A teacher can be just one click away; Online tutoring is growing in popularity with parents, reports Jenny Knight (Je... - 0 views

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  #1 Tracy Tan on 27 Mar 12

   

  (Restricted access only to subscribers, so I'm posting the article here. This is possibly the new face of tutoring,)
  When finding a local tutor to come in and help her daughter Mith with her English GCSE course proved difficult, Inpa Nesarajah arranged for an online teacher.
  
  
  
  "Mith is in the top set at school and does well in most subjects but she was finding English hard," Nesarajah says. "I think she felt she didn't know what to write. She got a C for one assessment and asked me for help."
  
  
  
  Progress with the online tutor was rapid. After just four or five hour-long lessons Mith, 15, had boosted her performances enough to earn an A in her next school assessment.
  
  
  
  "Mith arranges the time for a lesson with her tutor. Then she goes online and calls the teacher using Skype," Nesarajah says. "The tutor says that if she ever has a problem she should send an e-mail. Her improvement has been very fast and we will keep on with the tutor so long as my daughter thinks it is useful."
  
  
  
  Online tutoring for GCSE and A level examinations is a growing area, although agencies offering both faceto-face and online tutoring say that the distance learning option is still second choice for most parents, who prefer personal contact.
  
  
  
  There are, however, advantages to the online route. It tends to be cheaper and no time is wasted in travelling to the tutor's home or, alternatively, the parent does not have to pay the tutor for expenses and time spent travelling to the child's home.
  
  
  
  Mylene Curtis, managing director of Fleet Tutors, established as a home tutoring service 35 years ago, says that online is now the fastest growing sector. "In London, online tutoring costs from £32 an hour compared with £43 for face-to-face teaching. The big advantage of online contact is that it accelerates learning. An assignment can be marked and returned within a day, or queries dealt with by e-mail. With face-to-face tutoring using paper, it can take two weeks to get feedback.
  
  
  
  "The best system is probably a mix of online and face-to-face. Online is fluid and flexible. An e-mail sent to fix up a five-minute chat can help the child to sort out a problem quickly."
  
  
  
  Most online tutoring services promise that tutors are graduates in the subjects they teach, although some also use undergraduates.
  
  
  
  Luke Redding, head of Home Tutoring Online, says: "GCSE tuition is often used to help teenagers who are living abroad, but planning to return to the UK for university."
  
  
  
  Tracey Cosgrove, who is currently living abroad, used the firm to help her son with his maths A level. "Our son told us he was having problems with the speed at which maths was being taught at his international school," she says. "The tutoring meant he could learn at his own pace with confidence, and we were able to employ a native English speaker who understood what was required in the A level, something which would have been difficult to achieve locally."
  
  
  
  Internet learning is often used by British teenagers who live abroad but plan to go to university in the UK.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">(Restricted access only to subscribers, so I'm posting the article here. This is possibly the new face of tutoring,) <br /> When finding a local tutor to come in and help her daughter Mith with her English GCSE course proved difficult, Inpa Nesarajah arranged for an online teacher. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "Mith is in the top set at school and does well in most subjects but she was finding English hard," Nesarajah says. "I think she felt she didn't know what to write. She got a C for one assessment and asked me for help." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Progress with the online tutor was rapid. After just four or five hour-long lessons Mith, 15, had boosted her performances enough to earn an A in her next school assessment. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "Mith arranges the time for a lesson with her tutor. Then she goes online and calls the teacher using Skype," Nesarajah says. "The tutor says that if she ever has a problem she should send an e-mail. Her improvement has been very fast and we will keep on with the tutor so long as my daughter thinks it is useful." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Online tutoring for GCSE and A level examinations is a growing area, although agencies offering both faceto-face and online tutoring say that the distance learning option is still second choice for most parents, who prefer personal contact. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> There are, however, advantages to the online route. It tends to be cheaper and no time is wasted in travelling to the tutor's home or, alternatively, the parent does not have to pay the tutor for expenses and time spent travelling to the child's home. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Mylene Curtis, managing director of Fleet Tutors, established as a home tutoring service 35 years ago, says that online is now the fastest growing sector. "In London, online tutoring costs from £32 an hour compared with £43 for face-to-face teaching. The big advantage of online contact is that it accelerates learning. An assignment can be marked and returned within a day, or queries dealt with by e-mail. With face-to-face tutoring using paper, it can take two weeks to get feedback. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "The best system is probably a mix of online and face-to-face. Online is fluid and flexible. An e-mail sent to fix up a five-minute chat can help the child to sort out a problem quickly." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Most online tutoring services promise that tutors are graduates in the subjects they teach, although some also use undergraduates. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Luke Redding, head of Home Tutoring Online, says: "GCSE tuition is often used to help teenagers who are living abroad, but planning to return to the UK for university." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Tracey Cosgrove, who is currently living abroad, used the firm to help her son with his maths A level. "Our son told us he was having problems with the speed at which maths was being taught at his international school," she says. "The tutoring meant he could learn at his own pace with confidence, and we were able to employ a native English speaker who understood what was required in the A level, something which would have been difficult to achieve locally." <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Internet learning is often used by British teenagers who live abroad but plan to go to university in the UK.</div>

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