7/9/2023
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Kellen Mills
|
Tyler (not his real name) is on the spectrum and also has dysgraphia. He is a delightful and enthusiastic student and, having successfully completed Art 1 in 6th grade, joined Art 2 for 7th grade. For the concept maps (vocab in graphic format) at the beginning of each unit, using a light table to trace the words and shapes into his sketchbook worked very well. He was able to do all the assignments in Art 1 through chunking and one-on-one assistance to help with measuring and basic skills. We took each project one step at a time with frequent feedback and some modifications.
He loves Mario Brothers and we used that as the basis for Tyler's projects where students selected something to draw from observation in Art 2. For a lesson where students drew a composition and used monochromatic scale to shade in the shapes, Tyler used the light table to trace a black and white line image of Mario and then shaded in blue colored pencil, one value at a time to make 5 shades, with frequent coaching. This was a lead to a more advanced project where students gridded a subject, gridded drawing paper twice the size and followed the grid to make their drawings accurate in proportion and shading. He picked another Mario character for this and I coached him through the gridding process for the image and the paper, holding the ruler while he drew the lines. (All the students practiced on a small "mystery grid" puzzle beforehand and he was able to do that with pretty good success; some lines were out of place but the image was overall intact.) The larger drawing was very challenging for him but he was able to manage by using a simple black and white contour instead of a grayscale image. He finished earlier than his peers, but was thrilled with his results and the whole class clapped for him. He ended up eagerly doing two more while his classmates continued their projects and even developed some independence in his gridding.
Since he does finish early, I encourage him to do extra credit art that can be posted on Artsonia, an online student art website we use and he loves that. For our still life painting project, I used the same strategies of one on one, step by step demonstration and instruction. I also used "I do, you do, we do", painting a separate and similar painting alongside him. I look forward to having him in Art 3 next year!
Finally I'd like to mention that helping the general ed students understand a student's particular foibles is very important. Tyler, being on the spectrum, is very concerned about "the rules", so this was a bit annoying to some students because if someone came in late or said a bad word, he was quick to point out the infraction loudly to me for the whole class to hear. When he was absent one day I took the opportunity to help the class understand this characteristic as on the spectrum and they stopped reacting defensively, eventually becoming his enthusiastic and supportive art fans. I believe one of the great things about the arts is being able to have some students for all three of their middle school years; you can get to know them really well and build on strategies that are supportive and successful. This is also conducive to a classroom culture of respect, inclusion and collaboration.
edited by Kellen Mills on 7/9/2023
edited by Kellen Mills on 7/9/2023 |
7/9/2023
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Kellen Mills
|
I use a graphic organizer at the beginning of each unit on the Elements of Art to introduce students to the vocabulary for the concept. Each student is required to have their own sketchbook (and I provide one for students who need a "scholarship" for their individual supplies). They copy the concept map into their sketchbooks and layout the "set up" for the creative assignment they will do before we have our class discussion (organized around a Google Slides presentation). All students benefit from the visual organization of main ideas and they also have an opportunity to get extra credit points by adding creative interpretations of the concepts. The kinesthetic activity of copying the map primes them for the content and also serves as a review for them in their own sketchbook process. Students with dysgraphia trace the map into their sketchbooks on a light table which helps them practice fine motor skills and enhances pride in their product.
I use the mnemonic "ROY G BIV" to introduce the colors of the light spectrum and color theory. This is particularly helpful with understanding the order of colors as it relates to analogous and temperature color relationships and gives them an anchor for understanding the other color relationships. I teach the student managers who help with preparing paint boxes for our projects to put them in ROYGBIV order so that the understanding is reinforced visually as they are painting. This helps all students learn but I think is particularly helpful for students with memory processing disabilities and assists with organizing understanding of color relationships. I made an anchor chart of ROY G BIV (the letters are in the colors they represent) on the wall of my classroom under the color wheel and we reference it often, calling out the color names in order in unison during the introduction of Color.
I make use of anchor charts to reinforce gateway skills, these are posters I've made such as; "Draw light till you know it's right!" and the gateway painting habits of "Control the Flow, Get the Point and Outline and Fill In. We practice these skills together in Art 1 as "I do, you do, we do" activities and the posters help reinforce fundamental skills. I do believe that Universal Design provides a framework for all students to learn and be successful. |
7/9/2023
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Kellen Mills
|
One of the great advantages of being a studio art teacher is that "a picture is worth a thousand words". In a very short period of time I am able to assess a student's skill level by looking at their drawing skills in their sketchbooks and decide what strategies will support them. Through sequential sketchbook lessons and activities I am able to monitor progress and provide feedback. We have ongoing sketchbook check ins during class activities and projects where I can identify areas of difficulty and help with strategies to achieve the learning targets. All assignments are sequential within a unit as formative skillbuilding, culminating in a final, summative assessment. This works for gifted as well as students with disabilities because I can adapt or modify the assignment for increasing or decreasing complexity but still maintain the learning target for all students.
One illustration of a modification of complexity I made this year was for one of my autistic students with dysgraphia. He did not have the motor skills to be able to make 5 shades of grayscale, but he was able to graph lines on his paper with assistance and follow the grid to create a line drawing twice the size of the original picture that was a great likeness and of which he felt very proud. The selection of a line drawing was a modification, since the other students were working from photographs, but it was an appropriate choice for him. (We did try a grayscale cartoon and he just could not seem to process that much information. The modification was a result of our problem solving assessment of making a more appropriate choice together.) Since he finished his drawing well before the other students did, he was eager to try another one and ended up doing three. By the third one he had gained a great deal more independence in measuring skills and was very happy with his success. He was very proud, and the whole class affirmed his accomplishment by applauding for him.
Although he did not "perform" at the same level as his peers, he did perform at a high level for his prior experience and accomplishment. I think it was important to work through the process with him and discover together what his appropriate challenge would be. It felt collaborative and was a real learning process for both of us. I would not have had that experience if I just decided ahead of time that he couldn't do the assignment and gave him something too easy or unrelated. Formative assessment is an invaluable tool to use for all students and I believe maybe especially for students who are struggling with disabilities because it provides us with the information we need to continuously meet them where they are and help them stretch further into gains that help them have an authentic experience of learning. Those endorphins are a happy experience for all of us! |