CSN Education Department, Field Observation Activities

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Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects

of EDU 201, EDU 202 and EDU 203 is the opportunity you
will have to actually observe students at the grade level you are
interested in eventually teaching. These CSN courses require all students to complete a 10 hour "Field
Observation" in one of the 13 Performance Zones of the Clark County School District. Once your
placement is processed, you will receive details regarding your specific assigned school from your CSN
instructor. You will then contact the school and meet with your cooperating teacher. Both you and your
cooperating teacher will design a mutually agreeable schedule to complete your required contact hours.
Within this packet, you will find the required experience assignments and field documents that you must
complete in order to pass this class.

Name: Mackenzie Melnar___________ CSN Course: EDU 201__________________

Professor: Susan Bridges______________ Professor’s email: Susan.Bridges@csn.edu_________

CCSD School: Bryan, Roger_________ Cooperating Teacher: Lindsey Kearns______________

Save this completed packet for your Education Capstone Course, (EDU 299) and pay particular
attention to items marked with an (* asterisk) as these will be especially helpful in completing your
Classroom Management, Diversity, and Differentiated Instruction presentation in EDU 299. Your CSN
instructor will let you know whether you will be handwriting directly in this packet, in a separate
reflective log, or word processing responses to the following requirements and assignments.

BEFORE ARRIVING ON THE FIRST DAY...

1. Contact your assigned school by telephone and ask the office manager, or other
contact person, for the best day/time to come and meet your assigned cooperating teacher. School phone numbers,
locations and other information can be found on the CCSD web site at http://ccsd.net/schools/

2. Preplan an on-time arrival, and make sure that all interaction with CCSD employees and students is respectful,
courteous, and professional. You are a guest in their school, and a representative of this CSN class and institution.
The school is allowing you to visit to further your understanding of the profession. It is imperative that your
actions reflect a willingness to learn, and are reflective of a future professional educator.
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3. The first half of your field observation/experience will be centered around learning about the school you were
assigned, and focusing on the general and unique characteristics of its culture. You will be looking at, and
reflecting upon things that are going on in the classroom at the grade level or subject that you were assigned. You
are simply observing during this time. Your cooperating teacher will give you guidance on how, and if, your
experience can be expanded beyond these observations when he/she feels comfortable with your professionalism
and skills.

UPON ARRIVAL THE FIRST DAY…

Introduce yourself. Since this is your first visit, ask the teacher where he/she would like you to sit while you
complete your observation hours for this CSN Introduction to Education class. Show the teacher this “Field
Observation Activities Packet”, your “Field Observation Time Log” and “Cooperating Teacher’s Field
Observation Student Evaluation” pages. Let the teacher know that you will be asking him/her to verify
your hours of attendance each time you visit, and grading you after the observation hours are complete.
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ASSIGNMENT ONE (Observations): After arrival, take a seat in a nonintrusive location to begin
your classroom observations. Complete the questions below:

Observation 1: What are your first impressions of the classroom/school environment? Warm? Friendly?
Organized etc? Describe the physical environment in detail.
The environment was incredibly welcoming in Mrs. Kearns’ class. The room was organized
using book shelves, cabinets, and baskets. The desks were set up in three groups with several
students in each group. The teacher’s desk was in the back corner kind of hidden by cabinets.
There was a group desk in the back of the classroom as well (this is where I sat). This classroom
set up felt familiar to many classrooms I had in elementary school. Because my cooperating
teacher was actually a team teacher, I visited the other team teacher’s classroom as well. It
wasn’t quite as warm as Mrs. Kearns’ class. There wasn’t much color on the walls, and the room
was even smaller than felt comfortable. The teacher, Mrs. Foster, was extremely friendly and
welcoming. The rest of the school environment was friendly as well.

