worked well together sat next to each other to encourage growth. Continuing, the

educator consistently praised students or provided incentive for good behavior. While not having

a specific behavior contract, she did have a behavior chart that ranked from outstanding to

teacher’s choice of consequence where a student’s clip would fluctuate throughout the chart

throughout the day depending on their behavior. Lastly, she also ignored any inappropriate

behavior that was insignificant and provided frequent breaks to allow students to be active

throughout the day. Learning from this section in the textbook and comparing to the procedures

in place in the classroom, there are a variety of strategies that can be applied to any type of

disability. Just because a strategy is recommended for one disability, does not mean it could not

be applied to a student with a different disability and displaying similar characteristics. A

student’s specific behavior and needs should be looked at. They should not just be placed into

the box of their disability characteristics.

As I mentioned, I observed in a primary SLD classroom. Gargiulo and Bouck provide the

following federal definition of a specific learning disability:

…Means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in

understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an

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imperfect ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations

(2018, p. 212).

With this definition, there are a lot of different ways a student with a SLD can behave and absorb

information. Specifically, Gargiulo and Bouck identified twelve possible characteristics of

students with a specific learning disability: “disorders of attention, hyperactivity, information-

processing problems, lack of cognitive strategies…, memory difficulties, oral language

difficulties, poor gross and fine motor skills, psychological processing deficits, quantitative

disabilities, reading disorders, social/emotional challenges, and written language problems”

(2018, p. 221). At times, the classroom felt like there were 20 different kids in there when there

were only 10. One student could be working really well independently, but if you complimented

him, he was no longer able to stay on task, would get up and move about the room, and did not

follow directions. When a conflict arises, the teacher encourages the students to use their words

and let the other student know how the problem makes them feel. Furthermore, because of the

varying needs, the teacher has to collaborate with multiple other professionals in various fields.

Specifically, all of the students were pulled out of class in groups to work with a speech

pathologist throughout the week, and a behavior strategist came to work with one particular

student at various times throughout the school year. It is crucial that an educator of students with

SLD be able to adapt and work with the variety of needs that occur throughout the school day.

My time spent in the classroom allowed me to gain in-person experience that related to

the information I received from the textbook. I feel like these two tools went hand-in-hand, and

the experience I acquired will better prepare me for when I have a classroom of my own. I know

I have a lot more to learn, but I am one step closer to being able to assist exceptional students.
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References

Gargiulo, R., & Bouck, E. (2018). Special Education in Contemporary Society: An Introduction

to Exceptionality. (6th Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.