The education landscape has changed dramatically since March, with schools around the world moving their classrooms online. Many parents, students, and media outlets have reported that the transition has been...less than ideal.
Moving a traditional classroom to video conferencing platforms seems to have been more challenging than initially thought, which is understandable. New tools, techniques, and lessons will need to be explored before schools come back for the fall. But one thing that has transitioned fairly seamlessly from before-times is one-on-one tutoring.
We recently talked with several of our top tutors to get a handle on how remote tutoring was going and, to our delight, we found that it’s been all-around very similar. In fact, they’ve shared that it’s just as effective, if not more so.
Tutoring over video is so similar because it’s still one-on-one, the same setup and design as in-person tutoring. The many-to-one model of a classroom does not translate nearly as well over video platforms for a number of reasons. Students get distracted easily, teachers cannot necessarily see all students in their view, or there are unaddressed challenges in the student’s home-learning environment. With a personal, one-on-one setup, tutors are able to account for those weaknesses and help students get set up for academic success.
Plus, there is an executive functioning skill that arises organically when students are required to log on at a certain time to meet with their tutor. They show up ready to learn with less time being used at the top of the lesson for the tutor and student to get settled in.
Part of why we’ve been so confident in this transition to remote tutoring is that many of our tutors have worked with remote clients for years, especially boarding school students. Still, many parents may be wondering: how exactly does it work?
For most STEM subjects, we get a little creative. Some tutors draw on a tablet and share their screens, allowing students to annotate remotely, while others use a physical whiteboard and marker on their end, verbally working through problems and confirming answers. Think of a teacher using a blackboard and a single student who can easily jump to collaborate.
With humanities, shared online documents allow tutors to virtually work side-by-side with students, reviewing, suggesting, and correcting all in real-time.
Standardized test prep? Almost exactly the same. Test prep has often functioned as a process of independent student work own followed by sessions with their tutor to review. Whether sharing screens, collaborating on Google Docs, or reviewing Test Innovators practice tests together, the process is very nearly the same now.
In general, one unexpected positive of tutoring remotely is that students have to assume more ownership over note-taking and additional annotation. Our students are given more agency and that translates to more investment in their own learning.
Of course, not everything is as it was. Navigating behavioral issues and refocusing students can be a challenge when you’re not in the room. This is why working on executive functioning and having a supportive learning environment are particularly important right now.
There are challenges to tutor-student bonding as well, something which only occurs over extended periods of time spent working together. We’re still learning and improving on that front and we’ll report back when we have a larger body of experience matching new remote tutors to new remote students.
All-in-all, we’re encouraged by the first phase of full-time remote tutoring. Aided by past experiences and ever-evolving video tools, our tutors have found ways to continue building strong academic foundations and developing intellectual minds.
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Interested to see how we can help your student? Contact us today.
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Special thanks to Claire, Hemel, and Lori for their input on this Insight.
