3/18/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Jill Neron
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I currently have several students with emotional/behavioral disabilities. I find that sometimes these students get very emotional or upset, often by something unrelated to our music work, but it will cause them to have an outburst and prevent them from participating in class with us. Sometimes, if the activity seems to challenging or they don't feel that they can be successful at it, they instead act out. Other times, there might be a concern over following the rules of the activity, and not doing it the way that they think is right. To help these students be successful, I will provide them with preferential seating (either close to the teacher or away from distractions) and allow them to have a space in the room where they can go if they need a break from the activity if they feel over stimulated or upset. I provide visuals (pictures, listening maps) as appropriate and allow students to modify their physical movements and/or method of participation as necessary. Peer supports are also used as appropriate, although some of the students prefer and do best when working on their own. I also make it a point to praise any and all positive contributions to our class and work and encourage them to try their personal best. |
3/27/2022
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Jill Neron
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The two strategies that I would like to implement in my classroom are cubing and discovery. While several of the cubing components are already a natural part of my lessons and teaching, I would like to focus more on the "analysis" and "synthesis" components. I feel that diving deeper into the topic to break it down and analyze in greater detail, as well as consider the contradictions would be a better way to engage the gifted population in my classroom. I find that I frequently focus my attention on the students who are struggling in class and often provide simplified and scaffolded tasks, but need to remind myself that it is also important to stretch the lessons for those students who are more advanced in their skills and are able to engage in more higher- level thinking tasks. Providing those students with the opportunity (and time) to analyse and consider the controductions will allow for greater engagement and other perspectives, that will in turn benefit all students in the class.
Additionally, I really liked the example provided for discovery and introducing the drum to the class. The describe it, compare it, associate it, analyze it and apply it tend to happen naturally in the lessons, although I like the intentional order and framework of completing those tasks in one succinct activity. The component that I would like to include more of is the "argue for or against it" by providing the students with a statement, such as the suggested "drums sound beautiful" and allowing each student the opportunity to form their own opinion, support it and share their ideas with others. While great to implement at all grade levels, I am especially interested in adding this to my primary (K-2) lessons as it will increase individual student participation, engagement and ownership of the learning in the lesson topic.
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3/27/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Jill Neron
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Within a given class, I usually have several students with disabilities, including emotional/behavior disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, an intellectual disability, visual impairments and ADHD and ADD. In planning lessons, I try to keep our routine the same so that students know what to expect within the class and when each component will occur. I use a multi- sensory approach, so that students can demonstrate their knowledge in a way that plays to their strengths and abilities. For example, while completing vocal exploration tasks and assessments, I will include visuals and ask students to gesture to show the path of the pitch, that way students who might struggle to replicate the pitch through singing, may visual show its direction through movement and gestures and/or identify the correct visual model. I follow a similar approach with lessons on form, where students are assessed through listening, singing, movement and written methods with additional modifications as necessary, so that all students can demonstrate their knowledge and feel successful. |