Since the educational landscape has changed because of the pandemic, many businesses are now faced with the dilemma of whether to continue online forms of learning, or go back to face-to-face instruction. With restrictions being relaxed in most areas, it is now possible to resume conventional in-person learning wherein students are physically present in the room with an instructor.

Is there a difference between face-to-face education and some virtual form of it? Are there certain advantages to instructing students in a face-to-face setting? Continue reading below to learn about some of the benefits of face-to-face learning.

Organization

When students have a formal classroom schedule complete with deadlines, it helps them to organize their educational tasks and to develop a healthy respect for time management. It actually forces students to plan their lesson time, because class begins and ends at specific times. This is generally different than the online method of learning, which can usually be scheduled for any time convenient to the student.

Improving social skills

When students are obliged to sit in a classroom with other students and an instructor, it automatically tends to improve their social skills simply because they are forced to interact with each other. It gives students self-confidence when they have to speak publicly in front of their peers. This is often necessary to ask questions about a subject, or to gain more information for problem-solving.

Another social skill that gets a good boost with face-to-face education is the process of cooperation. Working in groups or teams is an important part of what learning is all about. Students have the opportunity to be productive and to work effectively together, which is a skill they will need later in life in the workplace.

Real time interaction

One of the big advantages of face-to-face education is that it promotes real-time interaction between teachers and all students in attendance, as well as among the students themselves. It provides a great opportunity to participate in group work and cooperative activities. Maintaining interpersonal relationships in the classroom is one big advantage of the face-to-face setting, because it promotes feedback among individuals in the classroom.

Accessibility

For people who are a little uncomfortable with using all kinds of technological devices, face-to-face classroom settings are much preferable to online or virtual learning. The teacher is always accessible, and can provide instant answers to questions posed by students, while also helping them along in their learning journey much better.

Motivation

It’s very easy to slip into a lazy mode of learning when you’re in an online setting. It can also be pretty easy to slip into a mode where procrastination is the order of the day, and conscientiousness begins to wane. Face-to-face classrooms provide much more motivation for students to become involved in the physical classroom, and to adopt the immediacy of the learning situation in that mode. On the other hand, motivation tends to slip dramatically in an online learning environment, because schoolwork can typically be done at any number of opportunities convenient to the student.