Online learning is has become such a common phenomenon, thanks to the pandemic. It is a boon and a bane that this has become the new norm. Traditional classroom learning and one-to-one home tuition has its own unique benefits. With online learning, it is undeniable that the benefits of in person learning has vanished. In fact, there are new challenges that comes with online learning, which students need to cope up with.
Tuition agencies in Singapore are adapting to these new changes and new transformations are made in order to open up more for online teaching. Tutors take up online tuition assignments more often now as times have certainly changed!
So, here are the challenges of online learning and the ways in which they can be overcome!
Challenge no.1: Getting used to the changes
Students are more tech savvy than teachers and the prime reason for this is the generation gap. Students have had the exposure to technology ever since they were young; hence there is enough familiarity with how the online platform works. For teachers however, they may be comparatively less familiar with technology and online teaching would be that much more difficult for them to conduct.
Teachers need to catch up with these technological advancements and utilise them to the best of their ability while students need to be patient enough to give their tutors a chance to adapt to these drastic changes.
Students and teachers need to exercise patience to make sure this transition into online learning is a smooth one.
Challenge no.2: Technical problems
Conducting an online lesson is not all that simple. Tutors need to have the basic knowledge of how to set up their equipment and need to know how to make corrections to their system should something go wrong during the class. Technical difficulties can cause interruptions during lessons which makes it distracting.
Students can have a short attention span even classes where there is physical presence of a teacher. In an online class, this attention span would be much shorter and it would be much more challenging to stay attentive from the comfort of home.
So, what is a good way to overcome this problem?
Teachers need to put in some extra effort to learn about how they can utilise technology to their advantage to teach students effectively. Some equipment that would come in handy for an effective lesson are,
- A laptop with webcam
- Stable internet connection
- A graphic tablet
- Access to learning platforms like Zoom, Google Meet etc.
- A microphone (For quality sound)
This list may be a little excessive but it is a list that teachers can use to set up an online class which is of high quality.
Challenge no.3: A lack of motivation
Although learning from the comfort of home is convenient, a disadvantage that comes along with this is a lack of motivation. At home, there may be numerous distractions. From the urge to watch your favourite television show to wanting to grab a snack from the kitchen, everything becomes a distraction which reduces the effectiveness of the lesson.
Parents need to discipline their children at home and tutors need to emphasise the importance of having complete attention during class as well. A good way to keep students motivated is through interactive activities.
Tutors can arrange for online discussion sessions, presentations, online quizzes and so much more. All of this will break the mundanity of a lesson and keep things interesting. If topics are learnt through presentation by peers, the information is better encoded in one’s mind as opposed to the teacher rambling on and on about it!
BOTTOM LINE
Whether we like it or not, online learning is now the new mode of education and everyone is forced to adapt to it. Learning is a lot more fun when tutors are encouraging and interactive, and when students are active participants instead of limiting themselves to just being listeners. Whatever it may be, finding the silver lining in every situation depends on our actions and mindset!