Activities

What is to become of schools?

Today we are going to look at four important activities that come into account after  implementing blended or hybrid learning. The authors of Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools mention different activities in chapter two of their book. They state, “as content and instruction shift online, schools can focus more on activities that they have tried to do historically but all too often lacked in the time, space, and resources to do well (pp. 81).” I have ranked these four activities in the order I find most to least important for schools to focus on.

I have created my list based off of ones basic needs. 

1. Wraparound Services

2. Safe Care

3. Fun with Friends and Extracurricular Activities

4. Deeper Learning

Wraparound services are the most important components a school needs to invest in. This is the first and most important on my list because wraparound services take part in student’s basic needs. These services can include health services, free meals, counseling, and mentoring for students. All of these are also crucial to meet student health needs. If students come to class unhealthy, hungry, or bearing difficult exterior situations, they will have difficulties being able to complete the various tasks expected throughout the school day. Underprivileged kids cannot be overlooked, and need to be taken care of in schools when their needs aren’t being met at home. We cannot look to deeper learning if we do not provide students with a full stomach. On the other hand, we often think about these types of services for only low-income students, which they can be, but counseling and mentoring services are also beneficial to everyone. Students’ mental health is equally essential as their physical health. Some drawbacks of focusing on wraparound services can include lack of resources or professional help. In a school full of possible hundreds of student needs, it can be difficult to find the correct tools or resources to meet each and every individual, but meeting basic needs should be a priority.

Safe care is also important as it ties in with having basic needs met. Similarly to wraparound services, safe care should be high on a school’s priority list. If a student’s basic safety needs are not being met, it will be challenging for them to succeed. Horn and Saker (2015) mention Chicago’s schools failed food inspection due to various unsanitary reasons. These types of problems must not be overlooked. Safe care is crucial because it is the groundwork for all learning environments. You can provide students with all the resources they need, but it does not make sense if the environment is unsafe.

In addition to a safe learning environment, a school must make a fun and inviting environment by providing a fun place to be with friends and extracurricular activity options. This is third on my list because I believe social and environmental well being follows health and safety. Horn and Staker (2015) state that schools will be able to work on “clean and pleasing physical environments; eliminating bullying; foster knowledgeable citizens; and encourage good health and wellness (pp. 84). These types of activities allow students to express themselves and to be creative and innovative thinkers. Students can create their greatest memories and develop their passions through extracurricular activities. Much like a business markets its products and allows the customer to have a good experience, the same must be taken into account within the schools to allow student achievement and satisfaction.

Deeper learning is fourth on my list not because I don’t find it important, but I feel as though all student needs should be met before investing into even more ways to have students think deeper. The emergence of online in a school is already providing students with a more inventive and deeper learning experience. When schools invest in providing basic needs services for their students, deeper learning will already take place on top of them all. A teacher’s role is to provide a rich learning environment. With or without resources, teachers can creatively think of new ways to instill deep learning without necessarily buying new tools.

In conclusion, each of these four activities should be of importance in a school. However, I find that a school needs to invest in each student’s physical and mental needs before taking into account anything else. A school’s purpose is not only to provide a learning environment, but to take care of its students. Children spend most of their day within the school, so it needs to be a place where their basic needs are being met.

Works Cited:

Horn, Michael B. and Staker, Heather. (2015). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (1st ed.), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass