26 Writing an Argument

I believe that the better learning environment comes from inside the classroom rather than on a video call.

Through the recent Covid pandemic, we have all learned through online school, and many have become well adjusted. That being said, the better learning environment, is definitely in a classroom. 

While in the classroom, it is much easier for the teacher to assess any individual student’s knowledge, and see if they understand the material of the lesson. Many teachers go off of facial expressions and general attitude during the actual class to determine if the material needs more revision, and this is lost in online schooling, as the teachers cannot see the student in person, and cannot assess this for themselves. It is also easier for students to ask questions, and signify that they have a question. While in class, all that must be done to ask a question is simply raising your hand, and asking the question. While online, you must unmute during a time when you aren’t interrupting the teacher to ask the question. While online does allow students to work at their own pace, it is not beneficial for students, as this does not prepare them quite as well for future careers, as they will have to meet short deadlines.

It is also easier to focus in the class. From my own experience, it is very difficult to focus during an online class, much more so than compared to a class attended in person. While in school, teachers can restrict phone usage, can restrict computer uses, and also remove general distractions from the students’ vicinity that will result in less productivity. While online, it is very easy to be on your phone during a lesson, as well as watching youtube on a seperate tab from a zoom call, or playing a game. In addition, as long as your camera is off, you can leave the class and will only be caught if the teacher asks you a question. While being in person you do have human distractions via interactions with your friends, which can cause a loss of focus, it is much easier to avoid that by adjusting the seating, and talking to friends, as long as both care about the course and schoolwork can be beneficial, as they can share knowledge with each other.

Attending school is also better for student health, both socially and physically. While online, you are mostly isolated in a room by yourself, and spend most of the day like this. This ends up limiting the amount of human interaction you can have, and can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression. Going to school gives you a way to meet up with friends, have conversations, and can boost your general mood. Online school also helps to promote unhealthy activity schedules, as many students do not move from the time that class starts to the time that class ends, and most spend the entire day staring at a computer screen, which can affect your brain. While in school, students are able to walk around between classes, play sports and games during breaks, and also have physical education classes in which a major part of the curriculum is sports and movement, which is harder to teach while online.

Many students currently prefer online school for many reasons. It is easier to game, watch youtube and netflix, and generally not pay attention in class. This affects the students’ knowledge in the topic, which can come back to bite them in the future when this knowledge needs to be applied. Most teachers would notice this, except for the fact that online tests are extremely easy to cheat on, and the teachers either do not know this, or have decided not to acknowledge this and proceed with the tests and the grades.

These are just a few of the reasons why going to school in person is a better learning environment for students than doing school online.