Standard 2 Learning Differences
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
Reflection
The teacher acknowledges and embraces the personal needs and strengths of each individual student. While cultivating an environment that is inclusive to all students and their diversity. This would include students feeling safe, seen and supported. The teacher outline lessons that are meaningful yet challenging for their students.
Artifact 1 -
Support Kindergarten
This class is one out of five Kindergarten classes I have for general music. There are 14 students and 4 of them have different learning abilities. By following the accommodations that are guided in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs), I have made modifications as to how students participate whether that be with the class towards the front or towards the back end of the carpet. With this being a smaller class, it allows me to explore more movement songs as well as to how I assess them.
When it comes to the high and low unit that I teach, I offer students options to show me between high and low sounds (pitches) to me in music. This would involve touching their heads or putting their hands up in the sky if they think the sound was high. For a low sound, students could tap their knees or place their hands on the floor. One of the students didn’t do this but instead they sang the note. Through this, he was acknowledging the pitch and whether it was high or low. I looked forward to this class every week and the growth that I would see every time. Even if that growth was small for some, I believed any growth was an accomplishment.
Artifact 2 -
Expanding culture awareness
It is wonderful how music offers many opportunities for students to experience different cultures from around the globe. In the Wapato School District, there are months throughout the year to celebrate the diverse cultures we have in our community. October is dedicated to the Filipino heritage. In honor of this month, I had my 1st grade students listen to the song, “Bahay Kubo,” which is a Filipino traditional folksong that is sung in the Tagalong language.
Before presenting this song, I gave the students a preface on the brief background of the song. On farms or orchards that are around Washington, we can grow fruit and some vegetables. In the Philippines, there are vegetables that the students may be familiar with or some that may be new to them that grow there. Then at the end, I offered any students who have heard this song before to sing along if they’re comfortable doing so. In addition, if they would like to share when the song is finished of things they have found similar and/or different. I’ve had students share that they would sing this often in their home and identify the vegetables featured in the song. This created an open communication between students of what they know and for some to share who they are.
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If I were to teach this song again, I would like to incorporate the history of how people from the Philippines came to the Yakima Valley. Was it the inspiration of the American Dream that drove them to move away from their home? These are questions I would like to investigate further. Plus, I would like to get in touch with the Filipino Hall, which is well-known in the Wapato community. Building relationships with members of the community and inviting them to come to my classroom to share their stories is another way for students to expand their cultural awareness.
