“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
–Plutarch
American schools are losing their credibility with higher fees, lack of expert educators, and larger classrooms. Globally the recognition of American schools and universities is slipping. As a consequence, private tutoring is finding more acceptability, and specifically, online tutoring.
Why is Online Tutoring Popular
Online tutoring has found increasing acceptance because it is a perfect match for the young competitive, technology-savvy, future global citizen.
The young generation leverage technology for almost all aspects of their life at school and home. Therefore, education delivered on the internet, with the flexibility and ease of virtual lessons anytime, anywhere, is an obvious medium of choice for the children.
The parents are also secure in the knowledge that while they are busy, the additional tutoring is delivered through the internet and not in a possibly risky situation at home. Their children are being groomed by experts to ace school tests and prepare for competitive admission exams to colleges through a medium they are familiar with.
This secure learning environment has found increasing acceptance as parents witness the result in the scores of their children. The tremendous cost-savings over commuting to a physical tutoring class or the effort saved on arranging a study area for a home tutor is an additional silver lining.
One of the biggest advantages of online tutoring for busy kids is its sheer flexibility. One can schedule classes for the evenings or weekends, around their school hours, music or baseball classes, and family time.
The Elements of a Good Online Tutor for Your Child
While there are many outfits that have mushroomed in response to the need for online tutoring, many struggles to deliver on the right tutoring content or approach. To be effective, the online tutoring providers should be:
Live! No recorded or animated topic can replace the benefit of having a live qualified tutor explain the concepts in depth to the student. Virtual one-on-one sessions where the students are free to clarify any concept at their own pace are critical to student success at school.
Quick and personalized feedback is another advantage of having a live tutor at hand.
Right instructional approach:
The online medium necessitates certain tweaks to the delivery of content, with adjustments for ‘class’ practice and worksheets. The content must be designed in such a way that the student can complete online interactive exercises that capture the concept in-depth. Worksheets further reinforce learning and help with the assessment of their progress.
Customized pace:
The greatest benefit the right tutoring service can offer you is a pace of study and work plan customized to the student’s capabilities and progress. In contrast to the classroom where the general study schedule is defined, in the tutoring sessions, one can spend more time on weaker concepts to reinforce them.
Technology leverage:
An effective online system is based on real-time audio and/or video sessions and thus the back-end must be robust. High-end technology helps deliver a smooth audio and video experience for disturbance-free sessions.
Experienced tutors:
And not the least – a qualified team of educators who are trained to deliver online learning specifically is critical to any online system. They are accessible between sessions on email or personal messaging systems too.
If one takes the effort of ensuring these basic specifications for a good online tutoring service, then the benefits that the student receives are many times greater than the investment.
Go ahead, schedule yourself or your child a free trial online session that most e-tutoring sites offer, and make the most of learning in the new age!
