Observation Report - Research Paper Example

Observation Report A. Background Background of the Community, room Environment, Teachers The of the community is P.S. 17 Henry David Thoreau for providing education to the special care children. It is located in the Long Island City that is situated in the New York. The pin-code of the location where the school is situated is 11102. This particular community is a school that is centred in the heart of New York City. It is considered to be an elementary school that holds around 560 students till the 5th grade. Apart from this, the overall ratio of the students to that of the teachers is 13:1. Considering all the available facilities, it has been determined that the school also facilitates special program for the children with special requirements. In the past, this particular school had been reviewed around 12 times. In accordance with this result associated with the review, it provides the scenario of 3rd rating. Besides, the school phone number is given as 718-278-1220. The name of the Principal of the school is Ms. Rebecca Heyward. The classroom represents a 2nd grade special education. The classroom uses the technology of Individual Education Program (IEP) for providing information to the students. The width of the classroom is about 25 square feet. The classroom has many colourful posters and also has colours of ‘transparent submicron suspension’ within it. However, I have observed that the students do not give heed to the colourful walls and posters. The names of the students present in the class are Adan, Reinaldo, Jeaden, Chris, Julissa, Nicholas, Mathews, Lucia and Khamari. On close observation, I found out that the students were very friendly and used to call me by the name Mr. R. Out of these special children; few seemed to me to be quite normal. I observed that Mathew and Reinaldo were very energetic and good in mathematics. I had conducted a test on the fourth day, which they both passed without making any mistakes. The names of the teachers are Ms. Pappas, Mrs. Messano and Mrs. Draz. These teachers are competent enough in the ground of paraprofessional. Evidence of their Planning The domain of planning related to the aspect of study involves chart that reflects a series of elements being involved to teach the special students effectively. I have observed that it involves birthday celebrations lists. Besides, it incorporates the school book of the month that contains the name of 100 American Women. In terms of planning that has been quite noticeable, there is a reading unit that mainly introduces the students with the historical background of the United States. The teaching module plan also entails the vocabulary of words. Free time fun has been incorporated to facilitate the concept of JAKE i.e. J-Jolly, A-Artistic, K-Kind, E-Educated. I observed that teachers have documented few important dates that provides a scenario about the visits, conference and spirit day. The methodologies, which the teachers adapted, follow different levels to procure Depth of Knowledge. I further observed that the first level entails recall. The next level is about developing the skills and the inherent base level concepts. The third level is about the strategic thinking and the final level is about the extended thinking. The mission of the PS 17’s Staff is to involve in collaboration with the home and the community. This collaboration is mainly to enrich the ethnic students with a motive to achieve academic excellence along with personal growth. In order to achieve this mission, the school follows certain strategies. Explain: Is There Clear Understanding Of The Planning For The Pupils With Special Needs? For improving my observation with regard to the effective planning for the children with special needs, I applied the framework of Charlotte Danielson. This particular framework reflects the responsibilities of the teachers with a motive to accelerate the effectiveness of the learning for the pupil with special needs. This particular framework circles around four domains that ensure effective learning. Domain 1 incorporates planning and preparation, Domain 2 entails the classroom environment, Domain 3 involves instructions and Domain 4 involves professional responsibilities (Danielson, 2013). On close observation, I can determine that the planning being framed with the curriculum activities to some extent is appropriate for the pupils with special needs. The distinctions and the planning made between the different levels of the curriculum activities are clearly addressed. The activities within the level one includes recalling of the elements, mathematical calculations, relationship concepts, routine procedures and diagrams. These activities are well organised for the children with special needs. Level two planning involves identification of major events, meaning of the uncommon words, cause and effect of the particular event and identification of the behavioural pattern. In this regard, I observed that these activities will ensure the development of mental ability of the children. Level three activities provide an insight to the children by involving them in communication activities with others, providing examples and involving them in scientific evaluation and interpretation of the story or the subject material among others. The level four activities involve mathematical concepts and illustrations to develop the logical reasoning of the students. According to me, planning is effective and will ensure better understanding capabilities of the children with special needs. Howe Does The Classroom Reflects A Place Of Learning And Mutual Respect For Each Other? Is The Space Appropriately Used? Are There Accommodations For Pupils With Special Needs? The classroom is of 2nd grade with regard to the students