A Narrative of Two Preservice Music Education Student Teachers Who Are Visually Impaired

Elizabeth Cassidy Parker, Temple University

Tami J. Draves, The University of Arizona

tdraves@email.arizona.edu

Though there is considerable research focused on teachers’ perceptions and attitudes of P-12 students with exceptionalities (Jones, 2014), there has been little research on preservice music teachers with exceptionalities. Extant literature has explored the student teaching experience for individuals with learning or physical disabilities in general education settings (Duquette, 2000), teachers with learning disabilities instructing students with learning disabilities (Ferri, Keefe, & Gregg, 2001), and employment-related experiences and how to balance needs of students with employee’s rights under the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (Clayton, 2009; Vogel, Murray, Wren, & Adelman, 2007). There is no apparent inquiry investigating the experiences of music education majors who are visually impaired during their student teaching semester in a public school.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to re-story the student teaching experience of two preservice music education majors, Andrea and Jamil, who are visually impaired. Participants were from two different institutions and were placed in high school choir settings during Spring 2015. Multiple field texts served as data: four interviews with participants, participants’ weekly journals, university supervisor interviews and observation notes, cooperating teacher interviews, and email exchanges between researchers and participants. We explored the student teachers’ stories using Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three-dimensional narrative spaces: temporal, personal-social, and situational.

Andrea was proactive and began planning for student teaching far in advance because she needed extensive time to learn music. This temporal element of her story also became apparent, and crossed with the situational, when she was asked to teach music that had not been brailled and with only a day’s notice to prepare. Andrea relied on her accompanist and cooperating teacher to assist with classroom management and for instructional help such as referring to rehearsal numbers, showing an intersection between the personal-social and situational. These dimensions intersected also as Andrea described being afraid and frustrated about certain aspects of student teaching, mostly related to classroom management.

Jamil began student teaching comparing own high school experience and realizing over time that teaching and schools have changed a great deal. He found the expectations of his cooperating teacher, Ms. E, and his university supervisor, Dr. S inconsistent and difficult to synthesize. Here temporal and personal-social dimensions intersected, because Jamil described feeling unable to integrate feedback quickly enough to make changes in his teaching. Situational challenges such as accessible music, ever-changing school schedules, and multiple responsibilities in both school and university contributed to Jamil’s experience of student teaching as unexpected and ultimately, disappointing. At the midpoint of the semester, Jamil decided to withdraw from student teaching and complete his music education degree without certification.

The theme of SMTE 2015, “Toward a Stronger, Richer Community” calls for a multiplicity and diversity of voices in music education. Andrea and Jamil’s narratives provide important insights about music teacher education and policy. Their stories give voice to the tensions and challenges of students with visual impairments. As our profession works toward inclusion and equity, the perspectives and experiences of music education majors with disabilities must be included within continuing dialogues.

References

Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: experience and story in qualitative research (First edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Clayton, J. K. (2009). Teacher with a learning disability: Legal issues and district approach. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 12(2), 1–7.

Duquette, C. (2000). Examining autobiographical influences on student teachers with disabilities. Teachers and Teaching, 6(2), 215–228.

Ferri, B. A., Keefe, C. H., & Gregg, N. (2001). Teachers with learning disabilities: A view from both sides of the desk. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34(1), 22–32.

Jones, S. K. (2014). Teaching students with disabilities: A review of music education research as it relates to the individuals with disabilities education act. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 8755123314548039.

Vogel, S. A., Murray, C., Wren, C., & Adelman, P. B. (2007). An exploratory analysis of employment-related experiences of educators with learning disabilities. Educational Considerations, 34(2), 15–20.