11- New series: Deconstructing Misconceptions of Gifted/Neurodivergent Learners

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Welcome to the first episode in our groundbreaking new series about gifted and neurodivergent learners at the piano: Deconstructing Misconceptions of Gifted and Neurodivergent Learners! Have you ever caught yourself making a snap judgment about a student, only to later discover how wrong you were?

This episode challenges the assumption that difference equals deficit, and encourages teachers to "Jump into the Chute" with their students. (More on jumping into the chute on this week's new blog post!) Throughout this series, we'll hear from experts who will help us reframe our understanding of neurodivergent students as the capable, intelligent, and deeply musical individuals they are. There's also a new "Tiny Teaching Tip" at the end of the episode, so don't miss out on that.

-->Have you encountered misconceptions about teaching neurodivergent students? Send them my way in a message to Creative Piano Pedagogy on social media or via email to [e-mail] so I can include them in an upcoming episode! 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello friends! Today is such an exciting day for the
podcast, not only because we'refinally back from a long summer
break, but because today is thestart of a brand new series.
I've been so excited to sharethis with you, and today is
finally the day.
Welcome to episode 11 andDeconstructing Misconceptions of

(00:25):
Gifted and NeurodivergentLearners.
But before we get into theepisode I have a few exciting
updates for you.
First, we are launching theinaugural season of the Piano
Teachers Book Club in September.
Yay! And I'm absolutely thrilledat all the positive responses

(00:46):
from everyone.
We have teachers joining us fromthe US, Canada, UK, Australia,
and everyone is all readingalong to Temple Grandin's book,
Visual Thinking.
And it's already a greatcollection.
If you missed out this time, butyou want to stay in the loop for

(01:06):
the next book, I'll share a linkdown in the description so that
you can join the waitlist and bethe first to know for next time.
Another exciting update is thattoday's episode is the beginning
of weekly episodes.
Hooray! I finally have the timeand we're making the time.
And something else I'm adding isa little fun.

(01:30):
feature at the end of some ofour upcoming episodes with a
tiny teaching tip.
So make sure you listen to theend to hear that on today's
show.
You'll definitely want to tunein next week and hear what will
be the very first interview ofthe entire podcast.
And it is with a phenomenalteacher and educator who has

(01:52):
absolutely incredible insightinto neurodiversity and piano
teaching.
All right, let's dig in.
to Deconstructing Misconceptionsof Gifted and Neurodivergent
Learners.

(02:30):
Well, if you saw that, then youkind of know where I'm going
with this.
I'm intentionally not in verymany piano teaching Facebook
groups.
And I honestly try to limit mytime on social media just to
maintain a healthy balance thatworks for me.
There's enough drama in life andin our homeowners association

(02:52):
Facebook alone.
Lord knows.
But this summer, the pianoteacher Facebook groups have
been have been reallyinteresting.
It's a very unique dynamic topost in one of those groups,
knowing that they havethousands, sometimes upwards to
30, 40,000 members from all overthe world, some of them not even

(03:18):
piano teachers, and a lot ofvariance in experience and
expertise, which can be a trulywonderful thing to learn from
each other's experiences andperspectives.
But the cesspool of negativelashings out about
neurodiversity and students wholearn differently has honestly

(03:40):
made me catch my breath a fewtimes this summer.
And the responses under theseposts have been a bit shocking.
One specific post comes to mindwhere a teacher simply asked for
suggestions regarding a studentwho tends to be quite fidgety
and really struggles goals tomaintain focus in the lesson.

(04:03):
I clicked on the comment sectionto see what insights people may
have already offered and bam,right out of the gate, the first
11 responses were completelynegative.
Things like, kids shouldn't beallowed to learn piano if they
can't sit still, or stopteaching him, not worth it, or

(04:23):
talk to the parents and tellthem he needs to practice
sitting completely still for 30minutes at a time And you might
be thinking, Elizabeth, are yousure that's what they said?
Unfortunately, my memory isreally good.
And believe me, I wish theresponses had been really
different.

