What’s All the Hype about Online Tutoring?

If your child is between the ages of 10 and 18, chances are you can’t get them to pull their noses out of some kind of electronic device – whether it’s a tablet, a laptop, or a cell phone. And just when it seems like they might never come up for air and communicate with you again, even education has moved online! So what’s a parent to do? Dive in and learn what you can about the options, pros and cons, and how to be sure your students stay engaged in the world around them.   So what is it? Online tutoring is a very broad term referring to any type of tutoring that takes place in a virtual or online environment where teachers and students are not meeting face-to-face. In a day and age where students are being introduced to technology sometimes before they learn to speak, it comes as no surprise that the education world, including tutoring, is also experiencing a shift online. Here are a few pros and cons to online tutoring.   Pros:

• Convenience – it eliminates the need for either the student or the tutor to travel anywhere to meet. This is especially helpful for families with hectic schedules, student athletes, or students who are homebound.
• Works well for last-minute cramming. Many face-to-face tutoring companies cannot offer tutoring for emergency, or on-demand scenarios that are unfortunately quite common for students to experience.
• Virtually around-the-clock support – this also makes online tutoring a good option for students with busy schedules, and night owls.

  Cons:

• Better for older students. Students have to have a working knowledge of computers and be familiar with common online tools like virtual chats, web cams, a white board, etc. It also requires more discipline to stay on task without a tutor being present in the same room.
• Better for certain subjects such as upper division science and math. More difficult to illustrate techniques for reading comprehension, reading fluency, and other language arts subjects.
• Requires both the student and the tutor to have a computer or laptop and a fast internet connection. Otherwise delays can cause frustration and confusion.

  So what are my options? Parents of most high school students have probably heard of the Khan Academy. It is a super popular web site offering basic instruction and academic help in a wide variety of subjects. In fact, many classroom teachers are encouraging students to go online first to learn a subject, and then bring back questions to the classroom the next day. This is an excellent first-level resource for students beginning their introduction to online tutoring.   For students wanting or needing one-on-one, direct instruction, it will be important to work with a qualified tutor so be sure to vet your tutor thoroughly. If you work with a national organization such as Club Z!, the tutor vetting is already handled so it adds peace of mind.   Parents should also be cautious not to assume that online tutoring will be less expensive than face-to-face tutoring as that’s not always the case. Be sure to ask about pricing up front so that all fees are explained before you sign with any tutor or company.   And last but not least, no matter how old your child is, know what they’re doing online at ALL times! Know who they’re chatting with, what they’re chatting about, and when they’re online. Most reputable online tutoring options will offer a digital recording of all tutoring sessions so that parents can track the session, see what strategies and topics were reviewed, and even see a copy of the discussion between the student and the tutor.   To find out more about Club Z!’s online programs, call 800-434-2582 today.