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: Tarah Richards CSN Course: EDU 202 Intro to Secondary

Education

Professor: Dr. Vartouhi Asherian Professor’s email:

vartouhi.asherian@csn.edu

CCSD School: Charles Silvestri Junior High School Cooperating Teacher:

Mr. Bryan Flickinger

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
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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.

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

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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.
My first impressions of the school environment were that being a
friendly and well organized place for students to learn. The school
looked rather large from the outside but once you entered through the
gates you noticed it wasn’t. The school felt like multiple buildings
surrounding the middle quad area. The students were separated by
grade which helped to create an age based community for them to
grow with. I was placed in a 7th grade science class. The classroom
was a typical science lab room but with noticeable differences from
when I attended school. The room had no science equipment, the lab
stations that surrounded two of the walls were bare. Science for the
students now was done online. The classroom environment was great,
the students greeted the teacher when they entered the room and
immediately found their seats. Once they had been seated the
students talked to each together. I found the classroom to be friendly,
warm, inviting, and organized.
*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 student make-up for each class was similar with a few noticeable
differences. In some classes, there where noticeable more girls while
in others the balance was even. There were multiple ethnicity groups
in each class, some students were Hawaiian, Filipinos, African
American, Caucasians, and a few Asian students. One of the Asian
students was an ELL, I observer her using the translating application
found on google classroom to complete the assignments in class. I
was not made aware of any students with physical challenges, and the
only apparent attributes would be that the teacher used the Edgenuity
program for the troubled students.

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*Observation 3: What are the posted class rules in the room? (exactly as
written)
Classroom Rules
1. Come Prepared for class – chrome book, paper, pencil, and ready to
ACTIVELY participate
2. Respect yourself, teachers, classmates, staff and property – the
Golden Rule – Treat others like you would like to be treated
3. Make good use of your time – be productive – When we are working on
a project…WORK!
4. Show appropriate behavior in class – Pay attention to whoever has the
floor – Do not be a distraction to your classmates – Keep your hands to
yourself.
5. If you are late, you must have a pass – Be in your seat prepared for
class when the bell rings.
6. I am here to help you – If you are in trouble, confused, hurt, I will help
you.

*Observation 4: Does the teacher enforce the rules? Are rewards or

consequences being used for compliance or noncompliance?
Yes, Mr. Flickinger enforced the rules he posted for his classroom. He
even started a new restroom policy, that the school would start to use
in all their classroom next year. This new policy has the students
signing in and out from a computer station near the door. This allows
the students to use the restroom when they need it and not have to
interrupt the lesson to ask permission. Some students still asked to
go, but that was habit. The computer they used also recorded their
activity so the administration could see which students left and for
how long. This would help the administration know which students left
their classes daily and notice any manners forming. Mr. Flickinger did
not use any rewards or consequences for being compliance or
noncompliance with the rules.

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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.

Classroom Layout Question 1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the

space used efficiently?
The workflow of the room was smooth enough for an old science lab
room. Most students seat at the tables at line up in the middle of the
room, there was two desks placed near the whiteboard and three
desks places near the teacher’s desk. The students had enough room
for their chrome books, which is the only thing most of the needed in
class. I think the space was used as efficiently as it could.

Classroom Layout Question 2: In your opinion, how can the physical

arrangement of the room be improved?
I think the physical arrangement of the room could be improved if the
unused science material was removed. The classroom would have

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more space if the lab stations that surrounded the walls and the
teacher’s lab station in the front were gone.

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?
No, I had no concerns regarding the safety of the room during a normal
school day or during the possibility of fire, shelter in place or lock-
down. The classroom has two entrances and was connected to the
teacher’s storage area so any student would have felt safe in there.
The teachers also discuss the possibility of having a shelter in place
drill take place sometime soon.

