Promoting Sociability: Staff Perceptions of Music Therapy as a Way to Enhance Social Skills.

<p>This thesis is the result of working with nine students and one teacher aide in group music therapy in special education. Through opportunities to learn about music and sound, the students were invited to use descriptive language to express emotions and thoughts about their music therapy experience. This research used a qualitative research design, where the purpose was to learn about the perceptions that staff may have of music therapy and to highlight how music therapy can promote sociability in an educative setting. The data collected mainly through research journal entries and two interviews (as well as material from a discussion group) offer evidence about how improvisational group music therapy can help create a positive social environment in the classroom and complement socialisation goals in education.</p>

Promoting Sociability: Staff Perceptions of Music Therapy as a Way to Enhance Social Skills.

<p>This thesis is the result of working with nine students and one teacher aide in group music therapy in special education. Through opportunities to learn about music and sound, the students were invited to use descriptive language to express emotions and thoughts about their music therapy experience. This research used a qualitative research design, where the purpose was to learn about the perceptions that staff may have of music therapy and to highlight how music therapy can promote sociability in an educative setting. The data collected mainly through research journal entries and two interviews (as well as material from a discussion group) offer evidence about how improvisational group music therapy can help create a positive social environment in the classroom and complement socialisation goals in education.</p>

A Study of the Use of a Guide to Schoolwide Planning for Teacher Aide Supports in a New Zealand Primary School

<p>This study chronicled a process of schoolwide planning for teacher aide supports in a New Zealand primary school. The process replicated the work of Giangreco, Edelman and Broer and followed the guidelines set out in their work - A Guide to Schoolwide Planning for Paraeducator Supports (Giangreco, Edelman, & Broer, 2001a). Data reflect the utilisation and outcomes of the process by school personnel and by the voluntary school team, which was made up of representatives from all adult constituencies of the school community, that is, management, teachers, teacher aides and parents. Results indicated that the process assisted the school and the team in self assessing their teacher aide practices, identifying priorities in need of improvement and developing action plans. Some logistical difficulties were encountered in the implementation of these plans, but despite these difficulties, the team reported a high level of satisfaction with the process. They reported that the process did what it purported to do and rated it highly on consumer-oriented variables (e.g. the logic of the process, ease of use). Additionally, teacher aides responded positively to a questionnaire on the impact of the process on their work and the school team took part in semistructured interviews to document the impact of the process on school personnel and student outcomes. Implications for teacher aide supports for teachers of students with special education needs in regular classrooms are discussed.</p>

A Study of the Use of a Guide to Schoolwide Planning for Teacher Aide Supports in a New Zealand Primary School

<p>This study chronicled a process of schoolwide planning for teacher aide supports in a New Zealand primary school. The process replicated the work of Giangreco, Edelman and Broer and followed the guidelines set out in their work - A Guide to Schoolwide Planning for Paraeducator Supports (Giangreco, Edelman, & Broer, 2001a). Data reflect the utilisation and outcomes of the process by school personnel and by the voluntary school team, which was made up of representatives from all adult constituencies of the school community, that is, management, teachers, teacher aides and parents. Results indicated that the process assisted the school and the team in self assessing their teacher aide practices, identifying priorities in need of improvement and developing action plans. Some logistical difficulties were encountered in the implementation of these plans, but despite these difficulties, the team reported a high level of satisfaction with the process. They reported that the process did what it purported to do and rated it highly on consumer-oriented variables (e.g. the logic of the process, ease of use). Additionally, teacher aides responded positively to a questionnaire on the impact of the process on their work and the school team took part in semistructured interviews to document the impact of the process on school personnel and student outcomes. Implications for teacher aide supports for teachers of students with special education needs in regular classrooms are discussed.</p>

Novice middle school teachers’ preparedness for teaching, and the helpfulness of supports: A survey of one state

Novice teachers’ readiness for teaching may affect the quality of the classroom environment and teachers’ likelihood of remaining in teaching. Using a survey of novice teachers in one state, we examine teachers’ preparedness for teaching, the supports offered, and the perceived helpfulness of those supports. Even novice teachers often had some type of prior experience: particularly substitute teaching (64%) and as a teacher aide or assistant (44%). Still, they often did not feel well prepared. Sixty percent of teachers felt well prepared in their subject area, but only 34% in using appropriate pedagogical strategies, 28% in managing their classrooms, and 17% in reaching all students. Teachers typically received multiple types of supports and received them multiple times over the first year, with a mean of 163 instances of supports. Teachers most often viewed supports as helpful if the supports were in the areas that teachers felt least prepared and provided at least monthly. The supports most related to teachers’ perceptions of helpfulness were mentoring, planning lessons, using student assessment data to make decisions about instruction, using appropriate pedagogical strategies, professional development for new teachers, teacher networks, and regular collaboration with other teachers.

Case Studies

This chapter is taken from five illustrative case study reports resulting from doctoral research. Each case gave the researched a voice. The study selected five students at Level 1 risk of manifesting virtually all NLD assets and deficits as a consequence of shunted hydrocephalus related to spina bifida then spoke with their parents, teachers, aides and the students themselves. Each case begins with a brief description of the medical condition that predisposed each child to NLD followed by the contextual setting derived from family members. A snapshot of each student's life, classroom performance, psychological test results, teacher, aide, and parent perceptions of functional abilities, and the level of each participant's awareness of the NLD syndrome are then considered. Interpretative Discussions include teacher and aide understandings of the difficulties interspersed with those of the author. Practical help from teachers, aides, parents, and students is offered at the end of each case study. Case Studies conclude with a catalog of Key Terms and Definitions.