Lessons Learned From a School-Based Fieldwork Project

During my Level IIB fieldwork experience in a school-based setting, I dedicated a portion of my time to creating and implementing a project focused on the accessibility of the school district’s playgrounds. Initially, the project was daunting. The school district where my fieldwork was located included more than 50 elementary schools. A major component of my project was to compare these playgrounds to those outside of the district.

Initially, I began my project using the Community Health Environment Checklist (CHEC) (Hendrix, 2021) for playgrounds to evaluate accessibility. After completing five evaluations, I knew that time was not on my side to gather all the necessary data. Additionally, security measures for school visitors made it difficult to gain access to the playgrounds for evaluation. The barriers that I encountered early in my fieldwork project pushed me to develop new skills to be successful. Through the process of creating and implementing a large-scale fieldwork project, I learned the importance of flexibility, open-mindedness, team collaboration, and effective communication—lessons I share here so others can avoid making similar mistakes if they find themselves in a similar situation.

Lesson 1: The Importance of Flexibility and Open-mindedness

To address the barriers I was facing, my fieldwork educators and I distributed an informal survey to other occupational therapists (OTs) in the school district to gather information about the accessibility of the playgrounds. Being flexible and open-minded with how I collected data (e.g., asking other team members vs. doing my own evaluations) opened new opportunities for collaboration, as well as for the analysis and presentation of the project. Organizing a wide variety of data required me to prioritize the most important information and to adapt my approach. Adjusting how I collected and organized data for my project strengthened my flexibility and problem-solving skills, which are essential to have as a future occupational therapist.

Lesson 2: The Power of Collaboration and Communication

After implementing the survey, I collaborated with several OTs and physical therapists (PTs) in the district to gather an even more representative sample of the playgrounds. During the presentation of my project to OT staff members, I facilitated a discussion of the findings to identify solutions for weighing the pros and cons of playground equipment—addressing sensory and safety needs and increasing accessibility without purchasing new equipment. Various OTs on the team walked away with new ideas to potentially implement in their schools in the future. Overall, this collaboration and communication allowed me to feel valued as an equal member of my fieldwork site’s team and made a positive impact on the success of our students.

Throughout this experience, I valued promoting conversations related to accessible playgrounds and their benefits to all students within the district. My biggest takeaways from my fieldwork project were the importance of flexibility, the power of collaboration, and the importance of ongoing communication in the school-based setting. Without these elements, collaboration with team members would have been limited, resulting in less data gathered and missed opportunities for collaborative problem-solving. As I move into my capstone experience next semester, I will apply these lessons and skills that I learned to support my continued growth as a future therapist.

References:

Hendrix, E. (2021). Development of the Community Health Environment Checklist for Playgrounds (CHEC-Playgrounds) [Capstone Project, Washington University School of Medicine Program in Occupational Therapy].

Cassidy Johnson is a 3rd year occupational therapy doctorate student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with the expected graduation date in May 2026. Cassidy has completed the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) traineeship. Cassidy’s occupational therapy interests include pediatrics, school-based practice, and NICU practice.