4/25/2021
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Andrea E Hanna
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- I currently teach various students, grades 9-12, considered the lowest cognitively functioning, with varying exceptionalities (VI, ASD, LI, SI) . All students need intensive differentiated modifications to instruction. The level of difficulty is heightened by Covid, which has forced the setting demands to online instruction. One of the most challenging students is one who is visually impaired due to brain injury, since this is a theatre class, and plays, history, characters, actions drive instruction, I have had to make many modifications.
- To ensure acquisition of knowledge and skills, I use videos or read-aloud texts, and serve as eyes and reviewer for any visual concepts or pictures the student is unable to gain audibly. If there are sections in the materials where there are only pictures, I will describe, identify colors, processes, actions, etc., so that the student gets clear images. For musicals, although the music is exciting for the student, I must share verbally dance routines, facial expressions, etc.,
- Since every student needs comprehension prompts, this strategy is necessary for all of them, so it has proven to be effective. I show the video in its entirety, (short clips), then repeat the segments stopping to ensure that students are actively engaged in the viewing or listening before repeating the process. I stop often as I view facial expressions of each student to ensure comprehension. I repeat, review, question (some students are non-verbal, so I developed various strategies to determine comprehension), until I think the information is gained and understood. Depending on the complexity of the materials, this process could be one class period, one week, or a few weeks.
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4/26/2021
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Andrea E Hanna
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Option 2- I often use technology to meet the needs of my students with disability, for the most part, successfully, as demonstrated by their continued participation in theatre and even in participating in performances as stage performers or working backstage. The most significant example was a student who joined theatre class after attending a drama club meeting with a club member. Both had been identified as ASD. Although significantly intellectually gifted (ESE identification and clearly identified by their extensive knowledge base), they had difficulty socially. It was very difficult to find roles in performances because our new comer especially, lacked facial expression and vocal clarity. After many auditions, I could see acting would take more intensive teaching, and he was becoming discouraged. Knowing some of his ASD characteristics (attention to detail, scientific, willing to learn technology, focused, etc.), I asked him to learn the new sound and light system. I explained that I really needed a 9th grader to be our main technician, with the ability to keep our system from being constantly reset and often repaired because no one really knew the system.
He agreed, hesitantly, but then went beyond expectations by seeking extra training form a family friend a professional theatre technician he knew. He set up task cards and system charts and by the end of the school year, was able to work lights and sound for various events in our auditorium. He then enrolled in theatre class, despite his participation in the Cambridge Program, and began training other ESE students selected by me, to learn the system. His ability to learn and understand the root of the technology was amazing; when something was reset purposefully or accidentally, he could identify the problem and come up with various solutions. Most significant, however, was his decision and perseverance to earn a key role in our musical; he did not sing or dance, and still had issues with voice clarity.
He was relentless and earned a main role. After extensive coaching, sometimes I had to use technical terms to get him to understand concepts and characterization, he had a solid performance. Throughout the tedious rehearsals and his upper level courses, he served as consultant and troubleshooter for the tech team. Technology was the foundation for increasing his intellectual skills, artistic skills, and performance skills. Although I am no longer sponsor for the club, he is an active member performing and managing the technology needs of the group. I am convinced that all students benefit from technology, especially students with disabilities. |
4/27/2021
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Andrea E Hanna
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Describe an example of adapted assessment you have successfully used in the fine arts classroom for students with disabilities.
One of my favorite and most successful assessment tools for students with disabilities in my theatre class, has been the ‘Mirror Game’. The Mirror serves as a tool for building collaboration, facial and body expression, self-evaluation, peer teaching, and socialization skills. The process is that students are paired and must practice staring into each other’s eyes to follow, first large, smooth, slow movements, then smaller, defined, increasingly faster movements, and progress to body large movements and then increasingly smaller more specific facial movements. As they move, I say, “Change.” At every integral of change, each partner becomes the leader of the movements. The philosophy behind the Mirror is that you can see every movement through the eyes. At first the students spend the first few minutes laughing and stating that they can't keep looking into the eyes, but eventually they understand the connection brings success.
This activity is introduced after students have acquired basic skills in theatre and have begun to establish relationships with each other. Often cliques have been formed which often excludes student the cliques feel are unlike them, so this activity serves a dual purpose; it reshapes the groupings of students as I assign partners who are often unlike, and it allows me to ensure that one of the partners is a stronger performer than the other. I do not focus on the particular disability of any students, as I believe all human beings have some area we could define as a disability. I do, however, assign my labeled students to students I know will be gracious. Initially this is a game, but eventually I make it a competition of ‘twins, and an assessment for various theatrical competencies. I evaluate each area at different intervals.
The students must perform this improvised routine so precisely the observers can not tell who is initiating the movements. Awards are given to the best twins and the partners will again be reassigned. It has always increased peer relationships, but far more important, students with disabilities who have limited facial expressions show vast improvements in that area as they are really being taught by peers, who realize that their partner might have a disability but he/she is really good at…
I always feel excited after we have done the Mirror activity a few times, because I hear at least 10 of my 50+ students say, ‘You should get Joey to do the mirror with Molly, they are so good together!’ Both general and exceptional peers are honored and encouraged. Each Mirror evaluation becomes a peer/teacher evaluation. I sometimes use peer evaluation cards with my evaluations to determine a final grade for ongoing assessments. This gives me a class-wide evaluation of the instructional practice and student learning preferences. |