ith a studied and compassionate approach, a teacher can increase the potential for a student to achieve and demonstrate understanding at a level closer to his or her aptitude.
The keyword here is compassionate. A teacher has many responsibilities, and at times it can be overwhelming. Bottom line is you are there to help the students.
In general, we were very fortunate that Hollie attended an outstanding elementary school with a caring staff and an approachable administration.
Hollie was very privileged to have attended an elementary school with good administration and approachable staff. I feel sadness for underserved schools and Title I districts that may not be able to help their students the same way.
When IQ testing is abandoned, when children are only deemed gifted on the basis of demonstrated performance, when they are not qualified as disabled unless they are performing significantly below grade level, and when psychologists are left out of the process, most twice exceptional children are imperceptible”
IQ testing is often considered problematic, but in situations like these, neglecting IQ testing means also neglecting proper diagnosis of gifted children or disabled children.
This sometimes led to uneven learning needs that were labeled underachievement, laziness, or a behavior disorder. Students who are twice exceptional also are often adept at hiding their disabilities by utilizing their giftedness and strengths as often as possible
Being twice exceptional is a challenge! People see your disability and overlook your giftedness, or they see your giftedness and overlook your disability and the accommodations you may need. This is why it is so important to listen to your students and not assume so quickly.
excellent attention and recognition memory, preference for novelty, precocious physical development, complex oral language, hypersensitivity and possible overreaction to stimuli and events, an ability to learn with minimal instruction, extreme curiosity, persistence and concentration, an abundance of energy, metacognitive awareness, and obsessive interests (Winner, 1996).
Some of these traits are also found in autistic individuals. It's important to note that gifted autistic individuals exist, and their needs have to be acknowledged as well.
Edit - Reading ahead, this concept is called "twice gifted"!
More work does not necessarily mean a student is learning or is engaged. Students who are gifted can begin to feel their giftedness is a punishment if they are consistently asked or required to complete a greater quantity of work.
This is an important line to note. Do not mindlessly give your gifted students meaningless and repetitive tasks, but rather thoughtful and engaging assignments that benefit themselves and the class and ensemble.
To continue engaging gifted students, new challenges will be posed (e.g., ledger lines, bass clef notes, or alto and tenor clef).
This was something my co-op and I did recently in one of the 6th-grade classes. We paired students together based on their skill levels and wound the goals forward and backward for each group, depending on their skill level.
Additionally, gifted students are sometimes identified through Standard Achievement Testing (academic), teacher nominations, and parent nominations (VanTassel-Baska, 1998).
This is interesting. Parent and teacher nominations can be dangerous, as there can be bias in what they deem as "gifted".
He designed his intelligence test for these purposes, yet he did consider intelligence to be educable and stated that intelligence can be improved and enhanced over time (Walker, 1991).
This is interesting. I had no idea that intelligence tests were created to prevent schooling to children deemed "unintelligent".
For these students, the promise of tomorrow and a teacher who will finally challenge them begins to fade
This is why in previous chapters, we learned that winding is an effective tool to reach the entire spectrum of students and meet them where they are at.
Allow opportunities to respond during instruction that include time allotted for visual, kinesthetic, and oral responses. In addition, use an instructional model that allows students to respond individually, in small groups or in large groups
I can connect this to my own placement. When I have taught in self-contained autism classes, students can respond to the music by singing and dancing to the movements (oral and kinesthetic), as well as choose what songs they want by pointing to a choice board I hand them. The choice board encourages them to use their words (Ex. "I want..") or use their communication device.
In these cases, create a special signal or gesture to let this student know that their behavior is not appropriate.
In the special education classes I've observed and taught, silent gestures and signals have been ineffective. Perhaps this could work in an inclusive classroom rather than a self-contained one? In my placement, when a student is displaying inappropriate behavior, it's accepted schoolwide for teachers to say "No thank you" and give the student a simple and quick redirection. This saying and redirection is used by all teachers consistently, so it has been effective.
