Reflections on Tutoring over the 2020 -2021 Academic Year

This year, for the first time, I have been 100% online. I have been teaching maths and English Key Stage 3 and GCSE.  Some parents were reluctant to try online lessons at first but thought it was the only way to keep their children on track, so agreed to give it a go. However, as the lockdown measures persisted, and we continued with our weekly sessions, all (but one) settled into this new style of tuition. Now, most prefer it.

Personally, I have found online tuition to be much better. First, as neither the students nor the tutor has to travel, arrangements can be more flexible. Also, travelling is time consuming and can be quite stressful, depending on the time of day.

An online tutorial has all the interactive benefits of a face-to-face tutorial but with the bonus of both being able to interact on the same page. For mathematics I usual prepare a PowerPoint presentation with one problem on each slide; leaving plenty of white space for us to write our working out and solutions. Following each session, I will send the student revision exercises.

In an online session we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips and the potential for leaving a resource at home is eliminated. Another bonus is you can study in the comfort of your own home; this means you can have access to all your study notes and materials. Studying from the comfort of your own home is an added bonus, during the cold, dark and wet winter days.