Professional Documents
Culture Documents
School_____Ralph Cadwallader__________________________________________
Greatings Future Educator,
One of the most rewarding aspects of EDU 202 is the opportunity you
have to observe students at an secondary school. These CSN courses
require all students to complete a 10 hour "Field Observation" in an
secondary classroom. When you receive you field placement, you will
contact the school and meet with your cooperating teacher. With your
cooperating teacher, you will create a schedule of days and time for you
to complete the 10 required contact hours. Within this packet, you will
find the required assignments and experiences you must fulfill in order
to pass this class. our cooperating teacher, you will design schedule of
days and time for you to complete the 10 required contact hours. Within
this packet, you will find the required assignments and experiences you
must fulfill in order to pass this class.
All assignments must be Word Process except the classroom diagram. Your detailed
responses demonstrate to assignment questions must demonstrate careful analysis of
the questions and the observation information.
Do not include the questions. Using only the question numbers and refer to the
questions and respond in short essay format in complete sentences. For example:
ASSIGNMENT ONE (Observation): I did this assignment on the math class I observed.
1. The classroom environment was warm and organized. The math instructor was using
a projector and SmartBoard to give the lesson. The students were all quiet and seemed
to pay attention.
2. The physical environment is actually pretty cluttered, but well organized. The walls
are decorated from top to bottom with math posters. There are also four large white boards
that are reminiscent of graph paper. The students desks are in pairs of two that comes in handy
when she asks for peer discussion.
3. The class is made up of about 90% Caucasian students, 5% Latino students, and 5%
African American. As far as gender goes, it seems to be pretty much even. However, I
would say there are slightly more girls than boys. No physically challenged students to
note.
4. The posted rules are titled: Expectations for Student Board Work
Student Board Work Immediately Upon Arrival To Class
Collaborate w/ Student Partners Only
Math Talk Only In Classroom
Stay At Your Own Board Unless You Have Been Instructed To Move Somewhere
Else
Your Board Space Is The Only Board You Write ON
Label All Of Your Problems
Justify All Of Your Work To The Left Side Of Your Board Space
Show ALL Of Your Work
Box Your Final Answers
Do Not Pick At The Tape
Do Not Write On The Tape
Clean Your Own Board
Put Away Your Own Materials
5. While I was Observing the math class, the teacher did not have to enforce the rules
listed above. The students were well behaved, and didnt speak out of turn.
1. Monday 5.1 SWBAT write linear equations in slope-intercept form. Tuesday 5.2
SWBAT write a linear equation given the slope and point . Wednesday 5.3 SWBAT
write a linear equation given two points. Thursday 5.4 SWBAT find and write an
equation for the line of best fit. Friday SWBAT calculate residuals in a data set.
2. The instruction is given to the class as a whole. The teacher is using a projector to put
the lesson on the SmartBoard in the front of the classroom. After the teacher finishes a part of
the lesson, she assigns a problem to the students to work on with their partner.
3. I would describe the teaching style as visual. She uses the combination of a
SmartBoard and projector to display the problems and information for her students. The
program she is using on her computer is called ActivInspire. This program allows her to write on
the pages electronically to give her students a visual on how to do the problem.
4. Although the teacher relies heavily on visual learning, she does incorporate both
auditory and kinesthetic styles as well. She uses a microphone that she wears on her
neck so her students can hear her better. This is helpful for when she asks her students
answer any questions. She has white board spaces for all of her students to practice the
problems on for the kinesthetic style.
5. The students in this class definitely engaged in the lesson. They listened intently,
answered questions, and participated in partner discussion. They also were not afraid to
ask for help when they didnt get a part of the lesson.
6. The teacher uses the SmartBoard/Projector combination for the whole class so there
isnt really a need for transitions. However, when she goes from explaining how a
problem is done to peer work she uses words like now, next, or why dont you ask your
partner?
7. Her attention getting commands are simple, but effective. The snap of her fingers,
saying eyes up, shhh, are we paying attention, and the classic excuse me.
