COVID-19 brought new data to the teaching of foreign languages. It would not be otherwise since online home learning is now the protagonist from elementary schools to universities around the world. Of course, the idea is not new but it started much earlier than you think. Many argue that English online home learning courses can’t reach the level of work done in a classroom. But to what extent is this true?
The history of e-Home Learning
It all started in 1960 at the University of Illinois in the United States long before the age of the internet. It was called Intranet and with it students could access educational resources and pre-recorded lectures in specific course terminals within the university.
The first form of the World Wide Web as we know it today came in 1969 from the United States Department of Defense. Ten years later in 1979, Apple took the baton by creating an interactive educational game, the Lemonade Stand, which evolved into a series of games that sought to educate the 80’s generation on computers and their virtual environment.
The first home based learning course came in 1986, with the EUN (Electronic University Network) allowing students to take online courses with DOS and Commodore 64 computers. Of course, they still had to use the telephone to communicate with each other.
In 1994, a few years after the release of the World Wide Web, CALCampus was created which is also the first center for learning at home in the way we understand today. From the 90’s until today the evolution is rapid. In 2009, five and a half million people had taken even one online home learning course and now, in 2021 there is an online course for everything you can imagine and learning foreign languages remotely remains one of the most popular.
5+1 differences between online learning at home and classroom
Many people over the age of 40 still find it difficult to trust learning a foreign language online but it should come as no surprise. Almost everyone to this day is accustomed to traditional classroom education where the physical presence of the student is required. That is why many remain skeptical of online courses.
COVID-19 has changed our lives dramatically and for the first time e-home learning is not just an alternative but the only way to learn English and foreign languages in lock-down countries until we can deal with it effectively. However, there are some key differences between learning a language online versus classroom.
1. Lower cost
Lack of money is a real issue for most and certainly COVID-19 made it bigger. Too many people are called upon to make tough decisions about money on a weekly basis. Foreign language schools tend to be much more expensive due to the additional cost of operating the facility. Rent, real estate taxes, insurance, extra staff, everything is transferred to the students. And of course, you should not forget the money you have to spend on books that are never included in the expenses.
Another problem is that the subscription is annual. If for any reason you are not happy with the educational level, teaching methods or tutors themselves you will have to wait a whole year to try your luck elsewhere.
The cost of English online home learning is significantly lower compared to classroom learning because it simply costs less overall when done online.
2. Flexibility
One of the key differences between learning English at home online and classroom is flexibility. With traditional in-person or a foreign language school, you are committed to learning from an individual or a group of teachers at their convenience. But committing to a particular schedule at times that are not comfortable for the student may ruin the learning experience.
By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It’s the perfect example of having your cake and eating it, too.
Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek
And that is perhaps the least. Your learning experience is just as good as the methods used by teachers. Learning English online gives many options and if you are not happy with the course or teacher you have chosen you can immediately try something else.
3. Save time
One of the biggest advantages of learning English online over the classroom is saving time. Unless the foreign language school of your choice is right next to your home, the average time people spend traveling each day is between 20 and 50 minutes. And this time should be doubled since you will have to return home.
That is, there are people who spend the same amount of time that their course lasts just to get to the place where it is done. This wasted time, however, could be used to further deepen an online course.
4. Comfort
Many people have problems when they are in an unfamiliar environment with unknown classmates and the time it takes to get used to it is important.
Learning English in a familiar and cosy environment is the best. Especially when that environment is our very own home. Students don’t even need to be “dressed properly” to attend class in a room that may not be convenient for them. Online language courses can be attended in a comfortable environment, your home, which gives students the upper hand when they learn.
Learning English at home achieves the greatest possible comfort, which dramatically increases the absorption of the curriculum.
5. Absolute Focus
Although many argue that it is better to learn by belonging to a group of students, who help each other and socialize at the same time, this is not always the case. Classroom-based education doesn’t help weak students as the pace of learning is not easily adjusted. English Online Home Learning is perfectly adaptable by nature so even students who need much more time to fully understand a lesson have no problem.
Of course, it is nice to belong to a team, but each student has his own learning pace and many times the competition that is created brings the exact opposite results. We all know the dynamics that are created between classmates. Chit-chatting during the lesson is the main reason for distraction of both students and teachers.
Another very important advantage is that you have access to every online English course whenever you want. Instead of getting lost in the multitude of notes that initially distract you when you hold them but many times it makes no sense when you see them after a while, you have everything organized and at your disposal at the touch of a button.
6. Ecology
Regardless of whether you are ecologically aware or not, English full home based learning reduces energy costs by 90% and at the same time carbon dioxide emissions. An unexpected advantage that may not be related to how well you learn English but you will definitely use them in a better world.
Take your first English home based learning course for FREE
The evolution of technology and the internet allows us to learn English more easily than ever from the comfort of our own home. COVID-19, in all the problems it has created, has emphatically highlighted the need for online education but also that it has nothing to envy from the lessons in the classroom.
It is no coincidence that major educational institutions such as Harvard, Yale and the London School of Economics have not only embraced but evolved online education to where we are today.
If you are still not convinced of the benefits of learning English online, we offer you the first lesson for free.
[…] A modern alternative is a typical language school, but it is no longer accessible to everyone, especially if there is a native speaker (foreigner).Fortunately, there are different options.Today there is the Internet and online courses. In this article, we will talk about such an opportunity as distance learning English. Read about English Online Home Learning against the classroom. Which one will win? […]