30 Oct

Online Learning for Ex-Pat Families

Posted by Emma Kincaid in University and College Reviews | Tags :Expat, Expat Families |

What options are available for expat children with special needs looking to attend international schools?  As educational consultant Carrie Lupoli discovered, options are limited.  Lupoli, along with others, created Live and Learn, a special needs consultancy and assessment firm focusing on diverse concepts such as inclusionary education and therapeutic assistance.

Live and Learn connected with K¹² International Academy to create an individualized program for these children where they can receive one-to-one facilitation and socialization opportunities such as break/lunch times, morning meeting activities and drama/PE classes, to name a few. According to Lupoli, founder of Live and Learn,  ”each child gets incredible attention and support, alongside a focus on independence and skill building.“

In a recent article, Online learning for expat kids: A better option?, Carrie shares some of the key reasons she thinks online learning may very well exceed the quality of instruction offered in brick and mortar, mainstream international schools.

International schools are selective. Mainstream international schools often have discriminating admissions standards for children with learning concerns. The online program solves this issue because nearly all children gain admission. If siblings attend other schools, the online program can accommodate any holiday schedule.

International schools offer limited learning support. Let’s face it. Even for those children admitted to international schools, very few can consistently plan, deliver and maintain a model of individualized programming that is at acceptable and appropriate levels. With online schooling (facilitated by trained learning coaches in our learning center) student needs, learning styles, behavioral trends and motivators are regularly accounted for.

International schools have minimal differentiated practices. Although international schools can boast cultural diversity, very few of them cater to diverse learning styles. Differentiated instruction is critical in heterogeneous classrooms. However, as we have seen, these techniques do not seem to be implemented as often or comprehensively as necessary. The supported online learning model we have developed over the past couple of years with K¹² has afforded a unique opportunity to truly differentiate for each and every child according to her academic, social and emotional needs. Individualized programs are developed for the child as opposed to fitting a child into a school’s “one size fits all” curriculum. One-to-one facilitation allows for individualized learning, yet with more than a dozen children working on their own K¹² programs in our center, we can implement social skills activities: common break/lunch times, morning meeting activities and drama/PE classes, to name a few.

Expats are transient. Students often move from country to country, forcing them to start the process of admissions, advocacy and programming over again in each new international school community. By taking advantage of the mobile aspect of K¹², the child can complete the curriculum from anywhere, thus reducing the transitional challenges associated with moving with a child with learning needs.

The “learning support” label is removed. Unfortunately for students in the international school world, if a child requires assistance in school, this label follows him, making it a continual challenge to be accepted and accommodated in each new location. Because K¹² is an accredited international school there is no label associated with enrolling in such a program. Students aren’t identified with the “learning support” tag in their transcripts and are in fact able to prove just how successful they can be when taught in ways they learn best.

To read more about Carrie and Live and Learn, visit Live and Learn Asia.

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