Student Observations
Personal Reflection:
Stanford Elementary School, I was able to get a better understanding of the different kinds of
activities and assignments students with different academic learning levels and special needs can
work on. I was also able to observe the work, and get a better understanding of the job of a
special education teacher. The resource room was located in a single room near the kindergarten
hallway, and was shared between two resource teachers. I worked with Ms.Taylor who taught a
mix of the grade levels, mostly 2nd and 5th graders, although, she did have one kindergarten
student as well. The student make up of the class was very diverse. Disabilities varied as well,
classroom, where most the students are working on the same assignment, the resource room was
broken up into little groups, and each student was practically working on a separate assignment.
The two were similar in the way that there were specific tasks, or objects, that each group needed
to work on, or accomplish, by the end of the day, or week. All of the students seemed very
interested in completing their assignments. In addition, each student would need help on their
assignment from the teacher from time to time, and it seemed like everyone wanted or needed
Ms.Taylor’s attention all at once. Ms. Taylor seemed like she helped her class out a lot, and
expected equal success from all of her students. She was very friendly, caring, and empathetic
while teaching and talking to her students. She was also very positive using positive
reinforcements such as free-time, or the ability to play with a toy while working, but only for
The first group that I got to observe was a reading group of about fifteen fifth graders.
The fifteen were broken up into three different stations which included, an independent study
group, a group with Ms.Taylor, and one group with the other teacher. While in the group with
Ms.Taylor, the students were defining what the main idea was within the section of a nonfiction
book about the Solar System. After reading the section out loud she would then ask the students
to identity the main idea in partners. Students would turn and talk to the neighbor and try to
define the main idea of the section in their own words, and then share the answers with the
group. The students were very respectful and cooperative during the lesson. They also seemed to
The other independent group was working on their writing. Some were working on their
chromebooks which Ms.Taylor says helps them focus more on their work. Ms.Taylor had to deal
with one of the students getting off task. Although, students tend to get “off-topic” easily and
start discussing other matters, she did well in guiding the students by putting them back on track
with guiding questions pertaining to the topic of their assignment. She would also reiterate or
refer back to the classroom rules, or academic and behavioral expectations when students were
off task. She was also working on improving their patience and focus by keeping the atmosphere
One of my observation days was the last day before spring break, and all of the students
were rambunctious and excited for vacation. There were even fun movies being played in the
general education classrooms. Ms. Taylor explained to me, as she was preparing the reading tests
she was about to administer to the students, that sometimes you have to make adjustments to
lessons and activities; and how she has to work around what the general education classroom has
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planned. For example, today, she decided to move back the lesson she had originally planned
until after spring break. Because of the fun movie being played, she was going to send the
students back to their classrooms during that period, instead. So for her replacement assignment,
she was going to give the students a quick reading test. She said, “it would be very unfortunate if
students had to miss a fun movie day just to come sit in her class and do work, while everyone
else is relaxing.” There are also times when Career Day, or Health Day for the fifth graders,
After coming in for a couple days over a period of time it was interesting and insightful
to see the students grow and improve academically. My observations hours were done during
March, so the students had been in this school year for seven months. The students always
seemed very respectful and eager to learn. They would also come into class each morning and
get right to work. The students seemed to have a good understanding of the procedure and rules
After completing my observation hours I understand a little more now about the job of a
special education teacher, and the job of a teacher in general. It takes enormous amounts of
patience, understanding, and the mental skill of dividing one's attention. Ms.Taylor worked with
the same group of fifteen students in all subjects throughout the day. She was very sweet and
friendly, and you could tell she had a lot of patience. You could also tell that she a had real
passion for teaching because she wanted her students to do well, learn as much as they could,
and succeed. I really enjoyed being able to do my student observation hours with her.
Furthermore, I took notes, and learned many helpful tips and strategies to use in my future
classroom.
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a. Teaching actually was not Ms.Taylor’s first career choice, however once she got
started she fell in love with the profession and the kids.
a. Time management, and “teacher guilt”. Ms. Taylor explains this as having so
many things she wants to do and have to do for her students, but occasionally, not
having the time or ability to do it all makes her feel bad sometimes.
a. “Being able to really see the impact and being a part of their lives academically
and personally.”
a. “Either through behavioral or academic purposes.” She has different areas set up
for different work stations or periods, such as individualized, group work, teacher
a. Depending on the student ability and academic level. For example, she has a
pair students together who she knows will help each other succeed.
a. Ms. Taylor says she uses a lot of different assessment methods, and says it mostly
depends on the student. However, the main two that she is using at the moment is
the D.R.A, or Diagnostic Reading Assessment, and the Core Phonics Assessment.
a. By law, she must report students progress quarterly, and based off of the IEP
8. How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person, and what type of
a. In person, about once a year, however sometimes things are case-by-case basis.
Some students parents she is in contact with on a weekly basis. She also
behaviorally.
a. Ms. Taylor as the resource room teacher is not required to post or submit actual
grades. She does have to keep track and monitor the students daily and weekly
10. How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
a. “Hours…” During lesson planning she says it helps to know where you want the
kids to be and move back from there, and use IEP benchmarks as guides.
a. Handy materials, or “community tools” which Ms.Taylor called them; which was
pencils, paper, glue, scissors, etc. Having these items available when ever she
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needs help decrease time being scattered and looking for some. A good schedule
and timers also help. Ms. Taylor also explains that having high expectations for
the students to follow the classroom rules is also important, however she advises
12. What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with, and what behavioral
a. Things are very individualized. While working with the student’s she works with
she realised that sometimes the “general umbrella” way of doing things does not
work. However, she has found that positive reinforcement and individualized
attention definitely promote positive behaviors and success. She also likes to use
13. How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process?
a. Specialists are involved, however they are only involved to the extent that they
are needed, it all depends on the specific student’s needs. There is a Speech
Therapist and Occupational Therapist that students can see. Ms. Taylor likes to
incorporate the objective between the different therapists in her classroom and
14. How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the administration
a. Ms.Taylor is evaluated annually. She has been teaching for five years, so she has
upon the school standards and on the N.E.P.F., or Nevada Educator Performance
Framework.
possibly be moved into a different position, and they may also need to take
additional classes, and get help from a different teacher to help improve
performance.
16. What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or professionally from
a. Well, she says that the admin controls most of the financial and instructional stuff,
however she knows that the funds are used for professional development and
additional resources within the school, such as meeting days and being able to get
certification right now through the program, and informed me, that only two
elementary schools at the moment are doing this for their teachers. She adds, that
the union or C.C.A helps with all three issues including financial, professional,
and instructional development, and parental organizations usually help out a lot
a. “That this is actually a very challenging profession.” Ms. Taylor explained how
sometime society can portray the teaching position as simple or easy, but it is not.