CSN Education Department - Alternative Field Observation Activities Packet

Greetings Future Educator,

One of the most rewarding aspects of EDU 201, 202, or 203 is the opportunity you’ll have to
observe in a school classroom where students are actively engaged in learning. Each of these
three CSN courses require students to complete a 10 hour "Field Observation" in a Clark
County public school. If CDC Guidelines for Covid-19 prevent you from physically attending a
school campus during the current semester, this packet will offer the alternative experiences
required to satisfy your “Field Observation” requirements for this class virtually.

If possible to pair you with a cooperating CCSD teacher, your placement will be processed by
CSN’s observation coordinator, and you will receive details regarding your assigned school from
your CSN professor. Only then, will you contact the school and meet virtually with your assigned
CCSD “cooperating teacher”. Both you and your cooperating teacher will design a mutually
agreeable schedule to complete your required contact hours once you meet for the first time.

Within this packet, you will find the required field experience assignments that you must
complete in order to pass this class.

Your Name: Ruben Griego

CSN Course: EDU214

Professor: Susan Bridges

Professor’s email: wheeldw@nv.csd.edu

CCSD School: Arbor View High School

Cooperating Teacher: Daniel Wheelock

ASSIGNMENT #1 (Culture): Using the questions below, carefully observe and evaluate the
culture of the school. School culture refers to the way teachers and other staff members work
together and the set of beliefs, values, and assumptions they share. A positive school climate
and school culture promote students' ability to learn. 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. Use online resources such as your
assigned school’s CCSD webpage, http://nevadareportcard.nv.gov/di/,
https://www.publicschoolreview.com, and https://www.greatschools.org/nevada/las-vegas/ to
answer the following questions.

Physical Characteristics: Look at a picture(s) 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. Describe in detail.
Arbor View is a was built to feel like a small school even though at the time of its
construction was the largest school in Clark County. Its built using 4 two story building
surrounding an esplanade. It’s football field uses synthetic turf, the same turf used by the
NFL. The building is built with brick with plenty of window allowing natural light.

2. Next, (if available) study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting,
doors, windows, hall colors and decorations and entrance security. Explain in detail.
N/A

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

1: What are your first impressions of the school? Enrollment, graduation rate, proficiency
rates, student/teacher ratio etc.
Currently there are 3,160 students enrolled at Arbor View. The graduation rate is
94.85%. The proficiency for math is 34% and the reading and writing proficiency is 51%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 26:1.

2: Please describe the student make-up of the school, including gender, ethnicity,
students with disabilities, ELL students, and any other attributes that are important to
note you found.
The student body is comprised of the following. 1% American Indian, 5% Asian, 23%
Hispanic, 15% Black, 47% White, 1% Hawaiian, and 8% two or more races. Of the 3k
students. 49% were female and 51% were male.

3. Explain the school’s mission/vision statements, motto, and mascot.

The schools mission statement focuses on inclusion for all. Their mascot is The Aggie
which is a bull.
 3. 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.
Arbor View does have a community partner with Canyon Ridge Church. The Church
cleans the school grounds and fixes the chairs in the auditorium. As far as
extracurricular activities this school has everything you would image a high school to
have. Sports, debate, photo club and everything in between.

4. Briefly describe three other pieces of information that can be found on your assigned
school’s website.
You can find a virtual Open House in the about us tab. Since classes are being done
remotely. The school needed to be able to introduce students and parents, and they do
this by a series of videos and slides. You can find the teachers directory under the about
tab as well. This has all of the name for all of the staff and email addresses to contact
them. The Dress Code policy is located in the Parents tab.

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

1. What are the teacher’s expectations for learning and success?

a. Being on time. If your 5 minutes early you are late and do your work.

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does
not?
a. Jessica and Tina are the two that participated regularly. They usually had
their cameras on, and they were the first to speak up when questions were
asked. The other students Miles, Antrel, and Charlie only spoke up when
spoken to, and sometimes not even then.

3. Evaluate the interactions between teacher and students, rapport, cohesiveness,

distribution of power, teacher personality.
Mr. Wheelock made is classroom inviting and tried to gear lessons to intrigue his
students. He was always straight forward making his expectations clear of what he
expected from his students.

4. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the class. Are they
using any chat features to communicate with each other?
I didn’t really see any student interactions. Even with the classroom chat it was primary
used by the students who didn’t want to speak out loud.
ASSIGNMENT #2 (Observations)

1: What are your first impressions of the virtual classroom environment? Is it warm,
inviting, organized, etc? Describe the virtual environment in detail. The virtual
environment was very welcoming.
Mr. Wheelock was very punctual, conducted his classes in a well-organized manner,
and friendly to all his students.

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 class was made up of 2 females and 3 males. This was a special education class so
although there were no physical challenges I could see, I was aware that some of the
students had behavioral issues.

