Online vs. In-person Lessons, Which is Better?

During the Covid pandemic, a lot of lessons have been cancelled or moved online.  With the passing of the pandemic, many lessons are still moving online because parents and schools find that these lessons have certain advantages over in-person ones. One major advantage is that online lessons can still proceed under adverse weather conditions (typhoons) and even mild sickness while in-person lessons have to be postponed.

But online lessons do have their share of disadvantages.  For example, some parents complained that when their children were having online lessons, some of them are playing with video games or listening to music and not paying attention.  With these pros and cons in mind, I don’t think there is an absolute case for one type of lesson or the other.  Rather, it is the suitability or fit to the student that is most relevant.  That is, there is no one-size-fits-all format.

To be clear, online lessons are not for everybody.  Although in-person classroom lessons have been around for hundreds of years, it does not fit all students’ learning needs either.  In order for online lessons to be effective for the student, I think we need to look at the following factors:

<1> Self-discipline.  Most teachers would agree that it is very difficult to enforce discipline in a classroom with many students.  Online lessons are even worse in that aspect.  It is almost impossible to enforce any kind of discipline in online lessons.  The teacher would be busy writing or explaining on the whiteboard while the students may be doing something else.  The worst part is that the teacher cannot even see them at the corner of their eyes.  Some parents suggest that the teacher can turn on the cameras and observe what the students are doing at the same time.  This is definitely a waste of time, for both students and teacher.  As a start, online lessons do not work well for primary schools students, in which self-discipline is not yet established.  That is why during the Covid pandemic, primary students” learning suffered the most.  From middle or secondary school onwards, self-discipline is generally more developed, making online lessons feasible for the majority of students.

<2> Self-motivation.  Another factor that can enhance online learning success is whether the student is self-motivated.  If the students know what they want to achieve and are willing to put in the time and effort to get what they want, online lessons can be just as good as in-person lessons.  Most of my students have demonstrated these 2 qualities and they have been able to achieve what they want through online lessons.  None of them have complained that online lessons are not effective.  Some of them may be skeptical at the very beginning, but after a few lessons, they become convinced that online lessons can work just as well for them.

<3> Interactivity.  We all know that interactivity improves learning outcomes and online lessons have lower interactivity between the students and the teachers than in-person lessons.  That is a fact of life.  We cannot deny this.  But all parents should also ask themselves this question: Are the students interacting adequately with their teachers during their in-person lessons in school?  The answer may be a resounding NO.  Therefore, even in-person lessons can have low to no interactivity, because of teaching style and the sheer size of the class.  Online classes can be effective one-on-one if the teacher engages the student interactively.   This is what I found out after many years of teaching online since the pandemic.  Therefore, for online lessons, I would only recommend it for private tuition and not for classes.

To summarize, online private lessons do not work for everyone.  They work for students who are more self-disciplined and self-motivated, in a one-on-one setting.  That is why all of my lessons now are online private lessons and not group classes.

AI (Copilot) Summary:

Online lessons have gained popularity due to their advantages, such as continuity during adverse conditions, but they also present challenges like maintaining student attention. The effectiveness of online versus in-person lessons depends on individual student needs, particularly self-discipline and motivation.

• Self-discipline is crucial: Online lessons require a level of self-discipline that younger students may lack, making them less effective for primary school students.

• Self-motivation enhances success: Students who are self-motivated and know their goals can thrive in online learning environments, often achieving their objectives effectively.

• Interactivity varies: While online lessons may have less interactivity, the level of engagement can be similar to in-person lessons, especially in one-on-one settings. Thus, online private tuition is recommended over group classes