ED 270 Observation

Name: Alissandra Berry Term: Summer 2013

School: Child Roots, Portland Instructor: Jennifer Margolis


I observed Alissandra working at Child Roots Center for Young Children
in a classroom for 7-13 month old children. Alissandra worked with a
teaching partner, and together they were in charge of eight children.
Alissandra later told me that although she works with all of the children
in the classroom, she is the primary teacher for four of the students.

When I first arrived, the children were seated around a table and having
a snack. I was impressed that a group of such young children were
sitting willingly at the table. I was also impressed by how the teachers
spoke to and interacted with the students. Alissandra explained
everything she was about to do, and also verbalized what she was doing
at the time. For example, when helping one student sit at the table, she
said, Im going to touch your body and help you sit in your chair.
Alissandra spoke to the students in a calm, soothing voice, and also used
sign language to reinforce her words. Alissandra has developed a sign
language program for use with her students, and with agreement from
Child Roots staff, has implemented the program in the classroom.
Although several of the children were pre-verbal, I observed some of
them signing some of the words (milk, eat, water). Again, Alissandra
acknowledged and verbalized the childrens feelings and actions while
they were signing.

Alissandra spends time sitting on the floor so she can interact with the
children at their physical level. When one of the children became upset,
Alissandra calmly talked with him, then started reading a book. Several
other children crawled over to hear the story and the child was soon
calmed. Alissandra also held and comforted children who were upset,
calmly speaking to them for reassurance.

Alissandra does a nice job of communicating both in and out of the
classroom. She has an open line of communication with the parents to
let them know what happens in the classroom, and also writes a
biweekly online update. She is engaged in the training the center
provides, and works hard to ensure that the children meet benchmarks.

By reading her Reflective Journals for the class, it is clear that Alissandra


takes her job seriously and wants to do whats best for the children. She
is very observant, which is extremely helpful in noticing the gains the
children make, no matter how small. Alissandra is not afraid to ask for
help or clarification, and works well with the other staff. She is thoughtful
about how she approaches her work, and is acquiring skills that would
translate to working with students at any age level. Alissandra is doing
an excellent job with her students.