Running head: EDU 203 SPECIAL EDUCATION 10 HOUR FIELD OBSERVATION 1

EDU 203 Special Education 10 Hour Field Observation Activities Packet

Maya Labat

College of Southern Nevada

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Students name: Maya Labat

CSN Course: EDU 203

CSN Professor: Mrs. Rieger

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

Classroom Environment

My first impression when entering the school was a bit of nostalgia, I attended 5th grade

at the school I was observing. It defiantly seemed a bit smaller than I remember. As I entered

into the resource room it felt very inviting. The open space and bright colors around the room

made me feel like it was a fun room to be in. Every wall in the resource room had some sort of

educational information for the kids to look at. I was really surprised how everything had a

home in the resource room.

In the resource room, Mrs. Judkins helped a lot of other classes so the make-up of the

students as far as gender and race would change within each classroom. In the morning she

would have a group of students enter her room to practice certain studies. There were six

students all together. There were two African American females, one African American male, one

Hispanic male, one Hispanic female, and one Caucasian female. All of the students had various

learning disabilities.

The posted class rules in the room were simple; “Have good manners. Have good

behavior. Follow instructions. Come prepared”. There was also a helpful acrinim in her

classroom that was called C.H.A.M.P. (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation,

and Success).
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Classroom layout

The workflow of the room seemed very organized. Everything was clearly labeled and

had a place in the classroom. To me, it looked like the space is used efficiently. As I mentioned

previously, the walls were very colorful and filled with educational information that the kids

could read. I do not have any improvement recommendations for Mrs. Judkins resource room. I

also did not see any safety concerns. There evacuation plan was easy to see by the door in case

of a shelter in place, fire, or a lock down.

Classroom layout instruction questions

1) What is the posted daily schedule for different subjects and periods? None

2) Is the instruction done in small groups, centers, whole groups, individual? Small groups

as well as individual.
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3) How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style? They use the Co-

teaching approach. She as well as her aide both work in small groups, teaching different

lessons.

4) Does the teacher use sensory modalities? Not that I saw.

5) Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented? For the most part

yes. There was one time where I observed a student staring at her peers a lot. She has a hard

time keeping focus.

6) Are there any students isolated from the class for any reason? I did not see that during

my observation.

7) Is the individualized instructional time managed efficiently? Yes. Mrs. Judkins and her

aid kept a binder which had a daily agenda. Within the agenda there were tasks with the time

allotted to complete them and they would initial after completion.

8) How does the cooperating teacher handle transactions from one subject to another?

N/A

9) List ways that the teacher attempts any attention getting commands? She used the

countdown method.

10) What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? During my

observation, she did not have any students with behavioral issues on their IEP. However, she

does promote positive reinforcement whenever possible. She will also create a Behavioral

plan in which she will partner with their main teacher and keep a binder tracking their

progress. The binder also has behavior lesson plans in it too.

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11) Are there any policies or procedures in place that help or hinder their instructional

time? Her policy in her classroom is to promote positive reinforcement at all times when

possible. She also has created Bug Bucks, on Friday she pulls names for rewards.

Culture

The school looked very clean and maintained. From the outside, the grounds were kept up,

fences were up, and no physical damage to the building. I noticed the parking lot seemed very

small. The school is right in the middle of a quiet community in North Las Vegas. There were

lush landscaping, trees and proper crosswalks. The speed limit for that particular school zone

was 15 miles an hour.

The interior looked just as clean as the outside. The classrooms were labeled with the

teachers name on it. The hallways were filled with student work as well as the school motto and

other encouraging quotes.

Their mission statement is “Antonello will develop the academic and character skills of our

students in order to be successful in middle school, high school, and post-secondary education”.

Their vision states “Antonello will be a school where students are challenged and supported so

they will positively contribute to their community”.

The people that worked in the front office were very friendly to anyone who walked in their

office. They knew the students names so it seems like a small school. They were very helpful

during my first visit to get in to observe.

In the classroom culture, it seemed very warm, calm, confident, and friendly. However she

can manage her classroom if kids aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing. An example of

this was when a female student got up and just started walking around the classroom Mrs.

Judkins replied “Why are you walking around the classroom? Do you want to go back to class
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with Mrs. Clarence? Please sit now, thank you”. The girl immediately sat down and refocused.

Mrs. Judkins seemed very respectful of all the classrooms she went into to help certain students.

She aided the teacher as a support for the students who needed her.

Cooperating teacher interview

1) What was the primary reason you became a teacher? I was inspired by my 3rd grade

teacher.