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?
The daily schedule for Monday:
1. Warm-up: Edpuzzle
2. Finish the video and complete the shared document started on
Friday
3. Newsela assignment
The daily schedule for Tuesday:
1. Warm-up: Newsela
2. Edpuzzle
3. Gizmo Lab assignment (2 person pairing) (lab report to be shared
on Google Classroom)
The daily schedule for Wednesday:
1. Warm-up: Newsela
2. Finish and turn in Gizmo Lab (share with Google Classroom)
3. Edpuzzle
The daily schedule for Thursday:
1. Warm-up: Edpuzzle
2. Quiz on plate boundaries and Pangae
3. Introduction to Prezi presentations
4. Newsela homework
The daily schedule for Friday:
1. Warm-up: Newsela
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2. Prezi on Plate Boundaries
a. The Prezi should include the following
i. Divergent
1. Define
2. Diagram
3. Location of actual type
ii. Convergent (include a definition, diagram, and
location for each subtype)
1. Ocean to Ocean
2. Ocean to Continental
3. Continental to Continental
iii. Transform
1. Define
2. Diagram
3. Location of actual type
3. Edpuzzle
4. Reminder: quiz on Monday

Instruction Question 2: Is instruction done in small groups, centers, whole

groups, individual?
Silvestri received a grant for chrome books this year, so most
instruction is done individually from their laptops. When small groups
are formed, the students shared the document on Google Classroom
with each other. When they are working on a shared document, the
students use different colored texts to answer questions and get
participate points.

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

teaching style?
Mr. Flickinger’s teaching style is progressivism; he allowed the
students to interact socially with each other while working on class
assignments.

*Instruction Question 4: Does the teacher incorporate the sensory

modalities (learning styles)? If so, give examples.
Mr. Flickinger incorporated the use of the chrome books and the
internet resources into his classroom. With the use of the chrome
books, he began using online programs like Edpuzzle, Newsela, and
Gizmo Labs to complete his core curriculum. These programs cover
many sensory modalities, Edpuzzle covers the auditory learning style
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because it has students watch a video while answering questions.
Newsela covers the visual learning style and helps improve student
nonfiction reading by having students read current subject matter
news articles. And Gizmo Labs cover the kinesthetic learning style by
having the students work on labs, they are building something with
their hands.

*Instruction Question 5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) that

are being presented? Please explain.
Yes, most students seem engaged in the lessons that are being
presented. The students working on Edgenuity are working at their
own pace while the other students who do not want to work on any
class assignments are trying not to look like they are not working.

*Instruction Question 6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the
class for any reason? Why?
Yes, there are many students isolated from the rest of the class. These
students are working on the Edgenuity program that the school district
provided for its students. Edgenuity is a online program that provides a
constructed online learning environment for students to complete their
work and get the required grades to earn credit for the class. Mr.
Flickinger put more students onto the program while I was observing
his class because the second semester had just started and there was
a lot of students who needed the extra help. Out of all the students he
put on Edgenuity, Mr. Flickinger was most proud of three of his
students. These three boys before starting Edgenuity were failing his
class and school in general. They did not participate in any class
activities and showed a lack of care for anything. Now that they are
working on Egdenuity, they are passing his class and have improved
their grades. They come to class ready to work and complete most
assignments before arriving to class.

Instruction Question 7: Is instructional time managed efficiently? Please

explain
Yes, the instructional time was managed efficiently. Mr. Flickinger
would start the class by reading the posted schedule and explaining
the plan for the day. While students were working on assignments, he
would ask how many had finished and how many needed more time. He
would try to wait for most of the students to complete one assignment
before moving on to the next one, but sometimes time was no on his
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side and he would have to move the class along. When this happened,
the students were required to finish the work at home.
Instruction Question 8: How does the cooperating teacher handle transitions
from one subject or period to another, and are these transitions effective?
Mr. Flickinger handles transitions by giving a few minutes countdown
towards the end of each assignment. He would also ask the class who
needed more time before time before moving on to the next project.

*Instruction Question 9: List ways that the teacher attempts any “attention
getting” commands? (Ex: Countdown, Light flicker, Heads on Desk) How
effective are they?
Mr. Flickinger did not need to use any on the “attention getting”
commands, he simply started talking and the class would quite down.
In the days I was there, he only had to raise his voice in a few classes
to get their attention when they had gotten to loud. This was usually
when he was forming small groups for projects and the class was
moving around and not working together. His rule of showing respect
to the teacher was followed must of the time when he was speaking.

*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.
Mr. Fickinger did not have behavior issues in his class. At Silvestri,
they have an in-class suspension classroom that Mr. Flickinger worked
in during his second period. The students in the classroom worked on
Edgenuity for their science credit.

*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.
The only policy or procedure in place that I was aware of was the
dress code. For teachers, having to enforce the dress code hindered
their instructional time especially when the administrative did not
enforce it when students where since to the office. Other than the
dress code policy, I was not aware of any policies or procedures that
helped or hindered instructional time.

