I have had the opportunity to lead several music assisted relaxation groups in public school special education classrooms. These groups have included a range of ages and types of disabilities including Down Syndrome, autism, mental retardation and Cerebral Palsy. One of the key points I like to emphasize with my clients and their instructors is that learning to relax can become a conditioned response. This means that relaxing can be practiced so that it is more effective and useful in the future.
Generally the clients that I work with in the special education classrooms do not have typical life stressors that would induce anxiety and require relaxation, but there are other reasons that relaxation can be an important tool for them and their teachers. I have found that many of the special education students are easily overwhelmed with environmental stimuli in their daily environment. Most teachers recognize this situation and have created quiet areas of their room that have been somewhat sectioned off and made comfortable for students to experience some quiet time without so much of the distractions of the classroom.
In other situations, students sometimes become agitated or emotionally upset without apparent cause. When this happens, it has been helpful to have a familiar music relaxation or music listening strategy already in place as part of the behavior intervention plan. In addition, the students may also benefit from social interaction, gross motor movement, stretching and opportunities to become peer models or leaders as they participate in small group relaxation activities.
I have used various music assisted relaxation activities with school-age students. There is not a specific protocol that must be followed, but rather some general suggestions and ideas to reference as you implement relaxation activities into your classroom:
1. Music choice – Music for relaxation should be chosen according to several criteria. The most important quality of the music is a slow tempo with a predictable underlying rhythmic pulse. I recommend a tempo of about 60 – 80 beats per minute. Music without lyrics is recommended, but there may be some singing if it does not distract too much attention from the experience. The melody should be pleasant and part of traditional music and not atonal or experimental. Try to use songs that do not have sudden changes in tempo, dynamics or unexpected starts or stops. The melody should also stay in the mid-range and not sound extremely low or high. There are some very good songs by Enya, Keving Kern, and Daniel Kobialka that I have used in my groups.
2. Facilitator – The person doing the relaxation facilitating, either a teacher or student, should use a calm, steady voice. Practice speaking slowly and clearly, pausing often to listen to the music. The music should be loud enough to mask unwanted environmental sounds, but not so loud that the facilitator has to speak any louder than he or she would in a normal conversation. The facilitator should sit in a chair and demonstrate the breathing or stretching movements.
3. Breathing – Breathing is the foundation for these relaxation groups. Start out the group with several deep cleansing breaths by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Continue the relaxation by practicing some deep breathing in and out using slow eight or ten count intervals. Breathing can be verbally reinforced by describing the “revitalizing,” “fresh,” “relaxing,” air going in and the “discomfort,” “anxiety,” and “stress,” leaving the body. After a few minutes of breathing, the facilitator should encourage the group to get more comfortable in their chairs, close their eyes if desired, and breathe normally. Breathing should fall into a steady, relaxed rhythm.
4. Stretching – I encourage breathing and “stretching” as the main components of the relaxation sessions for these groups with students who have disabilities. Simple gross motor movements demonstrated by the facilitator provide “concrete” actions for the group to follow. I usually do shoulder rolls forward and backward, reaching for the ceiling and the floor and slowly tilting the head from side to side and forward as the basic movements. Other stretches can be done by reaching forward or sweeping the arms up and down as if doing very slow jumping jacks. Combine some breathing in and out on selected motions for added effect.
5. Imagery – For groups that do not have people with disabilities it is very effective to use some kind of imagery to facilitate the relaxation. Suggestions include imagining a warm light that slowly warms and relaxes each part of the body or being guided to a restful place in nature where comforting sounds and worry free relaxation can take place. Most of my clients in special education do not respond well to abstract imaginations and descriptions, but music that has environmental sounds or large pictures with client preferred settings may be possible applications after a relaxation routine is familiar and established.
The relaxation experience should begin and end with similar breathing and gross motor movements. Between these times the facilitator is free to try different stretches or breathing as they wish. This allows for leadership and choice-making opportunities for the students. Picture cards that illustrate the gross motor movements can be made so that students can make a choice between pictures and then present their choice to the group. The facilitator may also pass out supportive instruments such as an ocean drum to add to the atmosphere of the experience. An 6′-10′ parachute shared by the group is a wonderful way to practice slow breathing and movements!
The relaxation session should last about 5-10 minutes depending on the attention span of the participants. If this group relaxation is practiced on a regular basis, you will notice that the students will tone down their activity simply in anticipation of the experience and even more when the music begins playing. Teachers will find that just by playing the music that they regularly use for relaxation they may be able to aid a student who is upset or agitated and help them regain some self-control. The relaxation protocol may also be helpful to use on days when an unplanned change of the school schedule has disrupted the regular routine and the students are unusually off-task.
There are many applications for the use of music assisted relaxation activity in relation to objectives in a student’s Individual Education Plan. Following directions, making choices, gross motor movement, counting skills, focus of attention, gesturing and verbalizing are all specific objectives that can be tracked for progress during music facilitated group relaxation.
Now…take a deep breath….exhale…
By: Daniel Tague
Posts Tagged ‘Education Students’
Cooperative Learning Activities – 3 Things to Remember When Using Cooperative Group Learning
February 22nd, 2010
Most students learn better with one-to-one interactions or in small groups where they can follow the conversation better and indicate when they don’t understand. This is one of the big advantages of cooperative group learning.
The peer interaction that takes place during cooperative learning activities is especially helpful because peer language is generally less complex than the teacher’s.
