6/24/2019
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Johanna Broihahn
|
For two semesters, I taught a young lady who struggled with depression and anxiety disorder (classified as Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities under IDEA). She had an unstable home life, and due to her parents’ divorce, was often pulled between two big cities. Because of this, she was often absent from school and when she was in school, she often isolated herself. She would frequently ask to go to the bathroom and sometimes stay there the whole period. She preferred to sit in the corner seat, and although she would do individual work, she struggled to participate in group work activities such as improv games, warm-ups, and skits.
Because theater is such a performance-based course, I had to find a way for her to still show understanding in a way that was comfortable for her. Because she had taken my class before, and my curriculum is the same each semester, I decided to try and give her a small leadership role with a girl who sat next to her (who was very shy). For projects, I would pair these two girls up together, with the hope that she would feel comfortable with this partner and take on more of the responsibility. During my observations, I saw some small achievements like standing up in class to perform a skit, or extra effort on a project. In addition to this, I made accommodations on days she wasn’t feeling up to anything, such as letting her write a story or draw a scene, instead of acting it out. Each day was unique, and as her teacher, I made choices based on what she was capable of that day. |
6/24/2019
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Johanna Broihahn
|
Working with students who are hearing impaired in your particular subject must be challenging, but the accommodations you make are awesome! I especially like the fact that you provide recordings of their work to send home as feedback.
KAREN ROMINE wrote:
I have a couple of students who are hearing impaired and I teach Chorus. It affects the class in that if the student is unable to hear the music, it makes pitch matching, improvising harmonies and many other elements of this performance based class difficult for all concerned. One thing I always do is make sure that they are close to the source of the music...whether that be an instrument, a person or a speaker. Another thing I do is surround them with strong singers so that they are encompassed by the sound. Finally, I have worked with students privately after school to help them with pitch matching and recognition incorporating hand signs to communicate pitch directionality and specific interval sizes. I also provide recordings of their voice part, the accompaniment and the voice parts of all the other singers to allow them to practice at home. |
7/22/2019
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Johanna Broihahn
|
Option 1: Two strategies that I found to be the most effective and flexible in my classroom are graphic organizers and reflection strategies.
I often make my own graphic organizers for my students so that it relates to the current play we are reading and analyzing. Our Shakespeare unit is usually the hardest to master, especially with the difficult language. I create story maps for the students so that we can break down each scene together, focusing on sequence of events, but also characters and their relationships. At the end of the play, students have a “cheat sheet” for each specific scene to help them study. This helps all students, especially those with processing issues and students with ADD/ADHD who need help with organization.
One of the most important skills an artist needs to grow and become successful is the ability to self-reflect and adjust their work. After my groups have finished presenting their skits- I often ask them first about how they felt about the performance. I ask them to evaluate themselves on a scale of 1-5 and give a reason for their response. I ask students to do this individually, on a post-it note so they do not have to share with the class and I can give feedback to them in a more private way. This helps struggling students who are nervous in front of their peers or those students who need positive encouragement. |
7/22/2019
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Johanna Broihahn
|
I have a similar final unit for my Theater students, but I never thought about using task analysis in a more direct way to help students reach that final goal. Awesome recommendation!
Roxane Caravan wrote:
Option 1 Response:
My final unit in my Theatre I class is to write and produce a play in a cooperative group setting. This can be an overwhelming and daunting task for any student when presented with the assignment, particularly for students with disabilities. By implementing Task Analysis, which breaks down the complex task into smaller steps or sequences, students are able to see the page to stage process of writing and producing a play in a more manageable way. This enables students with varying disabilities from Autism Spectrum, Emotional/Behavioral, Language, etc. an opportunity to utilize Chaining in order to successfully manage the assignment. Since the students are also working cooperatively, it enables students with varying gifts within a troupe to come together during the course of the assignment by pooling their talent and resources in writing, acting, directing, and all aspects of tech including costume design, lighting, sound, props, set and producing a playbill for their production. Students of all abilities can find an area of interest where they can be a contributing member of their troupe. This all being done in a methodical manner to show how the process of page to stage works and Task Analysis and Chaining pretty much is a textbook approach to this process. |
7/23/2019
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Johanna Broihahn
|
Response to Option 1:
I have great success using response cards in my classroom when I find that some of my students with attention disorders are having a hard time focusing and need a break to talk and engage. I will pause the lesson, split the class into small groups of 3 or 4, and quickly pass out a white board and markers to each group. Then, I will ask questions based on what we just learned, giving groups time to talk and discuss before writing down their response. I count down from 5 and on “5”, groups hold up their responses. This allows me to give immediate feedback but it also gives those students a break from the lesson and time to talk with peers about the material.
I also use alternative assessments with students who are extremely shy and uncomfortable talking in front of others, or may have a speech impairment. Instead of working in small groups to make a skit (which would require them to act in front of the class), I allow these students to show their understanding by drawing a picture or writing a response. They are still showcasing their understanding, but in a way that’s more comfortable for them. |
7/23/2019
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Johanna Broihahn
|
I love that theater allowed this student the opportunity to work with other peers and also showcase his talents! The fact that he was still able to be held accountable for the costume project, but adapt it to his level and interest (I'm assuming he liked superheroes) was a great idea.
Barbie Spears wrote:
Option 1: Provide/Describe one or more examples of adapted or alternative assessments you have successfully used in the classroom for students with disabilities. Be sure to identify the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
Last year I taught a 9th grade student with Down's Syndrome who was in a self-contained classroom. His mom asked if he could leave one period a day to join my Theatre I class. He had severe learning challenges but he was fun and enthusiastic. He was successful during the Pantomime Unit and the first Acting Scene. His mom and other teachers were very excited to learn that he could remember lines when I prompted him. One successful alternative assessment was when I was teaching costume design. The students in the classroom were studying Elizabethan costume and designing their own creations. I used the exact same design criteria and asked him to design a superhero costume. He identified different parts of the costume (mask, boots, belt) and explained how the costume made the character "powerful." |