Field Experience Assignments

Read about your assignment choices and requirements here.  Report the assignments you will complete during the semester on the quiz for this lesson.

Select 3 assignments to complete during your field experience. Some assignments will take more time than others, so choose the assignments that will work best for you during the course. Please choose two assignments listed in the first section and one assignment from the second section. These assignments will relate directly to the 12-hour field experience. 

Choose two of the following assignments to complete. Any time spent in the classroom or with a teacher can count toward your 12-hour field experience. Any written work does not count toward the 12 hours.

1. Keep a journal as you complete your volunteer and observation hours. Reflect on what you have learned about working with people with disabilities and insights about how this will influence your future teaching. Submit at least 4 one-page, double-spaced, typed entries.

2. Interview a classroom teacher who has worked with students with disabilities. Formulate 10 questions to ask the teacher. Submit your ten questions and a one-page, double-spaced, typed response highlighting what you learned in the interview.

3. Make an appointment with a special education teacher in the school where you are observing.  Discuss the needs of one of the students you have been observing in a general education classroom.  If possible, review the IEP for that student. (You will need to complete a confidentiality form to see the IEP.) If appropriate, discuss what you learned with one of the student’s general education teachers. Submit a one-page, double-spaced, typed response highlighting what you learned.

4. Teach a short (10–15 min) lesson to one student or a small group of students in the class where you are observing. The lesson could include content from the class (ex. a lesson on quadratic equations or science vocabulary) or could teach a strategy for learning (ex. how to take notes or how to study for a quiz). You will need to make arrangements with your cooperating teacher to complete this lesson. Submit a copy of the lesson plan you used to teach the lesson and a one-page, double-spaced, typed response highlighting what you learned.

5. Choose one student who exhibits inappropriate behaviors in class. Take data on this student using an ABC chart Download ABC chart.  You should collect data for at least 20 min in one continuous setting. Write a response that identifies the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences for this student.  In your response, suggest at least one behavior strategy that you feel would benefit this student. Submit the ABC chart and a one-page, double-spaced, typed response highlighting what you learned. 

6. Choose one student who is struggling academically in class. Identify two areas of concern that are affecting this student’s performance. Suggest two accommodations for each area of concern. If appropriate, work with the classroom teacher to identify these accommodations.  Submit a response that includes the area(s) of concern and the suggested accommodations a one-page, double-spaced, typed response highlighting what you learned.

Choose one of the following assignments to complete.

1. Read a novel in adult fiction or young adult fiction or a biography about a person with a disability. Submit a one-page response highlighting what you learned. Book list Download Book list

2. Choose two blogs about parenting a child with a disability.  Follow the blog entries for at least one month. Submit a one-page response about the insights you learned about parents of children with disabilities. 

3. Interview an adolescent or an adult with a disability.  Formulate 5-10 questions to discuss with the person. Submit a copy of your interview questions and a one-page response highlighting what you learned in the interview.

You will report the assignments you selected in the quiz at the end of lesson 1. You will turn in the completed assignments at the end of the semester. Your grade on this assignment will be based on the attached rubric.