2/21/2021
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Tom Alvarez
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Years ago, when I was teaching elementary school, I had a student - we'll call him Jeff - who was physically impaired. He was in fifth grade. He had difficulty speaking and was confined to a wheelchair. His mind was totally active but he was deteriorating as time went on. It was very difficult to watch. When I first me Jeff, I didn't know he was fully cognitive and just treated him as if he didn't understand me. As time went on and I learned from other teachers about Jeff, I started talking with him and joking with him as if he was a regular student. He would laugh and bounce around as if he was having a great time in my class. To accommodate his learning, I would use masking tape to hold his paper down onto the table so that it wouldn't move when he drew. I would give him special "fat" crayons that had a flat side to them so they wouldn't roll off the table. It was easier for him to hold than a regular crayon because of the size of the crayon. I would do this with all the materials that had "fat" ones available such as markers, brushes, etc. It ability was no more than scribbling on his paper but he worked so hard to get that scribble the way he wanted it that you can see the effort that he put into his work. Jeff never received anything less than an "A" for his work because he tried so hard and I was so proud of him. |
3/6/2021
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Tom Alvarez
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The one main way that I use technology in my classroom to help students with disabilities learn better and faster is by using a projector, screen, and computer to project videos that I have created myself teaching my subject. This is extremely effective because of the fact that I can zoom in on objects such as coil pots or painting techniques and allow the students to see in great detail how the application works in real life. By utilizing the video camera, I can record just about any information that I wish to share with my students. The great thing about this is that while the students are following along with me in the video, I am free to traverse the classroom and individually help students that are struggling with the project at hand. This allows me to be in two places at one time. Since I don't have any type of paraprofessionals to help me in my classroom, the use of video and roaming the classroom is a huge plus in having the students better understand the lesson and process of art creation. |
3/16/2021
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Tom Alvarez
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I currently have many students with disabilities. One of the most common learning strategies on their IEPs is extra time. This can work for just about any student in the fine arts. There are those visual arts students that are naturally quick with their ability to create a finished piece of artwork and then there are those that are naturally slow. The quality of work doesn't change. It is all very well done. It's just that some students are slower than others. However, having said that, there are reasons that a student would need more time to complete a work of art. I have one student who is blind in one eye and has difficulty seeing in the other eye. She is extremely talented when it comes to creating artwork. I did not know this fact at first and would give her the same amount of time as the other students. She never seemed to finish her work and her grades suffered for it. It only came to my attention one day at an IEP meeting that she had this visual handicap. When I gave her extra time, her work was completed and it was stunning to look at. I was so upset that I wasn't told earlier by the student or the school that she had a handicap. Now that I know, I can assess her work on a more equal scale than I did before. |