Alternative Observation Reflection

Deanna Onori

CSN Course: EDU 203

Assignment: Field Observation and Reflection- Artifact #2

Professor: Constantina Pappas M.Ed., BCBA

Part 1 (Instruction):

Video Selected:

Small Wonders, Big Gains: The Preschool Autism Classroom

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

Instruction is delivered in small groups. It is indicated that it is a 2 in 1 setting.

2: Describe the teacher’s teaching style.

She teaches with a “Systematic Teaching” style and uses “Discrete Style Teaching”. Trial

teaching is based on the ABC method. The letter “A'' stands for Antecedent, “B” is the behavior

the child displays, and “C” is the Consequence. The consequence can either be praise or

feedback based on the behavior.

3: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give

examples.

One of the things she did that I thought was good was have them get up and dance to

music to get their bodies moving. I also noticed a specific lesson that had a student copy exactly

what she did. She placed a peg on a board then proceeded to touch her head. The student was

then asked to copy her. When he did, she congratulated him, repeating exactly what he did that

was correct. She then used the pom pom on his head to show more praise. I also noticed a child

matching colors and shapes by placing shapes with velcro onto a paper with the matching shape.
4: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented? Please explain.

All students for the most part in the video appear to be engaged in all the lessons. With

the amount of children in each group, it seems easy for the instructors and IAs to keep kids

engaged. There were a couple students who were given a toy to play with to either calm them

during a lesson or they had already received their reward for participation.

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

Again, with the size of the groups, it is easy for the teacher and IAs to give each student

the opportunity to participate. A quick clip showed one student playing with a toy ff to the side

while the lesson was being taught. This either helped keep him calm during the lesson or it was

his reward. I also noticed in one part that a student was upset and crying. The teacher used this as

a lesson for the other student. During this lesson, I could see the student that had been crying,

begin to stop and listen. She mentions in the video that every moment is a teachable moment and

I believe she used that in this instance.

6. Did you see any accommodations or modifications made to the lesson for the student? If

so, what were they?

The only modification to a lesson that I noticed was that each child’s method of

reinforcement was different. They had different toys or rewards for their positive behavior.

7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity?

Are the transitions efficient?

She didn’t specifically share how she transitioned from lesson to lesson. She did share

that during centers, the kids each have data notebooks that they carry with them with their
specific IEP goals and objectives. Each week they transition through these centers and each

teacher or IA takes a specific center.

8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc. Are

they effective?

She will say something like, “Follow Me” or “Do what I do”. Or she will ask a question.

And look for their answer or the behavior the kids used to complete the task or answer the

question.

9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the teacher

handle the behavior issues? Be specific.

In the video, I noticed that one student did not want to sit, but instead would just lay on

the floor. In order to get him to sit she would let him play with a tube that you can open and close

and it makes a fun noise. When he would sit properly, she would give him his toy, but when he

laid down, she would take it away until he would sit again. I also noticed that she had to deal

with crying and even noticed a small tantrum by one child. The tantrum appeared to be because it

was time to go home and she had to take a toy away. She waited until his tantrum was over and

then she calmly got him up and headed to find his coat.

10: What positive reinforcements were used, if any?

Positive reinforcements included playing with their favorite toy, positive feedback from

the teacher, and in some cases specific reinforcements that the child likes. She will ask them

what they want for completing the task. One that I specifically noticed her use was a pom pom

on a student’s head or tummy. I am sure this tickled and the kids liked the way the pom pom felt

on their heads.
11: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time? Please

explain them and how they help or hinder instructional time.

The only procedure I noticed was that certain tasks were repeated over and over again

until it was understood. For example, the child that did want to sit may have hindered the rest of

the lesson until he obeyed and did what he was supposed to do.

12. What could the teacher have done better to assist the student(s) with learning the

material?

I have no suggestions as to how she could have improved. I really enjoyed her

perspectives on teaching and feel that her methods are appropriate.

Part 2 (Observing a student):

Video Selected:

Miss Reid Teaching Special Education

1: What drove you to choose this student?

I chose this student because he absolutely did not want to participate and he stood out to

me as he needed some extra persuasion. To me this was what makes teaching special education

such a challenge, and the teacher displayed so much patience and was able to help him finish his

assignment.

2: Explain what the student did during the observation.

Throughout the observation, this student had to be pushed to complete his task.

Everytime the teacher would come over and instruct him, he would then start working. He would
quickly lose interest and look around, or lay his head on the desk. Eventually the teacher moved

him next to the student that was in the same row so they could work together. Initially he did not

appear to be happy about this change in seating. He appeared to be shy and did not respond

without being asked multiple times. Once the teacher got him to start working, he would

continue working and then stop and again lay his head on the desk or play with his pencil. He

continuously appeared to be bored. At one point the teacher actually removed his hand from his

head and placed the pencil in his hand. He did at one point ask to move back to his seat and she

said no. I did notice a little motivation from him when he would look at the other student.

