Field observation Estrada 1

Irishelle Estrada

Dr. Isbell

Field observation

19 November 2018
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Assignment 1 (observations)

1) My first impressions upon entering the classroom was it very warm and welcoming.

When entering the classroom I noticed the classroom was very organized everything

single item had a place in the classroom. Nothing looked out of place throughout the

classroom, most of the items had a color code or a there was containers holding books for

certain level of books. I also noticed the classroom was divided into two different

sections, one section the desk and projector were and the other side there was a rug ad

rocking chair. When you walk into the classroom it was very warm and friendly learning

environment.

2) The classroom I observed the gender that made up the most of the classroom was female.

The ethnicity that made up most of the classroom was either hispanic or white. While I

observed I noticed there was a couple of G.A.T.E. students. They get pulled out of class 3

times a week to a different classroom, these students are more advanced than the ones

who stay back in the regular classroom.

3) The classroom rules were not posted in a specific spot in the classroom, there was a lot of

encouraging and positive words around the classroom to encourage the students to the

best they can.

4) Yes, the teachers enforces the rules of the classroom, she often reads them when the class

is acting out. The rewards and consequences of rules is either loosing or adding dojo

points, once the teacher sees the students not following the rules she pulls the student
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aside and lets them know they lost dojo points. If they are excellent during class they will

get dojo points.

Classroom layout

1) The workflow of the classroom works efficiently, the room is divided into two different

sections which she refers to the office and the living room. The office is where the

students do most of their work they are put into groups and this is where the teacher most

of her instruction. The office is also where the students have group discussion and do

most of their group projects. The living room section of the room is more independent

work within the students. The living room is consists of a rug, rocking chair, and a few

other essentials which makes this space more feel more like home. This area is used for

mostly for independent reading and students can spread out within the classroom so they

can read where they feel most comfortable at.

2) The physical arrangement of the room can be improved by spreading out the tables more

so the students do not feel crowded in the big room.

Assignment 3 (instruction)

1) The daily schedule posted on the whiteboard is the objective portraying the lesson for the

day. She has what the main points for the day is and what the students have to accomplish

for the day. The small schedule she had posted on my first day was she was going

introduce what a narrative essay was and they were going to have independent time.

2) On my first day the instruction was either done with the whole class as she introduced the

lesson plan and as she explained what they were going to do for the rest of the period. If
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she has questions to ask or partner share she has students get into partners to discuss, then

go back to the whole class to share their answers.

3) I would describe my cooperating teacher’s teaching style as having a very positive

teaching style. She asks many question throughout the lesson to make sure the students

are following and understanding the lesson for the day. She has many small

individualized groups, which helps her students learn better by having one on one

interactions with each other.

4) As I saw my cooperating teacher teaching three different classes she only modified the

lesson plan by the wording. She does not have any modification for any students except

for G.A.T.E. students. If they missed a lesson because they got pulled out of the class, she

has to go back and explain to each one of the students the assignments they missed.

5) Yes, the students engage while the teacher is presenting the lesson plan, the students are

constantly raising their hands to keep answering the questions she was asking. The

students seem excited to learn and often yell out the answers, but if the class gets too loud

she will stop her lesson and wait for them to quiet down.

6) The three days I observed no student was isolated from the rest of the class.

7) Yes, the instruction time is managed efficiently because the daily schedule is posted and

the teacher keeps checking the time to make sure they are good on time. As she sees time

is running out she likes to go over the most important points of her lesson and makes it

into a small lecture. They have small time management skills the students do such as

hand signals to indicate if they need to leave the class.

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8) The cooperating teacher handles transitions between classes by making sure she wraps up

the lesson and goes over what the main points of the lesson was. She asks quick question

of what they learn to make sure they understood. She also makes sure the desk and the

floor around the desk is cleaned. Once everything is cleaned she asks them to line up at

the door to walk outside to go to the next class.

9) The teacher has two way of getting the students attention when the students get too loud.

One of the ways is she yells out the word waterfall. When the students hear this word

they know they have to become quiet or they will have consequences, this method is

more effective than any other one she uses in her classroom. Another way she gets their

attention is by ringing a bell. If the students hear this immediately become quiet.

10) One specific behavior issue the teacher had to deal with was a alterations between two

boys they were pushing and hitting one another. Once she saw this she pulled them aside

and talk to both of the students. She was telling how important it is to respect one others

space at school and it is never okay to put your hands on another student. They also lost

dojo points when they returned back to the classroom.

11) To save instructional time during the class, she uses hand signals to tell the teacher they

need something quietly. This hinders instructional time because instead of raising their

hand and disrupting class time, she can see the hand signal and either nods her head yes

or no.

Assignment 4 (culture)

Physical characters
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1) As I as driving closer to the school I saw many crosswalks and workers who were

walking kids across the streets safely. When i walk up to the school the grass and ground

are very clean. I saw landscaping workers mowing the lawn and cutting the trees, they

were also picking up all the fall leaves that were falling on the ground. The gates

surrounding the building were locked for the safety of the students. The only signs on the

front of the building was a digital sign displaying important dates parents and students

needed to know. There was also a couple of banners hanging of clubs and one notifying

anyone who visited the school was a blue ribbon school.

