Difference Between Online Tutoring And Online School

The Difference Between Online Tutoring And Online School

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 an online school and online tutoring have very little in common. Read on to find out more.

Teachers have done an 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 for 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.

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 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!

How they work

E-learning is a structured course or learning experience delivered electronically; it can also include performance support content. Many different materials can make up an e-learning program. These materials are either soft copy materials or/and video explanations of the lecture/class.

Online Tutoring involves using digital, interactive tools during live one-on-one sessions with a tutor, which focus on the specific learning needs of a student in a subject. Both students and tutors/teachers will communicate with each other on the same platform via audio, video, or/and an interactive whiteboard.

 How they work

E-learning is a structured course or learning experience delivered electronically; it can also include performance support content. Many different materials can make up an e-learning program. These materials are either soft copy materials or/and video explanations of the lecture/class.

Online Tutoring involves using digital, interactive tools during live one-on-one sessions with a tutor, which focus on the specific learning needs of a student in a subject. Both students and tutors/teachers will communicate with each other on the same platform via audio, video, or/and an interactive whiteboard

Communication with the teachers

E-Learning usually contains soft copy materials such as PowerPoint slides and/or Word Documents and/or pre-recorded video lectures. Some of the most popular ways for students to reach out to their teachers are e-mail, social media, and making an online appointment with them.

Online Tutoring: Instead of sitting through a pre-recorded video lecture, the lesson is conducted live. The tutor/teacher goes through the materials (eg. worksheets, test papers, homework from the student) and lives with the student. So that it is even easier for students to communicate with a private tutor.

Self-Discipline

Lack of self-discipline is one of the reasons why students sometimes give up on online courses. Many factors contribute to a lack of self-discipline, ranging from a noisy environment full of distractions to an unhealthy lifestyle that prioritizes comfort and a lack of clear purpose in life.

While a group online course can allow a student to hide in a “cyber-corner” of a class, live one-on-one sessions with a tutor hold students just accountable enough to do the required work, which serves to promote self-discipline.

To sum up, there are advantages and disadvantages to both online courses and online tutoring services and what a student chooses must ultimately depend on what they are seeking to gain.

Advantages of online tutoring

1.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.

2. 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 an online tutor who can teach your child.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

1. 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. 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.

Different kinds of online courses

There are various types of online courses, which include:

Flipped Courses: In a flipped course, lectures are pre-recorded and students are expected to study the teaching materials on their own time before attending an online class.

Web-based Courses: Web-based courses are characterized by limited interaction with teachers, as they are mostly self-paced and heavily rely on online teaching tools such as Blackboard and Moodle for teacher-student communication.

Peer Instruction Courses: A relatively new form of online learning, peer instruction courses mean materials are posted online and it is the students, rather than the teachers, who help each other learn by discussing taught concepts online.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): A MOOC is an online course designed for large-scale participation, mimicking a traditional university classroom. Lectures are delivered online and open to the public for attendance.

Hybrid Courses: In hybrid classes, face-to-face teaching is not eliminated, but a significant amount of the course material is available online on a Learning Management System (LMS).