Running Head: Field Observation 1

Field Observation Activities Packet

Angelique Cameron

Community College of Southern Nevada

Author Note

This paper is being submitted on December 15, 2015

for Dr. Ce Isbell’s 201 Introduction to Education course

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Assignment One (Observations)

Observation Question One:

My first impression of the classroom is that it is overcrowded. The teacher explained that

at a certain point the school restructured the classrooms so that they were basically divided into

half of what they used to be. The school environment is full of things to educate and help her

students. I would say the room is pretty well organized. One area is mostly about math, a second

area includes letters and words. A third area has the classroom rules, and things of that nature.

There are quite a few positive reinforcements for the students. I would describe the classroom as

colorful and informative. A whole wall is covered in bookshelves and books. Some of the

shelves had containers. There is an alphabet on the wall with the student’s names that coordinate

with the letters of the alphabet.

Question Two:

In this classroom there seems only slightly more girls than boys. The ethnicity of students

seems to be more Caucasian than any other ethnicity. I did not notice any ELL students in the

room. There are no noticeable physically handicapped students in this room. There is one student

that does not seem to be motivated to do any work. Each time I have observed this teacher the

student behaves the same way. I do not know if this is this is a learning disability or if the student

is just unmotivated.

Question Three:

The class rules are: 1.) Respect all individuals and their property 2.)Listen carefully when

others are speaking 3.) Do your best 4.) Be prompt and prepared 5.) Follow all school rules.
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Question Four:

The teacher has two reward systems. The first one consists of turning the cards to

different colors: red is not doing well, yellow is normal, green is good and purple is above and

beyond. She is consistently commenting on their behavior, whether it is good or if it needs

improvement. The teacher also has the students arranged into groups of five teams. The teams

earn points according to how well they behave and/or follow directions. She is also consistently

using positive reinforcement to let the students know how they are doing.

Assignment Two:

Classroom Layout Question One:

The room is very small, but I think there is very little that can be done about that. The

teacher has to include a lot of information in a limited amount of space. In my opinion, the space

is used efficiently.

Question Two:

It would be hard to make the arrangement of the room better. This teacher has twenty two

students in a very restricted space. I describe the area as extremely crowded. She positioned the

desks so that there is an open space in the middle of the room. It gives the impression the room is

less cluttered, and more open.

Question Three:

I do not feel there are any safety concerns, in regards to the room set up. The teacher said

that they do regular safety drills, and that the school has procedures in place for various

emergencies.
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Assignment Three:

Instruction Question One:

The posted daily schedule is as follows: ELA (90), intervention (30), ELA (25), lunch,

math (70), review (10), special (50), Sci/SS (25), ELA (25). ELA stands for English language

acquisition. Intervention is when the students who need extra assistance are taken aside to get the

extra help that they need. Review is for the teacher to go over the material that was used during

that day. Sci/ SS stands for science and social studies.

Instruction Question Two:

The cooperating teacher uses multiple instruction methods. One method is small groups,

where she pulls approximately seven students at a time to a table, and they go over a certain

book they have been working on. When she wants to engage the whole class, she asks them to sit

on the floor in front of her, so that she can tell if they are paying attention. The only time I saw

her teach individually was when a student was struggling with something specific. The teacher’s

viewpoint of “centers” is when the students work on their own either reading or writing. I did see

that occasionally a student will sit at the computer and work on something without instruction.

Instruction Question Three:

Based on my observations, my cooperating teacher seems to believe in cooperative

learning, or student-centered learning. She actively involves as many students as possible in each

activity. She asks for a student to evaluate the behavior of the others. When she is engaging the

class in a conversation she will have them give a hand signal showing her that they agree with

what the student was talking about.

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Instruction Question four:

The two sensory modalities that I witnessed the teacher using the most were the visual

and the auditory learning styles. Quite often I would hear her say, “Are you listening, student?”

She would also say, “3, 2, 1”. She says this to get the students attention. If the cooperating

teacher wants the class’s attention another way, she will say,” all eyes on me” or “all eyes on the

student that is currently speaking”. The teacher will also say, “I see a certain student’s eyes!”

Instruction Question Five:

For the most part the students seem to be engaged in the lessons that the teacher has

introduced to them. The few exceptions would be a few students that seem to have some trouble

focusing on the assignments. The same students have reacted the same way every time I have

observed them. These students seem to have a hard time starting or completing the assignments.

I do not know if they have learning disabilities, or if it is just their way of learning.

Instruction Question Six:

The only students that seemed to be isolated were the ones that may have been part of an

intervention group, and when they came back to class, they had to finish the assignment that was

started when they were not in the room.

Instruction Question Seven:

Instructional time seems to be well managed in this classroom. My cooperating teacher is

quite efficient in time management. She has a routine that she follows consistently. I think it is

necessary for most teachers to be efficient this way because of the high demand to produce

results the school expects.