8. I observed three different periods of Mrs. James math class, and she did not have to
deal with many behavioral issues. Her first and third period classes were very well
behaved with minimal to zero stops for too much talking or disruptive behavior. Her
second period class was more talkative. She had to stop about five or six times to tell her
students to be quiet. Turns out these were students in advanced math so they were
better behaved than a normal class.
1. The work flow is fantastic. The space is definitely used efficiently. The desks are
organized in straight rows with two desks next to each other for buddy work. The classroom is
completely organized due to this system. There are four columns of double desks with about
five rows total. The board where the teacher does her lesson is straight ahead for all of her
students to see. Her desk, while out of the way, is still in a great position to observe her
students when they are doing buddy work or solo work.
2. Using the sheet of graph paper, create a labeled drawing of the classroom.
C. Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.
I used the English class I observed for this assignment.
1. My cooperating teacher has high standards of success for her students. She
believes they are all highly intelligent. I observed an interesting class where the
students were taking reading counts quizzes. She expected her students to follow
the directions perfectly.
2. The level of student participation in class is surprisingly high. About 80% of
the students were engaged in the lesson and were eager to answer questions the
teacher asked. The students were all on task when they were taking their
Reading Counts quizzes. There was minimal talking, and they all seem to finish
the quizzes in a timely manner.
3. My cooperating teacher was very respectful of her students. She told me that
she likes to treat them like adults until they act like theyre little kids. When that
happens, she treats them like elementary school kids. She didnt put up with any
nonsense or misbehavior from her students. When the students did talk too
much or talk when they werent supposed to, she told them they needed to be
quiet. She wasnt rude about it, but her tone showed the students she meant
business.
ASSIGNMENT SEVEN:
I learned and experienced a lot during my ten-hour observation at Cadwallader Middle School. I
had a rather unique experience because I was assigned three cooperating teachers instead of
the usual one. I got to observe Mrs. James who teaches Math, Mrs. Drummond who teaches
English, and Mr. Farmintino who teaches World History. I learned from each of the three
teachers that it is important to create a good relationship with your students. It is okay to joke
around with your students, but you must establish a line that they should not cross with you. I
realized that students at Cadwallader are overall well behaved. I observed each teachers class
for about three class periods each. In each class, the students were all well behaved and on task
the entire class period. Being able to observe three different teachers also exposed me to three
different teaching styles. Mrs. James used the smart board and projector to visually show her
students how to do a specific math problem. I observed Mrs. Drummonds class when they
went to the computer lab to take reading counts quizzes. She didnt really have to teach a
lesson so I wasnt able to observe how she taught a lesson, but I learned something valuable
from my time with her. She showed how to positively interact with students. She had a great
relationship with every class period that walked in that day, and I hope that I can share the
same relationship with my students in the future. Mr. Farmintino used worksheet packets as
aids in his lesson. Each page had a little bit of reading, a picture or diagram, and a few questions
to answer about the reading. He also had a rather unique way of keeping his kids quiet while
they were filling out their packets. He allowed them to listen to music just as long as he couldnt
hear the music. This definitely worked as I did not hear a peep out of any of the students during
the 20-25-minute solo work. The textbook and class activities gave me some idea of what to
expect, but there is nothing like experiencing it first-hand. The teachers I observed all stressed
to me that classroom management is of upmost importance. Students will walk all over you if
you let them, and you must be firm when needed. I observed an elementary school last
semester so I got to see the differences in those two teaching jobs. An elementary school
teacher is responsible for the same class all day, and must teach them every subject. A middle
school teacher teaches the same lesson about six times a day to hundreds of different kids.
After experiencing both, I definitely want to become a middle school teacher. Yes teaching the
same lesson six times a day everyday seems a little boring, but being able to interact with
hundreds of different kids everyday sounds like a great job to have.
Remember to include your Time Log and Cooperating Teacher Evaluation with this
Field Observation Packet. Also, remind your cooperating teacher to email me and you
to confirm successful completion of the field observation.