3/25/2022
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Brandie King
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- My Most extream experience was several years ago. I had a kindergarten student who came to us with unidentified disabilities. Suspected ASD. He had not been in preschool. His vocabulary was limited, he had difficulty remaining focused and seemed in his own word oblivious of his environment or purpose of the classroom setting. While I was teaching, he would wonder, turn the water faucet on and off repeatedly and climb on furniture, which became dangerous! At first the other children were distracted by his behavior. We worked with the class to be accepting of his challenges and soon they learned to focus on the lessons instead of him. I would attempt to redirect him to join us, but it was a struggle. Most of the time I was just making sure he did not hurt himself. Within the first two weeks of school the process began to identify his disabilities and create the pathways to help him. There were manipulatives to engage him. Smaller hands-on tasks. The process was lengthy. In the end, a school specializing in his specific needs was available and his family enrolled him after the first semester.
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3/25/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Brandie King
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- My most extream experience was several years ago, I had a kindergarten student who came to us with unidentified disabilities. Suspected ASD. He had not been in preschool. His vocabulary was limited, he had difficulty remaining focused and seemed in his own word oblivious of his environment or purpose of the classroom setting. While I was teaching, he would wonder, turn the water faucet on and off repeatedly and climb on furniture, which became dangerous! At first the other children were distracted by his behavior. We worked with the class to be accepting of his challenges and soon they learned to focus on the lessons instead of him. I would attempt to redirect him to join us, but it was a struggle. Most of the time I was just making sure he did not hurt himself. Within the first two weeks of school the process began to identify his disabilities and create the pathways to help him. There were manipulatives to engage him. Smaller hands-on tasks. The process was lengthy. In the end, a school specializing in his specific needs was available and his family enrolled him after the first semester.
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3/25/2022
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Brandie King
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Elementary visual art has not been provided computers or iPads “YET”. I am hopeful that this will be happening soon. I have not had a student who required technology accommodations. This year I have been part of an ongoing process working with a student with behavior/emotional disorders. He is new to our
school and in the 4th grade. He has been to several school and just this year changed classes once already. During my classes he would lash out, cause disruption to the point the class would be ready to go after him. Separating him seemed to be the only way to calm the increasing frenzy. Once he was alone, he was calm, responsive, and even pleasant. The entire team was at a loss. There was a suggestion that sound, the bantering of other students was setting him off. I had him bring in his own earbuds and gave him an MP3 player. He now puts on the music when he enters the room. Listens to the directions. Then when it is time, goes back to listening while he is working. The music drowns out he sounds of the classroom. He has been more successful at completing his assignments and I have had more success in teaching the entire class. |
3/25/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Brandie King
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- I would consider my class a performance/production class. We say learning to create and creating to learn. Many of my students with disabilities thrive in this environment. I have had one student since kindergarten who is autistic. Let’s call him Al. Over time he has grown and thrived in this environment. His fine motor skills were an issue. He would become frustrated using scissors. I would reposition his fingers and help him. The skill was not to cut but to create a picture using freeform and geometric shapes. The modification to grading was reduced to the completion of one object. He was able to complete the assignment successfully by making a car.
- I have another student, Joey. His artwork is always well done. In my classes artist statements and various forms of writing are used to demonstrate understanding once the visual image has been completed. He becomes anxious when asked to complete a writing assignment and extra time means he misses out on more attractive activities. As a result, Joey gives very little effort and his responses are not legible. I have worked with his teacher and our ESE specialist to find the best modify for his demonstration of understanding. He is allowed to read out his answers/paragraph to me. He does in fact understand and I accept a verbal response as a modification. I have shared that I believe a talk to text app would be helpful as he progresses into middle school.
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