Are Children Really Able To Learn In An Online Class?
Yes! Learning English Online!

With the advancement of technology, it was only a matter of time before different facets of life transitioned to using virtual tools. The onset of the pandemic only accelerated the usage of technology for educational purposes. While daunting for the less technologically inclined, children have a way of adjusting to new circumstances easily, which includes learning in a new online environment.

Before the pandemic, live online classes for kids was not favoured by many over physical lessons. Many preferred working in partnership with and learning from others, which a face-to-face in-person lesson provided for. Recorded lectures and the like tended to be used by learners who were more independent or needed to accommodate a flexible schedule. Moreover, some still feel that they are not getting proper education without that collaborative experience from physical lessons.

With evolving video conferencing and online educational tools, we are now able to host more interactive lessons where learners are encouraged to participate actively from the comfort of their own home. Utilising the tools at our disposal, we are able to ensure that they receive the same, if not better, levels of instruction as if they were to come for our physical lessons.

While some parents may be worried that their children would fall behind due to the new technology being introduced, it is easily remedied within a few lessons, as the younger generation are able to pick up new skills quickly. Growing up in an ever-changing world, they are more adaptable to disruptions they encounter and this translates to learning online as well. Indeed, this has been observed in our lessons where students become more proficient and comfortable with online tools as time goes on, a sense of familiarity and ease seen after about a month of lessons.

Here at Write Edge, we follow the same curriculum for our online lessons that we use in our centres, just adapted for virtual learning. Similar to our physical lessons, we keep to a small class size so that it is easier to manage and allows for personalised support to help each learner individually as much as possible. In addition, our lessons are conducted live with face-to-face discussions through a video conferencing platform, with real time feedback on their writing/work for the upper levels.

In order to further cement their understanding of the lesson, the online session will usually end with a fun interactive quiz. This helps us gauge whether students have fully understood the lessons, be it spelling, grammar or vocabulary, or even the different layouts and formats for the upper levels. Any misconceptions, general or specific, can be raised during this segment which our teachers will do their best to clarify.

To complement the virtual lessons, we also provide access to an exclusive online e-learning platform where the lessons are broken down into separate components. With pre-recorded videos explaining in detail the skills used, each component is tailored to the lesson that the student would have had in the same week. In this way, students are encouraged to use the videos and quizzes to revise and reinforce what they had learnt online that week.

Just like in a normal class, students will have assignments and homework to submit for each lesson. For the upper levels, this can partially be done during the lesson in Google Classroom. The majority of assignments will still be done on writing paper or the worksheets provided. This is the only major difference with the physical lessons, as we require students to scan and submit their work online. Following that, our teachers will mark and give constructive feedback in accordance with our guidelines to highlight any areas of improvement. With that, students will be able to have another attempt at their assignments/compositions to further solidify their proficiency.

While it may appear to be the same as in-person tuition lessons, we have strived to make full use of various resources to make lessons more engaging. All that has been mentioned thus far are the standard tools for each lesson. In addition to that, our teachers might utilise other means to customise their lessons to the students. This could include using visual or video stimuli to illustrate or further expound on a point, extra practice questions not in the worksheet that supplements the lesson, or a collaborative web bulletin board for students to share their answers. By using varying methodologies, distinguishes us from other centres, and makes the lessons more intriguing and memorable for students.

In conclusion, we have made online English tuition lessons informative and engaging for students to help them learn, despite being in a different medium. Without compromising on quality, we aim to deliver the best experience for our students and impart the proper skills to bring their English to the next level.