Embodied Practice in our Special Education Needs-World

It’s good to be back for a new season and notice autumn arriving! Isn’t it incredibly difficult to get away from screens and allow time for play, reflection, rest and social connection. 

On a recent walk, I saw swallows, who will soon be leaving us for southern Africa, and I did some research on Atlantic Mackerel as I saw all these people fishing – turn out they are leaving too and going north – life is always on the move! 

In this episode I highlight the increase in special educational needs and disabilities in schools as well as social, emotional, mental health challenges for young people. I continue to reflect on embodied practice, for me this means our capacity to notice sensations and feelings in our bodies, which is not easy and how this can help us to be in relationship with each other.

I will be exploring some of my own (and maybe your) blind spots so that we can begin to address privilege and power and afford others more dignity and respect.

In this Episode Marina discusses:

• Becoming more awareness of lots of power dynamics and privilege
• Learning to be softer on myself and harder on the system
• Noting the rise in June 2024 Data for Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) and Social, Emotional, Mental health (SEMH):
• Exploring how power influences our lives and addressing our blind spots
• Recognising that what feels safe to me may not feel the same for others
• How can we be more regulated as adults and increase our bandwidth for expression of emotion before we tip into fight, freeze or dissociative behaviour.
• How empowered SEN schools can provide opportunities to engage in vocational learning involving practical embodied experiences that facilitate social interactions and bodies that move!
• Understanding how stress narrows our window of tolerance (Linked to Podcast: Behaviour is Communication).
• Welcoming multi-modes of working in a complex world.
• Practicing staying with the discomfort and trouble (Donna Haraway’s).
• Valuing diverse life experiences through a metabolic paradigm– everything is alive in its own way.
• Shifting from a screen-based childhoods to more play-based learning opportunities.

Show Notes:

https://theoutdoorteacher.com/podcasts/episode-42-embodied-practice-in-our-special-education-needs-world/

Music by Geoff Robb: www.geoffrobb.com

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