Belinda Jankowiak is an Occupational Therapist (OT), zealous child advocate, and founder of Project Classroom, where she supports educators to create classroom spaces that are soothing and meet the needs of all students and teachers. Belinda has worked alongside educators for over 20 years and shares the science behind the work in ways that are accessible and applicable for all. Megan and Belinda have been following each other's work for awhile and Megan was eager to dive into a conversation with Belinda after always wanting to learn more about regulation from the OT perspective.

In this episode, Belinda and Megan discuss the importance of classroom design to support the nervous systems of children, young people and educators, considering things like the noise levels and acoustics, and the visual stimulation of bright colours and classroom displays. Belinda shares some great tips for school leaders to consider, and ideas for teachers with minimal budgets to set up their classrooms. Belinda also shares the importances of incorporating movement into the school day and some strategies to regulate children and young people.

Belinda mentions the work of Dr Stuart Shanker on self-reg, which can be found here: https://self-reg.ca/

To learn more about Project Classroom and to get in touch with Belinda, you can access her work here: https://projectclassroom.com.au/

Belinda's LinkedIn is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-jankowiak-35a92855/

Project Classroom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectclassroomau?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Host: Megan Corcoran, Wagtail Institute, https://wagtailinstitute.com/

Wagtail Institute empowers schools and complex settings to become trauma-informed wellbeing communities of practice where everyone can thrive. We work alongside leaders, educators, and practitioners to respond to wellbeing challenges, enhance trauma-informed practice, and navigate pathways to healing.

The episode is brought to you by our sponsor, Teachers' Well. You can learn more about their work or purchase a compass journal here: https://www.teacherswell.com/

Music by Kabbilistic Village https://kabbalisticvillage.com/