with special education. In terms of my observation, there are about 8 students within the class, who seem to be quite friendly with each other. The special program being used by them is Individualized Education Program (IEP). Apart from this, as observed, the students have visited the American Museum of Natural History. This ensures that the planning is being executed by teachers effectively. This further ascertains that the classroom is a place of learning. Presence of mutual respect amid each other can be observed by the level of cooperation present. Their friendly behaviour with the outsiders also provides evidence that students endure mutual respect for each other as well as for the strangers. Correspondingly, it is also observed that the space of the room is 25 square feet and the interiors of the room are decorated with colour suspension and posters. There are learning accommodations for the children with special needs within the classroom but in a limited form. A few more accommodations are required for the learning session to be effective. Is The Information Clearly Presented And Understood? Are There Accommodations For Special Students? How Is This Instruction Assessed? The information given about the learning activities of the children with special needs being planned are clearly presented. The various levels of the strategies have been framed to provide an in-depth understanding of the curriculum. Proper measures have been undertaken in order to provide the students with learning accommodations. These particular instructions can be assessed by the help of the pictorial representation given and the charts being drawn to depict the flow of the curriculum plan. In terms of professional responsibility, the observation within a specific time frame can be quite difficult. This is because the behaviour of the teachers allied to their learners changes often which might create a misperception. B. Addressing the 15ed TPA Rubrics edTPA is regarded as a performance assessment criterion for the teachers to teach the novice. The assessment is mainly designed with a motive to keep focus on the learning as well as the principles with regard to research and theory. Besides, edTPA is implemented in the Elementary Literacy. In this regard, effective student learning associated with edTPA is based upon the completion of a cyclic process. The cycle of the students learning involves planning, assessment and instruction for generating strategies to help the students. Subsequently, the 15edTPA rubric reflects the analysis of the students’ knowledge and the continuation of the instruction being designed. There are five domains on the basis of which the analysis will be developed. As observed by me, instructions are given regarding the planning of the curriculum to be executed for providing the children with effective learning. However, in the instruction process, the steps are not properly defined. The instruction of the learning activities mainly involves the entire classroom session. Flow of the day usually entails the beginning and ending of the class session. It further entails the learning objectives and goals. Word walls, classroom library, bulletin boards and the meeting areas are important parts of the instructions being designed. All these instructions provide vital information about the students’ learning procedure. In my engagement, the instructions were adhered but it was repeating. In the third level, ample support was gained from the teachers. This further provides a base to gain knowledge about the essential literacy strategy. On few instances, it was evident that the support was restricted to a certain extent. This was due to the children with special needs, who might have felt uncomfortable in the presence of strangers. Nonetheless, gradually, I observed that the students were quite free and cooperative. Thus, the entire procedure is being executed effectively within the specified schedule. C. Reflection In the context of this particular observation, it provides a platform to have a better understanding of the processes being involved in the learning strategy. The observation states that the learning activities of the children with special needs involve designed procedure that reflects the exact planning of the educators. Besides, the application of the Charlotte Danielson’s designed framework with respect to the teaching also ensures that the observation will assist in the teaching profession. The basic requirements for becoming effective teachers have been explained in this segment. It is necessary to develop the base knowledge matter, the content standard along with the specific pedagogy being designed. Apart from this competency, it is also necessary for a teacher to develop the differentiated knowledge requirements of the students and also to apply them effectively. An in-depth analysis of the researches and the learning theories is required to be considered in order to build knowledge for the children. Moreover, the performance-based review can assist in the analysis of the teaching skills required to provide effective learning. The instructions, learning theories developmental stage, practical application, outdoor visit and cooperation with the children among others are a few of the elements required for effective learning. The concerned children group is different from that of the normal group. They need special attention as well as planned strategy to ensure effective learning. For example, the teachers need to conduct vocal tests that facilitate to increase the communication skills. This kind of teaching strategies with regard to the children with special needs can aid the teachers to provide effective education to the special learners. Reference Danielson, C. (2013). Evaluation instrument. The Danielson Group, 3-85. Read More