Online tutoring is increasingly being used to enable students to learn from experts. This includes targeted help to address any difficulties encountered in core subjects, and equally to extend and accelerate skills in mastery whether in Maths, English or 11+. It can also be used to offer essential support with homework.

However, until I actually started online tutoring, I was covertly quite cynical about its advantages.

For several years now, I have combined teaching as a mainstream teacher in a very busy, large and extremely mixed ability and age Year 5 and 6 class with working as a one-to-one online tutor for an array of Years 3 to 8 pupils. As a direct result of the breadth and depth of experience I have gained, I would like to share that all of my initial misgivings about online, remote tutoring have been overturned and in my professional opinion, this increasingly popular approach accelerates and deepens children’s learning in ways that are rarely possible in a traditional classroom contexts or indeed in small group face-to face tutoring courses.

Here are some of the main reasons why.

1. Convenience and Flexibility of scheduling

Online tutoring platforms offer tutoring sessions at times that fit with your schedule. With Athena Tutoring Services all timings are flexible. Students learn in the comfort, security and privacy of their own homes. This puts an unequivocal focus on learning rather than access logistics.
Equally

2. Elimination of unnecessary costs, time commitments

• Travel time and costs are completely eliminated – both for the tutor and the parent/carer.
• All geographical constraints are eliminated – you can access your online tutoring from literally anywhere – enabling access to very high quality tutors such as those at Athena.
• This built-in flexibility reduces so much stress in terms of you transporting your child to a lesson on time or a tutor driving to the lesson venue on time. As parents/carers you do not need to hang around of fill time until the session is finished.
• Equally just like your time is precious, so tutors charge for travel costs and times even if these are embedded in your set fees.
• ALL LESSONS ARE REMOTE and with Athena, all are RECORDED – thereby ensuring much better safeguarding, as well as fully accessible monitoring and quality purposes
  This makes it an effective way for parents who are busy with work and other commitments but still want their children to be well-educated.

3. Simply better learning – customised

Online tutors offer a far more personal learning experience than traditional classroom learning or small group tuition face to face courses. Athena’s Online tutors are expert at accelerating learning because they are so knowledgeable about relevant curriculum and syllabus, yet are dedicated to understanding each student’s precise needs and adept in tailoring lessons to their needs. We can also provide detailed feedback on learning and on assignments, which specifically enables every student to chart their progress, be clear about next steps and progressively improve their skill set.
In essence we provide a much more personal experience and make sure that we understand presenting needs, goals, and personality.

4. Focus definitely improves – Absolutely no distractions and no opportunities for teachers to turn a blind eye

In a one-to-one remote context, there is simply nowhere for the student to becomes distracted or wander off task without this being immediately picked up on by the tutor. Fully accepting that some pupils will need breaks building into the hour long sessions, this type of tutoring has been proven to progressively enhance focus and develop capabilities to concentrate on the task in hand. Where the student is feeling unsure, the tutor immediately steps in with supportive questioning, modelling and inputs. Equally, in large volatile classroom contexts, a teacher is trying to cater for so many diverse needs and behaviours all at once, and therefore inevitably targets his or her attention on certain pupils or small groups leaving others to fend for themselves, feel lost, copy from friends or simply get things wrong. These scenarios are simply not encountered in one to one online tuition: YOUR child has the exclusive and undivided tutor attention

5. No compromise from other pupils’ learning needs, pace

Many students that I have worked with as a one-to-one tutor had previously tried to access what was ostensibly similar learning in small group, face to face courses with a tutor. Again and again, both parents/carers and pupils switched to online one-to one as in small group sessions their learning was compromised by the needs of others even in a group of 4 to 6. Usually learning here goes at the pace of the slowest and least motivated: that child who simply announces that they “don’t get it” – and as within the classroom, awaits a tutor or teacher/teaching assistant to rush in.

6. Best tailor-made resources

For Face to face tutors, running set courses with predetermined sessional content appears to be the norm. Therefore, on week three pupils will study X and three levels of differentiated yet preprinted work will be made available.

One of the golden lights for me within my tutoring was the potential whilst running remote tutoring to have multiple levels of work and challenge open and ready to be used so that in each and every learning area we could fast forward or rewind and consolidate using THE BEST selection of carefully compiled resources to do this.

A face to face tutor would need to carry literally tons of resources to achieve this level of truly targeted, real time next step learning and challenge. Real time learning – fast forward or rewind with plentiful resources at fingertips for each and every lesson. This is a wonderful approach to be able to offer and maximises learning, engagement and success for pupils.

7. One to one – freedom from social and peer pressures

Within one-to-one remote tutoring students become freed up free social pressures to compete with others, even and especially when they are struggling. Here the focus s upon the pupil as an individual , his or her needs, past performance and sessional attainments and achievements. This per se makes online tutoring popular with students as they are free to be more honest when they encounter difficulties and can instantly ask for guidance rather than having to mask it in front of peers who may boast, jeer or similar.

8. NO SUPPLY TEACHERS

Particularly (but not exclusively) KS3 pupils ranted throughout my tutoring about the loss of learning encountered whenever supply teachers were used. Frequently they taught to the middle, did not understand pupils’ needs and struggled with behaviour management from start to finish.

10. No behavioural interference to learning(external matters overriding your child’s entitlement to learn)

As a highly experienced and time served class teacher, who was highly regarded in terms of abilities to actively create a calm and purposeful classroom environment, I would be being truly dishonest if I asserted that on occasions the behaviours of certain pupils over-rode the learning needs of the rest of the class. This troubled me enormously whilst a teacher. However, if someone is screaming, shouting, lashing out, sobbing, pushing tables over etc etc … this cannot just be ignored.

11. Children by default are learning how to use IT platforms and materials

Online tutors use platforms such as Zoom and Teams to teach. These embody many dynamic IT features. Equally, many external online applications and features are seamlessly integrated into the tutoring. A really pleasing by-product is students ever enhancing IT prowess and capabilities through ongoing use within the tutoring.

12. Immediate and ongoing feedback for pupils and parents

At Athena, if parents/carers wish and have time, they can sit in on all sessions. Otherwise post sessional feedback is always offered. Equally any questions, concerns that crop up between sessions can be immediately shared and addressed.

13. All sessions recorded for Safeguarding, quality and monitoring purposes

Both Zoom and Teams have a defacto record option for meeting organisers. Within the context of online tutoring this is invaluable for safeguarding, monitoring and if ever required, in-depth feedback.

14. Very simple IT requirements from parents

All you need to benefit fully from online tutoring is a Computer or laptop or even ipad (ideally with a keyboard) and an active, reliable Internet Connection.

With the advancement of technology, online tutors have become a popular choice for students. There is no need for any complicated equipment or software to work. Athena uses platforms such as Zoom and Teams. These are free, easy to use, incredibly versatile and full instructions and support are readily given. Once these simple requirements are fulfilled, tutors and students can readily connect and learning and guidance ensues in real time.

There is a growing body of academic evidence- based research that highlights children are indeed attaining higher, gaining better grades and accelerating their learning and achievements through regular use of online tutoring.

Online one to one tutoring offers the perfect way to give your child the best personalised learning experience and enable you to see and witness them actively learning in front of you whilst at home.