2) As i walked through the school hallways the lighting was very bright and throughout the

school the colors covering the walls were very bright and colorful. The walls are covered

in artwork from the students. The security they have at the front office is you are required

to sign in and explain why you are there. After my first day there, they did not have to

escort me to my assigned classroom because I already knew my way around the school.

Culture of the school

1) The mission statement at Helen Marie Smith Elementary school is to provide a safe and

positive learning environment for all students. Through collaboration between students,

parents, and staff, we strive to promote lifelong learners who are able to meet the

challenges of a diverse society. The motto is “help make success...Respect and

responsibility”. The mascot is a superstar.

2) The first day I arrived at the school I had to sign in and state why I was there. The front

staff was very friendly and they made me feel very welcomed, they showed me where my

assigned classroom was. The main office was very busy, there was students, parents, staff
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walking in and out at all times. The nurses office is right by the front office, as I wait for

my teacher I see many students going in and out of the nurses office as well.

3) The assigned school I got started at 9:10 and ends at 3:21. The classroom i was assigned

to was a fifth grade class, there schedule was different from the rest of the school, they

have three different teachers who teach different subjects the students rotate throughout

the day. The school used a pull out program for english language learners, they get pulled

out every other day for a certain amount of time, they get one on one time with a

specialist teacher who will help them improve their english.

4) As I observed students to students interactions throughout the school I realized every

student is very friendly and talkative. The students are always say hi to every teacher they

pass in the hallway. At recess time most of the students are playing some kind of sport or

they are running around the grass area. They usually have their own groups of students

they socialize with.

5) Helen Marie Smith elementary school is known as a blue ribbon school. As you walk the

hallways of the school you can see walls covered in artwork of students of all grade

levels. You can also see many pictures around the school from award ceremonies and

extracurricular activities, such as student council, choir, and garden club.

Culture of the classroom

1) The teacher gives a lot of positive feedback to their students. She believes the students

will work harder and better if you encourage them with positive words and phrases. She

realized the students wants to please their teachers by getting good grades. Ms. Allen
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personality is very positive and welcoming, she wants to have a impact to each of her

students lives, she wants to have a fun year with her students while they grow.

2) As I observed the class on the first day most of the work was partner work, as I looked

around I see everyone talking to one another about the topic they has to discuss. The

students got to choose their partners, so most of students choose be with their friends, but

the students weren’t getting off topic. One the class got together to discuss the topic more

than half of the class would raise their hand to answer the question. If a student was not

participating as much as others, she would call their name and the student would answer.

3) The interactions between student and teacher are always respectful. If a teacher is asking

a student to do a task the student will not complain and will successfully do the task. The

teacher always has a soft tone when she is speaking with the students and she always

seems excited to teach the material.

Assignment 5 (cooperating Teacher Interview)

1) The primary reason why Ms. Allen became a teacher is because she was inspired by her

second grade teacher. When she moved to the United States, the teacher had helped her

grow academically and personality. Year after year when she would go visit her second

grade teacher she realized she loved what she did as a career.

2) The main challenges she faces as a teacher is mostly the lack of society value of

education.

3) The best part of teaching, according to Ms. Allen is seeing how kids grow and knowing

you help shape them.

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4) Ms. Allen gives a lot of freedom to her students when they enter her classroom. The

students get to choose where they sit in the classroom. They are only a few exception

where she chooses her students seat which is if a students constantly isn’t doing their

work or they keep disrupting the class. When working in small groups she decides who is

going to work with each other by if she thinks the students would never talk to one

another.

5) Ms. Allen determines members of the flexible groups is she usually lets students choose

their own partners. At the beginning of the year she does a lesson of “how to choose a

partner”. She also does self reflections when students do partner work, this let’s her get

an idea who works best with one another.

6) Beyond standardized testing, the assessment that are used in the classroom is formative

assessment. While students are doing assignments, she likes to walk around the class

asking students if they need extra help. She likes to create her own assessment to make

sure the assessment are covering all the materials she went over in class.

7) The requirement placed to report progress to parents is report cards are passed out after 1

½ month after school starts. If parents wants to discuss more about their child she

schedules after school conference with them.

8) Ms. Allen likes to have daily interaction with parents. Her interactions are usually

positive, she realized if her interactions are more positive than negative the parents more

open minded if their child ever needs to have a negative conference with them.

9) As I asked this question Ms. Allen answered very honestly and stated grading was the

worst part of being a teacher. She also said she would spend an entire weekend grading
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one assignment since she has over 90 students in and out of the classroom everyday. She

usually gives her students their test online, but if most of the questions are short answer

questions or multiple choice answers but the students have to explain why they choose

that answer. These kind of test takes longer to grade because she has to read every single

answer and give feedback.

