School: Olathe East
Class: Innovations in Education
Instructor: Shelley Staples
Client: Children’s Mercy Hospital
Problem: How do educators meet the social/emotional needs of all students?
What communication strategies (written and verbal) are effective when working with the diverse learner and other stakeholders?
Summary
In partnership with Children’s Mercy Hospital, students participated in “The Ally Project,” a service-learning initiative designed to support the social-emotional and educational needs of pediatric patients. Inspired by a former FEA member, Ally, who underwent treatment while in high school, the project evolved into a fully virtual format following COVID-related restrictions. Each student received a profile of a hospitalized child and designed a personalized set of lessons and interactive activities. These included virtual games like Kahoots, Breakout EDU rooms, “I Have Who Has,” and “I Spy.” The final deliverable was a comprehensive Google Doc resource containing links to all student-created materials, aimed at helping children learn, play, and feel seen during their hospital stay.
Takeaways
Students were exposed to a variety of technology tools (Magic Schools, Kahoot, Sway, Slides, and Breakout EDU) and then had to pair each project to a patient’s interest.
Advice
Make sure you give yourself time to make mistakes and adjust your project.
Standards/Learning Targets
- Benchmark 35.3: Identify content knowledge and instructional skills to construct standards-based educational outcomes.
- Benchmark 4.09: Demonstrate the use of professional resources and opportunities to improve knowledge and skills.