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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.
The school property was surrounded by fencing and had desert
landscaping with a few trees planted near the back. There were two
parking lots at the school one near the front and one in the back, the
back was where the students school busses parked. Inside the school,
the students started a small garden near the library. With the school
located near many main streets, the place had many crosswalks and
school attendants watching the students after the final bell.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting,
doors, windows, hall colors and decorations and entrance security.
Inside the hallways, the students had decorated with their art projects
and the teachers had decorated their doors. The halls were painted a
tan beige color and the flooring was carpeted. Staff could be seen at
entrances for security and teachers were required to do hallway duty,
watching the students pass, between class periods.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and observe to determine the climate,
values, and atmosphere within the school.
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1. Identify the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot.

Mission Statement:
“Silvestri Junior High School, together with our families and
communities, will promote academically and socially responsible
citizens."

School motto:
"Where Success Is Taught"

School mascot:
Shark

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and
faculty interactions in other areas of the school.
The main office was friendly and kind every time I was there. The
visitors used a sign-in station that printed out a label every time I
signed in. The main office faculty interactions with other teachers
seems friendly and happy with each other. I did not see many
students in the main office, just parents looking for their children.
The student I did see where in the dean’s office while I was walking
through the main lobby.
3. Look at the formal practices: school day schedule; ages of students;
calendar of events; size of school; grouping of students.
School day schedule:
Period 1: 8:15 – 9:05
Period 2: 9:09 – 9:59
Period 3: 10:03 – 10:53
Period 4: 10:57 – 11:47
Lunch: 11:51 – 11:21
Period 5: 12:21 – 1:11
Period 6: 1:15 – 2:06

The students were in middle school so their ages ranged from 11 to

14 years old. While in the classes, I observed, one student turned 13
years old. The week I was there, the students had a Talent Show
event and the following week the students were having a carnival in
support of Best Buddies, a program that pairs average students with
special needs students.

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4. Observe student to student interactions, inside and outside the building.
Observe where students gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, playground,
etc.
The students liked to gather outside the hallways in the quad area
before classes and after lunch. I could see multiple groups of
students gathered in “their spots” in the morning.

5. Explain how the school is organized - by grades, departments or not. Are

hallways/classroom labeled?
The school is organized by grade and students had their own
hallways where most of their classes would take place. The
hallways were not labeled but the classrooms were, each door had
the teacher’s name and class subject typed on it.

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.
I did not see any school pride while I was there, most
extracurricular activities/clubs did not meet while I was there.

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.
Mr. Flickinger expected the students to finish their work in class,
but also allowed the students to be social, it was just a part of their
age group. His interactions with students were brief and ended with
students leaving with the answers they needed. I think his laid back
and friendly personality worked well with his students
*2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who
participates? Who does not?
The student participation in the class was easy to see, the students
did all their work on the chrome books. Students trying not to work
had to angle their laptops to a degree the teacher come spot from
any location. Students working on Edgenuity completed most of
their work while the rest of the students worked on the
assignments. When working in groups some students found
themselves working alone and other groups worked well together.
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*3. Evaluate the interactions between teachers and students, rapport,

cohesiveness, distribution of power, tone, frequency and reinforcements.
With the classwork being found on google classroom, the
interactions between teachers and students were friendly. The
teachers seemed to have a great working relationships with the
students and each other. The rapport, cohesiveness, and
distribution of power, and tone of most teachers was great. The
students responded when working in classes and needed little
guidance.

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.
Teacher Interview:

Question 1: What was the primary reason you become a teacher?

Mr. Flickinger: I enjoyed working with kids. Actually the first thing I started doing was coaching, so I
enjoyed that and I just found it rewarding seeing what you can do coaching-wise and academically,
than I had a similar feeling. I think the young the kids the more growth you can see and the middle
school kids are still kind of pliable yet they’re not as immature so it’s kind of a nice step up.

