6/3/2016
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Lee Commander
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In my first three years of teaching I worked at a school that happened to also be the district hub for students who were deaf and hard of hearing. As a result of that I had a young lady who was placed in my class. She was involved in the band and often had a hard time hearing in general and early on she was showing signs of frustration because of this issue. As a means of modification we developed a system of non-verbal signals that we used as an entire class so that she could express her needs without feeling like she was getting special attention. It is important to note that she was very shy and uncomfortable receiving special attention. Additionally, I would make sure to look her way when giving specific instructions so that she was able to read my lips. Lastly, she was assigned with a buddy of her choice. The buddy was located immediately to her right (her better working ear) and would relay any missed information to her if specifically asked by the student who is D/HH. |
6/3/2016
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Lee Commander
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One Strategy that could easily be used in my Band Class is using self-assessment as a tool. A great deal of student's in my symphonic band are well aware of when they make a mistake and more specifically what the mistake was. On top of being able to help generate their own successes by allowing them a chance to learn and adapt to the material on their own, it would increase productivity within class.
Another tool would be a Learning Contract. In a course like Keyboard it would be very easy for a student to need to work at a pace that is acceptable to their own level of learning. Additionally, it may mean that several students are in different places within course. A Learning Contract will limit the amount of time they have to work on each of their assessments but also give students an opportunity to explore and learn creatively that will continue to inspire them musically. |
6/3/2016
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Lee Commander
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Most recently I had a student who came in and mentioned to me that he had some social anxieties and playing in front of his colleagues was a trigger. In order to better accommodate the students I had made an arrangement with the student before hand. I would have the class play their scales in trios and then no one would know if he did not play with them. Then, he would come see me after school or during lunch and he would play the scale test for me in order to better test his understanding of the concepts. |