Presentation on building blocks

DOING, BEING, BECOMING AND BELONGING

Building blocks

Building blocks:

This is an activity I observed while on placement at Hamilton North School.

I was present during one of the Occupational Therapy sessions with a student.

Building blocks:

The aim was to test a student’s ability to stack the blocks on top of each other like a tower.

The next activity was to test the student’s ability to copy the shapes and patterns that the Occupational Therapist built using wooden blocks.

The expectation was for the seven year old autistic student to be able to copy the shapes and patterns perfectly as well as stack at least twelve blocks.

Why I chose this activity:

This was part of the Occupational Therapists ‘standardised assessment’ that she carried out with each child at the school.

Building blocks is ‘play’ to children. It is what they consider their ‘meaningful occupations.’

Through play, children are subconsciously doing, being, becoming and belonging.

These concepts play a large role in a child’s developmental stage as they discover their meaningful occupations.

Terminology:

“The concept of doing includes purposeful, goal-oriented activities” (Hammell, 2004, p. 301).

Being can be defined as “existing, living, nature and essence... Being is about being true to ourselves, to our nature, to our essene, and to what is distinctive about us to bring to others as part of our relationship and to what we do” (Wilcock, 1998, p. 250).

Becoming is to visualize the possibilities of the future and explore what one would like to become over the course of a lifetime (Hammel, 2004).

Hammell describes the term ‘belonging’ as a “sense of being included” (2004, p. 302) and the necessity of mutual support, friendship and social interaction.

Building a tower:

Though the tower was wobbly, the student understood the instructions and was able to carry out this task with prompting.This image shows a child participating and doing this activity. In doing, he is engaging in meaningful occupation. (PLAY)

Copying patterns and shapes:

Giving instructions to build a tower

Copying patterns and shapes:

Following instructions

Copying patterns and shapes:

Successfully completed task of building a tower exactly like model

Copying patterns and shapes:

Giving instructions

Copying patterns and shapes:

Selecting appropriate blocks

Copying patterns and shapes:

Watching for instructions

Copying patterns and shapes:

Correcting choice of block colour

Copying patterns and shapes:

Watching for instructions

Copying patterns and shapes:

Repositioning block to emulate model shape/ pattern

Copying patterns and shapes:

Selecting appropriate block

Copying patterns and shapes:

Completing task by successfully copying model shape/pattern

Ethical considerations:

In preparing this PowerPoint, I had help from a friend who modelled as the student in this scenario. I made sure that I had her permission to make use of her hands for class purposes.

Ethical considerations:

In preparing this PowerPoint, I also made an effort to reference the work that I retrieved, whether it was from the internet (photos) or readings.

Ethical considerations:

In preparing this PowerPoint, I took the safety and privacy of the people in the photos into consideration and either blurred their faces or made sure they were not recognisable.

References:

AVOSANT. (n.d.). L.A. hand surgeon. Retrieved from http://www.lahandsurgeon.com/

Both hands and a flashlight. (2008, October 14). Building blocks, sequences, memory, and thoughts on thinking. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox &hs=E7V&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1301&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=qOqLauKuxWEFTM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/2008/10/14/building-blocks-sequences-memory-and-thoughts-on-thinking/&docid=F_YZ4lg4PalqhM&imgurl=http://www.bothhandsandaflashlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/blocks3.jpg&w=450&h=630&ei=QMlVT6iAHomWiQfC5tHSCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=112&vpy=106&dur=3&hovh=266&hovw=190&tx=133&ty=120&sig=106329315366145913349&page=2&tbnh=130&tbnw=93&start=19&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:19

Google search. (n.d.). Blurred faces. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=blurred%20faces&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=9-VVT8GvHIuhiQeY9sTZCA&biw=1301&bih=615&sei=_OVVT-_oELGOiAfF8azlCA

References:

Google search. (n.d.). Terminology. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=terminology&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=VedVT_f3Aee0iQfOttyBCQ&biw=1301&bih=615&sei=V-dVT-K4HbG5iAeep6X9CA

Hammell, K. W. (2004) Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71 (5), 296 – 305.

Istockphoto. (n.d.). Old play blocks. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1301&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=CxUD5c_L4yAlGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1229059-old-play-blocks.php&docid=V9AzELgy64g2eM&imgurl=http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/1229059/2/stock-photo-1229059-old-play-blocks.jpg&w=254&h=380&ei=UuNVT5CFJqa9iAf02oHYCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=110&vpy=208&dur=1770&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=82&ty=174&sig=106329315366145913349&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=82&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0

References:

Photography by Mark Stevenson. Photos used with permission.

Shutterstock. (n.d.). Preschool boy playing with blocks. Retrieved from http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-682807/stock-photo-preschool-boy-playing-with-blocks.html

Sophly laughing (sophy “softly” laughing). (2011, December 11). Play it forward. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://sophlylaughing.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/play-it-forward.html

University of Greenwich. (n.d.). Study skills: referencing. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&hs=dLs&sa=N&pwst=1&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1301&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=ANYGYahnA0OskM:&imgrefurl=http://www.gre.ac.uk/studyskills/referencing&docid=vdQY6FPHRvGxCM&imgurl=http://www.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/image/0010/227836/reference-list.jpg&w=300&h=225&ei=xOBVT_yKB-eQiAetqIDOCA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=258&sig=106329315366145913349&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=165&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0&tx=72&ty=12

Wilcock, A. A. (1998). Reflections on doing, being, becoming. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 248 – 256.

Worn through: apparel from an academic perspective. (2011, April 1). Teaching fashion: Getting them to read [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla