4/15/2018
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Rebekah Chambers
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This school year I have a student who is hard of hearing and wears a device to help his hearing. The accommodations I use for him are proximity to the front of the classroom, making sure that when I am giving instructions he can see my mouth, and I also make sure to confirm that he heard and understands the directions without calling attention to the extra support. If he is having trouble hearing or I suspect that he is having trouble hearing, I can usually correlate his off-task behavior with his need to confirm understanding of directions, or any additional help I can offer to support his learning, whether that is working with him and his stand partner, or just him. I thought that having a student with a hearing impairment would be more of a challenge than it has been, but I am also aware there is a spectrum of hearing impairment, and he is on the end of the spectrum that is closer to those without a hearing impairment, as he can hear me from across the room if I call his name, and can also hear me when his back is turned towards me. I still make sure to actively follow his accommodations and never assume that he hears me completely.
Often, the steps in most student's IEPs are something that I think good teachers have built in to their teaching already - nonverbal and verbal checks for understanding, following up with a one-on-one instruction or conversation to confirm student understanding, proximity and movement....most of these things are great for all students, but it is extremely important to make sure that all the steps are taken for students with IEPs to ensure an equitable education experience. |
4/15/2018
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Rebekah Chambers
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Two strategies I use in the classroom are peer partners and mnemonic instruction. I frequently use mnemonic instruction in engaging students’ memory to learn new songs. When teaching Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star I use the mnemonic device “make a sandwich for your DAD” as the song is in ABA format which is like a sandwich, and the beginning of each line starts with the letters that spell DAD. Mnemonic instruction also helps students to recognize the order of sharps and flats, reading music on a staff, and other more complex topics.
Peer partners happen regularly as an additional check for understanding. I like to use it as part of the gradual release/scaffolding model. I do, we do, and before "you do" phase, I use peer partners to have them perform a "they do" to confirm and support the learning while giving them a way to practice new knowledge before it is assessed. This allows for those students who need more time to get extra support. |
4/15/2018
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Rebekah Chambers
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I adapt all of my assessments to meet the needs of each individual student. If the assessment is to play a C Major scale on the piano I have students who have learning disabilities that require extra time, and/or steps have the first assessment be find middle C, then play just the first 5 notes of the scale in the right hand, then one octave scale in the right hand alone, then first five notes in the left hand, then one octave in the left hand, then both hands together up to the first finger shift, then 1 octave hands together, then two octaves hands separate, etc. By making the assessment be a broad scope like a C Major scale I can put in place smaller chunks/more steps that will get them to the same place in the end as a student that does not need the extra steps.
I have used this strategy both for students I have had with learning disabilities and students who are placed in the wrong level course. I also use a similar strategy with music the ensemble is performing. Some groups play just the rhythm on the open string, while another group will play the melody. There are so many strategies of scaffolding that can be used to accommodate many forms of learning disabilities. |
5/11/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Rebekah Chambers
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I have had several students over the years on the Autism spectrum, students with dyslexia, etc. This year was the first year I had a student who needed an instrument modification due to an orthopedic impairment. I do not know the official name of the orthopedic impairment, but this 8 year old little girl was wonderful advocating for herself. On the first day of strings she told me and tried to demonstrate how her left arm at the elbow area does not turn in to be able to hold a violin. I immediately asked, can your arm go side to side (bow), she said yes and I went to work ordering her a custom 1/10 left handed violin. The joy on her face when she got the special violin just for her charged my teaching batteries for months. She felt empowered, not embarrassed. And now she is moving to Ohio, but she asked me today, where do i go to get a special violin in Ohio...and now I need to research... |
5/12/2023
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Rebekah Chambers
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I have used gradual release as a top strategy over the years, and it's something music teachers are usually natural at. I do, we do, you do. Today's learners really want and need as much model and demonstration as possible to understand the content and then perform it.
I have also used guided notes, task analysis, as well as tiered lessons to help differentiate and reach as many students as possible. Tiered lessons probably are employed the most out of this list, as I continue to assess the needs of the students who need more enrichment because they are learning at an accelerated pace, as well as breaking down the content in to more digestible pieces for students who need more time with the content. Sometimes that means writing a simplified part so that they are still learning, but not overwhelmed by the complexity. These have all been effective tools for me.
Administrator wrote:
Choose One(1):
- Option 1: Describe how two of the strategies discussed could potentially be implemented in your music classroom. Be sure to identify the two strategies by name, and describe how they could be used to address the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
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5/12/2023
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Rebekah Chambers
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I have a student in my guitar class who has dyslexia, so I have modified his assessments and tests by allowing him to choose the way to organize and demonstrate his knowledge of chord positions/placement. He would not have success if I required him to use the same charts and systems as those without dyslexia use. His assessments are more demonstration based, than paper based, but when he does write I allow him to use whichever method of notating chords he prefers and as long as I can understand it, and it is showing mastery of the content, then the skills is graded as proficient. |