Is your child spending longer than usual doing homework? Like four or five hours instead of the usual one or two?
Could his grades be better considering all the hard work he’s putting in? Or maybe he’s suddenly falling behind in class?
These are all signs that your child needs help with homework. And most likely, a tutor.
Unlike centuries back, today learning from private tutors is not just restricted to the privileged. Nearly every student has at some point or the other, take the help of a tutor whether online or in-person. So don’t worry if you feel like your child needs one. You’re not alone.
A professional tutor can help with the areas your child is finding difficult or struggling with. It could be a subject, or two. Or a specific topic within a subject. As experts in their subjects, tutors can help fill the gaps in learning and bring your child up to speed.
Thankfully, with technology bringing the world closer, finding a great tutor today is as easy as reaching for your computer – no more than a click away.
And your child can take lessons from the comfort of home; or choose to go out and learn.
Let’s understand which one would be a better choice and why.
Also Read: How to be a successful private tutor
The difference between online tutoring and private tutoring
Online tutoring uses technology – the internet to be precise – to connect the teacher and student. Both sit before their computers or tablets and go through the lesson using screen sharing, whiteboards, emails or other similar tools. Just like a video call, it’s a virtual connection.
In-person tutoring, on the other hand, is the traditional form of tutoring, where both tutor and student sit face to face in the same room and go through the lesson. Resources used for teaching may vary from traditional books and handouts to the modern tablet.
Like everything else, both of these forms of learning have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look.
Advantages of online tutoring
- No travel time – Your child doesn’t have to travel to and from lessons, saving precious time, which can be productively used for other activities, or more studying.
- Learn any time of the day – Is your child a night bird who feels like studying at 9 pm? It may be hard to find a tutor who’ll visit you at that hour, but you’ll surely find one an online tutor who can teach your child.
- Learn anywhere in the world – All that’s needed is the internet. Going on holiday? Don’t let your child stress about the project that needs to be submitted once back at school. Just get him to log on and get connected for online tutoring, and it’ll get done.
- Getting picky – Since online tutoring doesn’t require the tutors to be within reachable distance, you can choose from a wide range of tutors from more or less all over the globe, and find one who perfectly meets your criteria. Like a native speaker who lives in France for your child’s french lessons.
- Saves time – Meeting in person invariably means time will be spent on settling at the desk and arranging things to get started. But if your child’s taking the lesson online, everything is already in place and he’s ready to get going immediately.
Disadvantages of online tutoring
While online tutoring has plenty of advantages, there are few shortcomings of the online method of learning:
- Total dependence on technology – Because learning is through the internet, online tutoring necessarily requires good connectivity and for your gadgets to be in perfect working condition. Like your browser needs to be up to date, the microphone and camera set with the right permissions and possible technical glitches need to be anticipated in advance.
- Proficiency with technology is a must – There are hundreds of ways to learn using technology and both the tutor and student need to be familiar and comfortable with the program they plan to use.
- The student may be easily distracted – Without a teacher by their side, students could easily be swayed away from studying the lesson. When teaching online, tutors have less control, especially over who or what is around the student.
Advantages of in-person tutoring
- Highly engaging – The best tutors build personal relationships with their students, and in-person tutoring is the best way to do it. A personal connection with the tutor will keep your child motivated to learn, resulting in improved performance and grades. Because we humans are social beings, even learning improves when it’s done with others and this is where in-person tutoring wins hands down.
- Very interactive – Learning in person is highly interactive and makes it much easier for the tutor to keep your child focused. High fives and smiles exchanged in person aren’t the same as those exchanged through a screen.
- Immediate corrections – When they’re sitting across the table, tutors can just look over at what the student is doing and correct mistakes immediately, rather than having to wait for them to finish and then go over the problem.
- Social development – In-person tutoring offers a great opportunity for your child to develop social skills. Things, like respecting personal space, making eye contact and learning or improving manners, are only possible face to face.
Disadvantages of in-person private tutoring
- Requires travel – There’s no getting away from this one. If one wants to meet a person face to face, well, one’s got to meet them. They can’t just log in and sit back wherever they are. So either your child or the tutor needs to travel to the place that’s been agreed on.
- Possibly higher costs – Because of the travel and other overhead costs, face to face tutoring could be more costly when compared to online tutoring.
Also Read: Why the Neighborhood Learning Model is Revolutionary
All in all, if your child is fond of technology and loves to use it to do his homework, then online tutoring would be a better choice for him. On the other hand, if your child is still very young, or the kind who likes more hands-on learning, then consider in-person tutoring.
Either way, at Talentnook, we’ve got you covered. Our top-quality teachers cover a range of areas of learning and deliver a quality experience that’s fun, and affordable.
We are currently providing private tutoring through online classes to help you continue learning from the safety of your home. So you can stay creative and keep learning something new while maintaining social distancing.