Classroom Observation in Mandarin Oaks Elementary School

Mandarin Oaks Elementary School is where I had the opportunity and privilege to do my observation. My first day of observation was a bit scary, exhilarating, anticipating what the day would entail. I came prepared with the proper tools: pen/pad, and the teacher’s interview sheet to make a thorough observation. The grade level is 3rd grade. The 3rd-grade teacher is Mrs. Dawson, and the paraprofessional assigned to the class is Ms. Worthy.

The class began at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 11th. When I first walked into the classroom, I was greeted by the teachers. They were both very pleasant. I was pleased to see the setup of the classroom and the beautiful rainbow of students that filled each seat. The classroom was diverse and well rounded. There are 12 students in total, 9 boys and 3 girls. Two were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The names of the two ASD students are Elizabeth and Aaryan, and they currently have accommodation/modification implemented by the IEP/IFSP teams.

The other 10 students are in regular education. The ethnicity of the students in the classroom is predominantly Caucasian at 73%, followed by Hispanic 12%, Multi-racial 4%, Asian 4%, Native American 3%, African American 3%, and Pacific Islanders are less than 1%. Additionally, the students who require special education represent 6% of students. The class is predominantly male, who comprise 75% of the class, while girls make up the other 25%.

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Physical Environment/Teacher’s Rationale

The physical environment is vital because it fosters a positive learning atmosphere and can reflect the classroom’s identity. Also, the teacher’s philosophy and educational beliefs about how children learn are shown by the learning style and visual setup of the classroom. Mrs. Dawson’s rationale for the class setup makes it easy for student support, collaboration, and allows for fluidity throughout the classroom arrangement. Understanding each child’s learning style can help to promote consistency and independence. Now we will discuss the various learning areas in the classroom’s setup. The classroom is clutter-free to help to eradicate delays, distractions, and chaos. Classroom supplies have labels and reside either in bins, cubbies, or bookshelves.

Seating arrangements

1. There are 12 desks, arranged in three groups of fours.
2. The back of the classroom has space for small group instruction.
3. Students sit in a way that diminishes distraction.
4. There is a rug for Circle Time, for reading, and various activities.
5. There is a play area for books, toys, and puzzles, where they are given 20-30 minutes of free time.

Displays for instruction

There are multiple bulletin boards stationed around the classroom, each containing a student-generated visual support for General Ed/ASD students. The Whiteboard presents all assignments, lessons, and booklets, which allows the students to look at, learn, and recite whatever the teacher wants completed for the day.

1. The visual supports aid help reinforce what is being taught in class.
2. I saw an Alphabet/number bulletin board constructed with a cursive/manuscript banner with pictures for each letter and number.
3. There was also a board for the ASD students containing pictures, drawings, objects, and lists to aid social/communication/language skills.

Accommodations or Modifications

Accommodations are put in place based on Aaryan and Elizabeth needs. Aaryan and Elizabeth are visual learners, so their lessons do not include as much reading/writing as the general population. Pictures, videos, and charts are the primary teaching tools (Caring4ourkids, 2018). Students take frequent five minutes breaks, allowing them a chance to rest and absorb the lessons.

Modifications:

1. Tables and chairs have tennis balls for noise reduction.
2. The back of the classroom has an area for small groups,1/1 instruction.
3. Specialized materials are housed for the ASD students.
4. Visual schedules with the times that the ASD students leave for speech/occupational therapy.
5. Social stories boards are along the walls.
6. There are a variety of sensory tools, and a quiet corner to help provide a release of sensory overload (Caring4ourkids, 2018).

Interventions Used with ASD Student

There were different ABA interventions that I observed. One was the Antecedent- Behavior-Consequence (Buckley,2020). “Not all interventions are created equally” (Laidler, 2017). Ms. Worthy has an ABC checklist, which helps examine Aaryan and Elizabeth’s positive/negative behaviors. The ABC checklist helps to identify the antecedent, the student’s behavior, and its consequences of that behavior. The antecedent is what prompts the behavior. For example, Mrs. Dawson tells Aaryan/Elizabeth to clean up. Aaron starts screaming “I won’t clean up!” Aaryan reaction to the situation was the behavior. Therefore, Mrs. Dawson repeated the command and gave a verbal warning. As a result, he complies and receives a reward in the form of encouragement and praise from Mrs. Dawson.

Another intervention used is the Social Skills Intervention. This technique helps the ASD students’:

• Develop stable relationships
• Bolsters self-worth
• A sense of belonging
• Provides companionship
• Affection and emotional support with family and peers (Bailey, n.a.)

Ms. Worthy uses observation and parallel/cooperative play, along with other strategies to aid the ASD students (Bailey, n.a.). In my observation, Ms. Worthy sat with Aaryan and Elizabeth, watching how they interacted with each other. She points out both positive and negative interactions, which help the students understand what and what not to do. Parallel play is when Elizabeth and Aaron are doing the same activity, in proximity of the other children, but not participating with peers. Aaryan and Elizabeth then join their peers in cooperative play- this is used to strengthen and test their social/communication skills.

