Abstract

Teaching art to students diagnosed with ADHD: An analysis of teacher strategies
By: Meneka Rosanna Thirukkumaran

This research project identified a gap in the current body of literature on ADHD in classrooms. Although many strategies were presented, there was a lack of research specifically in the area of art education. For this reason, my study aimed to determine strategies that were being used with success by art teachers. To investigate this topic, surveys were sent to art teachers and a sample of participants was also interviewed. The main finding of this study was that participants seemed to teach from a student-centered perspective; teachers used strategies that made students accountable for their own learning and behaviour. Student-centered teaching and learning involved being flexible with behavioural and curricular expectations, spending time with individual students, and engaging students through community (both in the school and in public). The results of this research had implications for school policies and procedures, as well as for pre-service teacher education. Although IPPs/IEPs are currently the main procedural tool for students with ADHD, teachers seemed to have more success by getting to know them on a more personal level. As well, teachers indicated that students with ADHD were often more successful in art than in their core classes, which suggested that methods being used by art teachers could be adapted for other subjects. According to this study, art teachers seemed to have a higher concentration of coded students than representations in literature; they had also developed subject-specific strategies for dealing with behavioural and academic issues. This information could be incorporated into pre-service teacher education programs.