Online Tutoring
Q. We
live in a rural community, and our daughter is having a terrible time with
algebra this year. She doesn't like the teacher, so she won't go in after
school to get help. There's no retired teacher or tutoring service available around
here to help her this summer or next year. We've put notes up on bulletin
boards trying to find a tutor and called around, but no luck. The nearest
tutoring company or college are in a city an hour and a half away. What else
can we do, other than just sit back and watch her fail advanced algebra next
year?
You've heard of the global economy and its impact on
all aspects of American life. You've heard that this is the "age of
technology." But did you ever imagine the day would come when one of your kids
in the heartland of America received after-school tutoring from a teacher in
New Delhi, India?
If you have a computer and an Internet connection in
your home - hopefully, broadband - you are able to contract for online tutoring
for your student. The keys are if your daughter is self-disciplined and
motivated, and if you, as her parents, are willing to be involved and help
encourage her, guide her, and make sure she gets the most out of the
experience.
Nationwide, a growing number of students -- already in
the hundreds, if not a few thousand -- go online every week to brush up on
their academic skills with a tutor living halfway around the world. Some of the
online tutors might be in the United States, of course. But the point is, it
doesn't really matter - what matters is that the knowledge and skills get from
the tutor's mind into your child's.
Major selling points for online tutoring include
affordability -- parents are charged rates of around $20 an hour, which is
cheaper than one-on-one tutoring in many places. Also a benefit is the fact
that parents don't have to drive children to a tutoring center.
Students working at home and receiving tutoring online
slip on a company-supplied microphone and headset and are in instant touch with
their tutors.
Examples of online tutoring services:
www.tutor.com
www.tutorvista.com
www.smarthinking.com
www.e-tutor.com
www.guaranteach.com
www.eduwizards.com
As with any kind of contracted service, you should be
careful to check a prospective online tutor's track record, educational
philosophy, personality, success rate, and references.
Homework: Here's a detailed article about online tutoring:
http://math-and-reading-help-for-kids.org/articles/Online_Tutoring_4_of_5:_How_Online_Tutoring_Works.html