Consider online tutoring
In-person vs online tutoring
Every day, people search the internet for “A level Biology tutors near me”. But by doing so they are limiting their options. Even in a large city like London, you may find few, if any, high-quality tutors available in your immediate area.
New technologies mean that online tuition is a reliable, smooth experience. I tutored in person before from 2012 and started online tutoring in 2017, online tuition works so well that I no longer offer an in-person option.
I use an excellent web-conferencing program, where both parties can view and annotate notes, past papers and PowerPoints. It is an extremely effective tutoring tool. I use an interactive whiteboard to draw out and explain concepts. Time is not wasted travelling and I have instant access to a huge range of exam questions, mark schemes and teaching resources.
So is online tutoring effective? I asked some of my students what they thought. You can hear from them directly in the video below, or check my six main points to consider, listed below.
If you have an experienced tutor with good equipment and carefully chosen online tools, A level online tuition is now better than in-person tuition.
“I was sceptical about the online sessions but he’s got everything sorted to make it a smooth session. 10/10 would recommend.”
Advantages of online
1. More tutors to choose from
Why limit yourself to tutors who live locally? There are a limited number of people who have the skills required to teach well and the capacity to take on new students - are you lucky enough to have one available close to you?
2. Better access to resources
There is no leaning over each others shoulders or looking sideways at diagrams; everything is displayed clearly on screen. And online, exam questions, mark shemes and other resources are just a click away - no matter what unexpected questions a student might have.
I create an online repository of resources for each student. These include annotated resources from lessons and lesson videos (see point 3), as well as additional resources for use at home to use in preparation for lessons and/or for use in future revision.
3. Recording lessons
Learning takes time and repetition. Online lessons can be recorded and made available for later use. My students have used our recordings for making notes (so they can concentrate more during the lesson), to recap lessons (pausing the video as necessary), and for later revision.
Group Lesson participants asked for recordings too. These are now available for anyone to use through my video streaming service.
4. Better Concentration
Online tuition avoids many of the issues that can provoke social anxiety and other distractions. The student is comfortable in their own space and does not have to move around or process as many social signals. This gives them more capacity to focus on the topic.
5. Convenience
The lesson starts at the start time. It ends at the end time. There is no need to travel to another location, or to spend time getting settled down at a desk together and laying out materials.
Students have attended my lessons from yachts, ski resorts, and during unexpected international trips. There is no disruption to the lessons - so long as the student has an adequate internet connection, the lesson goes ahead as usual. And of course they can also access their online repository of revision materials from anywhere in the world.
6. Group interaction
The tools I use for group lessons allow students to answer questions using text or drawings, which I can check and respond to individually without having to move around the room or share the work with the whole group. All-group answers to multiple choice quizes or other questions can be shared anonymously.
I encourage questions during lessons, which can be submitted by chat if a student prefers this to speaking in front of the group.
Some of these tools proved so useful that I introduced their use into my in-person college classroom.
“Tom is easy-going and fun, and under pressure, can explain half a term’s worth of topics in an hour. Online tutoring is the future and his use of a drawing tablet makes it seem as though he were a seat away from you. If it wasn’t clear from this ringing endorsement, Tom made a big difference to my results and my Biology, and I hope he has the chance to do the same for many more.”
“Tom also videos the sessions which are then available to view afterwards. My son is dyslexic and so prefers revising from videos and visual material rather than books and so has found this invaluable as he prepares for his exams. The videos are all clearly labelled with the topics they covered so he could go back and use them again and again,”
“Tom Whitburn has been extremely helpful to me in the past year. He’s helped me to raise my grade from a C to an A/A* through weekly sessions and by providing me with extensive resources that have proved helpful in creating notes and practicing what we have covered using past paper questions. He goes over and beyond improving the quality of his online sessions through altering the quality of his sound and using different tools and format to improve his methods of presenting. Tom tailors his lessons to the needs of his students effectively by going over material that we are struggling with. Thank you Tom for all your help and support. I really appreciate it.”