FAQs
Frequently asked questions
This section contains information grouped into four sections. Please scroll below to see answers to FAQs for each section. For any other information not specified on this page, please email us at support@dibsonlearning.com. Our policy is to respond to all emails within 36 hours.
- About Dibs on Learning
- Ordering, shipping and returns
- Connect with us
- Philanthropy
1. About Dibs on Learning
Q: What is the problem that Dibs on Learning is trying to solve?
Through Dibs on Learning, our intention is to take a small step in resolving two challenges related to enrichment learning at school and home.
Provide materials for enrichment learning to make effective use of student, teacher and parent time
Materials for instructors, teachers and parents to use with students for structured learning at school and home. Our complete ‘experiential’ learning kits are designed for after-school, before-school and summer programs. For pre-K to 8. Each kit comes with 10+ hours of enrichment, group and interactive learning. 10+ sessions of 45-75 mins each can be run flexibly. Each “group enrichment" kit serves 6 students whilst each “home enrichment” kit serves one student. Both kits come with detailed lesson plans, workbooks and all the materials required for activities. So, the teacher / instructor/ parent gets everything in the box and does not need to spend time or energy or additional money buying materials, finding interesting assignments or printing. Instead, the teachers/ parents can spend her/ his time doing what they do best - teaching!
This will help to make effective use of after-school to learn skills and knowledge that are relevant in the global world e.g. foreign cultures, events, geography, technology etc. Over 8 million students from Pre-K to high school attend after-school in the US spending upwards of ~3 billion hours every year as part of after-school program. Most of the such students do not receive any structured lessons or instruction during the after-school hours either at school or at home.
Structured learning designed on the principles of interactive and hands-on learning
Each kit is designed to introduce best-practice learning approach that integrates instruction, hands-on exercises, group interaction (where possible), gamification and collaboration amongst students. In addition to learning about core and enrichment topics, students develop confidence, interpersonal and problem solving skills. Teachers spend on average 5+ hours to prepare lessons on core topics. Since, not all teachers or parents have the experience or skills to develop experiential lesson plans that include interactive student exercises, group interaction and make learning fun for the students, we have lessons designed by experts in order to make the best content accessible to all.
Q: What is the “Learning triangle” or “Explore-Engage-Elevate” approach?
Academic research has shown that students have a higher short-term recall and better understanding of content through “active learning”, i.e. group interaction, student presentations, group learning and problem-solving situations. Studies in Europe show clear evidence of active learning approach resulting in 11% better short-term retention and 16% better long-term retention of content compared to students using standard instruction-based learning.
“Source: Montero et al 2008 research paper published on academia.edu - active learning to improve long term retention”
When students interact with other students and their parents, explain and discuss other perspectives, it leads to a better understanding of the material to be learned.
Our learning kits are designed based on our “Learning triangle” approach. This approach is built on the principle of active learning. We believe that in order for learning to be effective and fun, learning materials and instruction should be based on 3-step approach:
Step 1: Students ‘explore’ at their pace - they listen, discover and learn through multimedia formats. Our kits include individual student workbooks, detailed lesson plans, fact sheets and additional instructions to access sources for content on our website www.dibsonlearning.com. We post content, links, videos and feedback on our website for every kit.
Step 2: Students ‘engage’ via activities, projects and hands-on experiences, both indoors and outdoors, that facilitates shared learning. All workbook activities are aligned with the lesson plan and course structure, to reinforce the learning, every step of the way.
Step 3: Students ‘elevate’ to get a deeper understanding of the topic(s). They work in teams to collaborate, bounce off their opinions and share their work. They apply newly learned concepts to build their confidence and interpersonal skills.
Underlying all of this is the concept of “gamification” i.e. building in a layer of games for students to keep them motivated and drive a sense of achievement. In a larger group setting, gamification of group activities also helps to build a sense of belonging that improves the students ability to collaborate in teams.
