CHOOSING A CURRICULUM
Live-online vs Physical Classrooms
Not many years ago, I taught my first live-online class and was skeptical about whether students could learn this way. To my surprise, students learned even more than they had learned in a physical classroom, where I had taught for decades. This is because in a live-online class we can move seamlessly and quickly from one online content area to another, whereas in a physical classroom this is more difficult.
The only caveat to this is that the approx. 5% of homeschool students who do not want to learn Spanish do worse in an online format, because the teacher cannot monitor what they're doing as well. But, for the 95% --those homeschoolers who do want to learn--the live, online format works even better than a physical classroom.
While this may not sound convincing, because you may be skeptical, as I was, if nothing else, let the Living Waters Spanish results speak for themselves: Every LWS student that we know of who has taken the CLEP test for college credit has passed. The CLEP test checks for true proficiency, as opposed to merely checking for grammar knowledge. So, by God's grace, LWS students really learn to speak and use the language in our live-online format.
Social Considerations
Sometimes the reason for wanting physical classrooms, as opposed to online classes, is not for purposes of learning—since greater learning occurs in a good online course than in a physical classroom—but for social considerations. God made us physical (and spiritual and soulish) beings, and as such we relate best with others in formats that include our physical bodies, i.e., being physically together in the same space, and not just torsos and heads on a screen. Physical classrooms provide for this physical aspect of communication, while online formats are limiting: you can see and hear others but not touch them.
Again, while online classes do not limit the learning of Spanish—quite the opposite; they improve it—they do restrict the fullness of communication with one's peers and teachers. Yet, more needs to be considered than just this one aspect of God’s intentions for our social and academic interactions. For example, while people use the telephone to communicate with one another, few see the invention of the telephone as an intrinsic evil; it has its useful purposes, albeit limited. Most would not wish to ban the use of phones for every situation and every person, but all agree that they should not be (overly) used by certain individuals, such as young children, or be used in certain contexts, such as while taking a test or playing a sport.
So, in determining whether an online or physical class is better for a particular student for a particular subject, it is important to consider the motivations of the student and the subject-area being learned.
Student Motivation
Students who lack motivation to learn Spanish will do better in a physical classroom, where the teacher can more easily monitor their behavior and help keep them on task. On the other hand, students who are willing to learn Spanish will learn more in an online class, and so should be placed in an online class.
Subject Being Taught
This applies to Spanish students but not to those who want to learn how to play football, who would do best being on a physical field, getting their knuckles dirty and knocking into one another. You cannot really learn how to play football well by only listening to someone talk about it.
Spanish, and some other subjects, such as chess, can be mastered without ever practicing them in an in-person physical context. In fact, as mentioned above, because of the technological advantages available online, motivated students learn subjects like Spanish and chess faster and better in an online class than in a physical classroom.
Hence, in determining which format, live-online or physical, is best for your student for Spanish, the two questions to ask yourself are:
Other preliminary questions to ask when deciding upon a class or course to join include the following:
Not many years ago, I taught my first live-online class and was skeptical about whether students could learn this way. To my surprise, students learned even more than they had learned in a physical classroom, where I had taught for decades. This is because in a live-online class we can move seamlessly and quickly from one online content area to another, whereas in a physical classroom this is more difficult.
The only caveat to this is that the approx. 5% of homeschool students who do not want to learn Spanish do worse in an online format, because the teacher cannot monitor what they're doing as well. But, for the 95% --those homeschoolers who do want to learn--the live, online format works even better than a physical classroom.
While this may not sound convincing, because you may be skeptical, as I was, if nothing else, let the Living Waters Spanish results speak for themselves: Every LWS student that we know of who has taken the CLEP test for college credit has passed. The CLEP test checks for true proficiency, as opposed to merely checking for grammar knowledge. So, by God's grace, LWS students really learn to speak and use the language in our live-online format.
Social Considerations
Sometimes the reason for wanting physical classrooms, as opposed to online classes, is not for purposes of learning—since greater learning occurs in a good online course than in a physical classroom—but for social considerations. God made us physical (and spiritual and soulish) beings, and as such we relate best with others in formats that include our physical bodies, i.e., being physically together in the same space, and not just torsos and heads on a screen. Physical classrooms provide for this physical aspect of communication, while online formats are limiting: you can see and hear others but not touch them.
Again, while online classes do not limit the learning of Spanish—quite the opposite; they improve it—they do restrict the fullness of communication with one's peers and teachers. Yet, more needs to be considered than just this one aspect of God’s intentions for our social and academic interactions. For example, while people use the telephone to communicate with one another, few see the invention of the telephone as an intrinsic evil; it has its useful purposes, albeit limited. Most would not wish to ban the use of phones for every situation and every person, but all agree that they should not be (overly) used by certain individuals, such as young children, or be used in certain contexts, such as while taking a test or playing a sport.
So, in determining whether an online or physical class is better for a particular student for a particular subject, it is important to consider the motivations of the student and the subject-area being learned.
Student Motivation
Students who lack motivation to learn Spanish will do better in a physical classroom, where the teacher can more easily monitor their behavior and help keep them on task. On the other hand, students who are willing to learn Spanish will learn more in an online class, and so should be placed in an online class.
Subject Being Taught
This applies to Spanish students but not to those who want to learn how to play football, who would do best being on a physical field, getting their knuckles dirty and knocking into one another. You cannot really learn how to play football well by only listening to someone talk about it.
Spanish, and some other subjects, such as chess, can be mastered without ever practicing them in an in-person physical context. In fact, as mentioned above, because of the technological advantages available online, motivated students learn subjects like Spanish and chess faster and better in an online class than in a physical classroom.
Hence, in determining which format, live-online or physical, is best for your student for Spanish, the two questions to ask yourself are:
- Is my student motivated to learn Spanish? If yes, then they should be in an online class, all other factors, such as teacher competency and method of instruction, being equal. If not, then a physical classroom would be best.
- Is Spanish a subject that can be learned better and faster in an online format than in a physical classroom. The answer to this question is ‘yes,’ provided that the student wants to learn the language. Online is better for Spanish instruction for those students who are interested in learning the language.
Other preliminary questions to ask when deciding upon a class or course to join include the following:
- Is the subject being taught from a Biblical, Christian worldview perspective, or not?
- And, if so, is this being done in a fully integrated manner, or just as ‘tack on’? For example, do the students pray and worship together in Spanish? Are God’s purposes for foreign languages, i.e., as created at the Tower of Babel, and for language, generally, discussed in class?
- Are parents incorporated into the flow of instruction, since the teachers are working under the supervision and authority of the parents?
- Will the teacher be discipling my student in the ways of God, or merely inculcating them with knowledge and skills?
- Will there be opportunities for my student to put his head-knowledge of Spanish to practical, real-world use, such as in sharing the Gospel with people on a mission trip or talking weekly with a conversation partner?