Since the start of the pandemic, what had previously been a very small part of the teaching landscape in China has become an intermittent reality at all levels of education: online classes. All over the world, in fact.

From talking to colleagues and students I get the impression that most of them prefer the traditional in-person learning. Some teachers clearly dislike teaching remotely. I can understand that, but I would also like to remind them of some advantages of online teaching, like the convenience for teachers and students of interacting in the comfort of their homes, and saving time in displacements.

Shy students that never participate in class get a good chance to do it online by feeling more relaxed in their personal environment. In my conversation classes everyone has to speak, and turn on their cameras.

I heard students ( from elementary school and college) say that they tend to get less homework when learning online. I believe this is a positive development. It is a common opinion among us foreign teachers  that Chinese students are overburdened with homework. Education authorities in Beijing seem to agree, and are asking schools to reduce the amount of those tasks.

For thousands of years teaching has been done face-to-face, only very recently has technology changed that. Some say this trend is irreversible and in the future in-person and remote learning will be equally used. Let’s embrace this new reality and make the most out of it.

Written by: Marc Mendonca