A shift to online working, catalysed by the COVID pandemic, should be accompanied by an adaptation in teaching methods, argues Paul Caruana, of Paul Caruana Tuition.

This is because “the traditional methods used to teach physically in a class may not be suitable for online teaching” and as such, Mr Caruana says, “there should be a shift in methodology and approach”.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, he explains, “teaching and learning was almost uniquely done through a physical presence in a class, either in a group or on individual basis”. 

“Tertiary level educational institutions offered remote learning which required an enrolled student to login to a particular lesson”, he says.

However, according to Mr Caruana, “the pandemic brought about a new situation as students could not continue to lose out on learning”.

“Online teaching has developed. And in this scholastic year, it continued to grow. In fact, some students, especially older ones, prefer online sessions”.

“Online teaching has the advantage of not having to travel.  This saves time for both the student and the teacher.  Another advantage is that online learning eliminates the problem of location". 

For example, "a student from the South of Malta can easily make contact with a teacher in the North through digital platforms.”

However, online learning is not all smooth sailing, according to Mr Caruana.

“Online learning has its disadvantages as well.  We depend a lot on technology and to this end, software companies have been developing and improving their platforms for virtual meetings”, he says.

One major disadvantage identified by Mr Caruana is that students coming from deprived social classes tend to experience a widening in the gap between them and other students coming from more privileged social classes. 

“Such students may lack the equipment and adequate location in the home were to carry out an online lesson”, he explains.

What’s more, age also plays a role, he suggests: “The younger the learner the more difficult online learning proves to be. Here again, children coming from lower social classes suffer more than others since they may lack the support which other children could receive from their parents.”