Interactive Online Tutoring Services

The value of online tutoring can be broken down into a couple of different areas.  First and foremost is the convenience factor of online tutoring.  Online tutoring gives the student complete flexibility in when and where they receive their tutoring in whatever subject they might need help in.  For example, if I am a student and need calculus tutoring or earth science tutoring, I can contact an online tutoring company and schedule a session for the evening or the weekend hours.  It really does allow for complete flexibility.

The second reason someone would use an online tutor is for the anonymity of the process.  No one is going to sit here and tell you that tutoring is something that they want to do.  Tutoring is something that students need in order to do better in school.  Additionally, students who need tutoring do not necessarily want to have their friends and family know they need the extra help.  This is another area where online tutoring can be of value.  With online tutoring, you can get that extra help without anyone ever knowing it.  If you are an AP Calculus student, you can get the help you need and no one will ever be the wiser.  It truly is a valuable service from that aspect.

Another reason is that online tutoring is usually much more economical than traditional tutors in your hometown or city.  Typically, tutoring will run you anywhere from $45.00 to $60.00 per hour (on average).  In contrast, online tutoring will run usually just over $20.00 per hour.  For example, if I am a student who needs help in chemistry, and I know that I can get the help in chemistry for just $20.00, it might be worth it to me to schedule a session for that subject.

Certification and qualifications are also important factors when considering a tutor.  For instance, let’s imagine that you need an online chemistry tutor.  If you are a parent, or even if you are a student, it is a difficult decision to make whether or not the tutor you are considering paying for has the expertise to tutor chemistry concepts.  You have to ask yourself the question, “how do I know that this tutor is actually good at teaching me chemistry?”  It is a tough question and most people end up paying for someone who is not really that good at teaching.  In contrast, online tutoring companies and the tutors that work for them are usually certified in the subjects they teach.  Good online tutoring companies always make sure that their online tutors are trained and certified before they are ever allowed to teach.

Safety is always a big concern when dealing with service based businesses.  Online tutoring is no different, and a good online tutoring company will make sure that each tutor receives a background check before they are ever allowed to teach a subject with a given student.  Tutoring security also includes having some kind of recording capabilities to allow for each session which allows managers to make sure there are no malicious activities happening during the session with the child.

When you look at all of the factors involved, online tutoring really makes a lot of sense for students and parents alike.

Are you going to struggle with Math this year?

August 25, 2006

As the new school year is approaching, one thing is certain: Many students will struggle with their courses this year. As always, one of the most prominent areas of difficulty will be Mathematics.

It is not very difficult to understand why math is considered by most Canadian high-school and college students to be such a difficult subject. Math is a discipline that requires a basic foundation and a natural transition from core knowledge to more advanced concepts. However, the reality of North American education is that the transition rarely takes place naturally.

It is often the case that throughout elementary school and early High school, math is taught in a very disorganized fashion. While arithmetic gets more than its fair share of attention, intermediate core concepts are often glossed over by everyone except the very astute students. Only the dedicated students fill in the big education gaps in their spare time. What happens to the less dedicated students?

For other students, the true math difficulties begin in grades 11 and 12. At those levels, math transforms into a serious subject and cracks in the knowledge foundation begin to emerge. Those concepts that are natural extensions of what is considered to be basic mathematical abilities become difficult to grasp for many students.

As a result, many struggling students turn to a private math tutor for additional help, but this is often not a sure-fire path to better understanding. Most tutors have the ability to help students with their immediate areas of difficulty. However, only the more experienced tutors are able to detect true deficiencies in the students’ knowledge and fill in the gaps before concentrating on more complicated topics.

For those looking for a math tutor, it is very important to consider the tutor’s knowledge, experience, and approach, and not just the hourly rate. With math tutoring, like with anything else, you will often get exactly what you pay for.

In order to get the most out of tutoring, it is vitally important to establish specific short and long-term learning objectives early on. A good tutor will be able to use this information effectively in creating a structured learning progression, rather than concentrating on the irrelevant concepts.

When people think of additional school help for their child who is

struggling in math, they usually think of one-on-one private tutoring.

Private tutoring is a great way to get help for your struggling

child. The knowledge that a tutor brings to the table is not so important

as his ability to relate well to your child and to identify with

their source of difficulty. Even though private tutoring is the

way parents think they need to go, there are alternatives

such as email tutoring that can be a welcome help to your child.

The omnipresence of the computer and with online internet

service as ubiquitous as the telephone, email tutoring is

something that has come of age. Combine email tutoring

with the telephone, and you can now become a virtual tutor

capable of working with anyone across the country. Effective

email tutoring is the result of clearly defined questions

responded to with easy-to-understand answers. Critical to

effective email tutoring is a tutor with very strong written

communication skills. This is one area which I have worked hard

on throughout the years, and I attribute a lot of my success in

tutoring students—whether in person, on the telephone,

or via email—to my strong written and verbal communication skills.