8 Ways Classroom Teaching is Better Than Online Education

Learn why your high school student may be best off in a classroom setting rather than completing coursework through online programs.
In the era of COVID-19, many schools are being forced to transfer instruction into online learning platforms. Some parents are left to wonder if this is a good choice for their children's education. Does online learning deliver the same outcomes as in-person instruction? In-person classroom instruction has significant benefits over virtual, including these eight things.

1. Encourages Collaboration

In the classroom, teachers can pull students into collaborative learning projects. They can learn from one another, build on each other's ideas, and produce better final results than they would achieve learning on their own. While online educators try to encourage collaboration, without being together in the classroom physically, students struggle to collaborate well.

2. Allows Instant Accommodations

When a teacher teaches students in-person, they are able to modify their teaching style and instructional methods based on the student's needs. If a student isn't catching on, the teacher can quickly intervene, changing the direction of the instruction or using a different technique to capture that student's interests. The immediate feedback available in the classroom can't be replicated in an online environment. For students who need a little extra help, this is a major benefit.

3. Supports Student Social Development

This generation of students is very tech-savvy, but online interactions are not the same as in-person. Students need to interact with each other in a face-to-face way to build strong social skills. Many students make life-long friends in their high school years, and that's difficult to do in a virtual environment. While some students will be able to connect socially with online education, many will struggle. In fact, learning online from home can become very lonely, and some students struggle with depression and anxiety as a result.

4. Promotes Greater Critical Thinking

In a classroom environment, students are encouraged to think critically. Group discussions allow ideas and thoughts to build on one another. Debates and discussion give students the chance to explore their ideas, think critically about them, and communicate them with their teachers and classmates. These types of discussions are harder to replicate in an online environment.

5. Teaches Better Responsibility

It doesn't take much work to roll out of bed and log on to an online learning platform. It takes far more work to arrive on time, properly dressed, to an in-person class. Students gain more responsibility skills when they attend class in person.

6. Adds More Opportunities for Stimulation

In a classroom environment, the teacher can bring more of a child's senses into the instruction. They can hear, see, feel, and sometimes even taste instructional materials. They can do hands-on experiments, rather than just watching them virtually. All of this helps students retain more of the information they're studying.

7. Gives More Chances for Learning Fun

Review games, impromptu classes outside, and similar fun learning experiences are all possible with in-person instruction. When students are forced into an online environment, those opportunities are lost. While there are games and activities that can be done online, they aren't as easy and natural as in the classroom environment.

8. Delivers More Control to the Teacher

Finally, in a face-to-face learning environment, the teacher is in control. If the class seems to be far ahead, the teacher can skip ahead and do lessons that are more challenging. Because online learning becomes more self-directed, some of this control is lost.

In-person instruction carries significant benefits over online. If you are looking for an option for in-person instruction for your high school student, consider military boarding school. Riverside Military Academy teaches young men in grades 7 through 12 with in-person instruction in a focused, active learning setting. Contact us today to schedule a tour of this all-boys college preparatory school or call us at 1-877-692-2338.
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