Loyola Moves Summer Program For Kids Online, Says Key To Virtual Learning Success Are 'Brain Breaks' And Quiet Workspace
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Loyola Clinical Centers have offered summer programs at Govans Elementary School and St. Mark School for many years now.
"Before the coronavirus, we were offering face-to-face services and then over the summer we would run enrichment programs or ready set programs," said Marissa Kleinman, clinical supervisor at Loyola Clinical Center.
"We were able to do a lot of movement activities, we were able to do some outside activities, so it was a very multisensory, very active learning experience," said Mary Lee Walls, clinical faculty at Loyola Clinical Center.
Like many summer school programs, Loyola Clinical Centers moved online in order to continue providing services for students in Baltimore. In order to do so, they made sure instructors and faculty were well equipped to make the sudden adjustment.
"All clinical faculty and graduate students were formally trained in tele-practice and we were all given HIPPA secure Zoom licenses," said Kleinman.
Instructors say having the training helped lay the foundation for graduate student clinicians to continue a wide variety of clinical experiences regardless of the limitations of COVID-19.
"We were given dynamic and interactive materials and platforms that we were able to use to keep the students motivated and engaged throughout the sessions and that has really been successful in moving our services from in-person to now an online setting," said Kleinman.
Like all of us, instructors had to adapt to the new norm and find unique ways to keep students engaged.
"So it's really just taking things that we do maybe in person like play a game to target whether it's articulation or following directions and then just putting it online so they can participate," said Kleinman.
Loyola Clinical Centers offered some tips for online success:
First, make sure your child has a quiet workspace environment. Also, include some brain breaks in between learning, whether its movement or doing something else for a few minutes to reset. Finally, set some expectations at the beginning of the course to help keep students engaged.
While many hear about the challenges and downfalls to online learning versus in-person, the feedback from parents and students has proven to be a success.
"I thought it was just awesome for the services to continue, even during the pandemic. So, we're completely grateful for it," said Madear Rheubottom, the parent of a student attending the Govans summer program.
For more information about Loyola Clinical Centers' summer programs, click here.
