Real World: Online versus Traditional Eduation

[Vanessa Tilley]

With our advancing technology, the world of schools and teaching has adapted along with it and now is able to offer online education but which do you think provides a better learning experience?

[Anna Westbrook]

This is always such a hard topic to discuss. I personally think that in-person education provides a better learning experience because you're able to fully be involved, but I think it depends on the child. Some children do better with online learning due to a specific learning style that they use. And I think with in-person education, it all comes down to your teachers and professors. Some professors make such a positive impact on a student that if you go to a public school, that could be something that you'll remember forever. All you know from online professors is just a screen. There's no honest and real life in-person personality. Sometimes, just liking the teacher can be a make it or break it in the classroom and how well you're going to do in the class!

I don't know. This is SUCH a hard topic. I personally believe that you can gain more from an in-person learning through education as well as student relationships (like friendships). But I do think that it ultimately depends on the student and what their learning style is best suited for.

[Noppoh Elvenstar]

I believe that learning within a group is still optimal compared to online classes. Part of the way in which we learn, and I think children especially although I'm no expert on that, is by bouncing ideas off of one another. Without discussion, how can we learn to alter our perspectives and deal with different opinions?

That being said, I do think we should start to incorporate the massive, online source of information (better known as the internet) more in our classrooms. I believe that it is the way we teach that should change and not simply the medium from which we do it.

Children are curious; they learn things from a young age because they want to know, not because we tell them that it's something they need to know. With all the information available at our fingertips, why not let them explore by themselves? Do what comes natural to them and allow them to be curious?

I've seen this question of education by exploration come up more and more in debates and I agree with it. The system where one teacher stands before a class filled with children sitting behind desks and fighting their urge to play and explore has lost its appeal when we went beyond moulding them for factory work (it's a system from the industrial age) and started demanding more specialised and problem-solving skills.

[Prof. Alexander Brighton]

If you're talking about kids, I think it all depends on the child, what is best for them and their needs.
If a child is being bullied really bad and it won't stop and the school won't do anything about it then the child that's being bullied will find it harder to concentrate on their work and on the teacher. So I think online learning would be better that way as long as the child can still go outside and maybe his or her parents can take him or her on educational field trips to help him or her with the online learning and to the park to be with other kids.

If you are talking about school for adults, it also all depends on the person. Sometimes regular classes are fine and hands on stuff might be great and easier for some people to learn. But for some people who have autism, a regular class can be a lot harder with the crowds, presenting projects, communicating, and socializing can be very hard. So I would have to say, online school would be a lot better for them.

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

At the school where I work, we have an alternative program for students who failed a lot of classes in the traditional classroom and are significantly behind in progress toward graduation. The program that students use to recuperate classes in an online format that doesn't necessarily align with the traditional classroom curriculum, but is still approved by the state.

I see some students thrive on the computer, while others get nothing done. I believe that the reason for this is that the computer work is largely self-paced and independent. There's no teacher in the front of the room teaching, though those grading and supervising the students working on the computer might be able to offer some assistance because they are licensed teachers. Online education requires SO much independence, and some love that while others function better with a teacher watching over them and taking them through things step by step.

I've also seen our school transition to 1:1 with each student having a Chromebook and teachers posting most of the class materials on class websites. The students are then responsible for checking up on class resources and missing work on these websites. The idea is to get them ready for the independence of college, but I see many students who would still prefer pen and paper. I think both modes of education can be useful, it just depends on the person.

I know that at least the United States is transitioning so much to having everything accessible through technology that education really ends up being a blend of online AND traditional education. Soon I'm not sure if the two will be able to be inherently separated.

[William Ezra Huxley]

Hello, everyone

To me, traditional education is better, because it lets you to interact with peers and your teachers. Yes, you can read a book, presentation etc. by your own. But, sometimes, or most of the time there things you do not understand even if you try to read it over and over again, and that is where your peers and teachers come to help. My other point is, there are two skills you need to master while in school; Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Hard Skills are like subjects (You know it), math, science etc., you can learn it at school. But softskill, as you know too, is a way to connect with your surrounding, or make decision, or know when to stop etc., and in order to master it, you have to had as much interactions with other and your surrounding as you can. The softskill especially, will help you a lot in work field later on.

Meanwhile, online education don't cover a lot of those points I mention above.

Thus, if we are talking about the educational system the schools need to have to develop their students optimumly, traditional education is the best one.

NB: Ofcourse the traditional education has negative points too, like bullying at schools. But, I am open for further discussions with you guys.

[Aura Nightmoon]

I prefer online, but this is because I have been homeschooled my entire life. I use an online curriculum that suits me well as it's flexible and adaptable to my learning needs. I also have the chance to explore more topics I am most interested in.

