Name: Angelica Salazar Date of Reflection: 12/6/2024
TFE 800.21 Interactive Field Experiences in Learner Development: Part 1
In order to be effective educators and sensitive mentors, teachers must know their students. In addition
to knowing about child development, learner theories, and the unique learning needs of diverse student
populations, teachers also need to be familiar with their students’ interests, academic strengths, learning
styles, family backgrounds or home situations, and assessment data. This field-based experience (FBE)
draws on courses such as TCR 300 Meet Your Students, TCR 301 Child Development and Motivation to
Learn or TCR 302 Adolescent Development and Motivation to Learn or TSE 300 Human Development and
Theories of Learning, and TCR 303 Special Populations in the Classroom. As you spend time interacting
with students in another teacher’s classroom, pay special attention to how the students engage with the
lesson content, with the teacher’s and your directions, and with other students in the classroom. In your
reflection, refer back to previous coursework to connect what you saw in the classroom with theories
about student learning and development.
IMPORTANT: This field experience requires 5 hours in the classroom. The Texas Administrative Code
requires FBEs include your active engagement with students during educational activities the entire time
you are in the classroom. Please make sure to discuss with the teacher beforehand ways for you to be
actively involved, such as but not limited to facilitating small groups, help with monitoring the class, one-
on-one tutoring during class time, answering student questions, and other activities more involved than
observation or small talk.
Please download these reflection questions before you visit a school and use them to guide your
notetaking and observations. After you have completed and verified five clock hours of classroom time at
a TEA approved school, please complete this reflection fully and completely. Your 5 hours of classroom
time requires one reflection. If you visited multiple teachers or multiple classes during your five hours,
your single reflection should reference all the teachers and classes.
Once completed, please upload this reflection to the Learner Development Reflection Submission page
in TFE 800.21
Reflection Questions:
1. Describe the makeup of the students in the classroom. What background knowledge has the
teacher given you about the students and what questions do you want to ask so you are better
prepared to facilitate their learning?
I observed 3 class periods from the same teacher on the same day. To generalize my
observations, the students ranged in age from 13 to 16, with most being 9th graders and two
10th graders who are retaking the class due to prior academic challenges. I had asked for a
general overview of the school population and the class. I learned that the classroom consisted
of newcomers to the U.S., primarily from Latin America, with varying English proficiency and
mathematical skills. This is why the classroom alla had many anchor charts that had sentence
TFE 800.21 Interactive Field Experiences in Learner Development: Part 1
In order to be effective educators and sensitive mentors, teachers must know their students. In addition
to knowing about child development, learner theories, and the unique learning needs of diverse student
populations, teachers also need to be familiar with their students’ interests, academic strengths, learning
styles, family backgrounds or home situations, and assessment data. This field-based experience (FBE)
draws on courses such as TCR 300 Meet Your Students, TCR 301 Child Development and Motivation to
Learn or TCR 302 Adolescent Development and Motivation to Learn or TSE 300 Human Development and
Theories of Learning, and TCR 303 Special Populations in the Classroom. As you spend time interacting
with students in another teacher’s classroom, pay special attention to how the students engage with the
lesson content, with the teacher’s and your directions, and with other students in the classroom. In your
reflection, refer back to previous coursework to connect what you saw in the classroom with theories
about student learning and development.
IMPORTANT: This field experience requires 5 hours in the classroom. The Texas Administrative Code
requires FBEs include your active engagement with students during educational activities the entire time
you are in the classroom. Please make sure to discuss with the teacher beforehand ways for you to be
actively involved, such as but not limited to facilitating small groups, help with monitoring the class, one-
on-one tutoring during class time, answering student questions, and other activities more involved than
observation or small talk.
Please download these reflection questions before you visit a school and use them to guide your
notetaking and observations. After you have completed and verified five clock hours of classroom time at
a TEA approved school, please complete this reflection fully and completely. Your 5 hours of classroom
time requires one reflection. If you visited multiple teachers or multiple classes during your five hours,
your single reflection should reference all the teachers and classes.
Once completed, please upload this reflection to the Learner Development Reflection Submission page
in TFE 800.21
Reflection Questions:
1. Describe the makeup of the students in the classroom. What background knowledge has the
teacher given you about the students and what questions do you want to ask so you are better
prepared to facilitate their learning?
I observed 3 class periods from the same teacher on the same day. To generalize my
observations, the students ranged in age from 13 to 16, with most being 9th graders and two
10th graders who are retaking the class due to prior academic challenges. I had asked for a
general overview of the school population and the class. I learned that the classroom consisted
of newcomers to the U.S., primarily from Latin America, with varying English proficiency and
mathematical skills. This is why the classroom alla had many anchor charts that had sentence
