2
Field Observation
Summary:
Special education classes can vary as in function, student with severe disabilities are
typically placed in containment classes. For my observation, I sat in a class containment at the
high school with a total of seven students and three teachers. The class was taught by a primary
special education teacher and two support staff, learning specialists. The behaviors observed in
the class were: Intellectual disabilities, orthopedic impairment, speech and language delay,
multiple disabilities and, on the lower end the autism spectrum. Luke particular behavior, he
laughed first as his first response to any question or task. He was very friendly but could not
verbally communicate his feeling in complete sentences, laughing was his communication.
Luke in the observation, displayed examples of intellectual disabilities and other health
impairments. The students are broken into three tables, the first table are for students who can
work without guidance, and the other each have a learning specialist. Luke sat at a table with
another student who behaved like him. When Mrs. Parker began the class, she signaled students
to face the front of the class. As instruction began, Luke was very focused on me in the back of
the class, but he appeared cheerful and smiled when eye contact was made. When Mrs. Parker
would ask students questions, Luke raised his hand every time. He would laugh when picked on
for an answer. Mrs. Parker repeated questions to encourage student to say his answer. Mrs.
Parker remained positive, laughing along with student until he gave his answer. Mrs. Parker’s
response to Luke’s laugh is an example of stimulus-response chain. She restructures the
question, to until the student feels motivated enough to respond back. “This approach develops a
stimulus–response chain, in which each response produces the discriminative stimuli (cue) for
the next response (behavior) (Maggs 2017)”. Laughing was Luke’s way of communicating or
3
Field Observation
responding to the learning. Luke struggled with writing answers on the worksheet but can
verbally answer it correctly. When Luke was asked to write his math answers Mrs. Parker,
provided a separate sheet of tracing numbers to “trace numbers”, the answers on that sheet.
When Mrs. Parker gave the number tracing sheet to Luke his behavior changed to less cheerful.
This is when I noticed the other behaviors such as escaping and avoidance, This showed me what
triggered the behavior to be reactive to the learning activities during both days of observation.
Luke typically laughed and required more redirections and guidance during writing and
transition times. Luke best responds to positive reinforcement before being asked to perform or
redirect to activity. She would ignore the laughing and continued to redirect student in a positive
manner. One key trait of positive reinforcement is being consistent and ignoring the undesired
behaviors (Magg 2017).
FIELD EXPERIENCE OBSERVATION ABC CHART ( ESCAPE, AVOIDANCE, OBTAINING,
ACQUIRING)
Observer: Mohala Semedo
Fictitious name or initials of individual being observed: Math/ Fundamentals of Employment:
17-year-old student.
Date Time Antecedent Behavior Consequence Possible
Function
4
Field Observation
9/13 1:08 Teacher asked
class how much
a “dollar” in
pennies
Student rose
his hand and
paused and
laughed
Teacher
rephrased the
question, student
laughed then
answered with
“100”
Obtaining
1:14 Student asked to
write on the
board how much
a penny worth
Student came
up, paused, and
laughed in
front on the
teacher.
Turned to class
and laughed.
Teacher
redirected
student to the
board, student
continued to stan
still. Teacher
guided students’
hand to write on
the board, “1
cent”. Then
instructed to sit
back down.
Escaping
1:20 Student was
asked to write
on their paper
“$2.07”, student
stared away,
gripping the
pencil in hand
not writing and
made a grunt-
like sound
Teacher got
another sheet a
practice
number writing
sheet. Asked
student to trace
over the
numbers
instead.
Student started to
write but once
teacher left,
student stopped.
Avoidance
1:28 Teacher came
back to sit at
students group
to help with his
writing.
Student
dropped pencil
and laughed.
Teacher picked
the pencil up,
placed it back
into students
hand and guided
the student to
write.
Escaping
1:32 Teacher asked
students to grab
their calculators.
Student walked
over to grab
his calculator,
and went back
to their table.
Teacher
continued
instruction
Obtaining
1:35 Teacher asked
student to add
on their
calculator
Student tapped
and stared into
space.
Teacher
redirected once
verbally and
moved to the
next student.
Escaping
1:38 Student picked
up cup and
moved it around
the table, then
placing it in
Teacher
grabbed cup
and moved out
of sight,
redirected
Student worked
on the
assignments
using the
calculator.
Acquiring
5
Field Observation
front of the
teacher.
student to
adding on the
calculator.
1:46 Student
continuously
stomped foot
loudly on the
floor while
teacher was
working with
another student
across from the
student.
Teacher
redirected
student to
practice
writing their
numbers.
Student paused
and laughed,
picked up pencil
but did not write.
Teacher guided
students hand,
once he began
writing, teacher
left student
alone.
Escaping
1:53 Teacher asked
student to get a
book, puzzle or,
coloring page.
Student stood
and laughed,
refused to walk
to get an
activity.
Teacher
walked over to
student, guided
student to shelf
of activities.
Student stood in
front of shelf and
laughed, teacher
grabbed a book
for student and
directed him
back to the table.
Avoidance
9/14 1:07 Student was
asked to
highlight the
appropriate
answer on
worksheet.
Student
laughed and
highlighted the
incorrect
answer, asked
to highlight the
correct answer
student
laughed and
stalled.
Student
continued to
laugh in front of
the teacher but
did not correct
the highlighted
answer.
Escaping
1:18 Student stood up
and laughed
during teachers’
instruction.
Teacher asked
student to sit
and redirected
student to
worksheet
Student sat back
down and
laughed very
loud.
Obtaining
1:23 Student tapped
the student next
to him asking
for a first bump
and laughed
during teacher
instruction.
Teacher
paused
instruction and
asked student
to move to
another table to
work with the
other teacher.
Student bowed
head down and
said “yes”, got
up moved.
Obtaining
1:28 Teacher asked
students to read
their answers
out loud, when it
Teacher asked
again, two
more times,
and moved on
Student stood up
and laughed
while the next
student
Escaping
6
Field Observation
came to this
student, he
laughed out loud
and refused to
answer.
to the next
student.
answered.
1:32 Student stood up
and asked to go
back to the table
he was moved
from, out loud
while teacher
was reading.
Teacher said
yes and work
on the
worksheet
without
bothering his
peers.
Student laughed
and walked to
the teacher first
for a fist bump
and teacher
guided student
back to table.
Acquiring
1:40 Teacher asked
“who puts out
the a fire”,
student shouted
out really loud
“fire!”.
Teacher said
“thank you,
you’re correct!
Remember to
raise your
hand”. Then,
Moved to the
next question.
Student stood up
and laughed out
loud, sat back
down and rocked
back and forth.
Acquiring
1: 45 Student is
struggling with
writing letters
and drops pencil
and says,
“can’t”.
Teacher asked
student to pick
up pencil and
try again.
Student laughed
and picked up
pencil and tried
again.
Acquiring
1: 52 Student was
asked to write
the answers in
the worksheet
but paused and
laughed,
dropped pencil
down.
Teacher
encouraged
student to pick
the pencil and
try again.
Student bowed
head and picked
up pencil and
said “can’t”, but
began writing.
Acquiring
1:57 Student was
asked to put
worksheet away
and grab their
coloring
supplies.
Student stood
up, left
worksheet, and
went to get
their supplies
first.
Teacher
reminded
students to put
away worksheet,
instead student
laughed and
pushed it across
table.
Escaping
2:04 Student laughed,
stood up and
walked away
from table,
walked to
another student
for a fist bump.
Teacher asked
student to
return to table
and
encouraged
him to draw.
Student walked
to teacher and
laughed, asking
for high five
before going
back to table.
Obtaining
