2/7/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Tristi Wren
|
I taught a student several years back who had Cerebral palsy and walked with braces on her legs and used crutches on her arms. Though her movement was limited, she participated in every movement activity I facilitated. Many times I would simply replace jumps in the movement activity with sways or other movement that she could do more easily. She never seemed discouraged and always had a smile on her face. She could play mallet instruments or drums from a seated position and enjoyed doing so. Though she had trouble with speech, she matched pitch beautifully and was always on of my best singers. |
2/18/2022
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Tristi Wren
|
A strategy that I find particularly helpful in the music room is cooperative learning through peer partners. I see first hand that all students learn differently, whether they have a disability or not. When demonstrating melodic direction or when trying to clap rhythms, working with a partner helps the students to learn from each other by seeing the steps each partner does. Sometimes a student does something differently that really resonates with the struggling student. I find learning from a peer can be less intimidating than trying to learn from me.
The second strategy that is vital in music is task analysis. Breaking down the huge task into more manageable chunks promotes success. When teaching recorder, we first read and clap the rhythm. Then we speak the letter names in rhythm. Next, we add moving our fingers on the correct pitches while speaking the letter names in rhythm. Finally, we play the phrase. After we have done this as a whole, the students practice in small groups (cooperative learning) until they feel they have mastered the phrase. |
2/18/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Tristi Wren
|
I taught a student with cerebral palsy who was unable to write due to lack of fine motor skills in her hands. When writing melody, the rest of the class used staff paper and a pencil. To accommodate my student and her disability, I provided a large laminated staff and notehead manipulatives that allowed her to place the notes in the correct place on the staff to demonstrate her understanding. She was able to show her work to her peers, and since she was very good at singing and melody, it was helpful for the class as a whole to see her answers. |