My daughter took online courses during the lockdown and since then she's been struggling to get back to in-person classes. She says it's easier for her to concentrate at home but I'm wondering if she's really learning well that way. Have other parents noticed the same thing?
Don't mix up "easy to follow" with "effective" - those are two different things. What I've noticed with people close to me is that online works well for teens who are already independent, but without the structure of in-person classes and interactions with teachers and other students, something important is missing for actually retaining material and making progress. Maybe she'd need a transition period or find a balance between the two rather than staying 100% remote.
The thing I've noticed myself is that online works really well for certain types of learning (like math, languages) but it's a pain for others! Courses that need interaction, group work, hands-on experiments... you lose a lot on screen! Your daughter might find it easier at home because she controls her environment, but that doesn't change the fact that she's missing out on a ton of stimuli she'd get in a classroom. The real question isn't "is it effective or not" but rather "effective for learning what, exactly?"
I think there's something people often forget about: it's not just a matter of concentration or subject matter. Online can work really well in the short term (she understands that day's lesson), but it creates a dependency on screens and the comfort of being at home that makes the transition back to in-person classes super difficult later on. It's kind of like learning to drive in a simulator - technically it's possible, but when you actually have to do it for real, you're not really ready. Maybe try suggesting a mix for her: some online courses for the things she feels confident about, but keeping in-person as the norm, so her brain gets used to that environment again.
Does she have trouble with the social side of things or just with the structure of being in a classroom in person? Because it's often not about effectiveness that's the problem, it's more about adapting to the environment - she got used to a pace without external distractions, so going back to a classroom with 30 other teenagers is a shock. That doesn't mean online was more effective, just that she found it more comfortable.
What exactly does she like the most about online learning - just the lack of distractions, or also the way the content is presented?
I'd say it really depends on the person and what they're studying. Some teens really latch onto learning on screen because they can pause, rewatch, or go at their own pace. But honestly, being able to focus at home isn't the same as actually retaining stuff long-term. She could sail through an easy lesson online and then really struggle three weeks later when she has to build on it.
Going back to in-person classes can be rough precisely because she got used to an ultra-structured, quiet environment. But frankly, interacting with other people matters - it forces you to explain things, to debate, to make mistakes without consequences. Maybe the real problem isn't online vs. in-person, but rather a transition that didn't go smoothly? Trying to blend both for a while could help.
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