Online tutoring
Why is online tutoring so popular?
Traditionally, one-to-one tutoring was in-person – usually at either the tutor’s or the student’s home. Then Covid came along and tutors had no choice but to teach online – and many liked it more than they thought they would.
Not only did tutors find they saved them travel time and costs, but they could teach anyone anywhere – with no geographical restrictions – and ultimately fit more tutoring in less time.
Parents found they benefited from the convenience too, as well as having more access to more tutors, regardless of where they were based – and often at a lower cost.
Many students took to it too. Not only did online learning become their new normal in the pandemic but many really liked the adaptive technology that, for example, provides real-time feedback and progress monitoring, as well as all allowing for a variety of digital study tools and resources.
Is online tutoring right for you?
The 50+ tutor agencies we review tell us online tutoring has been a hit with students of all ages except for those in the lowest age group who can struggle with maintaining concentration online. The youngest students tend to get more from in-person interaction and learn better in a physical learning environment.
SEN should be considered too. For some students, for example with ADHD, staying focused online for an entire tutoring session can be a tall order.
You should also be aware that online tutoring won’t give you the opportunity to build quite the same rapport with your tutor – and for some students, that can impact on their ability to learn. Put simply, some students simply feel more comfortable meeting in person.
What to consider
If you do decide to go for online tutoring, remember that caution is needed in relation to length of lessons, especially if the student has difficulty concentrating for extensive periods of time. Anything longer than an hour can be a tall order for anyone.
The format of lessons should be considered too, especially for longer lessons. Ask your tutor what technological gizmos they will be using and whether there will be a dedicated online space and a shared whiteboard that allow students and tutors to work on a document or a problem together.
It might sound obvious but online tutoring won’t be a sensible option unless both you – and the tutor – have a strong and stable internet connection at all times. Even then, there may be the odd technical difficulties, which all online students should expect.
It’s easy for parents to overlook the issue of safeguarding for online tutoring, but it is no less important to ensure any tutor is DBS checked and comes with references. Moreover, as students often feel most comfortable having their online tutorials from their bedrooms, we advise that the door is left open.
You may also want to enquire whether tutorials are recorded, both for safeguarding purposes and so that students can play them back in their own time.
Don’t get too focused on the techy side of things, though. Online tutorial success is also down to good, old fashioned planning to make sure everything runs like clockwork.
The death of traditional in-person tutoring?
We don’t think so. For now at least, having a real time, real life tutor in the room continues to be the gold standard option for many parents. But change is in the air. The rise of online tuition is bringing in families who wouldn’t previously have been able to access one-to-one tutoring and for the first time ever, online tuition is becoming the default option.
