Came across an interesting section in a 1989 article:

“In the last analysis, if we wish to evaluate the real worth of a teacher we must first and foremost observe their ability to learn, examine how they share of themselves and gauge their skill in facilitating democratic processes within individual learners and the group.”*

I strive to be competent in each of these areas, but without really reflecting on the concept that these areas are intertwined in the way they are presented here. It is definitely worthy of reflection. I would hope that anyone in a position of management would employ these skills as well.

*Barber, P., & Norman, I. (1989). Preparing teachers for the performance and evaluation of gaming-simulation in experiential learning climates. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 14, 146-151.

In an attempt to focus (LOL) I’m going to put more energy into developing some class-worthy games. I’ve reviewed the literature and there is actually more being done formally this decade. I believe it is quite viable for OTs to get more visible in this area, using both board-type games, and computer-assisted games (framegames such as Jeopardy which have ppt models available on the Web; and action mazes).

If anyone has suggestions or wants to participate, please join in.

The Annual Conference fulfilled its mission: education, networking, rejuvenation. I got to catch up with distant friends and connect with new people. Encountered some excellent speakers and intriguing ideas. (Not to say it was perfect, but, how much is?)

The major dilemma (that I have encountered my entire life) is that I have too many interests – children, families, mental health, education – and that does not lend itself to a cohesive research agenda. I think I need to just accept that I am a dabbler, not a focused depther (new word).  I really enjoy bringing people together to launch new collaborations.

March 2009 already…impossible.

Despite lots to read and even more to write, this weekend will be an escape into storytelling by renowned tellers at the Azalea Storytelling Festival in LaGrange, GA. Five sessions for a mere $35…cannot beat that…and the auditorium is comfortable. In addition, I’ll be escaping with a dear friend.

Keeping up the leisure side of being a balanced OT can be really delightful.

Time is moving by too quickly – it has been doing this for at least the past 3 years, maybe more…well actually probably the last 15 years as my sons are now 16 and I sure can’t remember how they got that old. I remember when time seemed to move more slowly (at least one example of it) – I was in college, assisting with directing a play and noticed that one crew member was wearing a pin that read “Kiss me, it’s my birthday” and I commented that her birthday had been yesterday, but it was actually the same day as when I had first seen the button. The day just seemed two days long.

But now the weeks fly by in what seems like 48 hours. The semester vanishes. And my children get older; although I do not  .

I suspect people have written about this phenomenon, but I haven’t looked that up (yet). If you have insights about this, feel free to comment.

*Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana… (recently learned this is from Groucho Marx)

Our newest class will arrive Monday for the beginning of Fall Semester. I will have them for two classes: Evidence Based Practice and Lifespan Development. I love teaching these subjects. My students tend not to be enthusiastic about anything to do with research – they are totally focused on becoming clinicians – although there is sometimes a rare student who has done research and intends to in the future. I wish all those beginning a new school year (or continuing a school year) the best of attention, concentration, and pleasure in the new learning.

I like wikis. I think we need some “Community of Practice” wikis in addition to our listserves, so I am building one for pediatrics called PedsOT  [pedsot.wikidot.com]. It is still under construction, but feel free to join and help build it.

If you like the idea, please feel free to start others in your practice area and to link them here.

This is a cross-post from Let’s do OT Research:

These are just a few non-OT journals I have accessed through my university, so I cannot vouch that each would be available to the “public”. You might try through PubMed, or if you have access to a university library…

Journal of Child and Family Studies “an international forum for topical issues pertaining to the mental well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. The journal translates the latest research results into practical applications for clinicians and healthcare practitioners, by addressing all facets of emotional disorders, including issues associated with identification, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention.”

Families, Systems, & Health an APA publication “is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal that publishes clinical research, training, and theoretical contributions in the areas of families and health, with particular focus on collaborative family healthcare.”

Child: Care, Health & Development “is an international, peer-reviewed journal which publishes papers dealing with all aspects of the health and development of children and young people. We publish quantitative and qualitative research papers relevant to people from all disciplines working in child health and child development. We aim to provide a forum for discussion of global child health issues and are happy to publish both primary research and systematic reviews.”

Topics in Early Childhood Special Education “Quarterly publication provides detals on childhood special education to program developers, advocates, researchers, & higher education faculty.”

I am amazed at the folks who blog regularly – I guess I do not have that much to say, or I am terrible at time management (at least somewhat) because it has been months since my last post. I have been writing; grading papers; creating assignments; a bit of vacationing…just busy.

I’ve also been collecting articles from a variety of sources and there are so many journals that we (OTs) should be writing for and so many topics we are highly skilled to be writing about that just the thought can be overwhelming…unless we band together with a plan for accomplishment! (and this is mainly from a pediatric point of view – I’m sure there is much more in other areas).

Who’s up for this?

As occupational therapists we need to get more of our knowledge formally out into the world. I just did a Google search for “sensory threshold” and was appalled at the sites that came up on top – nothing related to OT. Family.com was the second – a blog entry by a parent explaining the term. I appreciate families (I am a parent) yet I hope for resources that are reliable to have the most access to the general population.