The Arts And Special Needs Classrooms: Creativity And Connection
Special needs classrooms are unique places in the education system, with teachers, teachers aids and caregivers who dedicate themselves to helping students learn, grow and thrive in school and life. Bringing Teaching Artists who are experienced working with people with various special needs can be rejuvenating for students and teachers alike. As Arts Consultant Frank Caracciolo of the Lester B. Pearson School Board says,
“I know that [Teaching Artists’] efforts have really made a difference for a lot of teachers. It gives them a break, and having a visitor come in is wonderful. It’s just wonderful… [I]t gives a certain air to the classroom, like there’s an excitement, there’s a moment where it’s like ‘what are we going to do today? And who is this person?’ And then the kids have a great experience and that’s what we’re after.”
Creating Connections Through Art Education In Special Needs Classrooms
The arts can provide students in special needs classrooms a new or different way to connect people, that augment the connections and strategies they already have. Using a story of a former student to illustrate this point, Frank Caracciolo describes this student as,
“…a master at the Rubik’s Cube. His icebreaker was to put the Rubik’s cube on the table, and he would ask them to mix it up and then he would fix it in like 10 seconds… it was a visual, hands-on kind of way to connect with other people, which on a broader idea is what the arts do, you know?
Focusing on the potential of connecting with students through the arts, Teaching Artist Louise Campbell led a sensory-based approach to music and sound at Philip E. Layton School and MacKay Centre. Philip E. Layton serves students who are blind or visually impaired in conjunction with associated disabilities, and MacKay Centre School serves students who are deaf, physically disabled and-or have a communication disorder. According to Puynung Choy, Spiritual and Community Animator for the English Montreal School Board,
“[Louise] had a way with them… the bond was tremendous, the students felt very connected to her. The students love sensory art, as they are very tactile, and they love music… She had a beautiful connection with them, and they understood each other well, quite engaging, through music and adaptive art… impressive the paths she created, to invite that connection to occur.”
Throughout the project, students and teachers crafted adaptive musical instruments for later use in their classrooms, demonstrating one way in which ArtistsInspire projects can have a lasting impact on students and teachers in special needs classrooms.
On The Need For Flexibility In Special Needs Classrooms
Flexibility and adaptability is often a hallmark of the work that goes on in a special needs classroom. With regards to his experience working with people on the spectrum, Teaching Artist Guillaume Jabbour writes,
“There has to be room for flexibility, time and space for the unexpected. If someone wants to break out in song because they are inspired, then let’s go with it and turn it into a moment to celebrate this improvised collaboration. When it comes to making art, having structured and clear directions is necessary, while at the same time leaving the creation part open-ended.”
Accompanying Students Through Art Education
Frank brings the conversation back to the beauty of accompanying students through the arts. As he says,
“I have so many, so many wonderful stories I’m privileged to be a part of, where you see the progression of people, their evolution… [It’s a privilege] to have your hands with theirs and move forward with them, turning them on to the arts in some way, music or visual arts or theater arts, you know, all of them.”