Eventually he completed the assignment after many attempts from the teacher to motivate him.

3: Summarize the lesson given and the student’s responses to the lesson.

It appeared that they had different lessons per group. The student I observed had to read

words/sentences and write the words that were in boxes. There were what seemed like four pages

of material, however, it looked as if she would give the students blank pieces of paper so they

had additional writing space. She would walk around the class pointing to different words and

having them tell them the word she pointed to and then asked them to write that word five times.

She continuously reinforced that they needed to say it, then write it. The student that I observed

had to be continuously pushed to complete this assignment. To me, it didn’t appear that he didn’t

understand, but that he just had no interest. She often had to ask him more than once to say a

word in order to receive a response.

4: Make sure to document ALL behavior in relation to what was being presented by the

classroom teacher.

His behavior appeared to be complete boredom and lack of interest. I did not get the

impression that this student did not understand the lesson, but just did not want to be there. He

frequently laid his head down, played with his hands or a pencil, or just stared towards the front

of the class. When approached by the teacher, he would eventually start working again, but once

he completed that task, he would stop again. He did not like the fact that he was asked to move to

a seat next to another student and at one point asked to move back to his seat. At no time did he

appear to be disruptive or a distraction for other students, as a matter of fact he was quiet the

entire time and soft spoken when asked to answer any questions.

5: Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles, involvement in

class, and his/her educational needs.

In my opinion, this student needs to be in a smaller student/teacher ratio setting. He

appeared to work fine with continuous reminders, and would possibly benefit with more

supervision. He does not appear to be the type of student that would actively participate in

lessons or class activities.

6: What positive reinforcements were used successfully? What behavioral consequences

were used?

I did not see any positive reinforcements with this particular student. I think that one

consequence was for him to move seats so he and his classmate could work together.
Part 3 (Summary):

As a whole these videos were inspiring. I even teared up at the end of one of them. I

noted many different, yet effective teaching styles from all these videos. In addition, I was so

impressed by the enthusiasm, dedication, and patience of all the teachers and their assistants. It

seems that teaching children with special needs might be easier at a younger age. I feel like the

teachers with younger students had more help.

As I observed the smaller age groups, I feel that they had more resources and teaching

styles that they used. They used some extremely effective methods. One that I found most

interesting is systematic teaching. The video titled, “Small Wonders, Big Gains: The Preschool

Autism Classroom”, shares that “systematic learning is the gateway to individual learning and

living”. The teacher in this video used Discrete Trial Teaching to teach her students. She would

give them a command and based on their response or behavior, they would receive praise or

feedback. Another video entitled, “SPE 551 Observation 2”, shows the teacher teaching her

students about sentences and sentence formation. She gives a large group example and breaks the

kids into teams of four to complete a task. While the idea was great, I did not like this method as

I noticed in some groups that not all students participated. On the other hand, the video entitled,

“Small Group Rotations with Moderate/Severe Special Education Students”, shared a few great

ideas on how they teach their students including a visual observation of schedules and using

“this/then” cards for learning. This is a great way to reinforce learning by showing them if they

do “this”, then they will receive their reward or “that”. The video sharing footage from Fruitville

Elementary School is the one that moved me the most. The way that these teachers poured

everything into these students and focused on specific needs was so inspiring. Seeing all the

smiles on their faces as well as the parents at the ending performance made me tear up. What an
amazing moment for all of them. Now, as the children entered secondary school, it appeared they

were taught more lessons that would benefit them as they exited high school and entered the

working world. One comment that Lindsay Guenther made in the video, “A Day in a Special

Education Room”, was that she nevers knows what the day will look like. She shares how she

may have a plan for the day, but it can change depending on behavior and student needs. I

imagine that this is the same for all levels of Special Education. One aspect that I enjoyed was

that peers would come in and help with special education. In the video showing Miss Reid as she

was teaching reading, I saw that she was teaching multiple need levels in one class. There were

different levels to what she was teaching and she made sure she consistently walked around

helping the kids. My concern in this video was that she probably could have used a little more

help. The kids would have benefited more if she had at least one more assistant.

Overall, I had my eyes opened on the many different levels of needs that teachers have to

adjust lessons to. I do believe that some of these lessons can be applicable in any classroom. One

of the things I found to be most important was that teachers and parents need to be a team. This

has been one of the things I want to make sure is a part of my classroom. I also feel that using

reinforcements consistently is a positive way to encourage learning and help the kids retain what

they learn. Finally, I want to always remember the quote from Cristie DuChez, “Every moment is

a teachable moment, and every moment counts”. I will use this in school and at home with my

own children.