There is also an award certificate at the end of student workbook to celebrate the successful completion of the course.
Q: Do your kits cover the core curriculum?
Our kits are age and grade-appropriate and are for supplemental enrichment i.e. they cover as well as go beyond ‘common core’. Some topics and concepts covered in common core may be included in order reinforce the learning. But for the most part, we are focused on enrichment learning - that goes beyond the common core and provides students with exposure to the world around.
We continue to design and develop more kits, so please keep coming back to see what additional topics are available or follow us through our Stay in touch section and stay informed. We would also like to hear from you which topics you’d like us to cover. Please send us an email at ideas@dibsonlearning.com
Some examples of kits coming soon:
Young entrepreneurs - Students will learn about core concepts related to starting a business i.e. Finance, product, pricing, location and promotion. They will create their own product, determine pricing, selling and promotion strategy, and learn about financing the business venture.
Cities of the world - part 1 - Students will learn about the famous cities of the world. They will gain insights into their culture, main attractions, people etc, thereby ingniting their travel and curiosity bug.
Scientists of the world - Insights into some of the world’s famous scientists who’ve ever lived. An insight into their inventions, contributions to our world and the applications based on their works around us today. Students will appreciate the impact that these scientists have had on our lives.
Q: What do you mean by “enrichment” topics?
Enrichment topics go beyond the core curriculum typically provided by schools. Through our enrichment-focused kits, students will gain an in-depth introduction to interesting topics that will help them to develop a higher level of thinking, creative problem solving skills and interest to pursue further exploration of such topics on their own.
We would also like to hear from you which enrichment topics you’d like us to cover; please send us an email at ideas@dibsonlearning.com
Q: What does the age-group guidance mentioned in your kit mean? If a kit says ages 6-10 years, does it mean that it cannot be used for my 11 or 5 year old children?
Each kit comes with a recommended use for an age group. This is based on the level of content, exercises and instructions in the kit and student workbooks. The age-group is a recommendation, as is the case for most other educational games and toys.
As a parent, you are the best judge whether you find the topic interesting and relevant for your child, and whether your child will be able to absorb the content, irrespective of the recommended age-group.
Our experience is that +/- 1 year above or below the recommended age group on the kit could still be relevant for your child.
2. Ordering, shipping and returns
Q: How many kits should I order? What is the difference between “Teacher pack” and “Student pack”?
Each “Teacher-pack” kit serves 6 students whilst each “Single pack” serves one student. Both the packs come with detailed lesson plans, workbooks and all the materials required for activities.
If your class size is more than 6 students, you will need to order multiple “Teacher packs”. Here’s how it works:
Say, you want to use the kit for a class of 6 or fewer students, you only need to order 1 Teacher pack.
Say, you have between 7 and 12 students, you will need to order 2 Teacher packs, and so on in multiples of 6.
If you are a parent, you can order one single kit for one child. Say, you want to use the materials for 2 children, please prder two single packs, and so on.
Send us an email at support@dibsonlearning.com for any questions.
Q: How many shipping days does it take from order to delivery?
Shipping to domestic locations in the US (Continental US, US Territories, Alaska and Hawaii) is FREE! The order is expected to be delivered in between 2-3 working days. We use USPS flat-rate shipping and we will provide a confirmation email when your order is shipped.
International shipping to all locations is charged at $40 per kit for Teacher pack and $30 per kit for Single pack, and delivered through USPS in 7-12 working days. All additional taxes, duties and related charges are the responsibility of the buyer.
Please see Shipping page for more information or send us an email at support@dibsonlearning.com for any questions.
Q: I have received my kit; How can I get more help on the topic and access to additional reference materials?
When you order a kit, you will continue to get support from us on how to use the kit with your students in order to ensure that learning is both effective and fun for all.
For every kit that we sell, we publish additional information on each topic on our website. Please see Teachers page on our website.
