My name is Karen

Introduction : My name is Karen. In this chapter, I take a narrative approach and highlight &lsquo;critical incidents&rsquo; that have caused me to reflect on my &lsquo;being&rsquo; and recall events from childhood and adulthood. &lsquo;Being&rsquo; or &lsquo;to be&rsquo; is what Wilcock (1999) described as &lsquo;being true to ourselves, to our nature, to our essence and to what is distinctive about us&rsquo; (p. 5). The state of &lsquo;being&rsquo; requires time to think, reflect and to discover who we are (Wilcock 1999). My name is part of this. The constructivist view of learning posits that the learner comes with a representational model of personal constructs (in this instance, one&rsquo;s name being a personal construct) and within these personal constructs, the learner makes sense of their learning situation (Stacey 1998). From the constructivist view, the teacher negotiates meaning with the learner through reflection, dialogue, guidance and feedback because the learner interprets ideas and constructs meaning based on pre-existing understandings (Candy 1991; Stacey 1998). Reflecting on my &lsquo;being&rsquo; gives insight into the representational model of my personal constructs, of which my name is one. As a learner, this insight helps me interpret new information within a meaningful context. As a teacher, this insight informs me on how to engage with the students I teach.<br /

The convergent validity of two sensory processing scales used with school - age children : comparing the sensory profile and the sensory processing measure

Abstract: Aim: To investigate the convergent validity between the Sensory Profile, the Sensory Profile School Companion, and the Home and Main Classroom Forms of the Sensory Processing Measure. Method: Thirty mothers completed the Sensory Profile and the Sensory Processing Measure - Home Form on one child each. Nineteen teachers of the same children completed the Sensory Profile School Companion and the Sensory Processing Measure - Main Classroom Form. Results: The Sensory Profile and the Sensory Processing Measure - Home Form were significantly correlated (rho=0.86, p less-than .01). The Sensory Profile School Companion and Sensory Processing Measure - Main Classroom Form were also significantly correlated (rho=.74, p less-than .01). Conclusion: The two sets of sensory processing scales had moderate levels of convergent validity.<br /

From little things, big things grow

Claire Jennings and Karen Stagnitti report on an early intervention project that provides the opportunity for children from vulnerable families in country Victoria to learn the essential skills of listening, concentration and curiosity.<br /

A review of play and play assessment used in occupational therapy

In occupational therapy play is regarded as important in itself. This view has been influenced by occupational science and the assumption that play is a child\u27s primary occupation. To reflect this change in the view of play, assessments of play are now being developed which focus on aspects of behaviour which are unique to play. As a result of this work on play, play training programs have been developed which focus on teaching children how to play.<br /

Play, language and social skills of children attending a play-based curriculum school and a traditionally structured classroom curriculum school in low socioeconomic areas

Aim and method: A comparison study of four six-year-old children attending a school with a play-based curriculum and a school with a traditionally structured classroom from low socioeconomic areas was conducted in Victoria, Australia. Children&rsquo;s play,language and social skills were measured in February and again in August. At baseline assessment there was a combined sample of 31 children (mean age 5.5 years, SD 0.35 years; 13 females and 18 males). At follow-up there was a combined sample of 26children (mean age 5.9 years, SD 0.35 years; 10 females, 16 males).Results: There was no significant difference between the school groups in play, language, social skills, age and sex at baseline assessment. Compared to norms on a standardised assessment, all the children were beginning school with delayed play ability. At follow-up assessment, children at the play-based curriculum school had made significant gains in all areas assessed (p values ranged from 0.000 to 0.05). Children at the school with the traditional structured classroom had made significant positive gains in use of symbols in play (p &lt; 0.05) and semantic language (p &lt; 0.05). At follow-up, there were significant differences between schools in elaborate play (p &lt; 0.000), semantic language (p &lt; 0.000), narrative language (p &lt; 0.01) and social connection (p &lt; 0.01), with children in the play-based curriculum school having significantly higher scores in play, narrative language and language and lower scores in social disconnection.Implications: Children from low SES areas begin school at risk of failure as skills in play, language and social skills are delayed. The school experience increases children&rsquo;s skills, with children in the play-based curriculum showing significant improvements in all areas assessed. It is argued that a play-based curriculum meets children&rsquo;s developmental and learning needs more effectively. More research is needed to replicate these results.<br /