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

Mr. Flickinger: I think the family makeup is no longer as stronger as it once was. I think the school is
becoming responsible for a lot of parenting issues. I am not saying that in a complaining way, we are
kind of a catch all for anything a kid needs, whether it be socially, whether it food, whether it be
manners. We have character programs and things like that. All those things, when you have all those
obligations, I think, as an educator, something has to give. I think the major of us do our best to nurture
all those situations, but when you are pulled in 50,00 directions something is one to give no matter how
good you are. The reality of it is, we still are, we still only see them 40 – 50 minutes a day, and you
divide that up between having 30, 40 kids in a class. You know if you were to spend the major of you
time interaction with them, I mean you can do the math here, you could only spend a minute of quality
time with them every single day yet you are still required to fix all aspects of their life.

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

Mr. Flickinger: I think the best parts are, you know, just kind of the opposites, the ones you do get a
chance to get through too. And play a positive rule in their life, or be the role model that some of them
lack or the inspiration to do something, something bigger, better, you know, to improve on themselves
or just be, just be a person they can talk to, relate with, or things like that.

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

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Mr. Flickinger: In a science class, a lot of the time it depends on the grouping of what it is that we are
doing. I try to mix it up as much as frequency as possible, I think I have mentioned that to you before. I
think it is important for them to interact with all different abilities, all different personalities, and things of
that nature. With the one to one Chromebooks, the front of the room, the preferential seating is not
really much of an issue any more, even the seating close to the teacher or things like that, I don’t think
that’s as much of an issue when you’re doing the one to one. It’s not really preferential, I think it more
depends on the particular lesson that you are doing. Not to mention, if you’re doing cooperative
grouping the correct way, you will have the varies levels, so it depends mostly on the particular lesson.

Question 5: How do you determine the members of any flexible groups?

Mr. Flickinger: See previous answer, depends on the subject matter, the Chromebooks make it
individual learning

Questions 6: Beyond standardized testing, what assessments do you use regularly?

Mr. Flickinger: Well, once again, in Science, it gives you the idea to doing lab reports and thinks like
that. It’s a good opportunity to use some authentic type of assessment type of things versus the
standardized testing. I really try to use curriculum based, school standard based testing, I prefer to give
frequent small quizzes versus giving a major test and it gives me the opportunity to know how good of a
job I am doing. I also do a lot of pre-assessing ahead of time to figure out exactly how much emphasize
I need to put on particular areas of content.

Question 7: What requirements are placed on you for reporting progress to parents?
Mr. Flickinger: The online, the Infinite Campus…As I mentions to you before…I try to assess everything
we do and I am a very good about keeping my grade book up to date so that way if students don’t do
something or they need to redo something, or they need to improve on something, they get the
feedback as soon as possible as well as their parents. Using Google Classroom, parents can also be
invited there so they can follow their child’s work kind of a like the old fashion agendas and things like
that, that they used to sign. So, they can get that immediate feedback. But the biggest thing, and I know
if all teachers do it, is using the online gradebook. If it is done properly, it’s a good means of parent
communication.

Questions 8: How often do you interact with a student’s parents in person?

Mr. Flickinger: In person? I would say currently we probably, I probably have parent conference maybe
once a week or once every other week. I would say, most interaction is done via email when every
possible. There are interactions when there is an IEP or a 5o4, which is for kids that have a special
need, those are requirements. But for me most interactions are a phone call or more email related.

Question 9: What type of discussions do you typically have with parents?

Mr. Flickinger: The parent interactions, I don’t have a lot of behavior issues, its more how can my
student or child improve their grades. A lot of it for me is making sure they’re turning in assignments,
completing assignments, fully engaged in assignments. I mean that’s the biggest thing, making sure
that I as the teacher and the parent are on the same page with the student being actively involved both
inside and outside the classroom.

Question 10: How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

Mr. Flickinger: It truly depends on the type of assignment. If it is something that produces a grade
instantly, if it’s electronically type of thing, I try to enter it as soon as possible. Or within 24 hours, If it’s
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things like the gizmos or larger projects that require more…that are more subjective, they take more
time…and I think the best way depends on the assignment. I try to, I have to at minimum two
assignments a day that I have to enter. But I also assign assignments based on something realistic too.

Question 11: How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
Mr. Flickinger: That’s a good question, again that would depend on the type of lesson. We have some
virtual labs and some things of that nature, just like you would have different projects, different subjects
that span over multiple days. So if it’s something that spans over multiple days sometimes there is
some upfront planning that takes some time but then other days it’s a continuation of what you
previously did. I think t be an effective teacher, you have to constantly be evaluating what you are
doing, what it is you have already done, what works, and kind of reflect upon that. If you just bus out the
same lesson every single year, you know some things work some things don’t. And if you are willing to
invest the time that pot of lessons are going to improve, so.

