Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities

1430 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Teaching disabled students problems

In my years of learning to be an educator, and specifically a music educator, I have struggled with how to teach to students with special needs. Despite taking several special education classes, I struggle with how I am going to apply these strategies I have learned into my music education classroom. With this in mind, I have noticed that several students in my observations of local music classes have disabilities, but are excelling. I did not notice any strategies being implemented by the teacher. So, I wanted to look up various strategies suggested by experts in the field.
The first paper that I discovered in my research is a study called “Conditions That Facilitate Music Learning Among Students With Special Needs: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry” by Kevin W. Gerrity, Ryan M. Hourigan, and Patrick W. Horton (2013). Their purpose was to “identify and define the conditions that facilitate learning in music among students with special needs.” They took a group of students with varying disabilities with varying severities. The most prevalent disability in this study was autism. The students were paired with a mentor teacher. The mentor teacher was an undergraduate student going into teaching, therapy, or performance. The mentor teachers were supervised by three professionals who had a combined 20 years in special education.
The study took place over ten weeks and confirmed strategies that I have already learned. Gerrity et al. (2013) learned that mixed methods teaching style was the best, but the mentors noted that repetition, student choice, and increased response time were the most effective. These three strategies have all been pushed in my special education classes. However, the mentor teachers included how they used those strategies, g...

... middle of paper ...

...urney toward inclusion. Music Education Research, 8(3), 407-416. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=0df19be4-1ad2-42b7-b63e-a841706c0412@sessionmgr4002&vid=3&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==
Gerrity, K. M., Hourigan, R. M., & Horton, P. W. (2013). Conditions that facilitate music learning among students with special needs: A mixed-methods inquiry. Journal of Research in Music Education,16(2), 144-159. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=775e3056-8a76-4043-8cd0-01d0015e7b1e@sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==
Lapka, C. (2013). Five strategies for teaching students with disabilities in band/orchestra. Illinois Music Educator, 74(1), 72-73. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=5eb05020-fb07-4193-8874-b2e667f7710a@sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==

Show More
Related

  • The Role Of The Early Childhood Educator

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    As classrooms become more diverse, and with the push-in model being implemented for special education, this can be a difficult task. There are many things to consider when deciding upon a teaching format for each lesson. The most important is the student’s instructional level or Zone of Proximal Development. There is a fine line between independent, instructional, and frustration level. Lessons should be differentiated so that all students are challenged. To meet the needs of all students it may be necessary to collaborate with the special education teachers and the ESOL teachers. Teachers should be facilitators to student learning. It is helpful to connect the learning to a student’s prior experience. Teachers also need to consider the role of technology in their

    Read More

  • Special Education: Roles And Responsibilities In Special Education

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many individuals who contribute to the education of the student with special needs. Their roles and responsibilities are varied, and each play an important part in the education of the student with disabilities. In the early years of special education, individuals with disabilities were not educated in the traditional classroom. Many of the students were left at home to be taught by their parents, or, sent away to institutions if the families were unable to care for them. In addition, some were education in private schools at the cost of the families. It was not until the 1970’s that special education became acceptable in the public schools. The passing of legislation made it possible for all students to have a right to a free and public education, regardless of their disabilities. The individual with disabilities education act (IDEA) opened the door to education for all students and therefore a change in special education.

    Read More

  • The Explosive Child

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in

    Read More

  • Howard Hughes

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    Smith, T. (2012). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings. 1st ed. New Delhi, India: PHI Learning Private Ltd.

    Read More

  • Specializing Education

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    Special Education was one of those things I never truly understood as a student in the public school system. Who were these children that had to be taken out of the class for reading and math or who remained in a separate class all day? What was so “special” about them? Believe me, I could have tried to find out what was different about them and how they were taught anytime I wanted; my mom teaches Elementary Special Education. I always heard her throwing around terms like resource room and inclusion when she talked about work. But being the typical self-involved child that I was, I never listened to what she said about teaching or asked her more about her students. What I do know is that teaching Special Education involved a lot of ups and down. As a Special Education teacher, the specific tasks of my mom’s job change frequently. She has taught full-time special education classes, has worked with individual students in an inclusive setting, and most recently she teaches resource room. Now that I don’t have to listen to her work stories all the time, I find myself wanting to know more about what special education entails. What I discovered is that none of the methods utilized in Special Education are entirely right or wrong in addressing the educational needs of children with LD. Children with learning disabilities should be educated in the most appropriate way to meet their specific educational needs.

