Why Should I Learn Online?

Online Learning came of age during the Covid-19 Pandemic. True, it took many forms, some very effective and others, well let’s not go there. Whilst online learning came of age, the technology that facilitated it had to play catch up very quickly. TLC Private School’s early experience with the technology found that it provided only basic functions – you were looking at a basic video call system and the uploading and downloading of documents. The tech companies soon saw the direction this was heading and there began a race between them and the end users to introduce new functions and, for the teachers, quickly evaluating their usefulness and implementing them. To the tech savvy, the upgrades were innovative and improved the quality of teaching and learning online. For those less technical, the upgrades proved confusing and were left on the shelf. The innovations included breakout rooms, stickers and stamps for student work, hands up icons for questions and answer sessions etc and so began the feeling that online schools no longer needed to subscribe to expensive interfaces but could readily and professionally adapt off the shelf systems to provide a low cost, easy to navigate package that did the job and did it well.

The next test was how to make the content engaging, how to deliver it in a way that enthused the student and how to assess and record the students’ work. Again, here the answer was only as good as the teachers employed to plan and deliver the lessons and with many suffering feelings of inadequacy in teaching online, the pool of effective online teachers was much reduced. Those schools who saw how successful their online provision had been chose to expand their horizons and confidently offer an effective online education to all.

That said, online education isn’t for all. The pitfalls are the lack of the in person experience, the isolation of working independently, alone at a screen, the impact of screen time on eye health and the lack of socialisation. However, much of that has been overcome with online after class activities, physical meet ups once or twice a year regulated screen time and more.

Looking at the benefits which, in themselves, offset the negatives, it’s easy to see why, for the right student, online schooling can be a boon. The ADHD child who can be distracted has fewer distractions around them, those students who need quiet to be able to work thrive, the ongoing assessment of students as they move through courses can identify weaknesses and address them early whilst students who may be self-conscious for a variety of reasons can participate via a variety of means that acknowledges and overcomes their inhibitions.

Elea High’s collaboration with Pearson Edexcel to offer online examination courses, links the highly successful TLC Private School ethos with the technological might of the world’s largest educational material provider.

We are convinced that this partnership will provide the best possible online education for a child and invite you to join other students on the journey to success.