I see some of the other comments mentioned not building relationships or certain skills due to online education, but I have not found this to be an issue. I am involved in many extracurricular activities where I have built socialization skills. I also do not have to worry about other things I have heard about that happen in traditional education, such as the lack of adaptability and flexibility in a curriculum because it is required by the state. I also take field trips with my little sisters to see what we're studying in person. This happens a lot when we have special exhibits come to the area museums or programs at the library or one of the local universities.

I am still learning everything I need to know to enter university and still developing all the skills I need to function as an adult. I have a job where I very quickly earned two promotions to a supervisor level despite being a teenager, I understand how to think logically and more creatively than most of my peers there who go to traditional schools, and I know how to adapt things to suit my needs when necessary using flexible thinking and flexible learning skills I gained through homeschooling online.

I think it depends on the individual, but I believe that with certain things in place, online education can be just as efficient if not better than traditional education.

[Louis Walles]

I mean I was always schooled in the traditional way up until my last year of 2-year-long course and then 1st year in university, when the pandemic hit and I ended up doing online studies. I have to admit, I much prefer online education. It was so much easier for me to mix it with my schedule. I could also just log in to attend lectures, without the need to prepare myself (e.g. get dressed).

[Hiya Debnath]

I think that while online education has many advantages such as being self-paced, involving less hassle of preparing by dressing up and actually having to physically go to class, lack of unnecessary drama or bullying due to lack of physically present classmates, long-distance education from the best possible teachers world-wide available across physical and geographical barriers, and so on, I also think that the ease of communication with the educator is slightly hindered in online education as opposed to the quick communication possible in traditional education in the classroom. It is the same way face-to-face communication being easier, clearer, and affording more ease of expressing, is better than online text or even video call communication. Simple gestures like raising a hand to stand up and ask a question or answer a question can be significantly impaired, or take longer to notice in a virtual classroom as opposed to a physical one. Besides, staying home too much and relying on online education can lead to a sedentary lifestyle which can cause health problems. Therefore, I would whole-heartedly support a traditional classroom with really good teachers.

[River Fenwick]

As someone who has done both, I would say it depends on the person. It depends on the teachers and students around you and what works best for your learning preference. Socialization is a key motivation for going to school, which is lacking in online education. If you need clarification, you'll likely get your answer the same day if you attend school physically. I even had a physical class you'd go to just to get on your computer to do all of the class work, with the teacher not wanting to do anything at all, even if you need help finding information. Education isn't the only thing that could be factored into the pros and cons of each. Each online learning system has different guidelines that may sway one's decision to go online rather than in person. For example, one online education system I was in only required you to come into the school for the exams required by the government, while another system required going in weekly to meet with the teachers.

[Galena May]

I think both have merits to them. But as a person who tends to enjoy studying all by myself without background noise or distraction, I would prefer online education. I get to be alone in tranquility and peace and retain my own stuff. No other noise. While traditional education ensures that we get to be in a more directly interactive environment and even get to watch a few practical demonstrations of how the theory being taught looks like for real, the scope of which turns out to be a bit limited in the case of the online version, hence leading to a bit of disruption in the development of practical application abilities, I believe that all in all the benefits of online education are more. It is accessible from anywhere, offers way less distractions, is not affected by the ability to travel/ conditions outside, can be taken from the comfort of one's own home if one likes, and sometimes can even be adjusted according to one's own time and choice of schedule. Although it does still warrant the need to have a sturdy internet connection, it is still better than having to reach a certain place physically at a given time, not to mention the side effects such as potential troublemakers as classmates who can find a wider range of schemes to make trouble in the physical presence of others, as compared to virtually.

[Adeline Morior]

This is in itself like said by everyone before me to be a personal thing from individual to individual depending on their own preference. Both have their pros and cons. I personally would however choose to do a more traditional approach such as going to classes rather than doing everything online.

There is something to be said of getting ready and heading to a designated class and then shifting classes as needed per subject. It gives ground to environmental change which is good for the mind as a nice refresh. It also has a more social aspect to it as you can discuss work with friends, catch up and walk together to other classes.

I also love the idea of having a backpack with physical books, quills and parchment. It feels more engaging to me personally to be able to ask questions and speak to the teacher and in a group think effort about a topic and such.

[Lex Green]

I think that whether online or in person education is better completely depends on the child in question. As it stands, the school system mostly relies on children learning in one specific manner, which may not be the best way for everyone to learn, as all our brains work differently. Similarly, some children will absolutely learn best in a room with a teacher and a class of their peers, where they can actively explore things, physically try elements of their learning out, and ask questions exactly when they need to, but others will learn best online, where they can take their own time with their work and work at the times that fit them best. Additionally, a classroom environment with other children is not the best situation for everyone to learn - some children find this environment distracting or unmanagebale, for instance, children with sensory issues might struggle to focus on what is being taught because other children are talking. Also, in a classroom with many children in, children often get "left behind" by the pace of the class, because not every child in the room will learn at the same speed, but the teacher can only teach at one speed, so some children are left without full understanding, and others become bored at concepts that they already understand.