Guided Observation #1 Contextual Factors

Name: Ashlyn Renner-Laws

Date: Spring 2017
Course: EDUC 2300 Introduction to Education
School: Ottway Elementary

Interview your mentoring teacher to obtain the demographics about the school. Write a
response for each question in a paragraph format.

1. Record the number of males, females, and ratio of ethnicity within the
classroom.
When I was in Mrs. Jefferss class for my service learning, her class would switch around
with second and third grade. Each time they switched there would be a different number
of students in the room. In Mrs. Jefferss homeroom class there were ten girls and six
boys. The ethnicity varied also. Sometimes there was only one or two students that were
Hispanic and/or African American, but other times there was not even one.

2. What are the development levels of the students within the classroom you
are observing?
They do not switch for every subject this early. They start switching classes around fourth
or fifth grade. Within the classroom, she tries to keep them all on the same level. She
teaches the same to every student when introducing a new lesson. When ELGs come
along, if a student of hers is struggling with a specific lesson she will usually work with
them a little more during this time.

3. How is the instruction modified to meet the diverse needs of the students?
The teacher is very hands on. She uses dry erase boards, blocks, number placement cards,
candy, and more to get her students involved with each lesson. This year, she does not
have anyone that cannot read or work on their own, but last year she did.

4. Research the school and the Tennessee State Government web site to
obtain information about the school community, school report card, and
school population.
From the Tennessee State Government website, I gathered information about the school.
The school has a population of 257 with grades served Pre-Kindergarten through eighth
grade. About 95% of the school is White. About 45% is economically disadvantaged.
Around 18% of the school is students with disabilities. There is not any scores or
anything on testing for this past year. Here is a list of the schools community services:
The Autism Society of East Tennessee, Greeneville-Greene County Humane Society, St.
Judes, and Averys Toys. I found this on the schools website.

5. What are the specialized programs/activities found within the school that
would assist special needs children, those who need enrichment activities,
or remediation? List the specific programs that are available.
There are physical therapists and occupational therapists who come and work with
students individually. They also have inclusion, which means the students are in the
regular classroom setting for as much as possible.