Since the outbreak of COVID-19, online education and homeschooling have become increasingly popular. We know this can put a lot of strain on parents and students alike, so our ‘twisted’ tutors are happy to offer online tutoring.
So, how does online tutoring actually work? This blog post will answer that question and more as we explore all the benefits of supplementing your child’s education with our online tutoring services.
What materials do I need to start online tutoring?
Getting started with online tutoring is easy! Your student will just need access to a device such as a desktop computer, a laptop, or an iPad. Even just a phone will work! From there, our tutors will give direction on which digital platform they will be working with.
How do I see and hear my tutor?
Your tutor will direct you to an online platform that allows for a connection with your child. Your online tutor will have a webcam and a microphone so you can see and hear them in real time. There will be a little window on the screen that shows your tutor’s face, creating a sense that they’re right there with you!
This ability to see and hear each other works in a way very similar to traditional face-to-face tutoring. It still allows for the intimate one-on-one experience our ‘twisted’ tutors are known for, and students are loving it.
When it comes to the different platforms available, many of our tutors are using Zoom. Zoom is a program created for conference calls, and many people are using it to work from home as well. You can sign up for a free account on Zoom’s website and start using it today.
Some of our tutors are also having great success with Google Meet. Google’s services are very similar to those of Zoom, so it’s just a matter of preference. Your online tutor will let you know which platform they’ll be using well in advance of the tutoring sessions.
From that point, your online tutor will provide a link to the online session your student will be participating in, and away they go!
How does my child see what the tutor is writing? Can my child write back?
Programs such as Zoom and Google Meet have online whiteboards. Just like real-life whiteboards, you can write on them and erase as much as you like! The online whiteboard will occupy most of the screen space, so your child can easily follow along.
With online tutoring, students and tutors can both see and contribute to the same whiteboard simultaneously. This makes it easy to highlight key points and answer specific questions in a way that is even more effective than in-person tutoring.
If your student has physical worksheets on hand, you can take pictures of them or scan them on a computer and send them to your online tutor. They can then both view the documents and write all over them just like usual.
Our online tutors are still able to incorporate all of the learning styles as well. Read/write and visual learners are accounted for with digital graphics and text. Kinesthetic learners will always have their hands in something by contributing to the whiteboard, and they can complete homework projects that use their hands-on skills. Auditory learners can teach the content back to their tutors and listen to memorization songs too.
How effective is a tutor actually going to be at tutoring math over a computer? It seems like a hard way to learn a complicated subject.
We have been offering online tutoring, almost exclusively for math, for three years, so we know it works!
From one of our math and science online tutors: “Since my students are both doing math-heavy science subjects, I’ve essentially just been tutoring math. I find it functions in a similar way to a classroom scenario, but the student is able to more easily and freely interact with the material since it’s right there in front of them. All explanations can be aided with drawings through our whiteboard function. Students can ask any clarifying questions right there in real time. A session can even be recorded! Overall, it’s at least as good as (if not better than) tutoring in person.”
From another of our math & English tutors: “When I was moving provinces, my in-person students still wanted to continue tutoring with me. I agreed to this and started online tutoring. We can screen share to work an equation out together. I found my students to be more focused, so the tutoring was more effective. When I moved back and could have been tutoring in person with these students again, the families and I chose to continue online tutoring instead!”
Why use online tutoring at all?
The schools are planning to provide resources for students to continue their education at home. However, we know it can be stressful trying to organize everything, especially with all of the worries regarding COVID-19.
Our tutors know the curriculum of every subject inside and out, and they can help relieve the strain of homeschooling. Online tutoring also gives students a routine to follow, and this helps immensely when trying to stay focused on learning.
The online schooling students are learning with is much less interactive than the experience they get in a classroom. This sort of transition can be difficult for students, and many kids are struggling. Online tutoring gives students the confidence they need to find success in their online courses.
Parents are raving about how the online tutoring sessions are giving their kids the much-needed social contact they’re missing as a result of isolation. Family time is great, but variety is the spice of life. Interacting with a wider variety of people is important for developing and maintaining good communication skills.
Here’s a direct quote from one of our students’ parents: “These online sessions are helping my child with social contact outside of the immediate family, a much-needed routine, and confidence that they can get through online schooling. Thank you!”
Here’s a video to demonstrate what online tutoring looks like:
Further questions
We know that COVID-19 has drastically changed people’s lives, so we’ve set up a FAQ page to help parents make sense of everything. This page will answer all of your questions about schooling in the near future as well as the best ways to tackle your to-do list. You can view the FAQ page here.
If you would like to continue learning about the many benefits of online tutoring, check out our online tutoring page for more information.
Contact us
Is there anything else you’d like to know about online tutoring and the current state of schools? Make sure to contact us. We’d love to hear your thoughts!
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