*Observation 2: Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL,
students with physical challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important to note.
The students were very diverse. Mrs. Kearns’ class was about 65% male and 35% female, while
Mrs. Foster’s class had an opposite ratio. Between the two classes, approximately 15% of
students were Caucasian, 30% were Asian, 20% were African American, and 25% were
Mexican. There were several students who seemed to be mixed races or another ethnicity that I
was unable to identify (approximately 10%). There weren’t any students with physical or
language challenges in these classes that I was made aware of or that I noticed.

*Observation 3: What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as written)
“In our classroom we do happiness, we do dreams, we do peace, we do growing, we do laughter,
we do respect, we do thank yous, we do real, we do I’m sorrys, we do praise, we do working
hard, we do friendships, we do sharing, we do family.”

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*Observation 4: Does the teacher enforce the rules? Are rewards or consequences being used for
compliance or noncompliance?
This was the closest thing to “rules” posted on the wall. Each students’ name from both classes
was surrounding the quote. Instead of being strict about rules, Mrs. Kearns chose to preach
positive attitudes. The students were pretty well behaved in Mrs. Kearns’ class while I was
visiting. Mrs. Kearns’ used a ticket reward system for homework completion. Behavioral
consequences depend on severity of the actions and range from taking away free-time to being
sent to the principal’s office.

ASSIGNMENT TWO (Classroom Layout): Use graph paper or drawing software to create an
accurate overhead view, labeled drawing, of your assigned classroom before answering the questions
below.

Front of room

Back of room
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Classroom Layout Question 1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently?
The space is used quite efficiently in my opinion. All of the possible distractions are off to the
side or in the back of the room. With the projector and smart board in the very front center of the
room, all of the attention can be directed towards the teacher when she’s teaching. There is
plenty of storage space for supplies and books and there are even beanbags hidden under the
computer desks that can be pulled out for reading time.

Classroom Layout Question 2: In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be
improved?
In this arrangement each student is facing either the left side of the classroom or the right side;
no one is facing forward. I think if the two desks on the back end of the groups were facing
forward this might improve the amount of attention Mrs. Kearns received during the lesson. The
students facing inwards would feel the gaze of the students that are facing forward and this could
create a sort of “peer-pressure” to face forward while the teacher is talking.

Classroom Layout Question 3: In your opinion, are there any concerns regarding safety during a
normal school day or during the possibility of fire, shelter in place, or lock-down?
One safety concern would be the small three drawer cabinets at the end of each desk grouping.
During a real fire, it is fair to assume that not everyone will remain calm. As these drawers are
small and on the floor, a student may trip over one of them in a rush. The TV that is in my
drawing is actually hanging from the ceiling. In the event of an earthquake, I would fear that TV
might fall. Because there are beanbags under the computer desks, the students may not have a
place to hide during a lock-down. Other than these things, I can’t imagine any accidents that may
occur on a normal school day.

ASSIGNMENT THREE (Instruction): Observe any instructional time in your assigned classroom,
and record your observations when presented with the questions below:

Instruction Question 1: What is the posted daily schedule for different subjects or periods?
9:00 Reading/Math Practice time
9:35 Switch Classrooms
10:10 Specials (music, art, P.E., and Library)
12:15 Lunch
1:00 Instruction time
Math
We will learn how to use a protractor to measure and draw angles
1:45 Switch classrooms (Repeat Instruction)

Instruction Question 2: Is instruction done in small groups, centers, whole groups, individual?
Mrs. Kearns had the desks set up in three groups all with a view of the front of the classroom
which was fitted with a smart board. She had a desk where she could face the students and do
math on the smart board.

Instruction Question 3: How would you describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style?

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Mrs. Kearns only teaches Math and Science in her classroom whereas Mrs. Foster teaches
History, Reading, and Writing. Her style is an inclusive style where she talks to the whole class
and makes sure they are following along.

