How Online Tutoring Can Help Your Learner

Online tutoring hasn't been around long, but initial research suggests it can be as effective as its in-person counterparts. One 2020 study found that online, one-on-one tutoring helped elementary schoolers increase their math skills compared to their classmates.

Struggling Kid? You Have Options

There are many things we don't have control over as parents, especially these days. However, you're not powerless if your kid struggles in school. In fact, you're in good company: one in three parents report that their child's learning has declined since the beginning of the pandemic. An online tutor for subjects, including English, math, and more, can help a student who:

Needs a different approach

No two learners are the same, but some break the mold more than others. We've got a one-size-fits-all educational system, where many students are expected to learn in ways that don't match their unique thinking. As a result, kids can feel insecure and might give up before realizing their true potential.

Teaching styles can also impact student learning. You may not be able to choose your student's teacher at school, but you can select their tutor online. Making sure they have a supportive educator in their life with a compatible teaching style can make all the difference.

Could use a bit more instructional time

The average public school lesson lasts between 30 and 50 minutes. For middle and high school students learning remotely, time spent logging out, logging in, taking attendance, and addressing technical difficulties take time away from these already brief learning sessions.

There may be a simple reason why some students struggle — they may not have enough time to absorb the information. If you suspect this is the case for your child, an online tutor can provide extra exposure to the subject. Extra time spent on a subject might be just what your child needs.

Remote group learning isn't working well

Some kids didn't do well with typical in-person group learning. It's no surprise that some kids don't do well with remote group learning. Remote learning is hard, let alone learning remotely alongside twenty other students. Online tutoring provides one-on-one attention to kids who aren't keeping up online in a group setting.

You Can Take Control

What should you look for in an online tutor? We recommend that parents keep the following tips in mind to help their student the maximum benefit from their tutoring relationship:

Personality

Your student may be stuck with their assigned teacher at school, regardless of how they feel about them. Luckily, you have free reign to find a tutor who fits your child's learning style and personality.

When you're looking at tutors, keep your kid in the loop. Choose several that seem like they might be a good match and set up a virtual meeting with each. Then sit down with your child and ask: Who do you feel you connected with the best? Who do you think would be able to help you? Who would you most like to spend time with?

Scheduling

Before hiring an online tutor, figure out how often and when your child needs to meet with them for extra support. Some students might just need help to review content before tests. Some might need weekly or twice-weekly sessions. Including teachers from your child's school in the discussion might help you decide the best schedule.

Knowing when and how often your student needs to meet with an online tutor can help you narrow down your options. Ask questions early on such as: When are you available? How much flexibility with your schedule do you have? If my learner is struggling, can we add on sessions?

Qualifications

You don't need a PhD-level scientist to teach 3rd-grade biology — but you might want one for high school AP Chemistry. Ideally, one tutor can assist in multiple areas so that you don't have to coordinate across more than two schedules but you may need to work with more than one tutor.

Finding an Online Tutor

Sure, Outschool has fun, quirky, and cool classes. At our core, though, we want to match learners with the educational opportunities they want and need — and we're committed to making it easy for parents to connect with quality educators on our platform. That's why Outschool proudly offers:

Search Tools

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when finding a tutor for your children. So even though we have hundreds of Outschool educators offering countless tutoring services, we've made it easy to narrow things down. Just click "one-on-one" under topics to peruse online tutors. Or, easier still, click here.

Background Checks

Everyone worries about their kids' safety online. Outschool wants kids to be safe —and parents to be at ease — with educators on our platform. Every Outschool educator goes through our teacher identity verification process, as well as our educator background check process.

Note: We do everything possible to ensure our educators are safe, qualified professionals. We still recommend that parents keep an eye on online tutoring sessions, just as you would supervise in-person tutoring sessions.

Flexibility

Every tutoring session is backed by our Happiness Guarantee. We offer easy scheduling and the chance to try more than one tutor on your way to finding that perfect match.

Outschool's Got You Covered

Ready to get started? Check out some of our highest-rated tutors:

1-on-1 High School Chemistry Tutoring with Beth

"My daughter absolutely loved her one-on-one chemistry lesson! All her questions were not merely answered, but Beth made her understand the problems, not just solve them. We will definitely book more classes with Beth in the future, we are feeling blessed we came across such a great tutor! Thank you, Beth!"

Practice Phonics and Read a Book With Stephanie

"Teacher Stephanie is amazing! She could totally entertain my son throughout phonics practice and reading. The super detailed feedback and sheets she gives us after the sessions are very appreciated. We practiced sounding with the sheets so that my son remembers what he learns in class perfectly! I highly recommend Stephanie and her classes!"

1-on-1 Essay Tutoring with Rachel

"The first session went really well and my son wanted to do one more session. I bet she really knows how to motivate kids coz he generally hates writing! After only two sessions with Ms Mitchell, he felt well prepared for his first SAT test. If your child is taking the essay portion, I highly recommend Ms Mitchell. She's very knowledgeable and good at working with kids."

Help your kids go beyond one-size-fits-all education and chart their own path. Find your perfect tutor now!