4/28/2021
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Zela Henderson
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* Think of a student with a disability you have now or in the past. Describe ways in which their disability affected their learning in your class.
When I was at the high school level, I remember having a student with ASD in my art classes three of his four years in high school. Initially things were a little rocky because my classes were large and noisy, but I quickly made necessary adjustments so that things would go better for everyone. My classes were already combination classes of beginning art and advanced placement art, so the students in the beginning art classes would work at the tables of six while the advanced students would work at the tall tables with their backs to the wall. These tall tables were a place of importance in the room.
In the beginning, J would randomly scream out and wander around the room like he was trying to figure out where he should be. There were also specific words that would really set him off. It took a couple of weeks to figure out that J needed to sit at the tall tables so that he could have more space to work and not be bombarded by other students constantly trying to talk to him. That was a major turning point for J because not only did it make him feel special but it also put him in a more favorable light with the other students because they could see his ability to focus on his artwork and stay with it until it was amazing. He inspired others to work hard and create beautiful artwork. J's artwork was always in the art shows because it was that good! His parents even created note cards with his art on them. They sold them and gave the proceeds to help other children with ASD.
I stay in touch with his mom on Facebook, and I'm always so happy to see things are going great! |
4/29/2021
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Zela Henderson
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Describe how two of the strategies discussed could potentially be implemented in your classroom. Be sure to identify the two strategies by name and describe how they could be used to address the needs of a student with a disability.
At least two or more of the strategies discussed in this class will be implemented in my art classes. The two that appeal to me the most would be the Graphic Organizers and Cubing. I already use Thinking Maps on a regular basis, so adding Graphic Organizers to my tool kit would be a logical addition. Venn Diagrams would be great for color theory and Story Maps would be extremely helpful with art criticism. On the other hand, Cubing would be totally new to me so I know that I will need to put more thought into how I will use this strategy. Already, I am thinking Cubing would be a great way to explore famous artwork, and it would also be an ideal way to introduce an upcoming art project. Students could choose one of four works of art provided, and work with other classmates who have chosen the same artwork to answer the questions on the cube. Then they could put this information into a PowerPoint Presentation to share with the rest of the class. Then, they could create their own artwork in the fashion of the famous work of art. I can't believe I've never thought about doing this at the elementary level. These strategies have the potential to be game changing! I'm so glad I am taking this class!!! |
4/29/2021
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Zela Henderson
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Describe an example of adapted assessment you have successfully used in the fine arts classroom for students with disabilities.
In my art classes at the high school level, students were required to participate in the oral and/or written critiques of student artwork displayed on a large wall in the classroom. Students with disabilities as well as other students who for one reason or another did not want to speak during the oral critique (which was in front of the entire class) were always allowed to write their critiques and let someone else read it for them. Sometimes I would let students work in groups of two or three to write a group critique and let one person be the spokesperson. I remember one year I had a student with selective mutism. In the beginning of the year, she would even turn her chair around backwards and sit looking away from the class when we did the critiques. Slowly but surely, the accommodations I made helped her make friends in the class and become confident enough to softly whisper to the other students at her table. By the end of the year, she and her artwork improved greatly. At the beginning of the year, her artwork could barely be seen because she drew so softly, but the positive feedback she heard about her artwork during the critiques helped her work more boldly. I remember that she smiled so much that second semester. |