Some teachers create class rules that are too vague, ask too much or too little of students, or compile a lengthy list of rules that are difficult to remember, comply with, and enforce. Begin with a few rules that are general enough to be adapted to many situations and are easy to remember.
I appreciate this reminder. Vague rules help nobody, and lengthy rules are difficult to remember. For teachers with a list of rules, I've observed that they often have a designated rule poster in their classroom, so students always know where to refer to make good choices.
Creating a classroom culture that includes a regular and efficient manner of communicating and enforcing rules is important.
I've found that my time as a student teacher, children need structure more than we think they do. Even as adults, we crave structure and stability. I've noticed in texts that structure is especially encouraged for special education classes, but I feel this should be applied to all classes of every age and level.
The proximity of the student (especially one who has the potential to disrupt class) to the music teacher is an important first step in managing behavior.
I witnessed how effective student-to-teacher proximity is today during my placement. In a self-contained autism classroom, all of the paraprofessionals, as well as their teacher, were absent. One substitute para and one substitute teacher were placed there instead for the day. This caused the students to display more class-disruptive behaviors than normal. With a lack of their familiar paras and a lack of adults, the classroom management was lower than usual.
Ann receives music instruction twice a week. A music teacher comes to her classroom to provide chronologically and developmentally appropriate instruction. The school system designed a special curriculum for students in grades 6–12 who are in self-contained classrooms. The music teacher has sequenced lessons to fit the needs of the students in each classroom.
Personal connection; this is similar to my current placement! We visit the children's self containedclasses, and tailor the lessons to their needs and strengths and areas for growth.
Do not assume that the inclusion classroom is always the least restrictive environment (LRE). Some students with learning differences function best in a self-contained classroom free of the distractions of an included classroom. Often, these can be opportunities for reverse inclusion, where a general education class can join a self-contained classroom for music.
This is an excellent statement to highlught. For a while, I assumed that an inclusion classroom would be the best environment for many students since they are interacting with other peers different from them. How I was mistaken! I have observed many classrooms, self contained and inclusion, and have seen how they work differently and aid in the students needs.
In the area of music teacher education (i.e., practicum settings), we have found that peer-planned lessons (undergraduate students planning lessons together) in small groups work well for initial experiences in teaching music to students with differences and disabilities (Hourigan, 2007)
I can agree with this to a certain extent, since bouncing ideas off friends is always a good idea. However, I also think its important for a educator to be independant when making their own lessons. Perhaps working together closely to create a unit could work better?
Whether you are an experienced music educator or an aspiring in-service music educator, it is important to receive some coaching from experienced special educators or therapists when teaching students with differences and disabilities. There are nuances that music educators may not be accustomed to including as part of a typical music lesson (e.g., self-care, hand-over-hand assistance), and music educators will need strategies regarding how to include these adaptations appropriately. In addition, an experienced special educator may not know music content; however, they do know the challenges that students face in the areas of language (e.g., speaking too fast or using too many words), physical needs, and cognitive and sensory limitations. It is important to implement these ideas and to encourage a dialogue among all members of the team.
Communication with your fellow teachers and special education teachers is crucial to how you formulate the content you teach. For example, I am currently student teaching a autism class in which some students are verbal and some are nonverbal. By being told which are verbal/nonverbal, I am able to communivate with them for efficiently and have more clear expectations for participation, like who I should encourage to use their words, and who I should encourage to use their speech device.
However, practicing music educators are encouraged to utilize the observation protocols and other strategies to obtain on-the-job and authentic experience through self-imposed observation, and discussion within the special education framework.
Authentic experience and on-the-job work is the most important experience for a teacher. You can spend hours upon hours becoming an expert in the knowledge pertaining to education students and special needs students, but until you get in the classroom and apply it, youll never know or understand where you need to grow. Applying what you learn is crucial for a teacher.