These interactions also give all students a chance to actively participate and try out their own ideas in a small group setting.
These cooperative learning activities work especially well with your ESOL students (second language learners) because cooperative group learning allows them to develop their second language proficiency skills by allowing them to interact with native speakers in a low-anxiety environment.
And the fact of the matter is…interaction with native speakers helps promote second language acquisition.
Unfortunately, as many teachers know, cooperative learning activities are not necessarily easy to pull off.
Here are three things to remember when using cooperative group learning:
1. Vary Grouping Strategies ~ Groups should be arranged based on the purpose of the activity. Usually you will want to form mixed groups of general education students, special education, and ESOL students (non-native speakers). However, sometimes you will want to group ESOL students together so you or an aide can better individualize instruction.
2. Model Activities First ~ Teachers must explicitly show students how to work together. From how to get into groups to what to do for the activity…don’t assume anything!
3. Recognize Effective Group Work ~ Have successful groups share with the whole class why they were effective. You may want to give special recognition or points for successful or improved groups.
By: Adam Waxler
Support Diverse Learners in Mathematics
February 22nd, 2010
“Supporting Diverse Learners: Teacher Collaboration in an Inclusive Classroom,” by Wendy S. Bray, copyrighted in 2005 by The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, focuses on the need of collaboration between general education teachers and special education teachers to facilitate fair and successful learning for each individual student. This article speaks mainly to general education teachers about reform based mathematics and how general classroom teachers can implement this new style of learning in a way that will benefit all students, even special education students. Furthermore, the article searches for ways to help special needs students learn in their own special way, in order to keep up with the other students in their regular classroom.
The article begins by discussing the challenges learning disabled students face when integrated in a classroom that uses the reform-based, constructivist mathematical approach, which focuses on whole group discussions, small group discussions, and problem solving. Some of these problems include: LD students not participating and/or “focusing on nonmathematical aspects of tasks (Bray).” Next, the article discusses how a group of teachers manage this type of classroom. One tactic they implemented is “small, teacher-led groups (Bray)” where the teachers played games and did other activities, encouraging the students to talk about their mathematical thinking.
Another tactic the teachers used is breaking students up into groups according to their ability and what they needed to work on. In these groups teachers did not just tell the students what to do to solve a problem, but instead they asked the students questions to help them figure out on their own what they needed to do. These teachers also gave their students “opportunities for choice (Bray),” which allowed students to choose what they wanted to work on, individually, with a group, or with the teacher. This gave the teachers the opportunities to work with students individually. The end of the article discussed how the three teachers collaborated to discuss the progress of individual students, and what should be done to help them continue to grow.
This article was written by Wendy S. Bray, “a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Bray).” She is a “former elementary classroom teacher,” and “her research interests include mathematics education and teaching strategies that facilitate learning for students with special needs (Bray).” Her information came from her research, and her information was supported by excerpts from various books and journals of education professionals including: “Effects of Reform-Based Mathematics Instruction on Low Achievers in Five Third-Grade Classrooms” by Baster, Woodward, and Olson; “Mathematical Problem-Solving Process of Primary-Grade Students Identified as LD” by Behrend; “Four Variables for Success” by Coleman; “How Effective Is Inquiry Learning for Students with Mild Disabilities?” by Mastropieri; and “Mathematical Instruction for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities” by Thornton. She also ascerts that her information supports the Equity Principle, which she also cites from the “National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.”
We have students achieve success in reading and writing through individualized instruction, where they learn at their own pace, so why don’t we do this in math? I feel that the idea that this article circles is a great one. To learn math students need to participate in discovery learning. They need to understand the “why” of mathematics before they are really going to begin to understand and learn the concepts. Students also need to learn at their own pace. Everything is connected in mathematics and if students do not understand one concept before the class moves on to the next, pretty soon that student is going to fall way behind.
This is unfortunately what happens to most learning disabled students that are integrated into the regular classroom. So, in my own classroom I will try to implement the constructivist approach for learning mathematics and simultaneously create an atmosphere where every student can succeed, no matter what pace they learn at. I will do this by creating learning centers around my classroom. The subject of these learning centers will be based on the mini-lesson that is taught the first day. Students will pair up and move around the learning centers at their own pace. The beginning stations will focus on the “why” of the concept, helping students deepen their understanding, so that when they work their way around to the other stations they will be ready to try a variety of ways to solve the problem, with the collaborative help from their partner.
Before each pair moves to the next station I will check their answers to make sure they are progressing in their understanding correctly. We will do this the entire week, giving those students with learning disabilities plenty of time with their partners to understand the concept. Some pairs will finish before the end of the week. These pairs will continue to work on the concept, but at a higher level. At the end of the week the class will discuss what problem-solving techniques they tried and what they have learned.
This article was very useful. I had never thought of grouping students according to ability in math. I have heard the effects of this grouping in other subjects as a valuable way to individualize teaching, and I was surprised that I have yet to see this technique implemented in mathematics. I wholly agreed with all the approaches these teachers took in this article, except for the approach took in the “Opportunities for Choice” section. It seems that the students would just pick something that they were good at if given a choice to work on anything.
I know I wouldn’t choose something that I had trouble with. I am skeptical that this approach would help students very much. Otherwise, this article gave me much insight as how to help students with learning disabilities grow in the classroom with regular classroom students. This approach allowed more opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and deepen their understanding, while providing them with the help they needed to understand concepts that would be integral for their understanding in future lessons.
By: Jamie Burchfield
