Online tuition - why it's better!

Pre-covid, tuition was assumed to be face-to-face, either at a centre or in someone's home. It was the norm and I was comfortable in my ways. Then covid hit.

I will admit that I was reluctant to move to online tutoring. It was new, unconventional, unknown and scary! Just before the first lockdown I researched how this could possibly be done and found a website that had been recommended a lot. I then asked one of my more mature students to be my guinea pig to test it!

In our first try we hit a few bumps but we worked through it together. We then tried a few more tuition sessions via online and both loved it. Then the lockdown hit and I successfully moved 95% of my students across. We haven't looked back since!

Online tuition is more comfortable for the student as they can be in their 'safe place' and not have a visitor intrude into it, or not be in a make-shift classroom space. Students feeling comfortable is one of the most important things for successful tutoring outcomes - if the student isn't comfortable and happy with their tuition and tutor, they are not going to learn as well.

Whilst I encourage cameras on to help with engagement, I completely understand that students (and parents) like their privacy when it comes to their home so will never push. This means that if they wanted they can do their tuition in their pj's or at a (quiet) coffee shop etc!

We can do everything (and more) with online tuition than we could with face-to-face tuition. We have access to more resources, manipulatives, websites, videos as well as being able to upload documents and both write on the online 'book'.

Online tuition also means that there is more time available, as I won't be travelling between students homes, so there is more of an opportunity to fit it in around students activities, as well as my own and my children's!

I prefer online tutoring to the old face-to-face that I have done for so many years. I understand that it is not the right fix for some students (lower income so no/little internet or suitable device, SEND, anxiety etc) and I will still do face-to-face if that is the case, but I am finding that these are few are far between now.

Looking back, I don't know why I was so reluctant to move across to online, especially in our so tech heavy lifestyles now! My youngest tutees (primary school) have loved their tuition online and have taken to it a lot better than some of the older ones, and they have also found some extra cool features on the online 'books' that we use!