Question 12: What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?
Mr. Flickinger: I think getting the instructions out instantly at the beginning of class, getting students
moving and motivated and actively engaged, I think that is the biggest thing, I think the best way to
maximize your time is to have them doing something that is both meaningful and engaging. I think that
is the best way of putting that.

Question 13: What positive reinforcement programs have you had success with?
Mr. Flickinger: Just have a good repertoire with the kids. That they know you are spend the time and
that you are respect them as a human being not just as another student sitting in a seat. I think that
have that repertoire, goes a long way, they want to please the teachers that they know are making an
effort to make them better people.

Question 14: What behavioral consequences seem most effective with this age group?
Mr. Flickinger: The best thing that I think is not putting them on the spot in front of their peers. You
know, you can give them redirection but if that does not work find the time after class or outside the
class where they are not put in a corner where they have to fight to get out.

Question 15: How are specialist teachers involved in the instructional planning
process?
Mr. Flickinger: I think those positions have sadly gotten less and less support do to the standardize
testing however it does give students more hand-on life type skills that are necessity throughout the
day. Obliviously, at this age they don’t have recess, but they do need those kinds of things where they
are actively engaged in somethings, be it cooking, sewing, physical education class as opposed to the
academic side.

Question 16: How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool(s) is used by the
administration for determining your own performance?
Mr. Flickinger: I am in a special situation, I have received tenure in Pennsylvania after teaching for 16
years however coming here I start out fresh. I have three formal evaluations for three years and we use
the Nevada Professional Educational guidelines for our review, I think.

Question 17: What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

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Mr. Flickinger: I believe they do some kind of training, where they will help you out. For example, if you
had a poor evaluation, the next year they would give you more support.

Question 18: What types of support do you receive instructionally, financially, or

professionally from school, parent organization or school district to enhance
instruction?
Mr. Flickinger: Varies training,
Ms. Cook: the best support you get is from the neighborhood, people in the hallway
Mr. Flickinger: There is something to be said about that. Just the interactions with your peers and the
collaboration
Ms. Cook (overlapping): your peers and people in the same department, if you get allow with the
department that’s really good.

Question 19: What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?

Mr. Flickinger: I don’t know if anything surprises me anymore. I think that’s one of the…things are
always different but you expect different. You never know what the class make up on a given day is
going to be, the enthusiasm of the kids or the daily…not too though

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 your findings in one paragraph.

*Summarize your Classroom Interactions data from above:

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When the school made the transition to chrome books and began a more
technologically based education program direct instruction taking place in
the classroom was very little, less than 20 minutes. This made it hard to
record a tally of interactions between the teacher and boys versus the
teacher and girls. During my time, observing, I saw few interactions between
the teacher and his students, in regards, to direct instruction. Since the
instruction was done through the computer the teacher only directly
instructed them on how to use Prezi or when the video would not play on
their laptops. One to two students, of both genders, asked questions on a
daily based. With the chrome books, students are experiencing a more
individual focuses learning.

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?)

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 1 for Administrator:

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 2 for Administrator:

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 3 for Administrator:

______________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 4 for Administrator:

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

CSN Student Created Open Ended Question # 5 for Administrator:

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________
Interviewed school administrator’s name/title:

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 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?
On my second day, I started spending the second period with different
teachers. My first teacher was Mr. Duane Cravin, he also taught 7th
grade Science but his specialty was special needs or low preforming
students.
2. Does any student seem to have a particular talent? Describe.
Since I was in a science class, I do not notice any particular artistic
talents from the students.
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3. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular
education(cooperating teacher’s) class?
Mr. Cravin’s class was following the same curriculum and has on the
same subject as my cooperating teacher’s. The noticeable differences
between the classes was Mr. Cravin students did not use their chrome
book until he told them to, he had handouts for the students to color
with crayons available, while watching the video as a class he told the
class they need five facts written on their paper.
4. Describe the specialist teacher’s instructional style.
I believe Mr. Cravin’s instructional style was Essentialism. He directed
his students and they followed his lead. Students did not act out or
cause any trouble in his class.
5. What different strategies do you notice this teacher using that are
successful?
His use of the kinesthetic learning with the coloring of the plate
boundaries was successful. His style of note taking also kept the
students engaged, he handed out printed notes that the students could
to copy on to Google Classroom.
6. What are the challenges the specialist teacher has to deal with?
Mr. Cravin was not considered a specialist teacher, he was a regular
teacher with lower level students in his class. In his later classes, he
did have an autistic student who had a helper with him while he was in
class.
7. How are student needs being met?
With the autistic student, he had his helper with him to keep sure his
needs where met while he was in class.

