Traditional VS Virtual Teaching – Which one is for me?

by Jillian Zavitz

There are many differences between working in a traditional classroom and a virtual classroom.  Having ample experience in both — I believe the virtual classroom is by far the better option for English learners for many different reasons.  

I’ve found that students in traditional classrooms are sometimes shy when speaking a new language.  They easily get embarrassed, and because we are “Face to Face” sometimes they feel awkward and unsure of themselves.  Now, this is not to say that the traditional classroom is not beneficial to language learning, it’s just a different type of learning – and different dynamics are experienced.  Some students need to have a teacher present to show them what to do.  Some students are not comfortable with technology and get flustered with the online e-learning environment.  And some students simply cannot afford or don’t have access to the tools necessary to take advantage of e-learning.  I can’t imagine e-learning working in the some of the rural towns where I’ve taught English.  Internet access is limited at best with maybe a cyber café available “downtown” – but no real feasible access to e-learning opportunities.   

Now in comparison, as mentioned above – from my experiences – online learning delivers more results, but it is not for everyone.  Some of my students make English learning a part of their regular schedule – taking 1 or 2 classes a week – and arranging their schedule around that.  Other students are more of a “drop in” type learner who email me whenever they want a lesson.  The key is to be flexible.  Because I work from home – technically I am always available.  Many students prefer online learning to traditional learning because of the flexibility.  They want to be able to schedule a class whenever their schedule allows for it (usually our students are pretty busy people). 

Also, I find that teaching online although it is “real” it’s not “face to face real” so students can really open up to you, make mistakes without feeling silly, and give their 110% into everything.  You work with them directly and because with online learning you need to be more focused – you can really work on the areas that need the most attention. 

There is a lot of flexibility in learning online as well – I always have something prepared ahead of time… but a lot of the time we just start talking and not even look at what I had prepared.  Or there is “breaking news” that we can talk about à or even they have something that they want to do last minute (editing or practicing a presentation) and being online and connected allows for that flexibility.  I often use Google images to quickly show pictures of different things – as well as YouTube videos.  It’s such an advantage to have the internet at your fingertips as there is so much information available online that it’s a waste not to take advantage of it.  Of course along with being super flexible you also need to have really strong multitasking skills.  Sometimes I seriously feel like Gumby!    

A lot of my students are individuals who really just want to practice confidence building and learning how to casually speak with a native speaker.  I really enjoy just conversing about current events, thoughts, common idioms and expressions, opinions and feelings over the course of our classes.  ALL of my students whether they have been with me for over a year, or just under a month – have always demonstrated improvements in the areas that they focus on.

Not to mention, the friendships that develop over the course of a few classes.  Sometimes people just need someone to talk to, and as a teacher and a friend I’m there to listen to their rants (and correct their grammar and expressions) and work with real situations that they face instead of “by the book” things that may or may not happen in real life.

Now that I’ve experienced the results first hand – I think that all English learners – if they have the opportunity and resources – should take advantage of learning English online from native English speakers. 

There are just so many benefits that are available from online learning that a traditional classroom just can’t compete with.