Going into lockdown meant that, for so many, everything we did became digitized, and that was also true for us here at Tutor In A Box. From March 2020 we’ve been conducting all our lessons online, including our group sessions, 1-2-1 learning and our holiday live lessons.
It’s fair to say it’s not only our students who have learned new things over the past 18 months – we have too! But by switching to online learning, we’ve found so many benefits that we never anticipated. So, we want to share with you what we’ve learned since lockdown.
1. Online learning gives you more flexibility and time:
We know that as parents and carers you are incredibly busy looking after your kids and there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. Free time? Never heard of it. But something we perhaps under-appreciated before was how taking your child to their face-to-face tuition took up as much of your time, as it did theirs.
By switching to online learning, we’ve been able to remove the time it would have taken for you to travel to and from Tutor In A Box headquarters, as well as the waiting time too. Now you can finally get some of the illusive free time to relax, read a book, or even do the housework (the luxury) safe in the knowledge that your child is using their time just as productively, by engaging with their learning with one of our tutors.
2. Students are in a more relaxed environment, which can build confidence:
The classroom can be a very overwhelming environment for a lot of students. Whilst at Tutor In A Box we never make our learning places unwelcome or unfriendly (quite the opposite), there’s definitely a lot to be said for being somewhere as comfortable and familiar as your own home!
And even better, pyjamas are definitely on the dress code! Or, if you’re more of a loungewear person, trackies are also an option. At home, there’s no school uniform or strict dress code, so instead students can learn in what they feel comfortable in.
Being in a more relaxed environment also automatically removes the anticipation of going to an unfamiliar place, so students are more likely to engage with their learning and get involved with their English and Maths tuition. This is especially true for new and/or anxious students, for whom even the thought of going to a classroom is an overwhelming feeling. Instead, students can take comfort in the knowledge that they are in their safe place, without the pressure of being surrounded by people, something we’re all still getting used to after the events of last year.
By switching to online learning, we also want to encourage students to stop comparing themselves to others, which can cause confidence issues from very early on in the term, which can then lead to a vicious cycle of not wanting to learn, something we talked about in our previous blog.
As the University of Nottingham find, this is a problem for students of all ages! But this is also something that has been helped by online learning. For some, just being at home instead of in classrooms or lecture halls has meant that they feel more confident to ask questions. And here at Tutor In A Box there is no question too silly to ask – so anything that gets students asking questions and engaged with learning is a win!
3. We can provide even more services:
Pre-lockdown, we put all our eggs in the 1-2-1 and group tuition basket, but since we’ve adapted to online learning, we’ve found so many new, engaging ways of teaching, in fact, the possibilities are endless!
Going into lockdown has forced us to change our thinking and made us more creative as a result. Now we have a whole range of group classes, that we run online. We’ve also diversified into half-term teaching so that everyone can keep up to date with their learning during periods away from school.
And, of course, there’s our new pre-recorded videos! These are something we’re really proud of for so many reasons (forgive us while we fan over them). Not only are they accessible and can be watched anywhere (on long journeys, during the holidays, at childminders, the possibilities are endless!), but they’re not time bound, so students can watch them over and over again until they feel confident. They’re also a more affordable option, and more indirect for students who have social anxieties. If you’re interested in finding out more, visit our website.
We still run our 1-2-1 tuition of course, and something we’re very passionate about here at Tutor In A Box is that all of our learning remains fun! We still make all our learning interactive by using online games and virtual stickers. And, of course, our trusty whiteboard!
4. We can reach more students with online learning:
When Chief Maths Tutor and all-round superstar Sophie established Tutor In A Box, she had a vision that all students could pass their English and Maths GCSE first time. But until online learning came around, we’d only really been able to push for that with the students in our local area here in Warwickshire. Enter the amazing online learning! As The Portugal News points out, online learning means that we can now spread our message nationwide – and even internationally! In fact, Sophie has recently begun working with students in Hong Kong, who get the benefit of a native English speaker to help with their learning.
So from Lands End to John O’Groats, Cardiff to Cambridge, and everywhere in between, online learning means that now, wherever you are based, we can help you achieve your goals and improve your English and Maths skills. And we can’t wait to work with you!
5. We are still achieving the same high standards and amazing results:
Something we’re really proud of is being able to confidently say that online learning hasn’t affected the results we’re achieving. Thanks to the amazing feedback we get from some of the lovely parents of our students, we know we are still improving students’ English and Maths confidence and understanding, our main goal.
So if you’d like to benefit from online learning, contact us on 01926 942140 or email info@tutorinabox.co.uk