Name: Date of Reflection:
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?
The teacher I observed had her students sitting at computers because it was a Microsoft excel
certification class. However, she did tell me that when her students enter the classroom they
are expected to immediately put their phones away at the front of the room in the designated
phone holder spots. This was accurate as I observed all students immediately do this when
entering the classroom without having to be told. Some questions that I asked about how to go
about teaching the students were: Do they respond well to trying to relate to them on a
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?
The teacher I observed had her students sitting at computers because it was a Microsoft excel
certification class. However, she did tell me that when her students enter the classroom they
are expected to immediately put their phones away at the front of the room in the designated
phone holder spots. This was accurate as I observed all students immediately do this when
entering the classroom without having to be told. Some questions that I asked about how to go
about teaching the students were: Do they respond well to trying to relate to them on a
