I had the pleasure of observing a general music class this past week. I sat in on a third grade class, that had one student with a disability. The instructor had an inclusive style in her classroom. However, since they have a concert in a few weeks the lesson plan was little different than it usually is. They started with what they usually do which is finding the big and little beats in different songs, and demonstrating it using different body parts. Mrs. P used a lot of call and response and repeat after me when they were going over songs for their concert. What I enjoyed was that the instructor was able to find ways to make sure that the student with a disability was included, or she made it easier so she could do the same things as everyone else. They were practicing on mallet instruments and Mrs.P made sure that this student got one, and was playing along with everyone. However, she also made sure the student felt comfortable. This student was happened to be blind, and the teacher made sure she was careful with the instruments so this student wasn’t startled, especially when they add a gong. However, I think the instructor had some difficulty including this student today because other students were causing her a bit of trouble. Since they were playing on instruments a lot of the students had trouble just leaving it alone when they weren't playing as a group. Even though there were some issues, everyone seemed to have fun playing and singing. During the duration of the class none of the students talked to this student other than Mrs.P and the paraprofessional. The paraprofessional was very helpful to this student because she had trouble walking and using her hands. The paraprofessional helped the student move around, participate in the activities everyone else was doing, as well as helping all the other students if they weren’t paying attention or weren’t clear about the directions. I liked the way the paraprofessional worked because she remained kind of invisible until she was needed. I really enjoyed observing this class because it allowed me to see an inclusive classroom.
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Alexis Johnson
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