Pros of Distributed Learning

What Are Some Good Study Habits? Digital image. Wisegeek. N.p., 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

In public school, students have the advantage of learning in a classroom environment with many students who all work at the same pace and level.

Misconception:

There are many advantages of being a distributed learner according to popular belief. Let’s see… we get to start school whenever we want, we have the option to choose our subjects (finger painting, building blocks, or colour by number), and then play video games for the rest of the day. Then, when we make the slightest effort to even begin our work, we resort to friends and family (only the intelligent ones) to do our work for us. We also have a slew of online geniuses from various websites available at a click of the button and a charge to our parents’ credit card. We have Google, Thesaurus.com, 123essays.com and even Tutor Vista - the holy grail of learning at home. Finally, there’s Wikipedia where someone else conducts the research for you. Don’t worry though, it’s not considered plagiarism because people are only trying to help you when they make edits to the site! Now that’s the foundation of the whole home learning environment!

Truth:

There really are many advantages of learning at home but it’s definitely not through cheating! One of the advantages of distributed learning is that it allows us the benefit of working at our own pace, therefore, if we finish a concept early, we can move on to the next lesson without waiting for other students. As well, if we find a concept challenging, we can spend a little more time learning it until we are comfortable enough moving on to the next one. We have the freedom of learning at a rate that is manageable according to what we are learning and how fast we learn it. However, my mom would argue that this isn’t necessarily a good thing, although very infrequently. We have our off days too! Another advantage is one-on-one learning, which allows us to focus better on our work and there aren’t any distractions when we are learning something new. Also, my mom and my teachers are fully aware of my strengths and weaknesses through one-on-one learning, so they are able to tailor my education in a way that allows me to excel. In fact, my mom realized that I had the potential to skip a grade in math, so I actually finished my PreCalculus Math 12 in grade 11. Don’t get me wrong though, distributed learning has its challenges as well such as being self motivated to complete your work without a teacher present, more responsibility of your assignments and due dates, and a lack of interaction with your peers. Although, at the end of the day, it’s a matter of personal choice as to which way of schooling works best for you. Distributed learning is not for everyone, but for me, it is highly rewarding!

For more information on the advantages of home learning, please visit:
http://learningpath.org/articles/Online_High_School_Advantages_and_Disadvantages.html