1/28/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
NICOLE GREGGS
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I currently teach PK-5th grades, including 4 cluster classes of EBD students. We have quite a lot of other disabilities in the general population. ranging from speech & Language to SWD to OHI. The first time a student with Autism told me, "F--- you!" I was completely taken aback. At that point in my career I had never had a student say that to me, and I fought the urge to react as I would with my own typical child. Instead, I simply stated that his words were not an appropriate way to express his anger and frustration, that they were disrespectful, and that he instead should say something like, "I don't think I can do that, it's too hard, help me, show me, give me something easier." He eventually learned to use language that said what he meant, and he was able to participate fully in music classes, as he wore noise-canceling headphones. |
1/28/2023
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
NICOLE GREGGS
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Our school has many students with special needs, over 30% overall, I believe, since we house 4 EBD cluster classes in a school of about 560 students. One way I have used technology to meet the needs of all my students with disabilities in my music classroom is to give music quizzes online on Canvas, rather than on paper. I can record myself reading each question with answers for those who have difficulty reading. Correct answers are set to appear after the quiz is submitted, and students can then see what they missed and why. I set up each question to show either "good job!" or give the reason WHY a selected answer choice was incorrect. I set the quiz options so that students can then retake the quiz up to 3 times (or sometimes unlimited times) to achieve their best score. I like that kids get immediate feedback when they finish the task, as opposed to having to wait 4 school days for the next music class to find out how they did. Also, the computer grades and records achievement, saving me tons of time. I have found all of my students enjoy and learn a lot from this approach and do not experience test anxiety nearly as much as with a one-time pass or fail test. They see it as more of a game. Although a few cheat by memorizing answers, overall when I double-check scores by having student conversations, most of them have truly learned from the experience. |
1/28/2023
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
NICOLE GREGGS
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- When teaching recorder to students with disabilities, I find several students can't remember the fingerings for the various notes, or to use their left hand on top. So, I label the holes with the letter names (using a Sharpie marker) so that they can only see the letters if their left hand is on top. Also, for playing tests, instead of playing an entire song, as I would ask a typical student to do, I ask for only a small section of the song under study. If the student can show they know the notes with a steady tempo (no matter how slow), they pass that level. I also post the recorder fingering charts on the wall in my classroom so students can refer to them when they warm up.
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