    Read More

  • Why Music Education Is Being Cut

    1463 Words  | 3 Pages

    There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...

    Read More

  • My Personal Philosophy Of Special Education

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    One obstacle that I believe many special needs students and families will face is understanding and dealing with the disability itself. Speaking from experience, this process can take time to understand and accept. This is where a special education teacher plays a significant role, assisting the student and family with information and support for understanding the student’s disability, facilitating education programs, and most importantly hope and progress for a bright future. Another obstacles that students with disabilities may face, is social interaction and acceptance. It is vital that all special education teachers and programs, try to incorporate strong social connections with their regular education peers and other community members and

    Read More

  • Personal Statement : Special Education

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.

    Read More

  • Discrimination And Discrimination And Separation For Students With Disabilities

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    By not including these students with disabilities, it is like we are not allowing them to have the same fun experiences other students their ages are doing. In an example David M. Perry mentioned, “Last month the teacher put on Readers Theater (in which kids acted out books) and told us [the parent] in an email that “Nico [their son with disability] would get to participate as an audience member.”” How is this fair for Nico? What if he wanted to act out books with his classmates? This isn’t fair and students with disabilities shouldn’t be excluded like this; it is like we are putting them under discrimination. What some people in the society don’t know is how it truly affects the student with the disability who is being excluded. According to Tom Ledcke, who teaches in special education, “…my students could feel that they were ‘outsiders’.” Outsiders are of someone who does not belong in either a group or society. In this case these students with disabilities feel isolated or alone from everyone, so they feel like they don’t belong. People today are still arguing if we are indeed doing are best to include these students in inside and outside activities. So the question is are

    Read More

  • Minorities and Special Education

    2264 Words  | 5 Pages

    Donovan, M. Suzanne and Christopher T. Cross (2002, August). Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/lib/drexel/-docDetail.action?docID=10032383.

    Read More

  • Art and Music Therapy

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    Boxill, E. H., & Chase, K. M. (2007). Music Therapy: An Overview. Music Therapy for Developmental Disabilities (). Austin: Pro-ed. (Original work published )

    Read More

  • Intervention Strategies in the Classroom

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Special education is no longer restricted to schools that cater for specific disabilities. Increasingly mainstream classrooms must cater for a diverse range of abilities and be inclusive of children with disabilities, therefore providing special education (Heward as cited on Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010). In catering for all children within a class, teachers also need to provide intervention as necessary. Intervention according to Heward (as cited on Education.com, 2011) intends to reduce, eliminate and/or limit the hurdles faced by students with disabilities that may prevent them from maximising their learning and becoming productive members of society. This essay will discuss how teachers can provide all three kinds of intervention; preventive, remedial and compensatory on behalf of individual students who may require it (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010). Each type of intervention will be explored with examples to demonstrate the possible use of each one and the potential issues that may be associated with them.

    Read More

  • Teacher Interview-Interview Question Summary

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    As you know, more students with disabilities have been entering general education classrooms due to changes in legislation. I have had many students with different disabilities in my classroom. I have had students with autism, communication disorders, and down syndrome, just to name a few. I have, of course, had plenty of typically developing students as well. .

    Read More

  • Teaching Students with Disabilities

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Education is a profession which requires a teacher to be able to communicate with a multitude of students on a variety of levels. There is not a class, or student for that matter, that is identical. Therefore, teachers must be able to identify and help educate students from all different types of backgrounds and at different levels. Teaching a singular subject presents difficulties, but teaching students with disabilities should not be one. There are three main teaching areas that need to be focused on when teaching a student with a learning disability. Teachers need to focus on the strategies that will assist students with reading comprehension skills, writing skills, and maintaining appropriate behaviors in a classroom setting.

    Read More

  • My Classroom Observation Experience

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    For my observation experience I went to Southern High School in Harwood, MD. Southern High School has a special education department for the students with disabilities. The teacher that I met with for this classroom observation was Ms. West. In the classroom there were at least four assistant teachers that helped Ms. West throughout the school day. The assistant teachers helped Ms. West co- teach the class and were there to help the students if they needed extra help. The school also has a couple of student aides that come in to help the teachers and the students in the classroom. There were at least twelve students in the classroom. The students in the class had many different exceptionalities such as learning disabilities, Down syndrome,

    Read More

More about Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities

Open Document