On that page, find and click on the kit that you’re looking for additional support. You will be able to see additional reference links, videos and content related to the topic. This content will also tie into the lesson plan included in your kit.
We regularly update this section and also post pictures and videos of teachers, parents and students that have used this kit and who want to share their best practice with others. We also post tips and tricks based on feedback from other teachers, parents and students on how to use the kit more effectively.
If you have anything to share about your experience in using the kit (e.g. student templates, student output, comments and feedback, tips and tricks, photos, short videos etc.), please email us at ideas@dibsonlearning.com so that we can post this material on our website for the benefit of other teachers.
When you submit the materials, we assume that we have your permission to host the materials on our website (with attribution and source reference) for the benefit of our site visitors.
Q: Do I need to register to place an order?
No- you do not need to register or login to place an order. You can check-out as guest when placing your order. We will request your email address and basic profile information in order to share the order tracking and related information.
Registration is optional. You can register using your email and your password. Your account will store password-protected information about your order history, and current order status. This information is saved between visits, and retrieved when you log in next time, saving you precious time to re-enter information during checkout.
Q: What is your return and refund policy?
We offer a no-hassle returns policy. You can return an unopened or un-used kit to us within 45 days for a full refund. Email us at returns@dibsonlearning.com with your request to return your order, and we will email you a shipping label with return address and return instructions. You may be liable to pay for return shipping.
When we receive your return, we will authorize a full refund.
We also offer returns on used kits as part of our “refurbish & donate” program for 10% refund of the original kit price or for 20% of original kit price as credit towards your next purchase with us. If you want to return your used kit within 1 year of your purchase, email us at returns@dibsonlearning.com to request a shipping label. When we receive your return we will either authorize a refund, if requested, or add credit to your account for your next purchase with us. You may be liable to pay for return shipping.
We will refurbish your used kit and give it to a school that cannot afford to buy the kit and is signed up for our “Right to Learn” program. For more information, see the Philanthropy page.
3. Connect with us
Q: I have ideas on topics you should cover. How can I share my thoughts with you?
We would love to hear from you with ideas and other suggestions. Please send us an email at ideas@dibsonlearning.com.
Q: I have ideas on how you can improve the existing kits?
We would love to hear from you with ideas and other suggestions. Please send us an email at ideas@dibsonlearning.com.
Q: I am an experienced teacher or a keen parent and would love to get involved in an advisory role to help you design kits and activities on other topics?
We would love to hear from you with ideas, suggestions and how we can explore working together. Please send us an email at ideas@dibsonlearning.com.
Q: How can I stay informed on news articles and new kits?
You can stay informed on new kits, revisions to existing kits and updates from teachers and students by following our blog on our website and by following us on social media. You can follow us on Twitter (@dibsonlearning) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/dibsonlearning). You can sign up by clicking on Stay in touch on our homepage.
4. Philanthropy
Q: What is your approach to philanthropy?
We run Philanthropy through our “Right to Learn” program. We believe that every school that is interested to introduce our kits to their children should be able to do so, whether or not they can afford to buy our kits. Here’s how our program works:
Schools that cannot afford to buy our new kits, but are interested in using the kits in their school, can fill out a simple form and sign up for our “Right to Learn” program based on simple qualifying criteria (please see Philanthropy page for details)
For every new kit that we sell, we put aside 5% of sale price into the “Right to Learn” fund
That fund is then used to supply new kits at no cost to the schools that have signed up for “Right to Learn” program
In addition, we also get returns of used kits from our customers as part of the “Refurbish and Donate” program. We refurbish the kits received from customers and supply these kits at no cost to the schools that have signed up for “Right to Learn” program
Q: How can I sign up for the “Right to Learn” program?
There is a simple criteria that your school should meet in order to be eligible for the “Right to Learn” program. Please start with filling out a simple form and we’ll be in touch with a decision. Please see Philanthropy page for link to the form. Once your school is added to the list, you will periodically receive new and refurbished kits that you can use in your School.