About Online Tutoring
Parents and students naturally have questions about how online tutoring works. Read below to learn more about the logistics and benefits of online tutoring.
Quick Overview
Communicate face-to-face
Thanks to Zoom, we’ll be able to see and hear each other live. No pre-recorded video lectures, and the one-on-one format keeps everything engaging.
Collaborate on materials
Interactive online whiteboards allow us to work together on PDFs of test material we upload. We can mark them up the same as you would on paper. Then export the notes for later review!
Review anytime
You can return anytime to the whiteboard from each lesson. Some students even record sessions for later review. This is 100% optional, but works well for students who are visual or auditory learners.
More Detailed Logistics
Audio & Video
I use Zoom with most of my students so that we can see and hear each other during the sessions. These days, nearly everyone is familiar with Zoom. Here are some of the features I regularly use with students:
- Video and audio so we can see and hear each other
- Screenshare (especially useful to share practice test results or to work through any material that requires a log-in, such as online math homework)
- Annotation tools so we can write on the screen even in screenshare
- Record sessions later review
Interactive Whiteboard
I use a free online whiteboard program which allows us to work together on anything we upload. We can use it to do all of these things:
- Upload pdfs of materials to work through
- Mark up questions as we go through them
- Make notes on strategies, question types, etc.
- Basically anything you would want to do on paper in person!
What’s even better, these notes are all saved in the whiteboard, and we can also export them to pdf for you to review later.
Interactive Whiteboard
I use a free online whiteboard program which allows us to work together on anything we upload. We can use it to do all of these things:
- Upload pdfs of materials to work through
- Mark up questions as we go through them
- Make notes on strategies, question types, etc.
- Basically anything you would want to do on paper in person!
What’s even better, these notes are all saved in the whiteboard, and we can also export them to pdf for you to review later.
Homework/Study Plans
When I tutored in person, I used to give my students their homework list on the paper notes we made during the session. Soooo easy to lose that paper. Or so obnoxious to lug around heavy prep books and an increasingly large pile of notes.
Going digital means we can organize study plans and homework in tidy Google Drive folders. Students taking paper-based tests like SAT or ACT often print their homework, but it’s also effective to just use scratch paper.
Benefits of Online Tutoring
Feedback from my own online students suggests that online tutoring offers several benefits over face-to-face tutoring:
1. It is more convenient since you don’t have to travel to another location. As a tutor, I also end up having more availability since I am no longer stuck in traffic for large portions of the afternoon.
2. Online tutoring allows you to meet with a true expert even when one is not available nearby.
3. Some students focus even better than they do in face-to-face lessons. Fewer distractions than meeting in a coffee shop, for example.
4. We can adjust the lesson plan instantaneously to fit what you need without having to rely on only the printed materials we have with us.
5. It’s greener!
6. With more and more tests going digital, online tutoring may better mimic the way you will actually face your test.
7. Fewer cancellations = more consistent prep. We don’t have to worry about spreading germs on the days when you feel fine but are still technically contagious. We can still meet even when I’m out of town for the weekend. And snow days or accidents on the freeway are now irrelevant.
8. Online tutoring works well for busy students and working professionals because we can often exploit time zone differences to find a time that works great for both of us.
9. You can review the material from tutoring sessions in multiple modalities: our written notes from the session and/or a recording of the session.
10. Sessions are cost-effective since you aren’t paying rates that have been inflated to offset transportation costs. In other words, you get a higher quality online tutor for the same price as a local tutor.
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