There is no doubt that these last two years have been a tumultuous time for everyone. 

Travel hospitality and alcohol industries, as well as thousands of small businesses, have been severely affected.  The education sector in particular has undergone constant rescheduling in accordance with our changing lockdown levels. So much so that we are often uncertain whether our kids will even be at school the following week. This lack of structure and routine has been extremely difficult — and often stressful — for both parents and children alike. Many parents decided to incorporate tutoring into their children’s education, not only to provide academic help and support, but also to try and create structure in the child’s day. Of course, in some lockdown levels, face-to-face tutoring was not possible, and so a new market boomed: online tutoring.

Before COVID, online tutoring was mainly utilised by students and tutors who were separated by distance, be that continents, states, provinces, or simply cities. Online classes with a tutor who lives in the same city as the student was a relatively redundant service. Now it is one of the fastest growing markets. While there are, of course, loads of benefits to in-person interaction, particularly when considering it’s place in the educational field, there are also many benefits to online tutoring that are not available to face-to-face tutoring:

1. Convenience

The most obvious benefit to having online classes is the convenience of it. Lessons remain consistent despite changing lockdown regulations and can be easily fitted around the student’s schedule. Additionally, parents and tutors both save on travel time and petrol!

2. Tutors can use a variety of tools and resources

Gone are the days when you spent 20 minutes of your lesson waiting for your teacher to figure out why the slide projector isn’t working. Online, tutors can use a wide variety of resources and learning tools, such as graphs, visuals, videos, drawing and doodling, etc. Tutors can easily switch from text, to audio, to video and back. Not only does this make the lesson more interesting for the student, it also exposes them to a wider range of learning styles.

3. Lessons can be recorded

If a student is particularly struggling with something, they or the tutor can record their screens while they work through the problem or topic, including demonstrations, videos, drawings and explanations. The student can then use this recording if they need to outside of their classes, such as when they are studying or doing homework.

4. Exam prep

Online tutoring is particularly useful in helping to prepare students for the exam environment. While they may not have Google or their textbooks at their disposal in an exam setting, there will be one thing in common with their online classes: they will be sitting at a desk, alone. During the class, the tutor is not present in the room, but rather on the other side of the screen. While technically they are still there, the lack of physical presence encourages the student to confront the question or problem alone first, as they would in an exam. This can be helpful when the student has a tendency to rely on the tutor to solve the problem rather than tackle it themselves.

5. They are learning more than one skill

Other than improving their knowledge about a certain subject, online tutoring also improves other important skills: computer literacy, how to learn and work online, how to use online platforms, and how to connect with people who are not present. Education is gradually moving more and more towards online learning, and as such being competent in this style of learning and working is an invaluable skill for any student’s future.
Online tutoring is certainly a valuable resource and an excellent supplement to a student’s education. If you’d like to book online classes feel free to contact Maryke Jooste – maryke@masteringit.co.za or come and check out our website www.masteringit.co.za.