3: Are their posted class rules or course expectations? If rules/expectations are posted
write them exactly as they appear.
Nothing was posted that I could, but that was mostly likely due to the virtual
environment.

4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules/expectations? What rewards or

consequences are used for compliance or noncompliance?
Although there were no rules that I could see. Mr. Wheelock did state that students who
were insubordinate or didn’t do their work in the normal school setting would not be
allowed to participate in extracurricular activities and snacks.

5: What is the posted daily/weekly schedule for different subjects or periods?

The classes I attended were Mon 10:30a-11:50a Math, Tue 10:25a-11:50a Science, and
Thu 12:30p-1:50p English.

6: Do you see evidence of the school’s mission/vision statements in the virtual

environment?
Yes, each student was treated with equality and was included in all class activities
whether they participated or not.
ASSIGNMENT #3 (Classroom Layout): Take screenshots of the learning management system
used by the teacher (Canvas, Google Classroom, Seesaw etc..)

1: Describe the workflow of the online environment. Is the space and time used
efficiently?
Yes, Mr. Wheelock made sure to space time between lesson and schoolwork in a
manner that one didn’t feel overbearing over the other. He kept the lesson short, and
make sure to check in on his student while they did their work.

2: In your opinion, how can the virtual arrangement of the room be improved?
The virtual arrangement was fine.
This class only had a handful of students. There was never a time where there were so
many people logged in you couldn’t see who was there. However, if there was one thing
I would change and that would be the requirement for the cameras to be on. Without the
students having their cameras on its impossible to see who is and isn’t paying attention.
ASSIGNMENT #4 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time with your assigned Cooperative
Teacher, and record your observations when presented with the questions below:

1: Is instruction delivered in small groups, centers, whole groups, individually?

Instruction was given to the entire class at the same time. This was due to the small
class sizes.

2: Describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style.

Mr. Wheelock was very hands in his teaching style. He guided the students through his
daily lessons. During the time used for classwork he would continuously check on his
students to ensure they were staying on task.

3: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give
examples. Good Behavior is rewarded. In the virtual environment it was done with
praise but when in the classroom students would be rewarded with snacks.

4: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented?

Please explain.
Two of his students did. They answered questions that were asked, did their work, and
made did their best to show they were engaged. The other three not so much. Most of
the time they would only answer questions if they were specifically called upon.

5: Are there any students isolated or not present/participating in the class?

Explain?
All the students were in the same meeting room, but only 2 of the 5 students actively
participated.

6: How does the teacher handle absences from the class?

If absences are an issue the teacher reaches out to the parents to discuss.

7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity?
Are the transitions efficient?
For the classes I sat in there was usually one main subject that the teacher focused on
for the day.

8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc.
Are they effective?
To get students attention Mr. Wheelock would usually call on the individual. If the class
as a whole was not listening or participating he would tell them he could go into
Guardian Mode which would allow him to see what each student is doing on their
individual computer to ensure they are doing what they are supposed to.
 9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the
teacher handle the behavior issues? Be specific.
Although I did not witness any students misbehaving, he did mention that some of his
students do have behavior issues. Like being aggressive. When this happens he said he
takes away freedoms like going out to the garden, or they miss out on snacks such as
chips and Gatorades.

10: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time?
Please explain them and how they help or hinder instructional time.
The biggest hinderance I noticed was not requiring students to have their cameras on
during class. Without cameras there really isn’t a way to know your if student is there or
not if they are actively participating.

ASSIGNMENT #5 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned

classroom during direct instruction.

1: What drove you to choose this student?

Tina was the star pupil of the class. She was in class everyday on time and always
smiling throughout the day.

2: Explain what the student did during the observation. She always made sure to
participate and did both her classwork and homework on time.

4. Summarize the lesson given and the student’s responses to the lesson.
Mr. Wheelock was discussing Mars and its different geographical characteristics and
locations. Tina showed an active interest and was answered any questions she could
after the presentation. She looked as if she really enjoyed that days lesson.

5. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented by
the classroom teacher.
She never spoke out of turn. Mr. Wheelock always commended her for her work and
commitment to class.
 6. Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles,
involvement in class, and his/her educational needs.
Although from time to time Tina did need to be pointed in the right direction regarding the
answers she never gave up and never gave the impression that it was too much. She
was very hands on and asked questions when she needed to.

ASSIGNMENT #6 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Arrange for a convenient time to

interview your cooperating teacher either on the phone or by video conference. Ask the
questions below. Include any school document, handouts, etc. the teacher provides..