(04:44):
But that post and many othersimilar ones over the past few
months have provided some fodderfor my already very full brain
box of thoughts to ponder.
And these words kept coming tomind.
Many of them.
misconceptions and assumptions.
I just couldn't get them out ofmy brain.
How many times have I quicklymade assumptions about an

(05:09):
individual and been horribly,horribly wrong?
How often have I heard teachingtips about neurodiversity or
myths about disabilities thatturned out to be completely
inaccurate?
Things like people with autismcannot express emotions or
students with ADHD cannot cannotsit still, or people with

(05:33):
obsessive compulsive disorder,just like things to be
organized, that kind of thing.
We've all heard them.
And to be honest, we've probablyall said them.
I know I have.
And the intention is typicallynot to insult or offend anyone.
We use the limited informationwe have to make a snap judgment.

(05:55):
And then when we gather moredata that proves it to be false,
we feel really badly forassuming and believing those
misconceptions.
This same principle is true forstudents who might talk, learn,
look, behave, walk, or playmusic differently than your

(06:15):
typical students.
Just because there is adifference does not indicate
that there is a deficit.
I'm rereading Temple Grandin'sbook, Visual Thinking, in
preparation for our book club,and I'm reminded again of her
incredible resilience as one ofthe very first individuals in

(06:38):
the history of the world to everpublicly announce that she was
autistic.
Grandin goes into detail abouthow much she loved animals, but
after failing algebra, shebecame ineligible for veterinary
school.
So she went on to study behaviorand animal behavior and she

(07:00):
became a leading world expert inanimal behaviors.
And now ironically, she teachesveterinarians.
Beautiful irony.
One of my favorite excerpts ofthe book is when she describes
her experience of watchingcattle go through cattle shoots.
And she wondered why the cowswere mooing loudly and making

(07:25):
odd movements.
So without any explanation tothose around her, she jumped
into the cattle chute to gainthe perspective of the cows to
see what might be distractingthem.
She then noticed things likehanging chains, unevenly placed

(07:45):
fences, and strange shadows oflight that were all distracting
the cows and making itchallenging for them to walk
evenly and without stress.
My goal with this new season ofthe podcast and my new teaching
year is to hypothetically jumpinto the chute to view piano

(08:06):
teaching and my lessons from mystudents' perspectives.
I want to think about themisconceptions and assumptions
I've heard and still hear, butfilter all of it through the
human experiences I see andobserve by getting to know my
students as the capable,intelligent, expressive

(08:29):
artistic, and deeply musicalpeople that they are.
And most importantly, learningfrom all that they have to teach
me.
I've said this many times, but Ifirmly believe that our students
can be our best teachers.
So will you join me and jumpinto the shoot with me in this

(08:53):
new podcast series?
We're going to hear from expertsin the neurodiversity and piano
teaching world, that will giveus really valuable perspective
and help us reframe how we teachstudents who learn differently.
I also have a favor to ask.
If you've heard anymisconceptions or assumptions

(09:15):
about teaching neurodivergentstudents, would you please send
them to me?
I am gathering these from pianoteachers to use in an upcoming
episode, and I would reallyappreciate your input.
Just send me a message Now, aspromised, I have a short, tiny

(09:45):
teaching tip for you today as alittle bonus before we end the
episode.
It's the start of a new schoolyear here in the United States,
and many of you will begin, oralready have begun, teaching
lessons to new and returningstudents.
This week, I encourage you tolook at your piano teaching

(10:07):
space from your students'perspectives.
Are there a lot of things inthat space that the students are
not allowed to touch?
Maybe you have breakabledecorations, teaching
manipulatives, technology,anything you don't want them to
touch and you're not using inthe lesson?
If the answer is yes, then Iwould like to encourage you to

(10:29):
take it a step further andsimplify your teaching space of
distractions.
Many years ago I started makinga concerted effort to only leave
out the things I knew we wouldbe using that day in lessons or
things my students were welcometo touch like fidget toys and I

(10:50):
keep everything else hidden indrawers or storage bins.
Now if your studio space isshared with other teachers or
you can't control the aestheticof it, that's okay.
Just see if you can simplifywhat the students have access
to.
And when they walk into theroom, show them the things they
can touch and what you're goingto be using that day.

(11:13):
This helps keep students fromgetting continuously distracted
and using their valuablethinking and focus time on
wondering about all the thingsthey can't touch.
So I give them permission to usethings like their bubble timer,
pop it, squishy toy, pencil,marker, whatever in the lesson.

(11:36):
Give it a try and see if itworks for any of your students.
I especially find that thishelps my students who are easily
distracted.
So there is your tiny teachingtip.