Things Every Parent Should Know About Online Tutoring

The pandemic has pushed plenty of students to adapt to a full online class setup. Since most students attend school at home now, parents can monitor their children closer when it comes to their actual classes and education. 

However, this new setup has brought new challenges, especially since many parents are not that familiar with online learning. Students also experience challenges due to the drastic changes in their learning setup, environment, and practices.

This is where online tutoring comes in. Online tutoring involves a one-to-one approach to teaching. While it can be intensive, most parents are concerned with the implications of online tutoring on their children’s academic performance, well-being, and social skills. 

Here are what every parent should know about online tutoring:

Maintaining a Schedule Helps a Lot

Just like the traditional school setup, having your child follow a schedule helps a lot in learning. A schedule helps them keep the learning pace effective. It’s better when you let your child create his/her own schedule while you supervise and provide feedback. Negotiate with your child’s tutor regarding the schedule and meet them halfway. This lets your child personalize and feel more involved with their learning experience. 

Provide a Designated Study Space

Having a designated study space is crucial for your child’s online tutoring. A dedicated workspace will help them get into the learning zone. Their study space should not be distracting, with enough space to accommodate their learning practices. Make sure that there’s minimal noise with comfortable seating and a desk of the right height. 

In addition, setting up the right study space will help establish a productive mindset for your child. It’s also important for them to have physical boundaries between studying and leisure time since they’re studying at home.

Grades and Study Habits

Helping your child establish good study habits is very important. While grades may be a good measure of your child’s performance, their study habits will affect their present and future learning experiences. Children should learn the importance of exerting effort and patience into studying. Lessons are initially easier but will eventually require more effort as the student moves to a higher grade or year.

Familiarize Yourself with the Learning Platform

Dealing with technology can be daunting for some parents. It’s important to learn how to navigate the learning platform’s website to help your children with his/her learning process. By doing so, you can check the resources and monitor your child’s activities and progress. Many platforms also give guides to parents and guardians. Take the time to check them to maximize your understanding of your child’s learning process.

Keep in Touch with the Tutor

Now that the learning process is online, it’s important that parents know their child’s tutor. You can request a weekly check-in with the tutor to know about the expectations and progress of your child. 

You can also take this as the opportunity to thank them or ask for clarifications about particular matters that you’re concerned with. Ask them about the challenges that your child is encountering and what you can do as a parent to help them overcome these challenges.

Let Your Child Make Mistakes and Explore 

Now that parents can closely monitor their child's education, it can be tempting to supervise them constantly. However, it is important to foster independence in your child’s learning. Allow them to handle deadlines and requirements by themselves at most times. It’s important for them to realize the punctuality and hard work needed to reap the rewards and progress.

By letting them figure out things and make mistakes, they will better understand what they are learning. Let them learn critical thinking and decision-making. Developing these skills is not only necessary for education but for life as well. Grades may be of importance to your child’s progress, but the main goal of education is for your child to learn and apply his own knowledge confidently and independently.

It’s Different From the School’s Online Setup

While many schools are conducted online as well, online tutoring is still a different approach. Online tutoring is a one-on-one approach. It’s a more intensive and personalized learning style that will differ from one kid to another. Your child may experience lesser socialization with kids his/her group age, which is important to keep in mind.

It’s Not Always Expensive

Online tutoring is commonly perceived to be for the rich only. While it always comes with a price, it’s not always expensive. However, it’s important to remember that online tutoring is a personalized approach that will cater to your child’s learning style and capabilities. In addition, online tutoring is supposed to lessen the burden on the child while helping them perform better academically.

Find a Good Tutor

Finding a reliable tutor is crucial in making sure that your child’s education is optimized. Many factors should be considered to choose the most compatible one for your child:

• Choice of platform
• Tutor’s experience and qualifications
• Subject expertise
• Teaching skills
• Availability and schedule’s flexibility
• Your child’s comfortability with the tutor
• Quality of communication
• Expected output from the student/your child
• Most online platforms have their own review rating system for the tutors. You can also use the reviews/testimony section in making your decision.

Check Their Progress and Feedback

It’s important to be involved with your child’s learning progress. While independence should be fostered, knowing your child’s performance is important as well. Learning platforms commonly have a record of your child’s outputs and scores. It is important to know the learning gaps and challenges of your child to help them better.

Final Words

To sum it up, online tutoring for your kid presents many benefits for his/her learning. It may take a certain amount of preparation, like setting up the workspace and knowing the platform, but the outcome will outweigh the price. If you’re still deciding about online tutoring for your child, you can always give it a try for your child to see what works for them.