Is Virtual Tutoring as Effective as In-Person Tutoring?

Virtual tutoring is an increasingly popular and effective option for many students. It allows students to access specialized tutoring from instructors around the world, provides individualized, targeted tutoring, and offers flexibility in scheduling sessions. Let’s explore some of the advantages of virtual tutoring:

Access to specialized tutoring

Many students require specialized tutoring, such as Orton Gillingham tutoring for students with dyslexia, multi-sensory math instruction for students with a math learning disability, or executive functioning coaching for those with ADHD. In some geographic areas, tutors who specialize in these methods may not be available. Alternatively, there may be only a few specialized tutors in your area who have limited availability, offer tutoring at an undesirable location, are completely full, or aren’t a great personality match for your child. Virtual tutoring gives you access to specialized tutors from around the world who may be a great personality fit for your child and who specialize in specific skills and techniques that your child needs.‌

Interactive Digital Tools

With the rise of online instruction, many new digital tools now exist. For example, as part of an Orton Gillingham lesson, students might work with their tutor on blending sounds together to form words using digital magnetic tiles with sites such as https://www.reallygreatreading.com/lettertiles/. Tutors and students can also use virtual whiteboards such as Ziteboard or Miro when working together to go over new concepts. Additionally, multi-colored highlighting tools can be used for building reading comprehension, active reading, and other related skills. For example, to build a student’s reading comprehension skills, a tutor can teach them that when they read, there are three elements they should look for. The first is the topic, which is one, two, or three words describing the passage. Students should highlight the topic in blue using a digital highlighter. The second element they should look for is the main idea, which is what the author is saying about the topic. They should highlight the main idea in green using a digital highlighter. Finally, they should identify the important details and highlight them in yellow using a digital highlighter. Students tend to enjoy using these interactive digital tools and the tools can be very effective when integrated into virtual tutoring sessions.

Screen sharing

Screen sharing is also a benefit of virtual tutoring. Many teachers and schools now use online portals to post homework assignments and upcoming exams. During virtual tutoring sessions, the student can share their screen with their tutor, allowing them to show the tutor their online school portal. Together, they can review any current and upcoming assignments and come up with a plan for completing them in an organized fashion.

Flexible scheduling

Virtual tutoring generally allows for more flexible scheduling. While in-person tutors might have limited time slots available on certain days, times, and locations, virtual tutoring usually offers more flexibility. Tutors don’t have to build in travel time in between sessions and can generally fit more students into a given day. Students also don’t have to travel to a tutor’s office or home, maximizing the tutoring time and reducing extra time spent traveling to and from sessions.

Virtual tutoring can be a great option for many students. It offers numerous advantages that can help students have efficient, effective tutoring sessions and thrive in school.