*Instruction Question 4: Does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? If so,
give examples.
During instruction she uses sensory modalities such as “put your thumb up if you have the
answer” and choosing students to go up to select an answer on the smart board. When the
students were learning about how to use protractors she passed out a protractor for everyone and
they spent time handling it to learn more about it.

*Instruction Question 5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that are being presented?
Please explain.
Mrs. Kearns doesn’t seem to have any trouble keeping the students engaged during her
instructional time. Each student watched what she was doing with few exceptions; some students
chose to chat among themselves while Mrs. Kearns was teaching. In response to any chatter,
Mrs. Kearns was able to direct the focus back to her lesson by asking a question or calling out a
name of a student she believed was not listening.

*Instruction Question 6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class for any reason?
Why?
Because of the way that the desks were set up in three groups, there weren’t any students isolated
from the rest of the class.

Instruction Question 7: Is instructional time managed efficiently? Please explain

Individualized instructional time seemed to be rather limited. Once Mrs. Kearns gave the lesson
to the class they were given a worksheet to practice using a protractor with. While the students
worked, Mrs. Kearns would walk around the class to see how each student was doing on their
worksheet. This seemed to be a very efficient way of handling individualized instruction because
she could focus on the students who needed more help this way.

Instruction Question 8: How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions from one subject or period
to another, and are these transitions effective?
Due to the fact that Mrs. Kearns was a team teacher, she did not have to transition to another
subject while I was visiting. The students had a specific time every day where they would switch
from Mrs. Kearns’ class to Mrs. Foster’s class to learn about different subjects. The transitions
are set in place to help students switch their focus completely. Because the students are in a
totally new environment, their mindset is more effectively altered.

*Instruction Question 9: List ways that the teacher attempts any “attention getting” commands? (Ex:
Countdown, Light flicker, Heads on Desk) How effective are they?
If the students ever started getting chatty while Mrs. Kearns was teaching, she would simply stop
talking or say “I’ll wait” until the talking deceased. This seemed to work extremely well. I
believe it was because she set an expectation for the students to listen while she’s talking.

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*Instruction Question 10: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does
the teacher deal with these behavior issues? Be specific.
One student that I noticed had to always have Mrs. Kearns’ attention. During individual work she
would constantly be raising her hand to get Mrs. Kearns approval, and sometimes she would
speak out of turn during the lesson. If Mrs. Kearns was busy with another student and this
student attempted to interrupt, she would either turn to hold up her index finger as in “wait a
moment” or she would ignore the student until she was free. Another frequent behavior issue
was talkative students. It was usually the same students chatting and it seemed like she was able
to handle the chatter by simply glancing at them and pausing.

*Instruction Question 11: Are there any policies or procedures in place that help or hinder
instructional time? If so, explain them and how they help or hinder use of instructional time.
Because Mrs. Kearns and Mrs. Foster are team teachers, their students switch between
classrooms twice a day. This time that is spent switching classrooms or anticipating the switching
of classrooms is time that could be spent on instruction. On the other hand, because the students
go into a different classroom for different subjects, this switching process may help them change
their focus. Homework is usually passed out at the end of a lesson and does not seem to interfere
with the lesson.

ASSIGNMENT FOUR (Culture): Using the information provided below, carefully observe and
evaluate the culture of the school where you are assigned to observe. Remember you are evaluating the
school for its educational culture, place of learning, sense of safety, invitation for learning, promotion of
self-actualization, development of values and socialization.

Physical Characteristics: Look at the physical areas of the school to determine atmosphere, comfort,
and feelings the school creates for students in the educational setting.

