Remember when you used to complain that your kids spent too much time online? Now, they need to be enticed out of duvets, cupboards and other hiding holes to face the dreaded online lesson! Schools have been forced out of the physical classroom and into the virtual one. It’s received mixed reviews. Thirty tiny squares, some with heads, some blank with unrecognisable names make it hard to engage with the online classroom.
So, how do you as a proactive and caring parent keep you child motivated and learning in this new virtual reality? Well, a solution is most definitely 1:1 online tuition. Here at Aspire Tuition, the personalised learning makes the online experience totally different, accessible and engaging. Let’s look at what makes our online tuition for Maths, English and other key curriculum areas a winner.
Fighting Zoom Fatigue
Zoom fatigue isn’t the aftermath of a fairly vigorous session with Joe Wicks. It’s a recently recognised side effect of so much online time. We are literally becoming zoomed out and suffering with Zoom fatigue.
Who’d have thought that the online classroom would be more exhausting than the real one? After all we can ditch the uniform in favour of comfortable clothes and, let’s be honest, from the waist down this is often PJs and slippers. Students have fought long battles with uniform rules and now, devoid of any regulations on what to wear, kids are presented with new battle of constantly looking at themselves. For a self conscious teenager, this could be exceptionally demotivating. Here, at Aspire Tuition, we understand this. Whilst, we love to teach you face to face, even across a screen, we also understand the need to hide the self view or turn off the camera for a while. As our tuition is 1:1 it’s so much easier to recognise those needs and work with your child to make sure that the learning is effective.
Zoom in and zone out
Another symptom of Zoom fatigue is lack of real concentration. Online classes require so much more concentration than the conventional classroom. It’s very easy to Zoom in and zone out.
Wearing headphones makes the student attuned to all the noises around them. In a large class group, background noises can be distracting, frustrating and irritating. The noise level depends on so many external factors. Each student is now responsible for their work base and area and, sadly, not all homes have great facilities or work stations. It was rare to have a conventional lesson interrupted by a dog barking or a toddler sibling zoom bombing the online classroom. But in the virtual world anything can happen. School often insist on no audio and no image but this in itself can lead to a high level of stress. Suddenly, your child is faced by a blank wall of black squares with the occasional yellow hand icon waving desperately for some attention. It’s no wonder there’s been a plethora of Memes likening this scenario to a séance.
Here, at Aspire Tuition, we realise the absolute value of personal input and, with the luxury of 1:1 tuition we don’t need to maintain communication silence. We want your child to participate. All the activities we devise are meant to keep them engaged and proactive in their learning.
It’s not all Zoom and gloom!
Given all the negative press, you might be somewhat alarmed at a year plus of education lost. At Aspire Tuition, we are determined that this won’t happen. Our online learning is student centric, focussing on the best from this virtual experience. With careful planning, it can be done, in fact we’d argue that it can yield better results than face to face education. Here’s some of the ways we work to win with your child.
It’s all about collaborating with your child. We plan the online lessons with them firmly in mind. We talk to them about what they’ve been learning, what they’re struggling with and design sessions that focus on these aspects. For younger students, we talk the parents too, to focus on where we can have the greatest impact.
We give instant, immediate and personal feedback. Throughout the online lesson, there’s a constant level of involvement and encouragement. With encouraging responses, verbally or written in the live chat, the feedback is instantaneous. This is a tremendous motivator.
Multi media learning is something we use. We, here at Aspire Tuition, see online learning as the potential to be innovative in our delivery of education. We can add so much to our virtual classroom. The infinite knowledge of the internet is a simple click away and through it we can add a range of stimulating additions to our online lessons. Links are a simple click and share away and not just for us. Students can immediately research a concept, idea or maybe just a bit of trivia to enhance their learning experience.
Diversity is another one of our strengths. Whilst our online lessons are always planned meticulously, we also understand the need to be flexible. Sometimes, our students will arrive online literally flummoxed by their school lesson. With our wealth of knowledge and resources, we can offer immediate help and support to unravel the mystery of what has been happening in their school classroom. Schools don’t have this luxury of specialised 1:1 interaction. With large classes, questions have to be minimal and this is why so many students can become disengaged with the process. We aim to reinvigorate students with a desire to learn through enjoyable, stimulating and engaging online lessons.
Let’s zoom ahead, together! Contact us at Aspire Tuition to see how together, with affordable tuition fees, we can really make a difference to your child’s progress through effective online learning.