My favorite active learning model is that of service learning. Service learning is defined by the National Service Learning Association as "a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities." The picture on the left is of OT students working with young boys with developmental disabilities in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. I have taken OT students to the Ukraine to work with individuals with disabilities for the last 5 years and it is indeed a life changing experience for them. I want to try to find some ways to have my students share this experience and learn about international practice through e-learning.
Some of the families that we work with in Chernivtsi do have Internet access. Pawl's family is one that are fortunate to have this service. I decided that one way that I could offer some continuing service to families like Pawl's and provide students with some active and meaningful learning is to put these two components together. I have contacted three families that I know have Internet access and asked if they would be willing to work with me on this project. I'm fortunate to have a colleague in Ukraine that will help to coordinate the activities with the families. My colleague is not an OT but is very knowledgable about what we do and has worked with our program from it's inception. She will help the families video the children in various activities that we have identified as ongoing problems for each child. The students will view the videos and develop their recommendations for parent supported intervention. After these are reviewed finalized the students will be developing simple "lesson plans" for the parents. The students and the families will communicate initially by Internet with interpretation provided by my colleague. We are fortunate that, although students are unlikely to speak Russian or Ukraine, many of the Ukraine families have at least one member with some English. The students will need to be resourceful and find ways to enhance their intervention instruction with pictures and diagrams. They will have the advantage of being able to see the family interaction and to see the environment where the children are living and carrying out their activities. If this project works we will try to expand it to other families and to see what the possibilities are of a similar project with the orphanage where our boys with developmental disabilities live. They are very much in need of individual and ongoing intervention but may not have the resources to carry out this same model of intervention. I'm excited about this opportunity and I'm sure the students will enjoy the interaction and the challenge. This project will also help our program provide some additional international experience that is required for our continuing accreditation. Any ideas for making this project better or enhancing what we are trying to do will be very welcome.
Some of the families that we work with in Chernivtsi do have Internet access. Pawl's family is one that are fortunate to have this service. I decided that one way that I could offer some continuing service to families like Pawl's and provide students with some active and meaningful learning is to put these two components together. I have contacted three families that I know have Internet access and asked if they would be willing to work with me on this project. I'm fortunate to have a colleague in Ukraine that will help to coordinate the activities with the families. My colleague is not an OT but is very knowledgable about what we do and has worked with our program from it's inception. She will help the families video the children in various activities that we have identified as ongoing problems for each child. The students will view the videos and develop their recommendations for parent supported intervention. After these are reviewed finalized the students will be developing simple "lesson plans" for the parents. The students and the families will communicate initially by Internet with interpretation provided by my colleague. We are fortunate that, although students are unlikely to speak Russian or Ukraine, many of the Ukraine families have at least one member with some English. The students will need to be resourceful and find ways to enhance their intervention instruction with pictures and diagrams. They will have the advantage of being able to see the family interaction and to see the environment where the children are living and carrying out their activities. If this project works we will try to expand it to other families and to see what the possibilities are of a similar project with the orphanage where our boys with developmental disabilities live. They are very much in need of individual and ongoing intervention but may not have the resources to carry out this same model of intervention. I'm excited about this opportunity and I'm sure the students will enjoy the interaction and the challenge. This project will also help our program provide some additional international experience that is required for our continuing accreditation. Any ideas for making this project better or enhancing what we are trying to do will be very welcome.