1. Consider the school property: building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping, trees, parking lot,
crosswalks, gates, signs and symbols.
There is a big, vibrant mural on the side of the school that catches your eye right away. The grass
on the field is mostly dead and yellow but there is also a student garden planted near the mural,
along with several young trees around the building. There are plenty of crosswalks nearby and
during student drop off and pick up there are crossing guards in all of the crosswalks. The
building itself is rather bland and boxy looking, but still relatively new. Overall it is a pleasant
place.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting, doors, windows, hall colors and
decorations and entrance security.
Every wall has something on it. As you first enter the school, there are beautiful photographs off
students playing outside. These photos are of current students at Rodger Bryan and serve as a
very cheerful welcoming into the school. Many of the bulletin boards on the hallway walls are
decorated with student art work. Each one has a different theme and some were simply decorated
by teachers to brighten the hallway up. All of the classroom areas are referred to as pods and

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each is labeled to represent the numbers of the classrooms inside the pod (40’s, 50’s, etc.). Many
of the teachers’ doors are decorated and in the pods there is a lot of natural light. There is a
courtyard in the middle of the school that helps bring more natural light to the hallways of the
school.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and observe to determine the climate, values, and atmosphere
within the school.

1. Identify the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot.

“The mission of Roger M. Bryan Elementary School is to find the key which unlocks each
child's full intellectual potential; to encourage each child to act compassionately, responsibly,
and respectfully; and to give each child the skills to be prepared for the complex world of
tomorrow.” Their mascot is a tiger. I was unable to identify a motto.

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and faculty interactions in other
areas of the school.
Every staff member I encountered was very polite and friendly. While I was in the main office, it
took a minute for the office staff to acknowledge me. I had one extremely friendly teacher take
me to Mrs. Kearns class. Every other day that I visited they simply greeted me and let me be on
my way. One 5th grade student approached Mrs. Foster during lunch one day and asked about
possibly attending a magnet middle school.

3. Look at the formal practices: school day schedule; ages of students; calendar of events; size of school;
grouping of students.
School starts at 9am every day and gets out at 3:21pm. Their lunch is split into 2 periods
where half of the school will eat lunch at 11:45 and the other half goes at 12:15pm. Each
lunch period contains an equal mix of students from all grades. Each pod has a mix of
different grades as well. Each normal classroom has an average of 30 students.

4. Observe student to student interactions, inside and outside the building. Observe where students
gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, playground, etc.
During recess many students had many different interactions. Students play tag, kickball,
soccer, four-square, and many other games out on the playground. In the classroom, their
interactions are generally friendly towards each other. There were these two girls who
seemed to be best friends; they would walk together in the hallways, but they always seemed
to be dragging behind.

5. Explain how the school is organized - by grades, departments or not. Are hallways/classroom
labeled?
The school is split into several pods, each pod contains classrooms from different grades, and the
classrooms are not labeled with anything to distinguish which class is what grade. This created a
sense of community within the pod. The pods are labeled with the respective classroom numbers
inside (40’s, 50’s, etc.). There are also distinguishable decorations to identify each pod.

6. Examine school traditions, achievements and awards; community recognition or community partners;
extracurricular activities/clubs and athletics. Look for and document sources of community pride and
sense of identity through ceremonies, assemblies, trophies, and artifacts.

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C. Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.

*1. Look for teacher(s) expectations for learning and success, interactions with students, and his/her
personality.
Mrs. Kearns is a friendly but firm teacher. She doesn’t want to hear excuses about why someone
didn’t do their assignment; she just wants it to be done. This alone sets an expectation that as a
student you must complete your work. Her interactions with the students yielded many questions
similar to “why isn’t this done? And why aren’t you working on this?” Whenever questions like
this were asked, she wouldn’t stay for an answer, the student would simply start working again.

*2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does not?
Most of the students were very active in participating while I was visiting. It seemed as though
the students who were more talkative and might have trouble with participating were seated
either in the group adjacent to Mrs. Kearns’ projector or somewhere near the front of the room.

*3. Evaluate the interactions between teachers and students, rapport, cohesiveness, distribution of
power, tone, frequency and reinforcements.
These students seemed to understand that Mrs. Kearns is in charge and she is there to help if
needed. They all seemed to get along quite well with each other and have respect for Mrs.
Kearns. There were several students who would go up to Mrs. Kearns at the beginning of class to
show her their homework as in to receive praise for doing it. They were also able to ask relevant
questions whenever they became confused. Mrs. Kearns was able to get attention from the class
without needing to raise her voice.

