Startup Offers Online Learning 'Pods'
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 02/09/21
A start-up has come
up with a structure for delivering online education to young learners
in small groups. DailiesPods
pulls together small "pods" of students in groups of four
to eight, divided by age bands (three to five years, five to nine and
nine to 14) in a format that the education technology company said
was conducive to peer engagement. Study focuses on math, reading and
writing, science and history.
The pods last an
hour to two and are tailored to each child's specific needs and use
project-based learning. During sessions, students receive a guiding
question and work together on research and development of a solution,
response or "artifact" to demonstrate their understanding
of the concepts.
Certified teachers
handle facilitation, planning and discussions. The company said
parents receive weekly progress reports to help them understand their
students' strengths and weaknesses.
"After speaking
to hundreds of parents and educators in the past few months, I can
say that neither parents nor teachers nor even school principals feel
confident in what's happening around them," said Founder, Manuel
Zamora, in a press release. "It's time that parents and
educators work together to provide a new future for education. We
want to empower them by creating tools that facilitate the power
shift."
Plans are priced
based on the number of classes a student attends each week, a bit
less than $20 per class hour. The cost starts at $150 per month for
two classes each week, $200 per month for three classes and $300 per
month for five classes.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.