1: What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

He loves working with kids and bringing out their potential. He believes with all his
experience he has something to offer.
2: What are the main challenges you face as a teacher?
Staying current with all the changes.
3: What is the best part of being a teacher?
Seeing the difference you make in the students lives.
4: How do you determine where students sit in class?
This is based on behavior and kids who needs glasses. Since this a special education
class this is IEP driven.
5: How do you select members of any flexible groups?
Ability levels – testing/prestesting
6: How often do you interact with parents in person? What are the main reasons for
interactions with parents?
In a normal year once or twice a year. In the virtual environment its on a weekly basis.
7: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?
Everything is graded daily so they can see how they are doing especially if they are
successful.
8: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
Time put into lessons is about 70 hours per week including classroom time.
9: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
Not to try to cover too much at once. Limiting the length of lessons. Gives time to review
and for questions.
10: What positive reinforcements have you used successfully? What behavioral
consequences seem most effective with this age group?
Verbal praise, snacks, and taking away their technology.
 11: How are specialist teachers involved in your instructional planning and process?
He uses resource folders that are shared through the district. He doesn’t seek out
individuals but will research the material they share.
12: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the
administration for determining your teaching performance?
He is evaluated twice a year and they use the Nevada State Standards.
13: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?
Teachers are required to take additional trainings if their evaluation doesn’t go well.
14: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?
The amount of pressure put on teachers by parents.
15: What drives their lesson plans? What standards do teachers use during lesson
planning? T
his class is 100% Driven by IEP, and he uses the Nevada Core standards.
16: If they are teaching at a Nevada Charter school, are there lessons prescribed from
core standards or from other resources?
N/A
17. How do you accommodate ELL, GATE, General Ed and Special Education
students?
This is based on IEPs. They are written with the accommodations in mind to help the
student.

ASSIGNMENT #7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour
Field Observation. What did you observe, learn, realize about teachers, students, instruction,
the school environment? How has this observation better prepared you to understand the
teaching profession? How does the observation relate to the text information and class
activities? What specific ideas on teaching will you remember to include in your classroom?

During my field observation I was able to watch as classes were conducted under abnormal
circumstances. With schools closed and everything being done by remote learning it was an
eye-opening experience watching as my assigned teacher had to adapt in this new way of
teaching. As a Special Ed teacher Mr. Wheelock really tried to keep the students engaged
whether they participated or not. He kept the lesson short and straight to the point. He used the
time in class efficiently splitting it between lectures and having the students do their schoolwork.
Making sure to chime in periodically to ensure everyone was on task. This experience taught
me more than anything else that as a teacher you must be fluid and able to adapt. Things can
change at a moment’s notice and you must be willing to change with them.
____________________________________________________________________

Remember that before receiving the final grade for this EDU course, the CSN student must
submit the completed Cover Page, Field Observation Activities, Time Log, and Student
Evaluation to the CSN instructor for grading.

The cooperating teacher must also email the instructor to confirm the successful completion of
the observation. The student is required to provide the CCSD cooperating teacher with their
CSN professor’s email, so the cooperating teacher can send an email to verify that the student
has successfully completed the 10 hours of observation. The instructor’s email must be
provided on the first page of this packet, and on the next page for the cooperating teacher.

Remember that completion of the Field Observation is a PASS/FAIL component of the course.
Students must save this completed packet in digital form, and as a hard copy for the Education
Department’s capstone course, (EDU 299) Education Portfolio or (EDU 220) Educational
Psychology

COOPERATING TEACHER INFORMATION - CSN FIELD OBSERVATIONS - VIRTUAL

Dear Mr. Wheelock,

Thank you for assisting in the preparation of a new generation of Nevada teachers. Our
education majors are required to complete 10 field observation hours in: EDU 202 Introduction
to Elementary Education

This class is where many of our students actually make the decision whether they will continue
further study of the profession. We appreciate you joining us in providing these students with a
wonderful first experience in the virtual classroom. If at all possible, please utilize the student to
assist you in supervised classroom instructional activities if you deem them ready.

We are hopeful that the information we have enclosed with this letter, which has been approved
by the Nevada College Consortium, will help you with a clear sense of how this field experience
works. When the student has completed his/her required 10 observation hours, please complete
and sign the “FIELD OBSERVATION TIME LOG” and “FIELD OBSERVATION STUDENT
EVALUATION” (along with the student). Then, return these two pages to the student who will
submit them to his/her professor.

For your convenience, the student has provided you with CSN contact information below.
Please contact the CSN instructor if there are any questions or concerns.

Also, before a final grade for EDU202 can be assigned, the CSN professor MUST receive your
official email verification that the student successfully completed the 10 hour observation.
Please also “cc” the student on this email. The student WILL NOT receive a final grade in the
course until the email is received from you.

CSN Course # & name: EDU202 Introduction to Elementary Education

CSN Professor: Susan Bridges

CSN Professor’s phone: 248-240-0372

CSN Professor’s email: Susan.Bridges@csn.edu

Student’s full name: Ruben Griego

Student’s email: Radley.Griego@gmail.com

Should you have any concerns or questions about this process, please feel free to contact the
instructor directly, or the CSN Education Department at: (702) 651-4400.
TIME LOG - CSN Field Observations - VIRTUAL MEETINGS

CSN Student: Ruben Griego