11/4/2021
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Margaret Peacock
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I had a high school student who was fully wheelchair bound and he LOVED theatre. I will call him "Joe" to respond more personally. Joe was enthusiastic and did not have a shy bone in his body. I have no doubt that his "extravert" personality contributed a lot to his success in theatre class, and his success in school in general. Our theatre classes are very physical and very active and Joe participated in every activity we had in class. We always start class with a physical and vocal warm-up, and in my planning notes, I always had an accomodation ready for Joe's participation, depending on the warm-up we were using that day. If I could not figure out an accomodation for a warm-up, I did not use it for this particular class. During warm-ups, Joe had help from me, and he had a regular group of students who "manned" his wheelchair if he needed help with mobility. I also set up a script holding system so that when Joe was rehearsing scenes, he could attach his script to his wheelchair, and use his hands to move and gesture as needed. I also had his acting partners seated, when appropriate, so that Joe and his partner(s) had direct eye contact in order to enhance the emotional aspects of a scene. We made sure our theatre room had access space for Joe's wheelchair so that he could (with the help of a backstage person) navigate successful entrances and exits through the drapes. I tried my best to get Joe to audition for our yearly musical, but he was unable to arrange after school transportation with his family. He would have been an awesome addition to our show. |
1/11/2022
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Margaret Peacock
|
There are two strategies that I use a lot in my classroom, not only for my students with disabilities, but for all my learners. I find that most all of my learners react positively to these two strategies, and they have become fluent in their use due to their familiarity.
1. Peer partners are used regularly in my theatre class. Most tasks that my students are presented with involve the choice of a partner or the assignment of a partner. I try to pair students based on their ability, their knowledge of the subject or task, and their "helpfulness" quotient. I also try to pair students who are more outgoing with those who are less so. There is a level of comfort in having a partner supporting you, regardless of the task assigned.
2. I also use task cards, especially when introducing a new topic in class. They are created based on differing levels of skill and background knowledge, and I find that they help to keep the students very focused on the task at hand. Redirecting becomes much easier when the task is written down, and is the only thing in front of them. |
1/11/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Margaret Peacock
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In my HS theatre class I had a student on the autism spectrum who was extremely shy and did not want to perform, in any way, in front of the class. he and I had a long discussion about how I would assess his monologue work. He actually suggested that he video tape his work and send it to me via my school email. His only request was that I not share it with any other student. This accomodation work so well for us that I have continued to use this with other students with the same level of success. Interestingly, these students, by the end of the year, are often comfortable enough with their classmates and with me, that they begin to do some of their performance work in class. I highly recommend this accomodation if at all possible. |