3/14/2018
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
j vizzi
|
I had a wonderful student in my studio class. She had a brain tumor which had been surgically removed. This surgery affected her speech, coordination and motor skills. She was a very determined girl and wouldn't allow her disability to stop her. To top it all, she wanted to come to school, her parents were willing to hire a tutor and didn't demand her to come to school. I met with her and together we developed a program and approach to the class. She loved the arts and would work for hours doing drawings and watercolors. She came to work during lunch and at any free time that she had. She also created poetry and tried to work her poems into her drawings. The other kids loved her positive approach and helped her with whatever she needed. She gave me one of her poems which I still have.
edited by j vizzi on 3/14/2018
edited by j vizzi on 3/14/2018 |
3/14/2018
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
j vizzi
|
I think that the tiered lessons is a valid approach to teach to a group of students that have many differences such as age, background and skills.As an art teacher, I found my classes full of diverse groups of children. Adapting the specific lesson to the student as needed, allows for such diversity. I think that it would help the student to know that he/she has a lesson specifically tailored to his/her needs and background. I particularly like graphic organizers. Since I am a visual learner, I encourage the students to use the different visual organizers provided to better understand and breakdown the nature of the assignment. These tools not only help to understand the material but also help when reviewing if they need to do final assessments. |
3/14/2018
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
j vizzi
|
I had a student with muscular dystrophy who had trouble with her motor functions particularly walking. She also would get very tired. We did a pre-assessment of her condition, ability and comprehension. She was able to do most of the work but needed extra time with her work and a slow and clear presentation of the material with lots of visual representations and repetition. Once she was on task, she did well. Visual Arts is particularly effective in dealing with the disability since she could work for longer periods, do series of works and maintain a sketchbook of her ideas and images. This approach also helped with the ongoing assessment since I was there to encourage, direct and monitor the work. If she needed extra time, she could come at different times in the day, depending on her schedule and work at her own speed. I was very pleased to see that this extra time and accommodation gave her an inner courage and satisfaction and she was very pleased with the work she created. |