Online Or Face to Face: Which Is better?

There is an ongoing discussion about how face to face teaching is the only way to teach, but it is not true. When you go to school to become a teacher, you learn that every student is different and students learn differently. Some students need hands on activities, others learn better with an auditory approach, and some need to see pictures, graphs and data tables. Students are different, and they learn differently. That is OK. So...how does this relate to face to face schools or online schools? Well, what works best for one student may not work best for a different student. I have taught face to face, synchronously (online), and asynchronously (online). Each type of teaching/learning has its pros and cons. Here are some pros and cons to each type:

• Face to Face Teaching/Learning: You get to see each other in person, and you can read a students body language which can help drastically when determining what the student needs. Also, you get that in person connection, but there are cons as well. I have found that bullying is more prominent in the face to face setting. Also, some students get anxious, frustrated, and/or distracted in the face to face setting. Next, for face to face teaching to be successful, the teacher needs to have good classroom management which is an art form in itself. I have seen classes run poorly due to poor classroom management, and I have seen classes succeed because the classroom management is outstanding.
• Asynchronous Online Teaching/Learning: This is a great form of learning for students because it can allow students to work at their own pace which can benefit the high fliers because they can work through the material, finish early and possibly move onto a different class. Also, it benefits other students who need extra time to focus on certain material. Next, some students are athletes and/or help take care of siblings, so having this flexibility is crucial to their lifestyle. Also, the teacher is available to grade, leave feedback, and work one on one with students who need the help. The downside is that you tend to miss the interactions with other students in this type of environment. Also, the students need to be motivated, and the parents tend to have to be very involved to make sure their kid is doing the work. Yes, involvement from the parents in all types of learning is important, but they need to be even more involved when their son/daughter is taking classes asynchronously.
• Synchronous Online Teaching/Learning: This type of learning is great for students. They get to interact with the teachers and other students, they have a structured class, and, depending on how the program is set-up, they could have open class periods to work with teachers one on one, or in small groups which is extremely beneficial to the students that need the extra help. You can't get this time in the face to face model that is present in most schools. The downside to this type of learning is that you can't actually see people in person (you can see them on camera). This can make it difficult for students and teachers to interact in the same way. For example, if you are being sarcastic, it may come off rude in the virtual world. You have to be extra careful when writing emails, or responding in a chat box. Also, students can struggle with the tech side of an online classroom which can lead to frustration. Lastly, teachers need to be very good at multitasking in this environment.

There are three types of teaching/learning that I discussed above. Each type has pros and cons, and each type works, but it depends on what works best for the student. As an online teacher, I hear students tell me the following: "Online learning does not work for me. I am going back to my face to face school," or "Choosing to switch from my face to face school and attend a virtual school was the best choice I made." In both cases, my answer is the following: "You need to do what works best for you." 

Overall, we hear a lot about how the Spring 2020 semester went poorly due to online teaching, but, if you hand anyone a large packet of papers and say submit it in a week, students will fail more often. There needs to be a system in place to support the students. Teachers work very hard to help their students, but many were scrambling because they were not prepared which led to a difficult end to the school year. Imagine going into your first year of teaching face to face and having everyone tell you that your class better be perfect. I don't know about you, but my first year of teaching face to face was far from perfect, and my first year of teaching online was far from perfect, but I have grown as an educator which helps my students. In the end, there is no right or wrong answer to whether online or face to face is better. It depends on the student, what they need, and what works best for them. Also, it is important to remember that online teaching is new to many teachers, and they need the support and understanding from the administration and community as teachers redo all the materials they have and adapt the material to the virtual world.