Is online tuition a waste of money?
The short answer is No.
The longer answer is that it depends. You could be wondering why your child seems distracted in front of the screen or why his school grades don’t seem to be improving even though he’s been attending the online classes. “Is my child using tuition time to play computer games?”or “Is he not paying attention because class is boring?” are some of the questions you may have.
Certainly, poor classroom management or having lessons that are not engaging could mean it is a lot harder for a student to focus. We are mindful of this and have developed effective methods to combat these issues.
There\’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than you might think! Here at English Mastery, we understand the legitimate concerns many Singaporean parents have. Let us explain just how effective online tuitions can be, especially when compared to face-to-face tuition, and a discussion on all the perks that come with it which just might help you decide if it is really online tuition that your child needs right now.
How English Mastery gets your child to focus in class
A common misconception is that with online tuition, your child will feel like they can do anything they like during tuition since teachers can’t monitor what they’re doing behind the screen. This may be true based on some of your past experiences but as with all modes of teaching, how the instructor engages students matters most – not just whether teaching is done in a physical or online setting.
We take great care to ensure that classes are an optimum size, between 4 and 8 students in a class, so that every child receives the attention and help needed. Classes are vibrant and full of discussion. There are games and quizzes. Students will be called on to participate- just like in any brick-and-mortar local tuition class. It is also common for students to be paired up and put into breakout rooms for oral practices. This provides them a good opportunity to learn through interaction with their peers- and all without other students’ conversations in the background to distract them!
Above all, we collect and mark each student’s weekly work in detail and return their work to them the following week. Through this process, students get regular and prompt feedback for their personal work, something that’s a key part of continual learning in a language.
From the teacher’s point of view, we get to understand how much our students are able to accurately apply strategies taught in class. Based on it, we can further instruct our students in the following lessons. This feedback system is very effective in helping us to monitor our students’ work and raise issues early if there are any.
The convenience of online learning
Singapore’s education system is notoriously stressful. On top of a packed curriculum, students are mandated to take on a CCA, meaning they’re at school from early in the day all the way to off or around 6pm in the evening. This might be something they have to juggle alongside remedial classes, classes outside of school (piano, dance etc.), keeping up with friends and family, and having personal time. Teenagers have a lot on their plate!
Luckily, with online tuition, your child saves on travelling time and is also less tired during the class. You can also tailor the home environment so it’s perfectly conducive- and comfortable- for your child to immerse himself in learning.
Are you taking advantage of it yet?
Online tuition is more than a trend… it’s here to stay
At the peak of the pandemic and particularly during the circuit breaker period, students turned to digital communication technologies in order to continue with their education. This intervention has perhaps allowed for the epiphany that online tuition is not the less effective, poor substitute for in-person tuition many may misconstrue it to be, but rather, a valuable and effective space for learning, full of its own advantages. Indeed, there must be a reason why online tuitions are not only persisting but thriving even after in-person tuitions are allowed again.
Don’t miss out this amazing mode of learning by letting any past negative experience shut you out. Be open and try out our lessons out.
Sign up today and have your child experience the benefits firsthand!