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Instruction Question eight:

The teacher moves from one lesson to the next with smooth transitions for the most part.

Sometimes the students get a bit loud or sidetracked, but she gets their attention quickly, and

then the students are back on track.

Instruction Question Nine:

There are a few phrases the cooperating teacher used each time I was in her classroom.

She uses, “all eyes on me”, when she sees the students attention is elsewhere. The teacher will

also use a countdown to get the class back in order. This classroom is full of well-behaved

students, and even when they strayed at times, they listen to her and fall back in line quickly.

Instruction Question Ten:

A few students will comment on something that may or may not have anything to do with

what the teacher is talking about, and those students will continue the comment until the teacher

says, “Okay, can we continue that later?” Basically, that is her polite way of dealing with a

student who is over excited about something that happened to him or her. The over excited

communicator is the only behavior issue I witnessed. There were a couple unmotivated students,

but I never witnessed her addressing those students.

Instruction Question Eleven:

For my cooperating teacher, the only policy or procedure that she finds cumbersome, are

the common core standards. She finds the standards overwhelming. Because she has to get

through every standard in a certain timeframe some students may get left behind, if they do not
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understand something. The teacher wants to review with the students, but there is not always

time for it.

Assignment Four (Culture)/Physical characteristics:

Question One:

The building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping, trees were all average. There

was nothing that stood out among other schools. I thought the parking lot was small, and very

little guest parking was assigned. The other spaces are assigned to school personnel. The

crosswalks, gates, signs, and symbols were all normal as well. There was nothing outstanding on

the outside of the school.

Question Two:

I did not notice a security person or an entrance for security personnel. On the inside of

the school, it was well lit and has lots of colors. There are not any windows that I noticed, except

for the front doors. All glass is on the inside of the school, this is where the visitors walk

through. The students work is on display in almost every hallway. The only decorations I saw

were the students’ academic or art works.

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Assignment four: Culture of the school

Question One:

The schools motto is: soaring to success. The school’s mascot is the rocket. The

following statement is the schools mission statement, “It is the mission of the Betsy Rhodes

Community to provide a safe, nurturing atmosphere of mutual respect. We will inspire

students to achieve their full academic potential as life-long learners in a positive social learning

environment.

Question Two:

Everyone that I encountered was friendly. The interactions inside and outside of the

office were all the same, the experience was always positive. The students were polite and

helpful; the teachers always greeted me with a smile. The staff and students in the school give

out a feeling of respect overall.

Question Three:

The school day schedule for each grade is a little different, and the lunch times vary as

well. In this school there are different age groups because the school begins from kindergarten

and ends at fifth grade. I saw no calendar of events posted anywhere for me to see. The school

itself seemed to be an average size, but the second grade class I was in many times was very

small. Students were grouped by grade level. The classrooms were sectioned off by grade level.
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Question Four:

As far as social interactions are concerned they are limited to the lunchroom mostly.

There were no students socializing in the hallways or any other place that I witnessed. The

exception would be after the students eat lunch, afterwards then they socialize on the playground.

Question Five:

The school is organized by grade levels. One of the teachers informed me that the third

grade classrooms were all in cubicles. I also found out that the special education class was next

to the G.A.T.E. program class. The classrooms and hallways are not labeled, but a person might

be able to tell what grade level they are at by looking at the students work on the wall. The

school seems to put up the grade level work on the wall near by the classrooms of the same grade

level.

Question Six:

At the school that I observed, there is a display for reading achievers. On some of the

walls the student’s art is displayed. I think community pride is mentioned with their wall of

compliments. Whenever a student or a classroom receives a compliment from another adult or

teacher, the compliment goes onto the wall. As I walked around the school I did not notice any

trophies or artifacts. The wall of compliments was the only documented source of community

pride that I noticed. There was no notification of assemblies either. I did not see any

extracurricular activities, clubs, or athletics mentioned where I walked around.

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Assignment Four (Culture of the Classroom):

Question One:

The acronym W.A.L.K. is stated throughout the school. It stands for Walk behind, not

beside; Arms to self; Look forward; Keep voices at zero. Also the word welcome is posted

throughout the school. I think that is a positive reinforcement for the students and visitors who

come to the school. The teachers were consistently talking to the students about keeping their

voices low and their hands to themselves.

Question Two:

In the classroom that I observed the students that participated the most were the girls.

Every once in awhile a boy would raise his hand and offer an answer. From what I observed it

was mostly the same students that volunteered an answer, but the teacher would call on various

students.

Question Three:

The atmosphere as a whole reflects respect. As I watched the teachers and students

coming down the hallways, they always seemed to be mindful of being noisy. I believe the

consistent reinforcement of good behavior is what helps the students. For the most part, the

teacher’s tone of voice was always calm and even when speaking to the students. The

compliment wall seemed to be important to both the students and the teachers.
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Assignment Five (Cooperating Teacher Interview):

Interview Question One:

The cooperating teacher’s primary reason for becoming a teacher was to contribute

positively to society. When she was a child she would pretend to be a teacher and she imagined

that she had students in her class.