10) Depending on the lesson plan and what activities she has planned it will take her about

30 minutes each lesson plan. She likes to include many hands on activity during her

lesson plan and games. She likes to have a end goal while writing her lesson plan and has

an idea of what she is going to write down. She likes to write her lesson plan a week

before.

11) strategies Ms. Allen uses to minimize time is has many hand signals to either ask to use

the bathroom, drink of water, or to go to the nurses office. She used this strategy because

it saves time instead of disrupting the class, a students can raise a hand signals and she

will let them go quietly. Another strategy she uses is not to take attendance and instead

she goes table by table out loud asking if there is anyone absent. Ms. Allen has to use her

time wisely, she teaches a fifth grade class who route between classes and she only has

about an hour with each class.

12) A positive reinforcement program Ms. Allen has had success with is a app called “Class

Dojo” this app lets easily get into contact with parents. She tracks students behavior and

attendance and parents can obtain the information on their phone. On class dojo a teacher

is allowed to add points or take away points depending on the student’s behavior. If she
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decides to add or subtract points she immediately let students know, this changes the

students behavior right away.

13) Specialist teachers are not incorporated very much in Ms. Allen instructional planning

process, at times she shares her long large plans for specialist teachers to try to

incorporated in their regular plans.

14) Teachers at Helen Marie smith are evaluated at random times after their first year of

teaching at the school. Many times a administrator will watch your class and take notes

on certain points you need to improve. When it is your first year teaching you will have 3

full cycles of evaluating. The measurement of tool used by the administration to

determine your teaching performance is determined by the school district tool.

15) The consequences teachers have if their evaluation is not favorable the administrators

will give them directions on how to teach the material. They will also will give you items

to focus on while they are teaching. If your teaching is not improving over time, it will

eventually lead to a termination from the school district.

16) The instructionally help Ms. Allen receives is she is allowed to have freedom to what she

teaches. She does not have any specific program to follow when she teaches. This lets her

freedom to go as slow or fast on one lesson and she can make sure all her students

understand the lesson. She also receives many donations from parents such as cleaning

supplies, food for parties, parent volunteers for school events.

17) What surprised Ms. Allen most about teaching is how similar teaching any age group is .

she realized if your passion is teaching how easy is to teach the material no matter what

the age group is. Ms. Allen has taught kindergarten, first, and fifth grade, she realized
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even if there is a big age difference between the students how similar is is too teach them

all.

Assignment 6 (observing a student)

Throughout the three days days I observed my selected through three different school

days. Throughout the three days I had mostly the same result, the student I choose was a fifth

grade female who was very active during the lesson. The first lesson of the day was introducing

what a informative essay is and how they would write their own essay. When I observing the

students she would seem engage when the lecture was being taught. The first day most of the

lesson was being done in partner work, the student I was observing and her partner were on topic

about the questions being asked. I did not once hear them go off topic and talk about something

else. Once it was time to have the group discussion and the teacher was asking the class what

they have discuss, the student seemed shy at first but once she answered a question or two she

opened up more to the class and started talking more to the teacher. I also observed the student

on the playground at recess, she was playing four square most of the time with her group of

friends. She would play respectfully and understood when she lost and had to go back to the line.

As I put myself in a student shoes for a couple of days I noticed how different every student will

be in your class would be. Although I only observed one student I noticed how different fellow

students who would be around her would act. It is important to know each one of your students

who walk in and out of your class everyday.

Assignment 7 (summary)

As i finished my ten hours of observation at my elementary school I was lucky enough to

get a great school and teacher. This was my first hands on experience with elementary school
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students in their learning environment. I was excited to see a everyday school teacher schedule

and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. As I arrived on my first day I was feeling

nervous, but yet excited to sit in a regular class. The classroom I was assigned to felt very warm

and welcoming, the students were very friendly to me they would always me how I was and how

my day was going so far. The classroom I was observing was a fifth grade class, the students

were mature enough to understand I was a student in college and I was there to observe their

class and to become a teacher. On my first day I mostly saw instructional time , and how the

teacher speaks to students at all times. I was able to see how the teacher was able to transition

between classes efficiently. During my teachers prep break I was able to ask my interview

questions and ask all the questions I was curious about. On my second day I was also able to see

more instructional time, but there was more games and groups discussion as well. During my

teachers prep break I was able to sit in a meeting with other fifth grade teachers, they were

discussing about student behavior and future plans. They were discussing future field trips that

were taking place, and how to prepare for it. They were also talking about the schedule they

would have on Halloween and the flyers they needed to pass out. On my last observation day it

was halloween, as I entered the school I saw many staff members in costumes waiting for the

halloween parade to start. The entire fifth grade was in the cafeteria doing a project for Nevada

day. They were making rice krispies treats that looked like nevada and different candies would

represent cities, mountains, and lakes. After this activity was done they went back their

classrooms and continued with their regular lesson plan until it was time to get ready to put their

Halloween costumes on and walk the parade. As my last day was ending I was able to finally

have a elementary school experience. I was able to take a glance to see how a daily teachers life
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during school. I was glad I was able to have this experience to realize if a teaching career was

right for me.