Observation and Reflective Summary Form #1 Name of Observer: Elise Engleman EDUC 381 Section #: 3 Date of observation: Friday, February 15, 2008 Pseudonym: Molly Age/Grade Level: 5 years old/Kindergarten Setting/Context: I observed a general kindergarten classroom. The students worked on a math and a writing activity, had choice time and listened to a guest speaker. I also observed the students during their physical education class where they were doing an obstacle course. Rationale for choosing student: Over this past winter break I spent time volunteering in this same classroom that I chose to work in for my case study. During that time I met this student and spent time working with her. When I worked with this student for the first time it was clear to see that she had exceptional needs and needed modifications and accommodations to complete tasks. I enjoyed working with this student because of her positive attitude and I was curious to see her progress. Notes: Math Activity: Since the beginning of the school year the students have been counting the days they have been in school. Every ten days the students would receive a large sheet of construction paper that said something such as, “30 pebbles under my feet” and they would use finger-paint to create the correct amount of dots on the paper. The one hundredth day of school happened to be on the Monday before I observed in this classroom which meant the students had all ten pages completed. The teacher and I handed the pages back to the students one by one We distributed the pages in random order; for example, the thirty page first, then the seventy page, then the ten page, and so on. Next, the students were asked to put there pages in order, ten to one hundred. Most of the students were able to complete this task without any help. *Molly took her pages and went to find a spot to sit in the classroom. She sat quietly with the pages in front of her until the instructor came. She was able to complete this task with accommodations and help from the instructor
Writing Lesson: The teacher led a discussion about the letter ‘s’ while the students sat on the rug. Then the teacher passed out the student’s letter books using their ‘s names’. The students were asked to write the letter ‘s’ on the lines provided in the book. They were also asked to color the ‘s items’ in their books. *Molly was one of the first students to find their spot on the rug and sit quietly. *Molly was able to recognize her ‘s’ name the first time she heard it (Solly). * In order to write the letter ‘s’ Molly needed accommodations to the activity. *Molly was able to color independently; however, she had trouble staying in the lines. *When Molly completed the task instead of following directions and putting her book away she told the teacher she was done and handed her the booklet. Choice Time: students could choose from multiple activities throughout the room such as: painting, coloring, playing in the house, playing with blocks/manipulatives, computer time, reading, etc. *Molly chose to play with a barn and barn animals. She carried these items over to the rug and sat close to where other students were playing. She asked some other students if they wanted to play with her. Guest Speaker: a local dentist came to talk to the students about dental hygiene. All students were asked to sit on the rug while the dentist talked. In some cases the dentist asked questions and the students were asked to raise their hands to be called on. *Molly had many questions about the items the dentist brought. She asked many of these questions without raising her hand. *When the other students raised their hands Molly raised her hand. If she was called on she would repeat an answer that a different student had already given. Physical Education Class: there was an obstacle course set up around the gym. The students needed to use various methods to get around the course such as scooters, crawling and running. *Molly was able to complete the entire course and keep up with her classmates. Interview: During my time spent in this classroom I had the opportunity to sit down with the general education teacher and discuss Molly’s needs. The teacher shared some background information about Molly’s education with me. Molly has been involved in the school’s title one reading program since the beginning of the school year and she has just recently been able to begin additional exceptional education and speech classes. The
teacher also shared that Molly is a very positive student and she has a want to learn. One concern the teacher expressed is in the area of attendance. She estimated that Molly has been absent at least 30 days this school year. Theories in teaching practice you observed: One theory that I observed while in Molly’s classroom was the Social Cognitive Theory. The main area of this learning theory that was taking place with Molly was vicarious learning. Vicarious learning occurs when a person observes the actions of others and in turn learns that particular behavior. There were two examples of vicarious learning that stood out from my observation of Molly. First, when the guest speaker was in the classroom he was asking many questions and the students were raising their hands to answer. Molly was always looking around the room at the other students during this presentation, and whenever another student would raise their hand her hand would also go up. Although she did not always have a proper answer she was able to realize that the presenter wanted the students to raise their hands and answer questions. Also, while Molly was in physical education class she was able to complete the obstacle course by following her classmates. The teacher would make sure she was following one of the more gifted students. By observing the actions of others she was able to perform well. The theory of constructivism was also apparent while observing Molly. One element of this theory is that children can assimilate new experiences to their existing knowledge while playing. During choice time Molly chose to play with the barn and farm animals. The teacher had told me that Molly’s father works on a farm, and she often goes with him to visit the animals. Molly was able to answer almost all of my questions about the farm animals and equipment while she was playing. From her experience observing and playing on a farm Molly has learned the basic ideas and she is able to share those ideas through play. Teacher Strategies: Throughout all of the lessons the teacher made various accommodations for Molly. During the first math activity Molly was unable to put the pages in order on her own. The teacher worked with Molly to complete the activity. Rather than having Molly put the numbers 10, 20…90, 100 in order the teacher changed the numbers to 1-10. During the writing lesson the teacher wrote the letter s on the lines on Molly’s paper multiple times with a highlighter. Instead of making her own s on the line Molly traced the teacher’s examples. The teacher needs to be understanding, patient, and creative with Molly in order for her to successfully complete the classroom activities. Molly also has some speech difficulties; the main strategy her teacher uses to help her with this is patience. Molly’s teacher calls on her just as often as any other student, and she listens very carefully to Molly’s speech. If she cannot understand Molly the first time she is very patience and gently asks Molly to repeat herself. The teacher also makes sure that the other students know that it is Molly’s turn to speak and they may not interrupt.
Assumptions/suggestions about student's behavior, teacher strategies, motivation, etc.: After observing Molly today I assume she has a severe learning disability. She has trouble in almost all academic areas; however, despite all of her difficulties she still is enthusiastic about learning. I believe that there is a clear reason for the accommodations her teacher creates and they are all beneficial. During the math activity she could not organize the pages because she is unable to recognize the large numbers the class was using. By giving Molly smaller numbers to work with she was more successful and the assignment became much more practical. During the writing lesson the accommodation of tracing the letter was also very beneficial. After watching Molly perform some fairly basic tasks I have noticed that she may also have some trouble with her fine motor skills. Tracing the letter was easier than writing her own because she had a clear path to follow. When I watched her try to create the letter on her own she seemed to have difficulty making the design she was picturing. Molly has no trouble with motivation at all. No matter how difficult an activity is Molly never gives up or gets angry. Although she has many obstacles to overcome her positive attitude is very helpful. What else do you want or need to know that would help you better understand the behavior of the student? How will you get this information? I would like to know how Molly would perform on a one-on-one basis. I feel that without her classmates Molly might have more difficulties because she would not be able to model their behavior. On the other hand, this atmosphere may benefit Molly because there would be less distraction. I would also like to know if the teacher is doing anything in the general classroom to assist in Molly’s speech development. I have been told that she is receiving outside speech therapy. However, since her speech ability is so far behind the other students I believe she would benefit from any additional assistance. To get answers for both of these questions I will watch closely during my next observation. I can also ask the classroom teacher for her opinion.