From time to time, some parents and guardians appear to be a little hesitant towards online
learning for their children. In this week’s column, I will discuss the benefits and some common
misconceptions towards online learning. Firstly, I alleviate their concerns by offering a
free/no-obligation lesson so they can experience it first-hand without having to make any
commitments. I am proud to say that I’ve never had a client leave after availing of a trial lesson
as I am fully confident with the power of online learning.
Comfort and Safety of Your Own Home
One of the most obvious benefits of online learning is the ability to access their lesson from any
device anywhere. The ability to log on from home is time and cost-effective; no need to drive
and wait on your child, plus, you save on fuel costs. Some pupils who were on holiday have
even logged on from locations throughout the world as they were preparing for exams and didn’t
want to miss any vital lessons.
Full Transparency to Your Child’s Learning
Although I always advise that parents/guardians don’t sit beside their child during a lesson
(because they are likely to look for help before trying something), parents can be within earshot
to listen in on what topics are being covered and that their child is actively engaged. The ability
to drop in and out of a lesson will give you the confidence that your child is accessing top-quality
material delivered in a fun and professional manner.
Are you worried that your child will become easily distracted?
During my lessons, children simply don’t have the time to become distracted. Throughout the
lessons, I employ my turn-your-turn approach. This means that children are actively engaged
the whole time as I explain a topic or how to approach a question; following this, they have to
attempt a similar question or answer targeted questions to show understanding. I also employ a
range of strategies for active participation to stem boredom and increase concentration, such as
sending answers through the chat feature and drawing on my interactive whiteboard.
The most common trait in parents/guardians that I meet is that they tell me that their child lacks
confidence. Putting everything else aside, this is the single most important issue that I focus on.
Without confidence, nothing else can be achieved. There are numerous approaches that I take
to improve a child’s confidence. An example includes working with small groups of children with
similar abilities (maximum of four pupils) as this shows the child that other students also find
certain topics tricky, which also helps build a rapport. Building confidence is where the benefits
of online learning really come through. As previously mentioned, I will explain a topic and then
ask children to attempt certain questions. If a child gets a question wrong, I won’t alert everyone
in the group to this fact by singling the child out; however, through active questioning, I will ask
them to help me through a question by prompting them. On the flip side of this, if they get a
question correct, I will celebrate the fact by asking them to explain to everyone how they
answered the question. I am aware that in the first couple of lessons, a child may be hesitant to
tell me that they don’t understand certain questions. Firstly, I explain that it is always ok to ask
for help but if they don’t want to say it out loud, they can send me a private message ‘help’ and I
explain it to them without alerting the other children.
Information Technology Benefits
Online learning helps develop children’s IT skills which will undoubtedly be beneficial in school
or when they move on to gain employment. During lessons, I often get asked questions as to
where this button is or how to do something, so it is almost like an undercover IT lesson.
Additionally, if a child asks a question about something that I haven’t prepared for, all of my
resources are just one or two clicks away. Online learning also facilitates a quick and easy
transition from one class to another which allows me to offer longer class times for my pupils.
If you would like to book a free assessment and trial lesson, please feel free to contact me on the information below. Also, read through my five-star reviews on Facebook and Google to hear the testimonials of my clients/pupils.