ASSIGNMENT FIVE (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Complete the questions below by

interviewing your cooperating teacher during a convenient time. Include any school documents that
your cooperating teacher will allow you to photocopy for your packet.

Interview Question 1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher?
Lindsey Kearns grew up around teachers, her grandmother was a kindergarten teacher while her
father taught high school English. She has felt a passion for teaching since she tutored younger
kids while she was in high school. It was her calling.

Interview Question 2: What is the main challenge(s) you face as a teacher?

She believes the main challenge of being a teacher is that she gets to act as a parental figure but
not actually have any control over the students’ home life.

Interview Question 3: What is the best part(s) of being a teacher?

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She enjoys getting to see students learn and grow throughout the year. When the students become
older it is especially exciting for her to see how they have changed.

Interview Question 4: How do you determine where students sit in class?

At the beginning of the year she lets the students choose their own seats. From then on she
assigns new seats every month based on which students get along, which ones cause trouble, and
which students need to be facing the board.

Interview Question 5: How do you determine the members of any flexible groups?
She determines the members of flexible groups based on need. The students that need more
attention during instruction are more likely to end up in a group with students who are easy to
talk to and have a better understanding of the lesson.

Interview Question 6: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly?
Mrs. Kearns uses Core Phonics, Xtra Math, DRA Comprehension Assessment, Benchmark, and
the AIMSweb test.

Interview Question 7: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents?
She must send home a progress report once a month and update grades consistently because
parents can now log on to Edmodo to check their child’s grade.

Interview Question 8: How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person?
It depends on the student but she will meet every student’s parent at least once a year. Whenever
a parent requests a conference she will have to meet with them as well. In all she interacts with a
student’s parent about twice a month.

Interview Question 9: What type of discussions do you typically have with parents?
The interactions that Mrs. Kearns has with parents are usually academic based. There have not
been nearly as many conferences due to behavioral issues.

Interview Question 10: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?
Mrs. Kearns does about 1-2 hours of grading assignments per week.

Interview Question 11: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
Including making copies, Mrs. Kearns spends about 1-2 hours preparing the lessons.

*Interview Question 12: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
At the beginning of the year she set a routine in place for the students to follow. Throughout the
year she maintains these routines. This way the students know exactly when they can goof off
and when they need to listen.

*Interview Question 13: What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with?
She uses a ticket system; if a student completed their homework they receive a ticket. They then
put their ticket into their class’s jar. Because Mrs. Kearns is a team teacher, she collects the
tickets from both of her classes and the class with the most tickets at the end of the month gets a

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reward. This teaches the students that doing their work pays off in the long run and gives them an
instant gratification as well.

*Interview Question 14: What behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group?
For this age group Mrs. Kearns prefers to have the students call home to tell their parents exactly
what it is they did. This teaches them to take responsibility for their actions.

Interview Question 15: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning process?
As a teacher Mrs. Kearns must coordinate with the specialist teachers. The specialist teachers are
usually good about letting her know if anything special needs to be done in the regular
classroom.

Interview Question 16: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool(s) is used by the
administration for determining your own performance?
Mrs. Kearns is evaluated 2 or 3 times a year and she has a meeting with the principal of the
school once a year. Her evaluation is based on statewide NEPF standards.

Interview Question 17: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?
Consequences include a probation period where she has more administrative check-ins.

Interview Question 18: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially or
professionally from the school, parent organization or school district to enhance instruction?
Mrs. Kearns participates in a once weekly meeting with other staff. The school district offers all
sorts of different training based on different teachers’ needs. She also attends the Professional
Learning Community’s twice yearly meeting.

