Observation Assignments

Assignment 1: Observations

Observation 1: Both the school and classroom have an inviting tone. Mrs. Gerken, the
teacher I am observing, has her desk placed in the far-right corner of the room and she
teaches from the center front area of the classroom. The students are welcoming and
seem happy to be in her class.

Observation 2: The classes are seemingly equal in gender make-up. Mrs. Gerken has a
mixture of ethnicities in her classrooms, there is much diversity in the school itself from
what I have observed. There are no obviously physically challenged students, but I do
know some of Mrs. Gerkens students have 504s in place.

Observation 3: Mrs. Gerken has a set of class rules, however I was not able to obtain
these.

Observation 4: Mrs. Gerken regularly enforces the rules she has set in place and makes
it a point to ensure her students are well aware of them from the very first day of the
school year. She emphasizes respect towards her and others and will enforce
consequences for noncompliance. She does also believe in rewarding good behavior and
makes sure to point out students that follow rules and are exemplary.

Assignment 3: Instruction

Instructions Question 1: During the first day, I observed Mrs. Gerkens AP English 10
class and her Pre AP English 10. The daily schedules are as follows:

AP English 10

Agenda: SAT Question of the Day

The Crucible Act IV and vocabulary quiz

Objective: Enlarge vocabulary, understand drama of human behavior

Pre AP English 10

Agenda: The Crucible jeopardy

Vocab 7 Test

Objective: Enlarge vocabulary, understand the drama of human behavior

Review for The Crucible final test

Homework: Crucible final test Thursday 11/10, Mon 11/14

Outside reading due in class Wed 11/9

Instruction Question 2: The method of instruction depends on what is being covered on

a particular day. Some days Mrs. Gerken will do whole group instructions and other
times she will have the students work in groups of two or more.

Instruction Question 3: Mrs. Gerken has been teaching for many years, and she has
done a wonderful job at keeping up to date with innovative styles of teaching. For
example, cell phones are allowed to a certain extent to help with the learning process.

Instruction Question 4: Mrs. Gerken knows her students very well and will take more
time with students she knows may struggle with the material or not grasp it was well as
others. She does ensure to provide more attention to students who may learn differently,
stopping by their desks when working on assignments to ensure they are understanding
everything.

Instruction Question 5: The students were engaged in the lessons. During their group
work, they worked efficiently with each other to accomplish their assigned work. If they
were working independently, they also worked on their assignments efficiently.

Instruction Question 6: There were no isolated students in the classroom. There were
some students that were strategically placed in certain seats in the classroom for different
reasons, but no one was isolated.

Instruction Question 7: Mrs. Gerken teaches bell to bell and manages her time teaching
the students very well. In the beginning, she has a warm up activity for the students to
work on, which she goes over with them. Some time is spent on instruction and then the
students do monitored activities such as group work or independent work.

Instruction Question 8: Mrs. Gerken handles transitions quite seamlessly. At the end of
every period, she makes her way to the entrance of her classroom and stands at the
doorway to meet her next group of students. Once they are all in the classroom,
instructional time begins.

Instruction Question 9: Some attention getting commands my cooperating teacher

utilized included simple verbal cues that shed clearly established early in the school
year.

Instruction Question 10: Some of the students in their second year a little rowdier than
the senior students. There were some small interruptions here and there, but nothing the
teacher could not handle.

Instruction Question 11: Thea teacher allows usage of cell phones at certain times, and
for the younger students, this can be a bit hindering. Some of them have a harder time
than others following when their cell phones are allowed and when they are not.

Assignment 4: Culture

1. The school is very clean and spacious, everything seems to be easy to follow and
safe.
2. The halls are clear of any obstacles and are wide for the students to walk through
easily. The lighting is a bit dim but it is still very clear and easy to see everything.

Culture of the School

1. Mission: To provide a safe, supportive, and challenging environment in which

students will become active, reflective, and creative learners who accept
responsibility for learning, have pride in their community and are prepared to
contribute in a culturally diverse world.

Core beliefs: Honorable, Accountable, Well-rounded, Knowledgeable, Successful

Mascot: Hawk

2. Visitors are greeted promptly and are kindly directed to where they need to be.
Students and faculty seem to know each other well and greet each other by name.
3. The school has a block schedule. Students are teenagers ranging from 14-18 years
old.
4. The students socialize all over the school. The lunch/quad area is popular.
Students get along well with each other. I did not observe any negative interaction
during the time I was there.
5. The school has departments for each subject. The hallways and classrooms are
clearly labeled.
6. There are trophies around the main office showcasing athletic victories and
photos of clubs and teams

Culture of the Classroom

1. The teachers expectations are clearly outlined and she has rules written
throughout the classroom. Her interactions with the students are positive.
2. Mrs. Gerken makes sure every student can participate. She has interactive lessons
and group work which require maximum participation.
3. Mrs. Gerken has clearly built rapport with her students from day one and ensures
to positively interact with them every time she sees them. They know she is the
figure of authority and clearly respect her, and at the same time they all like her.

Assignment 5: Cooperating Teacher Interview

1. Mrs. Gerken was fascinated by teaching and the learning process at a very early
age. She shared a story about how shed play school with her dolls and stuffed
animals as a child. She knew since then that this would be her career.
2. The main challenge Mrs. Gerken faces is trying to stay relevant and compete with
the other interest of students.
3. The best part of being a teacher for Mrs. Gerken is the feedback she receives from
students. She has many former students who still contact her and invite her to
important life events.
4. The seating chart is changed four times a year. She asks for requests if there are
any hearing or vision problems.
5. Grouping is random, or able students are placed with less able students.
6. Mrs. Gerken does a vocabulary test every lesson. There is also a test or essay at
the end of every book.
7. Infinite Campus is used for reporting to parents. She keeps track of students
progress with progress reports and final reports that are constantly updated.
8. She does not often interact with parentsmostly because she teaches Honors.
9. Typical discussions with parents include answering their questions. She
encourages a conference before any concern becomes a problem.
10. Mrs. Gerken does at least an hour of grading every day.
11. It takes twice as long to prepare a lesson than to do it. She changes her plans
annually and revises them.
12. She teaches bell to bell to ensure she gets the most out of her instructional time.
13. Student of the month
14. Students know and are very clear that Mrs. Gerken will handle discipline. She
writes very few dean referrals.
15. She does not work with any specialist teachers.
16. There is one major evaluation per year, which is mandated by the teachers union.
The teacher evaluates herself and then gets evaluated.
17. If an evaluation is not favorable, you are given a chance to improve. You are
given directives on how to change.
18. There is much support. There is a lot of instructional and professional
development opportunities. She attends the Silver State Institute every summer.
This program is instructed by college professors in your subject. This is an all
paid for event.