As schools, parents, and teachers prepare for the upcoming school year, they face the difficult challenge of juggling health concerns amid Covid-19 with the educational welfare of children. While the debate on whether it’s safe to reopen schools in the fall rages on, some parents have taken matters into their own hands. Pandemic Pods or Learning Pods, where small groups of two-to-six children learn together in private settings, continue to grow in popularity as an alternative or supplement to their local school’s online classes.
Since opening in 2006, Mindfish has been the leading academic tutoring company in the local Denver and Boulder area. Led by two Stanford-grad founders, the Mindfish team of world-class tutors and education consultants can develop a home school or remote learning support program tailored to meet students’ learning goals. Backed by our mission to empower students to achieve their intellectual and academic potential, the Mindfish team strives to support learning pods as an alternative means of education or enrichment for Colorado students during these unprecedented times.
What are Learning Pods?
Learning pods have developed as an alternative or supplement to online learning, which many parents found did not work well for their students this past spring. Parents want their students to thrive, but the shift to remote learning sometimes resulted in disengaged students, unreasonable expectations for parents, and less student progress.
Sometimes called Distance Learning Pods, each pandemic pod is composed of roughly two-to-six children grouped by age and course material, who gather in a safe location to learn from a dedicated instructor. Alternatively, a micro-school is a broad term for small neighborhood schools that usually enroll fewer than ten children. In some pods, parents will co-supervise students during periods of remote learning. In other learning pods, parents pool together the costs needed to hire a full-time teacher to work directly with students.
What are the Different Types of Learning Pods?
Every student possesses a different set of needs, goals, and learning styles. As such, some students may not see success in a one-size-fits-all approach when forming learning pods. Distance/remote learning pods – sometimes referred to as micro-schools – support virtual instruction from schools or a homeschool curriculum of the parents’ choice. Parents might also consider combining learning pods and one-on-one remote tutoring as part of a hybrid pod package in which the student participates in some sessions with a larger learning pod group and also has some additional tutoring for a particular subject or learning difference on a one-on-one level.
How do Learning Pods Benefit Students?
Despite still being in its infant stage, learning pods can yield advantages. After months of quarantine, a lack of social interaction may put a child’s mental health at risk. So lonely students who have not seen their peers or teachers for months will enjoy returning to some level of normalcy through socialization opportunities in a safer setting.
Free from district budget constraints and overcrowded classrooms, teachers leading these learning pods can provide students with an enriching academic experience by dedicating extra time to each student. Students also have the time and space to dive deeper into compelling subjects.
Returning to traditional schools with restrictions still poses serious health concerns. At Mindfish, our expert team of distance learning tutors designed an alternative approach to classic schooling, which provides a learning environment that safeguards students and adults from potential exposure to Covid-19.