Interview Question 19: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?
Once she became a teacher she quickly learned that it is “not all smiles and rainbows” and that it
doesn’t simply involve teaching children. This surprised her because she grew up around
teachers and usually only perceived the best parts of teaching.

ASSIGNMENT SIX (Classroom Interactions):

Teacher Exchange Directed to Boys vs. Teacher Exchange Directed to Girls.
Record tally marks for a 20 minute period when direct instruction is taking place. When interaction is
between the teacher and any male student, add a tally mark. Do the same when teacher interaction is
between the teacher and any female student. Record your tally marks in chart form, and then summarize

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*Summarize your Classroom Interactions data from above:

Due to the fact that there are more male students in the class than female students, the teacher
had more exchanges with boys in the class than girls. When she did have an exchange with a
male student, it tended to be in response to a distraction that they were causing or because they
were not paying attention. Examples include telling a student to sit properly, stop talking, or spit
out their gum. On the other hand, a few male students had genuine questions about what they
were learning. Mrs. Kearns always had a positive and excited tone of voice when answering a
question about the lesson. When she would have an exchange with a female student, it was
generally positive. She quickly called on the females that raised their hands to talk or ask
questions and she chose one female student to go up to the board to select an answer. There
weren’t any females called out for talking or distracting the other students. This shows me that
the females were usually on their best behavior. It could also show bias towards female students
in some cases but in this case I believe that Mrs. Kearns did not have a biased attitude.

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN (Administrator Interview): The prewritten student created questions are
mandatory for credit, and the Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean interview is optional but strongly
encouraged ONLY IF IT CAN BE ARRANGED. After composing your own five open-ended questions,
do your best to arrange a 15 minute interview with the Principal/Assistant Principal/Dean or other
administrative personnel so you can get answers to the five prewritten questions you came up with. This
could be the most valuable part of your experience if you can shed light upon what administrators are
looking for, from their future applicants. (example Open Ended question: What are the most important
qualities you look for in a newly hired teacher?)

This could not be arranged.

ASSIGNMENT EIGHT (Specialist Classroom Observations): Remember… some schools do not have these
programs, so this assignment will be optional for some. Specialist classroom visits are strongly encouraged ONLY IF
THEY CAN BE ARRANGED. Make sure you get permission from your cooperating teacher, as well as the lead teacher in
the specialist, GATE/AP, or special education room.
A) Ask permission from your cooperating teacher to accompany the students and observe one or
more of the specialist classes (Art, Music, Library, Humanities, PE) they attend, or a different
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middle/high school subject the same students attend within your cooperating teacher’s grade level
team.

1. Do the students participate or behave differently in these classes in comparison to their

regular academic/cooperating teacher’s class?
I visited the Library with the students in Mrs. Kearns class and they did not behave much
differently. Towards the end of the Library time they were given time to check out new
books; some of the students got a bit antsy and this caused some commotion, but the
Library teacher Mrs. Jiron was able to put them back in their place quickly.
2. Does any student seem to have a particular talent? Describe.
There were several students excited to go to the Library. I noticed one student particularly
keen on reading. During reading time in the morning she didn’t put down her book even
for a second. She would clearly rather be reading than talking to anyone. During her time
in the Library she attached herself to every word Mrs. Jiron said. I also found out that she
belonged to the group participating in the “Battle of the Books” competition.

3. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education(cooperating teacher’s)

