Virtual learning presents opportunities to innovate

Virtual learning presents opportunities to innovate Early this year, learning all over the world took an unexpected turn as students and teachers had to quickly shift to virtual learning. At The Village School, many students began to ideate on how to use their time and talents to make an impact. Seeing virtual learning as an opportunity rather than a drawback, the following students came up with incredible ideas, leveraging the virtual space for continued learning over the summer. 

Early this year, learning all over the world seemed to be disrupted as students and teachers had to quickly shift to virtual learning. At The Village School, many students began to ideate on how to use their time and talents to make an impact. Seeing virtual learning as an opportunity rather than a drawback, the following students came up with incredible ideas, leveraging the virtual space for continued learning over the summer. 

One group of Vikings created an online platform called Student Power that connects elementary and middle school students with Village high schoolers for virtual tutoring. The high school students first submit materials and are verified to tutor specific grade levels and subjects. Then, they set up a Calendly account with their available times. The user-friendly platform allows younger students and their families to sign up according to their grade level and desired subject areas, and connect with a tutor. 

 

The five Student Power founders, Juan, Emiliano, Dhruv, Danoush, and Marcos, expressed their excitement over the platform’s benefits to the whole Village community. They worked with administration to arrange for tutors to be awarded community service hours towards their graduation requirement, giving great incentive. They registered 43 student tutors before the platform’s launch in July, and have continued to successfully add and connect tutors and families since. These five Vikings take great pride in their platform, which they built from scratch putting careful thought into everything from branding to marketing, functionality and user experience.

 

Another Viking, Sanjana also had an interest in offering extracurricular learning over the summer. She started a Young Entrepreneur’s Camp, inviting third graders to learn more about entrepreneurship and harness their creativity over the summer. Sanjana designed everything from the course curriculum and lessons to a Virtual Pitch where the third grade parents joined a zoom event to see their children pitch a business idea. At the Virtual Pitch, there were musical intermissions and opportunities for parents to express their experience with the program. Guest judges from local companies chose a winner to receive a STEAM kit prize. The innovative third grade who won pitched an app that uses AI to help users find a specific lego piece to complete what they’re building. 

 

This innovative spirit is a unique attribute of Village students, ignited by peers, encouraged by families and nurtured by teachers. In a time where everyone seemed to be adjusting to virtual learning, it has been incredible to see students think outside the box in what innovative solutions they can create quickly for current circumstances.