A common concern we hear from parents is that their child isn’t engaging with online schooling and isn’t learning as well as they do during in-person classes. So what makes online tutoring different? The reality is online school and online tutoring have very little in common! Read on to find out more.
Teachers have done an absolutely incredible job of converting their lessons and materials to a digital environment. Teachers have to adhere to a curriculum and have a given amount of material that needs to be covered each year, and this can be difficult for students who need extra time with a topic when the class is already moving on. The fact is that it’s already difficult enough for teachers to encompass the individual needs of every student in a physical classroom, and online group learning environments increase this challenge dramatically.
When we talk about what makes online tutoring different than online schooling, it’s helpful to keep in mind the most common concerns that arise for parents:
Not enough individual attention. This is a big concern for most parents, and it’s completely understandable. After all, it’s not hard to imagine how difficult it is for teachers to give individualized attention to a single student with a full class of other students also needing attention and support.
The instructional style isn’t “clicking.” This is another concern for parents as the transition to online learning has been more difficult on some students than others. As we’ve talked about on our blogs in the past, everyone has a different learning style in which they best retain information. A visual learner may have no problem with on-screen instructions, but a tactile/kinesthetic (hands-on) learner is not going to absorb the material nearly as well.
Feeling “in the dark.” We also hear from parents that they often feel out of the loop, so to speak. “I’m never really sure what he/she is working on…” is a common sentiment. In many cases, parents are unaware that their child is having academic difficulties until the report card comes in – and unfortunately, it is often too late at this point to make significant improvements before the school year ends.
At Tutor Doctor, we address all three of these primary concerns with our unique approach towards online tutoring. Here’s what makes online tutoring different:
1. It’s completely personalized. With online tutoring, your child is the center of attention. Tutors work entirely one-to-one with students, which addresses nearly all the drawbacks of a group learning environment. A student participating in online tutoring will receive undivided focus from the instructor, allowing them to direct the pacing of the session and ask questions as needed.
2. Instructional style. The individualized, one-to-one nature of online tutoring allows the instructional method to be tailored to the student’s individual learning style. Even hands-on learning is possible through the use of guided activities, which is especially helpful for younger students!
3. Staying up to date. At Tutor Doctor, parents are provided personalized reports after every tutoring session detailing what topics were covered, the student’s current progress, future lesson plans, and more. One-to-one tutors also provide regular follow-ups with both parents and teachers as well as check-in calls. In addition, sessions can also be recorded to allow students to revisit and review content on their own time!
- Tutor Doctor Tip: Another added benefit of online tutoring is the ability to customize a schedule around your own time frame! Tutors work outside the constraints of a regular school year, so there’s a lot more flexibility with online tutoring than online school.