Interview Question Two:

Challenges in the teaching field are just part of the job. For this particular teacher the

biggest challenge was trying to get ahead in mathematics. The standards make it very difficult

for teachers to stay on one section of math for too long, so the teachers cannot go back over those

sections even if the students are not getting the concept. The second biggest challenge for her

was the PLS (Professional Learning Community). All teachers have their own teaching styles,

and sometimes that makes it hard to come to an agreement on how to teach a concept.

Interview Question Three:

My cooperating teacher’s favorite part of teaching is when she can help a troubled

student. When the student responds to her teaching style, and she sees growth in that student, she

becomes overwhelmed with joy.

Interview Question Four:

The way this teacher arranges her classroom is for optimal achievement for all students.

She pairs up one advanced student with a midlevel student. There are five groups, and every

group has an anchor. In every group there are several hard working students, which can help the

struggling students.
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Interview Question Five:

Flexible groups are based on academic performance. She assesses the student to

determine what reading group the student should be in, and that information is ascertained by

how many words per minute they can read.

Interview Question Six:

Besides the standardized testing, my cooperating teacher uses several other methods of

assessing students’ abilities. She also does acuity testing and computer text. These other methods

are purely teacher motivated.

Interview Question Seven:

As far as requirements being placed on the teachers reporting progress of the students,

there are not many. There are paper reports sent home halfway through each semester, and any

other progress is posted online through Infinite Campus.

Interview Question Eight:

My cooperating teacher rarely interacts with the parents. When she sees the parents, it is

only in passing, and it is purely informal. The main interaction is during the one a year

parent/teacher conference.

Interview Question Nine:

The only discussion this teacher has with the parents of her students is about behavior

and academics, or a combination of both.

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Interview Question Ten:

Her time for grading papers is pretty much done on one of her off days, and it typically

takes five hours or more. She has no time to do it during the week. Any extra time she has goes

toward meetings, coaching, and meeting with the other second grade teachers on their team effort

curriculum.

Interview Question Eleven:

For my cooperating teacher planning lessons takes much less time than grading weekly

papers from the students. The planning of lessons for the week takes her two hours, and fifty

minutes to prepare for the week, including pulling the materials needed for the lessons.

Interview Question Twelve:

My participating teacher works at a CHAMPS school. The CHAMPS acronym stands for

conversation, help, action, movement, participation, and success. My teacher uses this teaching

strategy to maximize instructional time in her classroom.

Interview Question Thirteen:

Part of her teaching strategy from the beginning of the school year is to put the students

into groups/teams. She has had consistent success with her students. The camaraderie between

the students makes the team strategy work. The teams earn points during the day, and they earn

prizes.

Interview Question Fourteen:

In her classroom, she teaches students in the second grade. In her viewpoint a teacher

must be specific with what the student did wrong. She also stated that the teacher must be

flexible, and that the teacher must give the student an opportunity to change their behavior.
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Interview Question Fifteen:

There are no specialist teachers that are involved with her instructional planning, with the

exception of the librarian. The librarian works closely with the teachers, and incorporates the

core standards in the same fashion as the students’ teacher.

Interview Question Sixteen:

NEPF stands for Nevada Educator Performance Framework. This is an assessment tool

used by administration to measure and evaluate teachers. She stated that they do use this method

at her school. She is evaluated once a year, and the evaluation lasts for approximately twenty five

minutes. These observations are unannounced.

Interview Question Seventeen.

If the evaluation is not favorable, they give the teacher a favorable amount help. She feels

they are there to help the teaching staff, and that they give plenty of chances.

Interview Question Eighteen.

Instruction wise and professionally, the teachers are given staff development days to

improve their methods of teaching. She stated that the school provides supplies for the

classrooms, and that they receive grade level money.

Interview Question Nineteen:

My cooperating teacher was surprised that she cannot seem to catch up with the school

work, or to get ahead. She is the type of person that likes to be ahead of schedule, so she had to

learn to take one step at a time in the teaching profession.

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Assignment Six (Classroom Interaction):

Teacher Exchange Directed to Boys vs. Teacher Exchange Directed to Girls.

The teacher equally calls on girls and boys in her classroom. She is constantly observing

the students to make sure their eyes are on her when she is speaking or instructing. I witnessed

her call on a girl, then a boy, alternating between both sexes.

Assignment Seven (Administrator Interview):

Open Ended Question Number One:

1. Q. What are the qualifications for tenure?

A. According to the Vice Principal tenure is not really a term this school district uses.

They base employment stability on district seniority.

