LA POLÍTICA QUE UNE

Occupational therapy is a practice-based profession, which utilises occupation as the method and the intended outcome of intervention (Crabtree, 1998). To achieve this, occupational therapists employ practical skills to manipulate and adapt occupation for use as therapeutic media (HCPC, 2013). As an HCPC registered Occupational Therapist,

competent in practice skills, it was a natural process for me to develop a teaching tool that is both practical and interactive. This approach to teaching reflects the underpinning philosophy of occupational therapy, which is based on the premise of learning through doing (Breines, 2004) (section 7.3.1).

The creation of the teaching tool was in response to my need to improve education of pre- registration occupational therapy students about the concept of occupation. My aim was to enhance my teaching practice and thus better develop students’ knowledge and

understanding of the concept of occupation. My knowledge, experience and reflections on prior teaching of the concept of occupation in occupational therapy education culminated in 2008 in my creation of an occupation focused teaching tool. Following the teaching tool’s creation, only I used it within my teaching.

Review of contemporary definitions of occupation enabled my identification of a growing understanding of what occupation does and what it can provide to individuals and societies (Pierce, 2001; Abrahams, 2008; Reed, Hocking & Smythe, 2010; Twinley, 2013). However, I recognised that most definitions focused on the function and influence of occupation; that defining purely what occupation is has remained challenging to the profession. Having reviewed multiple definitions of occupation, I identified one definition that provided me

with a more comprehensive explanation of the concept of occupation. Furthermore, the definition did not focus on occupation’s function or influence. Rather it provided insight into what occupation essentially is. This definition stated that occupation is

“a dynamic relationship among an occupational form, a person with a unique

developmental structure, subjective meanings and purposes, and a resulting occupational performance.” (Nelson and Jepson-Thomas, 2003, p. 90).

However, the authors acknowledged the definition as abstract and requiring further

explanation (Nelson and Jepson-Thomas, 2003). In acknowledgement of the complex nature of the concept and in response to the identification that the definition is abstract and

required further explanation, I created a teaching tool (Figure 4). No other occupation focused teaching tools of this type has been identified through literature, conference, professional bodies or occupational therapy networks.

Figure 4: Photographs of the occupation teaching tool

The idea for the teaching tool came about through my reading of the work of Breines (2004) in addition to that of Nelson and Jepson-Thomas (2003). Breines (2004) discussed the concept of occupation and the potential benefits of being able to unpack concepts that are recognised as complex.

In consideration of my chosen definition, it was identified in the literature (Nelson and Jepson-Thomas, 2003) that there were internal concepts embedded within the overarching concept of occupation that required expansion; occupational form, personal with a unique developmental structure and subjective meanings and values. Furthermore, within each of these internal concepts, there were further items of which students needed to gain

knowledge and understanding. Thus, it was indicated in the literature that within the concept of occupation there existed a large number of internal components (Nelson & Jepson-Thomas, 2003). Each component interrelating to each other, and only when brought together could occupation emerge (Figure 4). Hence, I began to extend and expand upon the initial components Nelson and Jepson-Thomas (2003) had identified.

One of the core skills of an occupational therapist is the ability to analyse activities (Creek, 2010). This procedure requires the identification of all the physical, psychological, social, culture, environmental and spiritual components that exist within activities that people do (HCPC, 2013). Drawing on the published explanation of the concept (Nelson and Jepson- Thomas, 2003) and using my professional knowledge, I created a list of all the initial components of occupation. I then categorised each component under the corresponding internal concepts (occupational form, person and their unique developmental structure, subjective meaning and purpose) (Figure 5).

In creating the teaching tool my intent was to be able to show students the concept of occupation rather than merely explaining it, as I had done previously. Hence, the teaching tool was created to provide a visual representation of an abstract concept in a physical form to aid students learning (Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989). I aimed to employ the tool to transform the written and verbal explanations into physical form (Figure 4).The concept of occupation and all its components could be physically unpacked, visually examined and actively engaged with. Detailed explanation of the process by which the teaching tool is utilised in my practice and replicated in Phase I of this research is presented in section 4.1.1.

