Observations and the Iquiry Project

For my inquiry project I would need to gather information about special needs children. I would have to observe a day in the life of the student as well as the teacher. I would then compare the type of teaching used today, to the past. I would ask the teachers who have been around longer if they have seen a change in the teaching of the students. What kind of changes have been made? I'm not sure what to look for on my observations of social events. If someone has a suggestion as to where I should go and what to look for, I would greatly appreciate it.