8/31/2022
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Audrey Schmidt
|
I have taught our ACCESS Theatre class for the past four years, this is the class that caters to our students with disabilities on a modified curriculum. I have had the privilege of teaching a couple of these students for two years. One that stands out to me is a student with a severe visual impairment, orthopedic impairment, speech impairment, and an intellectual disability. On the surface so many people would assume this student would not thrive in a theatre environment. However, this student still enjoys, participates, and learns with us every step of the way. On choreography days we present the movement on a large screen in the auditorium and he is on the front row, with a traditional student directly in front of him doing the choreography so he can follow along. We help him problem solve to find ways to adapt the movement to account for his physical restrictions while still telling the story of the song. During improv games he sometimes just needs help staying focused and reminding him when its his turn to contribute in a large group setting. Repetition of an activity has been so important for him to master the skill- so we often repeat and come back to many of the same acting exercises- and over the last two years to see his growth and development in these acting skills as it becomes part of his daily routine has been amazing. |
12/21/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Audrey Schmidt
|
I have a student in my Improv acting/ACCESS class that is non-verbal. For his performance grade I always make sure to include him in improv exercises that are physical movement based so he can find a way to perform that allows him to be successful. He is still able to create a story, implement many performance standards, and perform in front of an audience without allowing his disability to keep him from performing. |
12/21/2022
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Audrey Schmidt
|
One of my students is legally blind. So for musical theatre it was very difficult for her to read the small print on the music scores. Working with our vision specialist we found an awesome tool that digitally magnified that score for her and allowed her to still view the music as a whole. The only tricky thing was reminding her to charge the device before every rehearsal so that the battery charge would last the whole rehearsal period. The discovery of the devise ended up helping her in all of her classes and is now something she uses every day. |