1/14/2021
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Rebekah Gaylor
|
A few years ago I had a student that lost a hand in an accident at a very young age. She loved music, especially singing. But could not play instruments like the other students. I made simple accomodations for her such as using a single mallet rather than two mallets for barred instruments. She used a lanyard to hold her recorder and played what notes she could with one hand. She was very aware of the difference between her abilities and those of her peers. To avoid embarrassing her or making her uncomfortable, I usually adapted an instrument part for her and taught it to the whole class as if it were part of the original arrangement. Then she and a few others would play the part that had been adapted for her. I never singled her out infront of her peers. |
1/14/2021
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Rebekah Gaylor
|
I also have a student with cerebral palsy. He does not use a wheel chair but has similar problems with his hands. I had not thought of giving him smaller mallets, but I will try that with him this week. Thanks for the great idea!
Ann McFall wrote:
I currently teach a student with cerebral palsy. The student is in a wheelchair that has a table top attached to it so it acts like a desk. In my music classroom she has a paraprofessional that helps her one on one. The biggest accommodation I make each week is with instrument usage. The student's hand muscles are rigid, so she uses tiny glockenspiel mallets so that they will fit in her hand. The xylophone or glockenspiel sits on her wheelchair desk so she is able to see the instrument close up. She is unable to hold anything in her right hand, therefore I modify her instrumental part so she is successful with one mallet.
The student sits close to the front of the room due to poor vision. Anytime she works with the SMARTboard in my room I read and point to the questions and answers so that she is able to successfully choose the correct answer. Cerebral Palsy has affected her hearing a little as well and I make sure that she is close to the sound system or that I sing/give instructions near her so that she is able to hear and understand what is being asked of her. I normally say directions twice so that all students understand, but sometimes this students requests to hear the instructions 3 or more times.
When working in groups, I will modify the assignment for all students in her group. I will break the assignment down into smaller pieces, give extended time if needed, and I will assign the group an instrument to play that they are ALL successful at performing. |
1/14/2021
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Rebekah Gaylor
|
I love that the other students celebrated his success with you. It just goes to show that children are capable of being accepting and kind if they are taught the right way!
Zadda Bazzy wrote:
Several years ago I taught a student with autism. He was easily overstimulated by the sounds in the elementary music classroom and our many movement activities. It was not unusual for him to make loud noises and hide under the furniture when he could not handle the stimuli. His teacher gave him noise cancelling headphones for music class. In addition, I gave him a special place at the far corner of the music class where he could go if he needed to get away from the noise or movement. In addition, I featured this student during singing activities. He loved to sing -- especially into a microphone -- and he matched pitch very well. The class and I celebrated his strengths in music class, as well as allowed him to modify his participation in certain activities that overstimulated him. |
1/14/2021
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Rebekah Gaylor
|
The first strategy I chose was the use of Graphic Organizers like the Venn Diagram. One of the standards I teach is to compare the musical styles of important composers. After introducing the music of two different composers, I would allow students to complete a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast their musical styles. This would benefit various types of learners by allowing them to organize their thinking in a visual way.
The second strategy I chose was Task Analysis. I would have students identify the steps for learning and rehearsing a song on the ukulele. Students could work in groups to create a poster with steps listed and/or illustrated in order. Once students have identified the steps needed, they can utilize their task analysis to complete the task of learning a new song within their small group. This would provide students with the opportunity to break a task into smaller, more manageable chunks as well as have a visual representation of the task to guide/support their learning process. |
1/14/2021
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Rebekah Gaylor
|
For a student who was not physically able to hold a pencil and record answers to an assessment, I adapted his assessment on classifying percussion instruments. Rather that drawing instruments in the correct area of a graphic organizer, the student was provided with small pictures of instruments and allowed to indicate where he would like to place each instrument. His classroom assistant helped him to glue the pictures in the place of his choice. |