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.

1. Do you notice any social and academic differences between the kids
in this class and in the regular education classes?
Mr. Flickinger taught two advanced science classes and only
difference I could see were they worked quicker and formed groups
better than the other classes. Another than that, I found them to be
just as social as the regular classes.
2. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education
class?
The curriculum was the same in both classes.
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3. Describe the GATE/AP teacher’s instructional style.
As the teacher was the cooperating teacher, Mr. Flickinger, his style
was progressivism.
4. Would you rather be in this class or the regular education class?
Why?
For me, either class would have been fine, all classes were learning
the same thing and on the same page when it came to learning. Both
classes, the advance and the regular were great students what
complete their work and stayed engaged while in class.
5. How are student needs being met?
Their needs were met through the work they completed in class.

C) Ask your teacher for permission to visit the rooms of any specialized
programs at the school: Special Education, SEC (Severely Emotionally
Challenged), Autism room, Deaf/Hard of Hearing rooms, etc. 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. Maintain your
professionalism at all times. Do not write a student’s name down when you are writing
observation notes. Maintain the student’s right to privacy by referring to a student as
Student #1, Student #2 etc.

1. Do you notice any social and academic differences between the kids
in this class and in the regular education classes?
2. What is the curriculum like in comparison to the regular education
class?
3. Describe the SPED teacher’s instructional style.
4. What are the challenges these students possess?
5. How are student needs being met?

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.
While in the classroom on Friday, March 31, 2017 the students had
begun working on their prezi assignment, creating slides about the
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plate boundaries. I began watching one student who had turned to
face the table behind him. He wanted to work with the girls that seat
there, but he was not really working on his assignment. He was not on
task or engaged in the lesson at all. During this time, I had been
moving around the room watching other students and asking them
questions about the assignment when I returned to him. I had
suggested many times to him to turn back to his seat and focus on his
work but it was ignored. Towards the end of class I found him sitting on
the lab station, not his table, and finally working on the assignment. I
asked him why he was up there and he told me the girls kept turning
off his computer and it had started to upset him so he moved away
from them. I climbed up next to him and we worked on the first two
slides together until the bell rang. He had Friday Brain and was
thinking about the weekend and not the assignment or the quiz that
was going to take place on Monday. I found the lesson to be engaging
and entertaining, for me get would have been a great way to learn the
different plate boundaries in a way I would have remembered. But if I
was to put myself in a student’s place I would have been distracted
with my computer. I would have been looking up other stuff on the
internet and not working on my assignment just like the student I
observed.

ASSIGNMENT TEN (Summary):

Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10-hour Field

Observation Placement.
To summarize my experience with the 10 hour field observation I would
have to start with I enjoyed it; I had the best time being in the
classroom with the students. The 10 hours took place at the Charles
Silvestri Junior High School, a zone 1 STEM school. I was able to
observed 32.5 hours during that week some of it spend with different
teachers. My cooperating teacher was a 16-year veteran educator from
Pennsylvania working on his first-year teaching locally here in Las
Vegas. I spend my 2nd period classes observing different teachers, a
science teacher, Mr. Cravin, an English teacher, Ms. Schaeffer, and a
History teacher, Ms. Cook. In my cooperating teacher’s class, the
students treated my appearance like I was a fellow teacher. They
asked for my help while working on their assignments and wanting to
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know more about me. These observations helped me realized how
different education is today than when I was a student. Today,
students have chrome books instead of textbooks and they cannot
bring their backpacks into the classroom, so in between every period
students can be seen grabbing things out of their lockers. The policy
for backpacks helped against the threat of violence they now bring to
schools. Observing the students, I realized that they are still children,
needing to charge their chrome books almost daily while in class,
because they had not charged them the night before. I enjoyed working
with the students and being in the classroom with them. Attending the
field observation helps me get a better understanding of education
today and what teaching might be like for me.
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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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