Teaching In A School: Is It Better Than Online Teaching?
In the last couple of years, the world has changed drastically. Several equations have been altered as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the planet. While every industry was impacted, the highest effect was perhaps felt in education. Schools and universities worldwide were ordered to temporarily close their doors, and children and teachers were no longer asked to come to school. Since education can be halted for some time but cannot be stopped completely, online teaching took over. For over two years, schools have resorted to digital means to impart knowledge, and hence, online education has become the new norm. Several institutions are juggling between teaching in a classroom or online learning and are unable to decide which path to choose.
To help schools and institutions pick the right path, our team of experts dug deep into both the teaching methods to find the best option. After shedding light on the pros and cons of both methods, they came up with their verdict, i.e., teaching in school classrooms is better than online teaching. According to them, classroom teaching wins hands-down, and there’s no actual competition between the two. If you are wondering about the reasons backing this decision, read this article. We will look at the benefits of teaching in school classrooms that you simply cannot replace.
1. Helps With Time Management
Time management is of great importance for both teachers and students. It is one of the most crucial skills that every teacher needs to possess when it comes to teaching. They must create a balance between long-term classroom goals and immediate educational needs. And such a balance can be easily maintained when teachers teach in a physical classroom. It provides them with better opportunities to organize their day and make better strategies than online classes.
2. Offers Extra-Curricular Benefits
Teaching in school classrooms is an excellent opportunity for teachers to introduce students to extra-curricular activities and help them gain maximum benefit from them. In-person classes allow students to create groups and join various communities and clubs like dance, music, sports, academics, arts, yoga, etc. However, hosting such activities online is not possible. Even if they try so, the entire process becomes a lot chaotic and difficult to manage. Hence, classroom learning is better for the students as well as the teachers.
3. Offers Opportunities For Stimulation
In a classroom setting, it becomes much easier for a teacher to incorporate a child's senses into the lesson. Being in a physical classroom, a student can hear, touch, see and feel the educational material which provides them with plenty of stimulation. This helps in retaining more information for longer periods of time. Apart from this, teachers can also conduct hands-on experiments in the classroom, which are not possible when taking classes online.
4. Contributes To Personality Development
Teaching in school contributes to personality development in ways that online learning platforms cannot. This is because, in the physical classroom, a comprehensive set of activities are included like reading, writing, speaking, listening, and understanding. Such activities help shape the personality of a student. Without a doubt, a classroom is a place that helps in self-conduct and self-worth development. Such developments need a real-time experience which is only possible through physical learning.
5. More Control With The Teacher
When it comes to effective teaching, control plays a crucial role. A teacher must have control which is possible only in a physical classroom. Since online teaching is self-directed, the sense of control gets lost and becomes difficult to execute. However, a teacher can take control in a classroom by letting students talk turn by turn, discipline them for disrespectful behavior or for not completing work, etc. Such control is not possible when a teacher interacts with students through a screen.
6. Promotes Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is one of the great ways of developing self-awareness among the students and letting them learn more easily and effectively. It transforms the students into keen learners and helps them grow both inside and outside the classroom. Since physical classrooms allow students to learn from one another and share ideas, they can produce better results and achieve their learning goals. While online tutors also try to incorporate collaborative learning in the classroom without being physically present, they struggle in doing so.
7. Makes Learning Fun And Engaging
It is known that students get easily distracted while studying, whether in the classroom or virtually. However, teachers can help them stay focused by making teaching more fun and engaging. They can keep the students' interest alive by playing games, riddles, and other activities. By doing so, students will stay engaged and enjoy the process of learning. While teachers in an offline classroom also try to capture students' attention and keep them engaged, it is not easy and natural compared to teaching in a school classroom.
8. Enhances Social Skills
This is another great advantage of classroom teaching. The regular, face-to-face interaction of teachers with students, teachers with other teachers, and students with individuals of the same age group helps build social skills. It helps in enhancing friendships and creating strong bonds that stay forever. However, having such friends is difficult in a virtual environment. Since social skill is an essential aspect within the realm of their academic education, this benefit is worth considering.
9. Teaches To Be More Responsible
Being responsible is essential for everyone and at all stages of life. Such learning starts at an early age, and school plays an important role. While teaching in school makes both teacher and students responsible, it is not the same in online classes. Waking up every morning, heading to school, and following a particular schedule makes a person more disciplined. However, virtual classes are meant to be attended from the comfort of the home, which takes away the actual responsibility.
Conclusion
These are the few reasons students are better off in a classroom setting than learning through online means. According to our team of experts, there’s a surreal feeling about being physically present and teaching in school classrooms that one can’t experience in online learning. We hope that this article has helped you clear your thoughts. However, there might be chances that online classes work the best for you. No matter which medium you choose to teach or learn, what is important is that the education should continue in an effective manner.