Your teen might look like a nearly full-grown adult, but if you could peep into the inner workings of their brains, you’d see quite a different story. In fact, because their frontal lobes are not fully developed (and are actually barely developed), teens tend to face frustration with risk-taking behavior, mood swings, and conflict seeking anger. That means that your teen’s touchy mood about school when they don’t understand something is 100% developmentally normal, even if it’s also 100% unpleasant.
One way that you can avoid the frustration that leads to these unpleasant and risky behaviors is by recognizing when your teen needs to get academic help. Mood shifts can seem to be related to social issues, but often, they aren’t. Instead, they’re a sign that your student is struggling academically but doesn’t know how to express that they need help. Since having to go in-person to a tutoring center is a thing of the past, getting your student the academic help they need isn’t really an issue of scheduling or convenience any more.
However, if you’re unsure if online tutoring will be helpful to your student, Train The Brain has the details you need to be convinced of its effectiveness in improving students experiences and outcomes.
Student Experiences
One of the healthiest supports you can provide your student is to build healthy routines around academics to show them that you are supporting them both emotionally and academically. If you provide the support they need, then your child is going to feel much less alone and more confident that they’ve got someone backing them through good and bad times. This is a huge win for your kiddo! In one study done in Spain, tutors worked with students on math, but they also focused on teaching their students how to develop positive academic routines and work ethic and treated their students as whole human beings by supporting them emotionally as well as academically. The students who received that emotional support on top of the academic support ended up with higher standardized test scores and grades than the control group who only received the academic support.
Another study in South Africa unexpectedly found that online tutoring platforms reduced the isolation that online students felt as well as helping them academically. In other words, taking advantage of online tutoring helps both in-person and online learners have their emotional and social needs met. That’s a great way to be sure your students’ academic experiences are healthy; such support encourages them to see school as a positive and will certainly impact their future.
Academic Outcomes
The same study set in South Africa found that students who actively participated with an online tutor saw improvement in their academic performance. Another in London found that “One-to-one online tutoring provided by human tutors” improved students’ academic outcomes. Another 2015 US study of low-achieving middle school math students found that online tutoring significantly improved their performance. Over and over again, students have been helped academically by participating in online one-on-one tutoring.
Knowing what you know about how much online tutoring can support your child both emotionally and academically, the only thing left to do is figure out what program suits them best!
About Train The Brain
If your student is struggling to keep up, consider giving Train The Brain a try by registering and seeing how we fit through a free 30 minute session. Train The Brain is an innovative online homework help and tutoring service that you can access anywhere you have a solid internet connection. You no longer have to leave your home and sit around at a tutoring center. You can set up and attend tutoring or homework help sessions with our highly qualified content area experts in the comfort of your own home, the library, an office, or even in a classroom at your school. If you want to learn more about TTB and the services we offer, feel free to check out our services and our blog. Additionally, you can reach out to our Train The Brain admins online. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.