class?
There were no assignments given to take home, only books. Mrs. Jiron read part of a
book to the students and then let them check out books and read for some time. There
wasn’t much of a curriculum on this day that I attended because it was their first visit to
the Library since reading week had ended. While students were checking out books she
chatted with them to figure out what she could recommend.
4. Describe the specialist teacher’s instructional style.
Mrs. Jiron has a calm and collected instructional style. She doesn’t treat the students like
little kids but rather like they are more matured. This shows them that she expects them to
act their age and they usually respond well to this.
5. What different strategies do you notice this teacher using that are successful?
A strategy that she uses to keep students quiet while she is reading is to let them close
their eyes and put their heads down to listen if they are having trouble sitting still. She
keeps the story interesting by using inflection in her voice while reading. The students
really listen to her and enjoy every word.
6. What are the challenges the specialist teacher has to deal with?
One of the major challenges Mrs. Jiron faces is only getting to see these students once a
week. There isn’t as much time for instruction as she would like and there is only so
much that can be taught for one hour a week.
7. How are student needs being met?
Librarians are actually becoming a rare species of sorts and the fact that this school has a
librarian to teach them anything is helpful to the students. Mrs. Jiron demonstrated a love
for reading like I myself have never even seen. Just being in her presence and her library
I felt an urge to read more. As a teacher I feel she is successfully helping these students to
love or at the very least appreciate reading as she does. I feel this is one of the most
important things a student can learn.

B) Ask your cooperating teacher if you may observe part of the time in the GATE (Gifted and
Talented classroom, or another classroom that is considered Advanced Placement) Remember… some
schools do not have these programs, so this assignment for some will be optional. Specialist classroom visits are strongly encouraged IF
THEY CAN BE ARRANGED.
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1. Do you notice any social and academic differences between the kids in this class and in the
regular education classes?
These students notice their surroundings more efficiently. Almost as soon as one student
walked in they noticed a change in the decoration of the class. They were all excited to be
in there and to be working on different projects.
2. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education class?
The curriculum is more challenging and requires the students to think for themselves.
While I was visiting the students were working on a project where they had to invent
their own civilization and it had many steps and requirements. In a regular classroom the
curriculum is more straightforward and students are given all of the tools they need to
succeed. In this classroom there is more information left up to the students own
interpretation.
3. Describe the GATE/AP teacher’s instructional style.
The GATE teacher Mrs. Finke didn’t do much instructing while I visited this class but she
seems to expect a lot from the students. I imagine that her instructional style includes a
lot of questions for the students. She was very encouraging and she used the phrase
“stretch your mind” as in to “think outside the box.” If the students were stuck on
something she would tell them not to give up and to think harder.

4. Would you rather be in this class or the regular education class? Why?
I would rather be in a regular classroom because there is more consistency to the regular
classrooms. This specific GATE teacher goes to three different schools a week and works
with all of the children deemed gifted and talented from grades 2-5. This might be
something I would consider for my distant future as an educator if I ever wanted a means
of changing things up, but for now I see myself as a regular classroom teacher.
5. How are the student needs being met?
Being in the GATE class, these students are given more opportunities to increase their
brain power and that is essentially what GATE is for. These students are provided with
more challenges than the regular classroom students. They have more work they need to
get done and they get less help in doing it.

ASSIGNMENT NINE (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned
regular classroom during an extended period of direct instruction. Summarize what the student did
during the observation, making sure to document ALL behavior. Detail what was going on in the
environment, and what you observed the student doing while the lesson was being given.

