Elementary School Observation Form

Observer Name: Zak Hendren

Date: 12/9/15

Site/School: College Park/Centerville

Teacher
Name(s): Mr. Wesly,Wes?? And Mrs.?(For the
sake of the paper she will be known as Mrs.A)

Building Observation (outside, lobby, halls, etc.):

Classrooms
Description of Education Setting
Approximate Age (or Age Range) of Children: 4 th grade @ CP and 3rd at Centerville.
Description of Teacher & Learning Environment
Mr. Wes had a lot of participation in his class.
Mrs. A had people jumping out of their seats to be called on everyone was having a great time as
she was constructing a demonstration.
Observation of Student Learning
Academic & Cognitive Skills
Mr. Wes was teaching grammar while Mrs. A was
teaching pollution.

Physical Development & Life Skills

I didnt notice any in Mr. Wes but Mrs. A was
calling on the shyer kids in the class having them
talk.

Student-to-Student Interactions
All kids were clearly sat next to their friends and would look towards each other in awe during the
presentation. Mrs. A
Looks being exchanged in Mr. Wes class.
Teacher-to-Student Interactions
Mrs. A was having students pour oil or other substances down a scene to represent pollution. Mr.
Wes walked around the room to make sure everyone was on task.

Analysis
Inferences about this education setting

(about the children, about the

school, what it would be like to teach here and teach these children, etc)

Both teachers liked what they were doing and tried their best to
keep the students happy.

Other Notes:

The BIG QUESTION:

What made this an appropriate or inappropriate atmosphere for learning?
The teacher cared for each student wanting them to succeed.

Now its time to reflect on your Elementary Observation experience

Directions: Write a 1-2 page reflection, discussing and analyzing your experience. If you
visited more than one school, describe each experience individually, AND add a paragraph at
the end comparing what the two had in common.
Here are some questions to get you thinking about what to write:

What was your impression of this school from the outside, main lobby, or hallways?
What is the same/different from when you were in elementary?
What grade did you observe?
What lesson was being taught? What types of learning styles were used?
What assessments or strategies were being used? Do you think they were effective?
Were the students engaged in the lesson?
Do you think there were any students with special needs in the class?
What did you like/dislike about this teacher/classroom?
What questions do you have as a result of this experience?
What, if any, connections did you see between our VTFT curriculum and this education setting?

Type your reflection and submit it on Edmodo. Due date: ________________

Refer to the following rubric for how you will be graded. See Mrs. Free if you have any
questions!

VTFT Reflective Essay Rubric

Name: ________________________________ Due Date: ___________ Date
Submitted: __________
Reflection Assignment:
__________________________________________________________________

Description
Includes many specific details about time & place,
gives focused descriptions of the area, students,
teachers, etc.
Analysis
Looks to the how/why behind what was observed and
experienced. Makes strong connections and interprets
scenarios with insight.
Application
Discusses how this relates to the overall field of
education, what could be done in the future, how this
could be personally applied.
Personal Connection
Shares personal reaction to events observed, favorite
moments and why, reflects on whether you would do
things the same way, keeps positive perspective
overall.
Grammar/Spelling/Mechanics
Reflection is typed, polished, edited. Very few errors/
typos. Professional yet conversational language.

Well
done!

Mention
ed but
not
Develop
ed

Inco
mplete

Missing
from
this
Reflecti
on

Excellent
&
Thoroug
h!

Total: _____/25
(x2 in gradebook)

I enjoyed my time observing, I saw one teacher who was absolutely great, but sadly one who
wasnt the best, but this is no complaint. Mr. Wes in my opinion wasnt the best but Asia loved him. I
saw him get on his phone every chance he got and not giving his children the attention he couldve.
While they were working on their own he began scrolling through his device. His kids were on task
though. He did have great classroom management though. No kid went against him. He gave clear
instructions and answered questions very directly with examples. Mrs. A was an outstanding teacher.
She was in the middle of a pollution demonstration as we walked in pouring harmful substances down
a fake scene to show the effects of it. All the kids were sitting at the front of the class watching. Each
one was very excited to participate when given the chance, she let the kids pour them down the scenes,
most jumped out of their chairs raising hands as high as they could, dying to be involved. She had good
classroom management as well. She had a troubling kid clearly but was able to handle it very well. He
couldve very well had ADHD because he was constantly talking to the kid next to him, couldnt sit still,
and was giving her a lot of hard times, but overall she dealt with it very well. I enjoyed being in her
class, it came with a very welcoming vibe. Both teachers used class participation to carry along their
assignments. Mr. Wes had kids reading sentences from a short story and reading the questions that
followed, he also picked on volunteers to answer the questions afterwards. He never had to state an
answer all was done by the class. Mrs. A was doing the same as she was using the kids to pour the
substances down the scene and answer questions about each one. At the end of the activity she had the
kids read aloud the answers for their worksheet for the kids who missed some answers. She did another

recap about what happened in their experiment and answered questions for the class. It was clear that the
students absolutely loved it and wanted to be involved with her activity, she did a great job in piecing
this idea together in my own personal opinion. Mr. Wes had no kids who really gave him any issues
which take me back to his classroom management skills. He was able to get the kids interested in his
short story he came up with. It seemed like each kid were good friends with each other because theyd
try to make attempts to talk to each other across the classroom, I noticed many giving looks to each
other and even playing around with each other as Mr. Wes turned his back.