Perks and Products of Virtual Schools

This week, we had a speaker come in and talk to us about Wisconsin Virtual Schools. He talked about all the benefits of on-line schooling and how it can be especially beneficial for children who may have a disability. He gave us examples such as a child who may have autism and have a hard time concentrating in the classroom or may be effected by distractions such as the florescent lights, buzzing of an air conditioner or noises of other students around them. Virtual schools allow a child to work in their own home setting and at whatever time of the day is most beneficial for them. Virtual schools also target your individual needs and let you work at a more personalized pace.

After his presentation, each group was given a child’s IEP to read and review. Once we learned about the child and their needs and interests, we then developed our own plan for five different therapeutic interventions we may use to help them. My group’s student was a fourth grade boy and working with his interests and needs, we said a few strategies we may use are to get him involved in boy scouts for an opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors, build a model car and set deadlines and goals for himself to work on time management, and try cooking and following recipes to work on math skills in measuring and sensory stimulation with different textures of ingredients. By the end of class, we tied together how virtual schools can be beneficial and a good option for students, especially those who may have a disability, and how IEPs help target specific needs and goals for each student. A therapeutic recreation specialist could learn from these methods and also use IEPs for more personalized intervention strategies to help create a positive outcome for the student.