2) What is the main challenge you face as a teacher? There’s never enough time to get all of

my work done.

3) What is the best part of being a teacher? It’s working with the kids. When they get

something, it’s really cool.

4) Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly? AIMS web

5) What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents? I have to do a

yearly IEP and two progress reports. I also like to call parents with positive updates. IEP’s

always show what they can’t do, I want to celebrate what they can do with their parents also.

6) Describe the interaction and discussion you have with a students’ parents? Whenever I

am in an IEP meeting I always like to follow the script of the IEP procedures. If it’s outside

an IEP, for example a telephone call or parent teacher meeting. I like to start with the

positive thing their child is accomplishing. IEP’s always show what they can’t do. I want to

also celebrate what they can do.

7) What type of discussion do you typically have with parents? I mostly talk to them about

progress their child is making.

8) How much grading do you complete on a weekly/ daily basis? Every Friday is my day to

grade my student’s daily progress and I use AIM’s web.

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9) How much time does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week? I usually plan for the

entire week. It take a few hours. I’ve learn to manage time more efficiently. In the beginning

of my teaching career I would stay until 7pm every day. There’s never going to be enough

time.

10) What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time? I like to have

a set routine, the kids are more disciplined when there’s a routine. I also like to use tools like

bribing them with rewards and having a timer.

11) What positive reinforcement programs and behavioral consequences seem most

effective with students? For positive reinforcement my kids will work for bribes and

rewards. When I discipline a child I like for it to be private, not public. I like to give them

suggestions on how to improve because they just might not know.

12) How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process? I participate

in the School Performance Plan (SPP).

13) How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tools are used by the

administration for determining your own performance? Administration used a tool

called NEPF. The Nevada Education Performance Framework is a list of all responsibilities.

While they observe they are checking of each responsibility that I have fulfilled. There is no

set number of times they observe me.

14) What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable? There are write ups

and then termination.

What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or

professionally from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance

instruction? I do get support from the PTA as well as administration.

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Administration is always asking how they can help. For our school, my budget is

$600 per year on school supplies.

Classroom Interactions

Teacher exchange directed to Teacher exchange directed to

boys girls

IIIII IIIIIII

I had a chance to observe a 3rd grade class with a few of Mrs. Judkins students were in.

About eight of the students were in a reading circle with the teacher, Mrs. Lawrence. Five of

the students were girls, 3 were boys. In this activity, they were to read the story out loud

together. The girls seemed to ask more questions about the story than the boys. One girl got

up from the group while they were still reading and the teacher stopped and asked if she

needed to catch up. Another girl seemed tired or unable to read. Mrs. Lawrence asked if she

would like to sit next to her. After the student moved, she began to participate more.

Administrator interview questions

1. What is the best part of your job?

2. What are some challenges in your job that you face?

3. How do you overcome those challenges?

4. What are your job responsibilities?

5. How long does it take to plan out your day/week?

Observing a Student
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I had discretely observed one student that Mrs. Judkins had told me about before we

entered her general education classroom. Mrs. Judkins told me that this particular student had

trouble focusing in class. She would fix her eyes on a student and would stare at them for long

periods of time. She also would go off topic and talk about a completely different topic. Mrs.

Judkins had a tracker with the behavioral issues mentioned and we observed her for thirty min.

within that time we checked marked any time she went off task or started to stare at a student for

long periods of times. During our observation she only got off task one time due to us entering

the room.

EDU 203 Special Education Course Summary

I am so glad I participated in this course. I diddnt know a lot about special education

however I gained some knowledge in this course and I plan to continue to educate myself in

special education. The observation opened my eyes to what a special educator’s roles and

responsibilities are. It is a jobn that I might consider in my education journey. My participating

teacher Mrs. Judkins was wonderful, honest, and supportive in answering any questions I had

about the field.

During my observation, I did notice that not everyone loved their job. While observing

in Mrs Lawrences 3rd grade class, she pulled me aside and told me to think long and hard before I

chose a district to work for. I took that as if she was unhappy with this district or burnt out on her

job. The teacher’s assistant also was honest in her feelings on how Clark County School District

salaries are. She shared with me her frustration as she has not had a raise in 5 years.

Mrs. Judkins was very positive the whole time. She did however mention that she

wished she started as a special educations teacher first rather than a general educations teacher.
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Their honest opinions and discussions really opened my eyes and gave me more to think about in

my journey to be a teacher. I am so grateful for the opertunity to have observed such an amazing

school.