Harnessing the pedagogical power of art for learning about occupation in an entry-to-practice neurorehabilitation occupational therapy course

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Art can be a transformative pedagogical tool for teaching occupation. Research on arts-based pedagogies to teach occupation within educational programs is emergent and remains limited. Objectives To explore the use of art created by people with acquired brain injury to develop understandings of the lived experiences and occupational impacts of acquired brain injury for graduate students in an entry-to-practice occupational therapy graduate program. Methods First, development of the arts-based pedagogical tool was undertaken through an online review to select works of art that reflected acquired brain injury experience as depicted by people with lived experience. These art pieces were then used to develop a class that facilitated learning of the occupational impacts of acquired brain injury in an entry-to-practice occupational therapy graduate program. A descriptive qualitative approach was then used to explore the learning experiences of five graduate students who participated in a focus group. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to understand the data. Findings Art facilitated transformative learning experiences for students and was described by three themes: (1) captivating the learner, (2) “whole ‘nother layer”, and (3) inviting exploration and expansion. Conclusions Arts-based pedagogy holds potential to be an enriching teaching and learning tool for critically reflexive engagement, awareness, and deep understanding of the lived experiences and occupational impacts experienced by individuals with acquired brain injury.