We're All In This Together:
Fostering a Team Approach When Teaching Special Learners Maureen Butler
maureenbutlermusic[at]gmail.com
Since the start of the new school year, we have been reacquainting ourselves with former students, meeting new students, and experiencing a (hopefully) more typical school year than last year. By now, too, we’re beginning to recognize the needs of our special learners. Some have been classified; we’ve seen either their full IEP or its summary, and we know what strategies are recommended for each student. We may also have noticed or identified some behaviors in students who have not been classified yet, and have put them on our mental “radar.” This year, some behaviors we are seeing might be exacerbated because of the difficulties of the past year; some are indicators of an underlying condition, and some may simply be difficulties readjusting to the new routines of classroom life. How do we determine if a behavior is related to a disability, or separate from the disability? Some music teachers feel that they’re alone; they have questions or concerns and don’t know where to turn for help. Whether you are an experienced or first-year teacher, the only music teacher in your building or one of several, it’s helpful to be aware of the team of professionals on your staff that can be a valuable asset as you try to include all students in your class. Throughout my teaching career, I learned to rely on my colleagues’ expertise when I had questions about some of my special learners. *** Angelina* was one of my students who was regularly seen by an occupational therapist (OT). In my class, she was having trouble covering the holes of the recorder, something that many children struggle with at first. However, her real problem was that she had trouble sensing where the holes were - she was not getting enough tactile feedback. Her OT recommended surrounding each hole with layers of glitter glue to improve her awareness of where the holes were, and
this helped Angelina - and it didn’t hurt that she loved the rainbow colors! An OT is able to look at the tasks we assign our students, and analyze the components that may be difficult for some. In doing so, they can come up with a plan to help students be successful. They can help you develop strategies for students with visual spatial issues who have difficulty distinguishing the lines and spaces on a staff, or those with small motor issues who have trouble coordinating fingering, and would be a good resource when selecting an instrument for a student to learn. *** Sarah enjoyed music class, and wanted to dance, but had difficulty sequencing the order of the moves in order to copy them. She would watch my demonstration of simple dance moves, and nod her head eagerly, but had trouble putting one move after the other, even while watching me. She also had difficulty with side-stepping, which was a part of a simple dance routine her class would be performing in our holiday show. Her physical therapist (PT) incorporated these tasks into Sarah’s regularly scheduled therapy sessions. By breaking down the moves into smaller steps and working on them together, over time Sarah was able to perform the dance moves in the correct sequence. Her self-confidence grew, and she was thrilled to show her skills to her family and friends. Like the OT, the PT analyzes physical tasks; with their specific knowledge of students’ physical abilities and limitations, they design activities that help children develop the ability to master skills. Both the OT and PT are aware of sensory processing disorders that may be affecting student behavior in our classes. They can let us know if children are hypersensitive (overreactive) or hyposensitive (underreactive) to sound, visual input, or tactile input from our music classes
TEMPO 42
OCTOBER 2021