Open Ended Question Number Two

2. Q. How do you base your decisions on a student being retained a year?

A. The school builds a case for the student, and they assess randomly to determine if

the student is making regular growth in all areas in a years’ time.

Open Ended Question Number Three

3. Q. How do you decide which students need to be in an intervention program?

A.There is a few factors involved in that decision. A student with special needs has an

Iep team who works together to help the student reach his/her goals. Her school uses

benchmark assessments throughout the year to check on the students’ progress.

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Open Ended Question Number Four

4. Q. What is your philosophy on classroom management?

A. The Vice Principal stated that the school is a CHAMPS school. This philosophy helps

to determine behavior. She feels that this program has a successful reputation, and

that many other schools are interested in adopting this philosophy.

Open Ended Question Number Five

5. Q. What specific programs does the school use?

A. According to the Vice Principal, there are no adopted and approved programs in

this school. They use a variety of curriculum programs. They may or may not use

an approved list which meets the standards, so they supplement with a program

called Engage New York.

Assignment Eight (Specialist Classroom Observations):

Art Teacher Observation:

1. The students behave differently. I believe it is because this teacher is not with them on a

daily basis. They were a little noisier, and the teacher had to use the phrase, “Give me

five”, quite often.

2. As I walked around the room, the students all seemed to have done their last piece of art

remarkably well. No one piece of the students work seemed to stick out to me.

3. My personal opinion was that the curriculum in this class was much more intense. It may

be the same as the cooperating teacher’s class, but it was more challenging.

4. The specialist teacher seemed to use the cooperative learning style. This classroom was

also set up into groups, and she asked for them to help each other.
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5. The only strategy that I noticed was her classroom rules. When the classroom time is

almost over the students must put up their work in the designated areas, and quietly lay

their heads down on the tables. The students seem to know and follow these rules well.

6. The challenges for the specialist teacher are slightly different because of the limited

amount of time the teacher has with the students. I would say the challenges were

primarily behavioral, but there was possibly one more. The subject matter seemed

different, and I was not sure the students understood what they were doing.

7. On the other hand, I thought it was amazing that the students were being introduced to

classic artists at such a young age. I think their needs are being met because in this class

they are still learning to work in teams, and she offers assistance when they need help.

Gifted and Talented Classroom Observation:

1. In this classroom, the social differences were not much different. They talked a lot, but I

did not notice any student that was more advanced.

2. The curriculum in the GATE program is the same, but it is more rigorous. For example,

while the other fourth graders were working on Thanksgiving essays, the Gate students

were working on Thanksgiving research papers.

3. This classroom also participates in the cooperative learning style techniques. They work

in teams, and they ask each other for help. They work on their own a lot as well.

4. I think it would be interesting to be in a classroom like this. I am still searching for what

classroom would make the right fit for me.

5. The students’ needs are being met because they are given options if they feel the work is

too difficult. They can ask for help, and they will receive the teachers help.
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Special Education Classroom Observation.

1. There was a noticeable difference with the students in this class. In this class, the students

seem to be friendlier to me. They would say hello, and smile. Academically, the students

seemed to be under their grade level in regards to the curriculum.

2. The curriculum seems to be the same, but it is given at a slower pace.

3. The SPED teacher’s style is the same as the other classrooms at this school. The

difference would be that this teacher shows more compassion, and has more patience. It

is a cooperative learning classroom.

4. These students seem to be under their grade level in reading. That was what I had

witnessed with my limited time in this classroom. They needed extra time on all subjects,

and overall they needed extra assistance. These students may never catch up

academically.

5. Their needs are being met daily. The curriculum is being taught at a slower pace, so that

the students can learn it. The SPED teacher was very thorough, and patient.

Assignment Nine:

The students all have new vocabulary words every week. At the beginning of class, they

get out their vocabulary words, and cut them out. Next they organize them, and write them down

into their journals. Afterword’s each student is paired with another student, and they begin their

usual routine of testing each other on the vocabulary words. The student I observed eagerly

started the assignment. The next assignment was for the same paired up sets of students to read

to each other, then to discuss the story with each other. The student was an avid listener. She

would consistently listen, and respond to her partner. The student I was observing was the slower

reader of the two, but she was capable.

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Assignment Ten:

Summarization and Reflection of Field Observation Placement:

Before I started my observation, I could only imagine what it was like. In the past I had

volunteered to help my child’s teacher, but that was just for fun. At that time, all I did was read

to the students. I did not realize what the teacher had to accomplish in the school year. Along

with the information I have read about, the observation was very enlightening. I learned that

there is a lot involved in the teaching profession. Some people could be turned away by the

politics, and the standards. The pressure to satisfy the children’s needs, and the school districts

needs is intense, and it takes a special kind of person to deal with it all. I thoroughly enjoyed my

time with the students in the classroom. I know there is so much more I need to learn, and I am

looking forward to it.

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