LEAP (Engage) workshop

LEAP - Language, Engage and Play: Building self-regulation through play.

This study is being undertaken by the University of Auckland in conjunction with AUT, Starship hospital, Manaiakalani schools and the Methodist Mission Southern.  The goals of the this undertaking is to enrich the Engage program.

Approximately 35 children have been assessed by Speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists. In addition to this all pupils in the classes selected for the study are rated on a behavioural survey by parents and teachers.  

The overall findings of these assessments found that at school entry some of our children had low oral language skills and weak understandings of sentence structure, relational concepts, and ability to categorise. 

 Fine motor control and balance were assessed as being areas which required extra attention to bring the students in line with NZ averages for their age.  

This also held true for assessments of working memory and impulse control.

These measures form the baseline for the study to assess the gains in Self-regulation made by use of specific Engage based games.

During this workshop, I was part of group of teachers and other study contributors who selected two games to focus on for the first two weeks.  We selected a behavioural game - Animal speeds, and cognitive focused game called -Object copy.  We discussed how we currently used the games in our classrooms and how we had adapted them to our unique teaching environments and class dynamics.  

The games were extended to include progressions from simple to complex, as the children come to understand and gain mastery of the games.  Eg increase number of animals.

Explicit teaching instructions were given across -Feeling, Thinking and Doing domains to assist teachers to make the most of the games.  We discussed the need to include feeling (focusing, reseting, calming) techniques within each of the cognitive and behavioural games as a way to transition in and out of other classroom activities.

Intentional Language progressions are listed which range from simple instructions to Adjectives verbs, to questions and categories.  Intentional Movement goals progress from simple balance tasks to dynamic movements whole body movements.  Intentional Self-regulation prompts range from simple wait, pause to emotional and zones of regulation discussions.

In my classroom we are starting this programme with the Animal speeds game which will be used at least once per day and will build on this with the copy me game.