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Welcome to the show notes for Episode 170 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.
Discover the transformative power of nature in the classroom with this episode of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast! Join host Jayson Davies as he chats with Alex Thompson, an experienced occupational therapist and former teacher, who has devoted her career to blending nature with school-based OT practices. Learn how Alex empowers teachers and students by redesigning classrooms, creating sensory-friendly environments, and fostering self-regulation through the innovative use of outdoor and nature-inspired strategies. Don’t miss the chance to reimagine classroom design with nature as your guide!
Listen now to learn the following objectives:
Learners will recognize…the significance of collaborating with teachers and students to create learning environments (via classroom makeovers or modifications) that address the diverse sensory, emotional, and learning needs of all students.
Learners will identify the role of occupational therapy in classroom design and understand how incorporating nature and holistic approaches can improve self-regulation and learning outcomes in students.
Learners will associate that supporting teachers' self-regulation and wellness directly impacts the classroom atmosphere and student outcomes.
Guests Bio
Alex Thompson is an occupational therapist in British Columbia Canada. She is the founder of a charity that offers nature-based occupational therapy services to schools, local Parks and Recreation boards, community organizations, and private families amongst some of her clients. She has a background as an outdoor recreation educator and as an OT. 15 years ago she put together her love for nature and passion to make the outdoors accessible to all abilities.
In her work as a consultant for a variety of school districts in Canada, she has been able to bring the love and passion for nature and the outdoors to her occupational therapy practice to address referrals related to self-regulation, motor and executive function skills, mental health and trauma and even social skills. She provides school services through the RTI, response to intervention model of services.
Quotes
“The OT research shows that OT is effective, but we don't have to limit ourselves to just understanding the OT research. There's so much else out there that we can bring into our practice.”
-Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
“I love that occupational therapy is one of the few professions that the ethos of who we are has to do with seeing the human being as a holistic person.”
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
“The users of the room are your space directors. They are the ones who tell you what they want. And we as OTs, with our knowledge of the neurobiology of how the body works and what's best for learning and the senses, we give ideas and choices, and then they choose what they want.”
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
"If we can see the Earth and the planet more as a person or a being rather than an object, we have more empathy and more care towards it."
-Alex Thomson, OTR/L
Resources
Other Resources:
👉Nature-based Therapy Book
👉IG
Episode Transcript
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