With more and more families opting for online learning amidst the Coronavirus epidemic, it’s no wonder many schools and universities are struggling to adapt a new formula for education. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the Coronavirus epidemic has changed the way we live in a most prominent way.
As a parent, we want our children to be safe and healthy. Some have the luxury of being able to work from home while overseeing their child’s education. This includes some of the parents of former Little Human Scholars students. And hey! We get it – nothing is more important than our children’s safety.
As such, we did a little digging to see what the pros and cons are to online learning.
Pros of Online Learning
Children can learn anywhere
One of the good things about online learning is that children can learn anywhere at any time. Whether they are staying with their grandparents for a week or two, or whether they are on holiday, they don’t have to miss school! This can be especially beneficial during those long holidays Malaysia is known for. Children can access their virtual classroom at any time, at any pace without to skipping a beat!
Children reduce their risk of catching the Coronavirus
Because their classroom isn’t filled with other peers, they easily minimise their chances of getting Covid-19. So long as mommy and daddy aren’t bringing it home from the work place, all is well!
Depending on the curriculum, the child may receive more one-on-one attention from the instructor
Depending on the school and the online curriculum, your child may receive more one-on-one attention with their instructor that they would in a regular school. This is especially true for those who pay additional for online tuition.
Student-centered learning
Some online curriculums offer one-on-one assistance from their instructors. As such, the instructor has the opportunity to address any blind spots or challenges the individual student is facing. From there, they can create a lesson plan which addresses that child’s challenges.
Discrimination is minimized
In a room where children can make fun of the way another child dresses, or pokes fun at another child’s race or how they look, this is minimised in an online classroom. First of all, it is more difficult to lean over and talk to another child in the virtual classroom and make a remark. And it is more difficult for a teacher to show favouritism.
Online learning spurs creative teaching
Online learning has broken out of the norm of regular lesson planning and has spurred more creative teaching from instructors. Instead of playing hide-and-seek in the classroom, teachers are having to think out of the box to create more stimulating online classes and lessons.
Cons of Online Learning
Accessibility to technology
Some children don’t have a clear wifi signal in PJ or Malaysia as a whole. Other children don’t have their own computers or phones so they can enjoy online learning. This puts a damper on the new virtual educational sphere.
Computer literacy
While some children don’t have access to technology, others who may have access to technology don’t have the computer literacy to join or participate in a virtual classroom.
Limitations of technology
Even the most sophisticated online learning management systems (or LMS’s) aren’t 100% reliable. A server could go down, or a storm can mess with wifi, or, if the platform isn’t secure, there is a chance it can be hacked. All of these can be a detriment to your child’s learning.
Instructors may lack essential online qualities
The old way of teaching doesn’t always work in an online classroom. Teachers have to be engaging and hold the attention in different ways rather than in a brick-and-mortar classroom. For example, if little Timmy wasn’t paying attention in class, the teacher could point that out to him or have him sit next to her throughout the remainder of the lesson. This can’t be done in a virtual classroom.
Some lessons are taught better hands-on rather than virtually
There are certain lessons that are taught better face-to-face rather than online. Public speaking is one such lesson. Another is sports or physical movement/exercise. It can be hard to teach a child how to do a proper sit up when the teacher isn’t there physically showing them.
New teaching methodologies must be implemented
This is the first time in history a virtual learning classroom has been made available to children and adults alike. Because we have never been in this position before, teachers are having to face new challenges and create new methods of teaching. This is not an easy task, and the world is still in the developmental stage of figuring this out.
In summary, there are pros and cons to online learning. On one hand, it’s safer for your children. On the other, are they receiving the quality education that they need in order to succeed later on? We’ve deduced that there is no wrong answer here. It all depends on your values, as a parent. What is most important to you?
About Little Human Scholars School in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full-day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS school in PJ has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full-day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,