Online Math Tutoring- Instant Vs. Scheduled

Online math tutoring has become the latest buzz word in today’s education industry. Technology is thinning the boundaries between different countries and the flow of information among students and teachers worldwide is greater than ever before.

Online education gurus advocate two forms of online math tutoring- instant vs. scheduled. Is one better than the other? Read on and decide for yourself.

1) Instant- Instant tutoring is available the moment you log on to the website. There is no need to schedule tutoring lessons in advance. This is great for students who need instant help while working on their math homework or right before their test.

Scheduled- Tutoring lessons are pre-scheduled and a tutor is available at the set time. Although instant help is not offered, it is more systematic and students and teachers are well prepared for their lessons. They also get an opportunity to accumulate a bunch of difficult problems and make the most of their tutoring time. Even though lessons are pre scheduled, most online tutoring companies let students reschedule their lessons in case they are unable to make it at a particular time due to a conflict in their schedule.

2) Instant- Students may develop a dependency on such tutoring websites as help is available 24/7 and they may not even try to solve the problem themselves. Such dependency and lack of initiative may lead to a poor fundamental knowledge of the subject.

Scheduled- Students are encouraged to try to solve the problems themselves and, if they are unsuccessful, they can seek help from their online math tutor during their next scheduled lesson. This is a win-win situation- they attempt to solve the problems themselves and take initiative and, at the same time, they have credible help available when they need it.

3) Instant- In most cases, students will get a different math tutor each time they take a lesson. Lesson time will also be wasted in getting used to a new tutor each time and there will be no continuity.

Scheduled- Students can choose to learn from the same tutor since lessons are pre-scheduled and students get a chance develop a rapport with their tutor. This also enables the tutor to understand the learning style of the student and tailor sessions accordingly to make them most effective.

4) Instant- Often times, the tutor will not have the same book or the study material that the student is using to solve his homework problems or to prepare for a quiz. The student can write or type the problem online; however, while studying geometry or statistics, it may be difficult for the student to get his problem across and learning may not be as effective.

Scheduled- This gives ample time to the students to fax or email their study material to the tutor so he has the exact pages. When the student logs on for his lesson, the tutor will know exactly how to go about teaching and learning will be more systematic and hence more productive.