16 September 2020
In recent months, tutors might have encountered students requesting for online tuition classes.
Home based learning has proliferated in Singapore due to recent government policy, and some students might have become accustomed to this format of instruction. As Co-Curricular Activities gradually resume, students might be tempted to ask for some personal tuition to be held online in order to avoid travelling out of their hostels at certain times of the year. Also, online tuition allows for overseas students to be enrolled, where before, the market for them might have been shut.
Through the use of an online whiteboard and a drawing tablet, students can follow in real time what the tutor is writing. Documents containing questions and solutions can also be shared by both the student and the tutor electronically and be instantly visible to both parties.
Through the Skype or Zoom platform, students can also ask for clarifications and pose their own questions on the spot, and the tutor will be able to respond immediately, just like in a face-to-face class.
In the hands of a competent presenter who can explain mathematical concepts well through the microphone and with a drawing tablet, there is no reason why students will be unable to follow the class even though the class is not conducted in a lecture hall or at a common physical location.
Online tuition can be every bit as effective, fun, and engaging as face to face interaction.