Instructional/Adaptive Strategies Used

At 9:30am Aaryan and Elizabeth followed Ms. Worthy for small group instruction, because it was determined that they both need academic help. Aaryan cannot read on grade level and becomes violent, he starts screaming, flailing his hands, hitting, and throwing tantrums, when he does not want to comply. Elizabeth has poor motor skills and uses assistive technology. Ms. Worthy follows a class schedule like Mrs. Dawson’s, but with modifications. She conducts small group reading lesson until 10:15am. She reads Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, a Geronimo Stilton book. She modifies the lesson by reading the book at a slower pace to the ASD students, while the general ed class has independent reading. After that Aaryan, and Elizabeth work on their penmanship until they leave at 10:45am for school-based OT and ST, then they both go to their scheduled therapies on the assigned times.

Once they return at 11:45am. Ms. Worthy allows them a therapy break until lunch, which starts at noon and ends at 1:00 pm. When the students return, Aaryan and Elizabeth have a small group math session., Ms. Worthy, slowly explains each concept making sure Aaryan and Elizabeth understand before continuing to the next problem. The last topic the ASD students cover is on proper social etiquette. Ms. Worthy models and uses social stories to get the message across.

Social stories help the ASD students understand, and model, how to perform different tasks. Modeling is a technique where proper behavior is performed for the students to emulate (ASAT,2020). Ms. Worthy models the desired behavior and prompts the students to copy her. Today, Ms. Worthy went over how to act during a fire drill. As she explained, she modeled for the students how to stay calm, pay attention, and listen for directives. Once the simulation was completed, she asked Aaryan and Elizabeth to model what she had done.

Specialized Resources/Integration of Technology

Ms. Worthy also implements the use of task cards. According to Task Cards in the Classroom (2020), “Task Cards are highly engaging, easily differentiated, and ready-to-use individual tasks geared toward specific topics of instruction”. Task cards have multiple uses. For example, in math, a task card might have a picture of 10 apples, 6 apples on a tree and 4 apples on the ground. The question asked is ‘How many apples are still on the tree?’ The student looks at the task card to reason out the solution. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used as well. PECS uses image cards that represent emotions/feelings that the student might need to express (Nail,2020). This system is used to improve communication skills.

The Talk Tablet PRO is a speech app available for students like Elizabeth and it makes understanding instructions easier (talk tablet, n.a.). It contains various pictures that the student or teacher can tap on to make whole sentences. Another assistive technology used is the Alphasmart NEO. An Alphasmart NEO is a portable word processor, which is battery operated and can upload to a computer to print out assignments. This is used because both the students lack fine motor skills and have a hard time writing.

Paraprofessional Role

Ms. Worthy’s position is primarily assisting her two ASD students. She is fully capable of accommodating the ASD students and is very knowledgeable of how to use the assistive technology tools. When time permits, she can interact and help with the other students when possible. She aids the teacher with the daily curriculum. When it is time for the small group instruction, Ms. Worthy can conduct her lesson just as smoothly as Mrs. Dawson. She is a great asset to Mrs. Dawson.

Conclusion

It was a pleasure doing my observation with Mrs. Dawson’s classroom today. The teacher/paraprofessional relationship is very solid. They both have a very good rapport with their students. I found the students to be respectful and smart. There were a few disruptions in the classroom with Aaryan, but that was dealt with immediately. Ms. Worthy was able to modify the lessons well enough to teach Aaryan and Elizabeth. Using the assigned curriculum, and specialized resources listed in their IEP’s like the task cards, PECS, Talk Tablet, and the Alphasmart NEO has given them a firm foundation for Aaryan and Elizabeth’s future success. Experiencing this observation has further inspires and motivates me to pursue my degree in Special Education.

References

1. A Classroom Diva. (2017, February 12). CLASSROOM TOUR 2016-2017 (3rd Grade). [ Video File] YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk_kgMHApS8
2. ASAT. (2020). Modeling. Retrieved from: https://asatonline.org/for-parents/learn-more-about-specific-treatments/applied-behavior-analysis-aba/aba-techniques/modeling/
3. Bailey, M. (n.a.). Social Skill Intervention Strategies for Children with Autism. Retrieved from: https://www.cigna.com/assets/docs/behavioral-health-series/autism/2012/socialSkills.pdf
4. Buckley, D. (2020). Understanding the Antecedent Behavior Consequence Model. Retrieved from: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/behavior/understanding-the-antecedent-behavior-consequence-model/
5. Caring4ourkids. (2018). 5 Important Classroom Accommodations For Children With Autism. Retrieved from: http://caring4ourkids.com/important-classroom-accommodations-for-autistic-children/
6. Noodlenook. (2020). Instructional Strategies for Students with Autism. Retrieved from: http://www.noodlenook.net/instructional-strategies-for-students-with-autism/
7. TalktabletPRO. (n.a.). Features. Retrieved from: https://talktablet.com/