Context for Learning Description of School and Students

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form

Context for Learning

Description of School and Students

About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience

School Name and City: Outlook Academy, Location: Chicago State University

Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other: High School

Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Urban

Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form.

1.     List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program).

             There is a classroom aid who goes classroom to classroom. 

2.     Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.

            This class is a computer lab where students are testing at all times and the teachers control the students’ eligibility to open their tests. Students must pass certain tests in order to move on to the next test. The computer program was called “Plato”.

3.    For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district (e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development, speech therapists).  Some students have an IEP and need an aid at times. From my observation the aid did not appear in the classroom. 

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one word response]

1.     Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch: 100%

2.     Grade level(s): 12^th grade (Completing eligibility for a GED)

3.     Number of

a.     students in the class: 15

b.     males: 12

females: 3

c.     English language learners: all speak English

d.     students identified as gifted and talented: none

e.     students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 

4.     Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
Learning Disability	2	These students need more assistance and help than the other students, they are allowed to seek help from Mrs. Garza their aid.

About the Class You Observed

1.     How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?

This testing classroom is split up into 6 blocks each day and each block is an hour long. On Fridays the blocks are a half-hour long each block. My major is Exercises Sports Studies and my classes are either 50 minutes long or an hour and 20 minutes long. There is not much teaching done in the computer testing areas accept for instruction on accessing tests, how to complete them, and how to advance to other areas of the Plato program. An hour is the time that effectively works for the testing block times.

2.     Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

                 

There is no grouping or tracking. These students are working separately on tests on the laptops provided and the instructor helps them with any questions, there is no specific seating arrangement.

3.     Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.

Plato Courseware is the main component in the testing area classroom. These students have a login and password with their completion of every course that they take. Their testing completion determines whether they will graduate from the academy. This digital learning system was designed to offer a way to test and assess students throughout many curriculums on a computer system.

4.     List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class.

The Plato courseware computer program is the main basis for this class because this is a testing classroom and must be controlled by both instructors. There are laptops provided for each student in the classroom. They must return the laptops at the end of the block period.

5.     What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

             The students are learning how properly focus, study, and achieve a GED thought the help of the Outlook Academy teachers, aids, and educational system. I observed the computer lab classroom which is where they are testing on a Plato Courseware program. They are learning to take timed tests, use resources when necessary, and focus hard without distraction. They must have their student ID to attend the class and they must be quiet and complete the order of tests so they can complete and pass their courses. Their experiences are much better than their former experiences through their other education because it was influenced by negative forces (gangs, drugs, and poor teaching). Many of the students I observed were athletes. I noticed that there were two track and two basketball athletes. 

6. Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

             The teacher was showing a student how to log in to one of her final tests. Before showing her he asked her how her courses have been going and then asked her about how her track meet went. There was a genuine conversation that followed and it was quiet enough for other students to not be distracted. It was nice to see the teacher on a familiar basis with his student. The student was happy to obtain feedback on both the test and her athletic involvement. The teacher creates a positive environment and connects well with his students.