Curiosity is key when supporting students to be ready to learn in the school space

By JENNIFER GRANT

Why?

It’s such a commonly used question but one that Occupational Therapist and Mentor Danica Smith says is important to ask as part of a holistic team approach when it comes to supporting children in the classroom.

Danica says she uses it to be curious and inquisitive about children’s emotional responses, or task avoidance, to then build supports for them to participate in routines and be ready to learn.

For example, digging deeper into why a student may be running out of the classroom can provide rich information to support them to participate across the school day.

“Everything we do as humans is a behaviour,” Danica says.

“And because we are all human we can get caught up in responding to that behaviour in the moment rather than thinking about what is going on beneath the surface.

“Responses or management strategies traditionally put into place may be around rewards or repercussions for behaviours. And sometimes those things can be good in terms of teaching a child what is expected and not expected for that time or routine.

“But if there is something else that is making it hard for them to participate, and if they don't necessarily have the skills to carry out that task or demand, then those behaviours are going to keep happening and rewards or consequences may not lead to long-term change.

“This can be a very big missing piece of the puzzle.”

Danica says that’s where the support of a Noah’s Ark Occupational Therapist comes in, because it’s also about considering that a teacher has a whole class of students to work with.

“For example, one child’s dysregulation may be impacting on being able to carry out the rest of the class activities,” Danica says.

“It’s about digging deeper to what is actually leading up to this response.

“As just one example, the child may be finding it difficult to manage the noise in the classroom and that may be the thing that is leading to the child running out of the classroom.

“But if we are only addressing the running out of the classroom part then we are not able to support them to manage that noise the next time it comes up.

“That boundary and that expectation of staying in the classroom can still be there of course."

Other examples of areas where a child may require some support to participate include considering that a task is too difficult, too easy or not understanding what the instructions may be.

Difficulty staying seated, or paying attention to a task are some other reasons given which Danica says can be challenges faced in the classroom for children and teachers.

“It’s not because children want to be doing the wrong things but they may not be clear about what else they can do or are meant to be doing.

“Or they may need support with situations that pop up in the playground such as needing to use turn-taking skills. We can even seek a child’s voice here on what happened or what they felt at the time.”

But she says there is a vital question we need to also consider before we ask a child to explain what may have happened – are big emotions present?

“As children are starting to enter a heightened state they lose that capacity to process information and access their language skills,” Danica says.

“When they’re in a heightened state they’re not going to be able to provide us with information, or respond to our questions, or stop and think ‘this isn’t a good idea, perhaps I should do another task’.

“And this can also relate to their ability to ask for help – sometimes we can assume all children feel comfortable and confident to ask for help but maybe having to do that in a large group setting is too overwhelming for them.”

When it comes to what supports are needed for children to be ready to learn, Danica says there is no one-size-fits-all for any child, school, classroom or teacher, and that Occupational Therapy support in approaching this curiosity is crucial.

And that’s where Danica says collaborative planning, being curious and digging deeper together remains at the heart of how Noah’s Ark therapists work with schools.

“Don’t forget part of that is an all-important planning discussion that also includes how Noah’s Ark therapists can best communicate with teachers and schools in between sessions,” she says.

“This can ensure collaborative goal-setting and strategies but also, importantly, we are not encroaching on a teacher’s duties in the classroom while at the same time they are part of that session plan.”

To find out more about how Noah’s Ark allied health staff can collaborate with your school, visit our all new Schools and Students Supports page.