The advent of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a shift in education and gave rise to the wide use of online learning. Alongside this, a question arose of whether it is more beneficial to study in a traditional classroom than in the comfort of one’s home. I this essay I will argue that the advantages of in-person learning has more advantages than studying on-line.
In-person contact with one’s peers in a classroom setting promotes learning in several ways. First, ample opportunities for collaboration not only genuinely engage students, they spark discussions and exchanges leading to more profound mastery of the material that is being studied as well as to development of interpersonall skills from which the students are likely to benefit for years to come. Second, healthy competition enhances motivation and the drive to excel. And finally, the classrom is a place where immediate feedback is provided both from the teacher and the peers ensuring that all difficult points in the material are clarified. Thus, the classroom promotes comprehensive emmersion into the material while at the same time serving as an incentive to learn.
One of the advantages of online learning often sited by its proponents is flexibility that is the opportunity for the student to study when they choose and at the pace they choose. Futhermore, studying from the comfort of one’s home reduces distractions and taken together these factors increase productivity. However, studying only when one is completely comfortable may encumber development of important skills, for example being able to concentrate in a noisy environment and knowing how to continue with one’s task even at the time of the day when one would rather be doing something else. In other words, learning in a classroom full of peers build mental stamina the importance of which for working life is difficult to overestimate.
In conclusion, however comfortable and adaptable online learning might be, it cannon substitute the many benefits that the traditional classroom provides.