Figure 5: Diagrammatic Representation of the Content of the Teaching Tool

Occupation

Occupational Form Person with Unique

Developmental Structure

Subjective Meaning & Values Physical Dimensions Sociocultural Dimensions Physiological Psychological Clothing Equipment Physical environment Temperature Temporal aspects Relative positions Physical presence of others Distances Lighting Textures Colours Sounds Sizes Shapes Weights Norms Roles Rules Symbols Typical Uses Typical variations Language rules Subculture Culture Family Society Community Local influences National influences Global influences Bones Joints Muscles Upper limb Lower limb Biomechanics Proprioception Range of Movement Centre of balance Brain Central nervous system Peripheral nervous system Organs Nerves Skin Traits Social learning Life stages Cognition Memory Language Motivation Perception Socialisation Self-esteem Self – Confidence Self- actualisation Being Belonging Spirituality Purpose Friendship Love Belonging Caring Satisfaction Confidence Achievement Self-expression Self-esteem Challenge Reward Self- actualisation Motivation Identity

The three internal concepts of occupational form, person with a unique developmental structure and subjective meanings and values (Nelson and Jepson-Thomas, 2003) are represented as boxes contained within the large box that represents occupation (Figure 4).

The box of occupational form houses two further boxes, one for physical dimensions and one for sociocultural dimensions. Inside each of these boxes there are fifteen wooden blocks. Each wooden block represents an internal component that is part of occupation. The box representing the person and their unique developmental structure also houses two further internal boxes. One box represents a person’s physiological dimensions whilst the second represents a person’s psychological dimensions. Each of these boxes also house fifteen wooden blocks. The third box represents the subjective meanings and values of an individual. This box has no internal boxes but does contain twenty wooden blocks. Fifteen of these blocks are labelled, each with a subjective meaning of value that an individual may attribute to things they do. The remaining five block are left blank. An individual can attribute alternative meanings to these blocks if the meaning they identify is not already represented. As a result, the teaching tool consists of a total of eighty-one internal components (represented by wooden blocks) housed within eight boxes of varying sizes. Therefore, all the internal concepts and components that together create the concept of occupation are brought together in one large box that can be unpacked, explained and explored (Figure 4).

A key aspect of occupation is that all the internal components are interrelated and interdependent. Therefore, it was necessary to illustrate this with the teaching tool. Following investigation of potentially suitable building blocks I identified that the oblong shape of the blocks used in the game of ‘Jenga®’ facilitated the representation of each

component being interdependent on the other. Each oblong shaped block represents one internal component of occupation. During the teaching of the concept of occupation, as each internal component (block) is shown to students and a verbal explanation given, the blocks are placed adjacent to and on top of each other in the same pattern as the game of ‘Jenga®’. Thus, as occupation is unpacked, and each internal concept and component is explained, a tower of interrelated and interdependent blocks is constructed. This provides students with a visual representation of all the internal components, as well as their interdependency (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Photographs of the Tower Constructed to Represent Occupation

Since the commencement of data collection, one modification has been made to the

teaching tool. This was the inclusion of five unlabelled blocks that are housed in the box that represents subjective meanings and values. The inclusion of unlabelled blocks provides opportunity for an individual to name a form of subjective meaning they attach to an occupation that is not already represented in the teaching tool. Change was instigated by discussion with student-participants of this research and is discussed in Section 9.2.3.3.1.

In employing the wooden blocks for the design of the teaching tool it is noted that the game of Jenga® is a protected product. The name Jenga® is a registered trademark; the original

graphics are copyright protected; and the operation method is patented, i.e. how the game is played (www.answers.com/Q/Does_Jenga_have_a_copyright_or_patent , 2015; 2019). Whilst it is acknowledged that the teaching tool utilises oblong shaped blocks, and the actions during teaching culminate in the construction of a tower in the same pattern as Jenga®, the teaching tool does not use the tradename. The graphics on each block are unique to the teaching tool, either created by me or terms sourced from published

literature. The tool is used solely for teaching purposes and not in any form of game. Thus, the teaching tool does not use the tradename, the original graphics or the method of operation of the game Jenga®.