1. Please summarize the setting, the lesson that was given, if the student was on task and engaged in the
lesson, and what you uncovered about putting yourself in a lesson from the student’s point of view.
The student I chose to observe was a female student who caught my attention by asking me
several questions. She was genuinely interested in my presence and I had to remind her to pay attention
a few times. The lesson being taught was about using a protractor to measure angles. When Mrs. Kearns
first started the lesson she passed out a protractor to every student and this girl, we will call her Cassie,
asked Mrs. Kearns if she could help to pass them out. Mrs. Kearns said “no, thank you” and Cassie
simply turned back in her seat and fidgeted with her protractor. Once Mrs. Kearns was in the front of the
room teaching the lesson, Cassie had no problem following the teachers’ instructions and learning about
the protractors. It was as if she hung on to Mrs. Kearns’ every word.
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After giving the lesson and handing out work sheets, Mrs. Kearns gave the students a chance to
work on their own. The students were free to talk amongst themselves as long as the noise level stayed
at a minimum. As the students worked Mrs. Kearns walked around the classroom to see how the
students were doing on this new concept. Cassie worked diligently on her worksheet and she was one of
the first students to finish. When she was done her hand shot up into the air for Mrs. Kearns’ attention.
She shook her hand around a little bit impatiently until Mrs. Kearns came over. She got the praise that
she wanted and immediately turned to ask me questions. Many of the other students were still working.
A small amount of chatter started to rise in the classroom as students started asking each other
for help and finishing up. Any questions Cassie asked me I would answer honestly. She was curious
mostly about me being in school to become a teacher. Other students started asking me questions along
with her and she tried to compete for my attention with them. Mrs. Kearns started talking over the
students chatter and Cassie was no longer interested in her. As the lesson continued it appeared as
though her interest in it was decreasing. She started whispering to her neighbor and fidgeting with her
pencil box. Once this portion of the lesson was over she became very chatty with her friends.
I think that Cassie felt this lesson was very easy. She learned very quickly and didn’t feel the
need to listen anymore. I think it could be beneficial to present her with more challenges instead of
letting her chat with her friends. Her general curiosity makes me think that she might enjoy being given
extra challenges. As a future teacher, I will try to incorporate challenges into my lessons for the students
who learn quicker. I think I would also like to ask students like her to feel free to help her struggling
peers. I feel that this student may be able to unlock some hidden potential with these other methods of
preoccupation.

ASSIGNMENT TEN (Summary):

Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour Field Observation Placement.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 10 hours I spent at Roger Bryan Elementary School. The students I got
to meet were inspiring and the staff even more so. The students showed me what I am in for and the staff
showed me that it is possible to enjoy what you do.
When I was visiting, I arrived in the classroom before the students. They were so excited to have
a visitor and they already knew my name. When the students arrived they greeted me and asked me
questions. As soon as Mrs. Kearns came in they sat down at their desks and started to read as part of
their routine. The students got used to my presence as the day went on but were still curious about me.
They went to P.E. on the first day I visited and many students complained about it. They came back to
class with an hour until lunch and most of the students got very antsy. Mrs. Kearns collected homework
and gave the lesson. After their lesson I was able to walk around and watch them work. Some students
even came up to me to ask for help. They were extremely excited once it was time for lunch.
Because Mrs. Kearns is a team teacher with Mrs. Foster, I was afraid I would confuse the class
with the teacher. Instead of following the students too closely I directed my focus onto the life of Mrs.
Kearns. She made this job seem so easy. When the classes switched she pretty much got to repeat
exactly what it was she did before. As the 10 hours came to an end I was finally able to stand at the front
of the classroom and see the class from her point of view. It was very weird to have the full attention of
a classroom of thirty 8 and 9 year olds at first. While it was weird, it also felt like I was exactly where I
needed to be. The hours flew by faster than I expected and eventually I had to say goodbye.
I was hoping that I would get more “action” and learn what it would feel like to give instruction
but for most of the 10 hours I simply observed. I am glad that I wasn’t given any tasks because having
the chance to focus on my observations helped me learn a lot about becoming a teacher. I learned that no
two students are created equal and that every class comes with its own challenges. On top of that I

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confirmed that this is exactly what I want to do as a career and that I want to do whatever it takes to
succeed.

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Before final grading for EDU 201, EDU 202, EDU 203 courses can occur, the CSN student must
submit their completed Field Observation Activities Packet to their CSN Instructor for grading, AND
turn in their validated “Field Observation Time Log” and “Field Observation Student Evaluation”
sheets. The CCSD cooperating teacher must also email the student’s CSN Instructor before the final
exam date. The instructor’s email can be found on the first page of this packet. (pass/fail for the student)

Remember to save this completed packet in digital form, or as a hard copy for your Education
Capstone Course, (EDU 299)

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