Debating whether or not to teach classes in a traditional or online classroom can be a big decision for any teacher, and weighing up the pros and cons of each can be the key to deciding the ideal learning environment.
More and more students are turning to online classrooms to complete their learning but with the price and social activities being two of the main factors debating a learning environment, online and traditional classrooms vary hugely.
But what does it mean for teaching? Here are the main differences between teaching in an online and traditional classroom:
Traditional classrooms
Not only does attending courses in a school or university environment give students the chance to get involved in extra-curricular activities, but it also gives their tutor more chance to get to know them on a more personal level.
It is generally easier for teachers to teach in this kind of ‘real-life’ environment and when a group of students in a class are struggling with one certain thing, they are able to teach the group as whole rather than a number of times separately.
Traditional classrooms are the way in which learning has been encouraged and demonstrated historically for years, and is proven to be a popular way to educate students for many reasons including:
Hands-on training
Students that are attending classes in an environment set up specifically for educational purposes have the benefit of receiving hands-on training from fully qualified teachers and/or mentors.
This gives the tutor a chance to get to know their students, giving them a new perspective on how to learn parts of a course that are generally hard to teach.
Not only does giving hands-on training give you the chance to build up a rapport with students, but it also makes for a more fun and enjoyable lesson on their part!
Stimulating and productive environment
Traditional classrooms are generally the best option for students who lack in self-motivation, but tutors can also thrive in this classroom too.
Many teachers struggle with keeping their students motivated but traditional classrooms often have the added bonus of display walls to show student’s work.
Teachers often think that it is easier to teach in a traditional classroom as they have the use of educational equipment. These are products that cannot be used effectively through an online classroom, such as whiteboards, flipchart easels, display boards and noticeboards.
TV stands, projection screens and other audio visual equipment all help to teach and demonstrate a subject to students in a visual way, whilst still catering to student’s preferred learning styles.
Online education
Online classrooms are generally cheaper and more flexible than traditional classrooms.
This type of teaching is commonly more flexible for teachers as they have a variety of students with a number of different coursework pieces to submit – all with different deadlines.
The flexibility that comes with distance education enables you to teach students whilst still juggling your home life and responsibilities as you are able to work from home.
Online classrooms give the chance to teach anywhere and everywhere – ideal for tutors who are travelling and/or have young children.
Transferrable digital skills
Unlike working in a traditional classroom that uses physical textbooks; online classrooms require the use of digital software.
Emailing, file sharing and research all require the use of the internet and computer software. Using all three of these provides both the student and the teacher with a great bank of skills that cannot usually be taught in a traditional classroom.
Social interaction
As a teacher or lecturer educating a student in an online classroom, you are generally the only point of contact for that student.
This can be seen as a positive thing for a teacher because it completely eliminates the stress that can come with teaching in a classroom, like trying to control handful of students misbehaving and avoiding them disrupting other students in the class.
Online classrooms are also ideal for teachers who aren’t very confident with public speaking and controlling large groups of people.
When it comes to deciding whether teaching in an online or traditional learning environment is best for you, then there are a number of factors to consider including age and geographical spread of students as well as the subject a combination of both online and traditional lectures or lessons are however becoming increasingly popular.
High quality educational furniture is an essential for either classroom and can help you with all of your teaching needs. You may also be interested in our earlier articles; Equipment That Every Classroom Needs and How Classroom Design Affects Learning.
