Lessons with a teacher or e-learning?

There is no need to think too much about why language learning through e-learning is popular. In recent years, almost everything has moved into the digital environment and this trend will continue. Starting a lesson in an online application with a single click is so convenient and practical! But can e-learning really replace lessons with teachers?  Let's take a look at what makes teachers indispensable to their students.

The teacher sets meaningful learning objectives

The goal of language learning should never be the learning process itself since sole time spent with the language cannot equal language progress. If we want to develop our language skills, clear objectives need to be set which meet the needs of the learner. The teacher can focus the lessons on acquiring new vocabulary, explaining new grammar, or developing receptive and productive skills (reading, listening, speaking, writing). 

E-learning, on the other hand, puts the same learning objectives in front of all students, even though the structure of their language skills differs. The teacher, being in contact with the student, continuously re-evaluates the student's needs and adapts the teaching accordingly in order to make learning as beneficial as possible.

The teaching content is adapted to the student's current needs 

The needs of the student may change continuously and only the teacher is able to respond quickly and adapt the content of the lessons to them. Is the student going on a business trip abroad? The lessons will focus on small talk, presentation of ideas, argumentation and negotiation. Does the student need help formulating a contract in a foreign language? If so, it's time to focus on propositional logic, stylistics and punctuation.    

E-learning platforms may provide a wide range of topics, but when you conduct business meetings with foreign clients, will cooking-related vocabulary come in handy? You'll think of cinnamon and cumin, what you really need to remember however is revenue and returns.

The teacher has nearly endless teaching materials at their disposal

Teaching material does not necessarily need to mean a textbook. Anything can become a teaching material - if in the hands of an experienced teacher. An article from the latest edition of The Economist or The Financial Times, a script of a play, a podcast, a lecture on YouTube... The more creative the teacher is, the more they go beyond the limits of e-learning, which after a while inevitably slides into a mechanical activity without a variety of stimuli. Language is diverse and therefore diversity is a very important part of learning.

The student gets answers to all their questions

E-learning is most often based on the repetition of simple sentences, which are important building blocks of communication. Some platforms also provide tutorial videos with explanation of more complex sentence structures. But even the most sophisticated platform cannot replace one key component that accompanies the learning process, namely the opportunity to ask questions. Only a teacher-led lesson offers the chance to not know and ask, not understand and ask, not be sure and ask.

The student does not copy models, but uses language in a creative way

In language lessons, students are not encouraged to only simply copy patterns, but also to use language creatively and experiment freely. The teacher thus creates a safe environment in which error is seen as a valuable tool for growth.

Even e-learning works with errors in a positive way and encourages the learner not to give up and try again, because next time it will surely be better. And it works, in the end, the learner really learns to click on the right answer. However, teachers are able to break down the error in more depth with respect to the type of error and the context in which the error occurred. Of course, teachers also take into account the student's current state.

Verdict: e-learning versus lessons with a teacher

E-learning platforms boast many qualities. They are playful and time-saving. As such, they are a great complement to traditional teaching and allow students to be in daily contact with a foreign language. 

However, e-learning also has its drawbacks, which are either due to technological limitations or just the fact that lessons are built for the universal learner. At the same time, each student is a unique personality with their own specific learning style. For the time being, e-learning platforms are unable to compete with a professional teacher who can adapt to the student's current needs.