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Online Tutoring 101
What to Look For, What Works and What to Avoid
It’s been well over a year now since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Australian shores and coupled with the digitisation of our everyday lives, online learning is now the trusty go-to for students. Yet, research from Victoria University shows that just under two in five classroom teachers feel well prepared or very well prepared in how they use information technology for online teaching. Moreover, teachers are already strained with class sizes of up to 30 students which sees students receiving inadequate time for individualised support. It’s been described in the Australian Financial Review as an “educational crisis”.
So how can you help your child?
Online tuition provides students with the opportunity to address their specific learning needs in a smaller, more interpersonal environment than the classroom. Online tutoring sets up students to learn without disruption regardless of what is occurring in the external environment. However, not all online tutoring services are the same and the choice of provider can ultimately make all the difference to how your child learns.
Use our guide to online tutoring to work out if you’re provider is the right one for you and your child.
What to look for
MINIMUM STANDARDS AND TRAINING
In Australia, there is no specific requirement for tutors to have any qualifications so it is important to seek out a reputable company that sets high standards for the calibre of its tutors. At Dymocks Tutoring, all tutors have obtained a Band 6 in their relevant subject areas with ATARs above 93 as well as a training certificate which requires completion of a minimum of 20 hours work.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK
The other important element of going to a trusted provider is that all tutors should have a working with children check – this is not a requirement for tutors and can lead to dangerous online situations. Going to a trusted provider like Dymocks Tutoring ensures you know the tutor who works with your child has a Working with Children check.
RESOURCES AND NOTES MAPPED TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
The optimal provider of online tutoring aligns their program with the school syllabus and Australian Curriculum and will ensure that everything your child needs to learn is not only taught, but fully understood by every student.
At Dymocks Tutoring our resources and notes are written by academics, teachers and high achievers. Our resources are market leading. All lessons have resources, and lesson plans – which guide our teaching.
Be wary when looking for online tutors, that you aren’t just paying for glorified homework help where the tutor expects the student to provide the work. Using the Australian curriculum requirements as our starting point for all subjects means we can focus our tutoring support on areas that your child needs to do well in the classroom and see improvement. We make sure our students work through buildable progressions, not just single concepts.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AROUND TECHNOLOGY
Your online tutoring centre should expect that you have access to a stable internet connection, a web camera, and a working microphone at minimum to engage with online tutoring as well as a quiet space in the home to access the online class.
If you do not have access to these, your child will struggle to engage with an online class environment, making online learning appear difficult and boring, without the ability to engage with their classmates and the teacher. If you find your child is distracted or uncomfortable seeing themselves, you can hide their image and keep the rest of the class visible.
What works
LIVE FACE TO FACE CLASSES
Best practice in online tutoring begins with live tuition. This means checking that your online tutoring solution isn’t simply access to pre-recorded videos with a forum to ask questions later.
It is important that students are able to interact with their tutors in real time through face to face video so that they can ask questions whenever they need to and that your child is able to engage with the lesson rather than sitting through what one student described as ‘boring T.V’.
MULTIMODAL TUTORING
Multimodal tutoring – tutoring that incorporates direct spoken explanation and examples accompanied by written explanations and examples that encourage student interaction is the best way to learn online because it caters for the learning needs of all students.
Using multiple software solutions within a lesson also creates a stronger online community with students better able to interact and engage, not only with the tutor but with each other.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
As well as a webcam and microphone – students can benefit from having a stylus (digital pen) and tablet particularly in subjects such as maths where working is a manual process.
At Dymocks Tutoring, the focus is on students practicing questions to foster their own academic skills rather than just listening to lengthy explanations. In their small group classes, all students are provided with individual online workbooks where they can type or write (using a stylus) their answers to questions and have their tutor provide direct feedback in the same document, in the same way you would receive feedback in a face to face class.
Dymocks Tutoring also incorporates other forms of software including video content, live quizzes and digital whiteboards to keep classes engaging and interactive for all students.
What to avoid
PRE-RECORDED LECTURES
Recorded tutorials are a big NO when selecting an online tutoring program as they fail to cater to childrens’ individual needs. A study in the US students from Varsity Tutors found that students that used regular live online tutoring in a small group or one to one as opposed to accessing tutoring software or videos saw a 155% increase in students receiving A grades and a 94% decrease in students receiving a D grade or below. Engagement and interaction with a tutor was key to seeing change.
ANSWER BOTS AND FORUMS
Whilst these forums and chat bots can be helpful supplements to tutoring they shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for classes. Tutoring centres that rely on pre-recorded content and then provide chat bots or forums for when students get stuck should be avoided. If your tutoring involves watching a lecture and then joining a forum to ask questions – or watching a video and then completing homework in your own time, without tutor support or supervision chances are your child will be disengaged and struggle with those tougher concepts.
LARGE GROUPS
Similarly, large group classes are ineffective in creating the interpersonal environment parents seek for their children when opting for online tuition. Look for smaller class sizes so that lessons can be more effectively personlised to your child.
UNPREPARED TUTORS
Lesson preparation and resources is also a clear call out. No one wants to watch a tutor struggle to figure out the basics. When you’re paying for a service, you don’t want a lack-lustre job, especially when it comes to your child’s education. Look for tutoring businesses that provide resources, lesson plans and have given their tutors regular training on keeping students engaged online.
Expensive online tuition doesn’t guarantee improved performance in school grades so there is no point in breaking the bank for tutoring that may not improve your child’s marks. Look at what works, and the model of tutoring your online tutors provide.
The key questions to ask when looking for an online tutor:
- Do they allow you to test their tutoring with a trial period to make sure they are a good match for your child?
- Does your online tutor have a Working with Children Check?
- Does the company have minimum training and hiring requirements for their tutors?
Do they teach live small groups or one to one classes or are pre-recorded lectures? - Is the company reputable or are they a sole tutor without the support of a larger business?
- Do they have access to resources that are mapped to curriculum?
- Do they provide regular feedback to parents?
- How do they keep the students engaged in the lesson?
- Are they including practice in all the lessons?
What to keep in mind
Dymocks Tutoring’s affordable online tutoring is market-leading, using innovative software, intricately-developed programs and expertly trained tutors to maximise students’ marks. With a proven track record of success in NSW, the company has now commenced tutoring for students in Victoria.