4 Reasons In-Person School Matters for Student Learning

Schools are now starting to hold face to face classes, or in-person school, unlike the past two years, when schools used an online system because of the Covid-19 social restrictions. Parents are surely getting ready to welcome in-person learning for their children. In-person school has many advantages, but it has some drawbacks too.

Advantages of In-Person School

1. Easier to Focus

During online learning, many students complained. Online classes made it easy to lose focus because their eyes were fixed on a digital screen, and it was harder to follow the lesson because of the usual internet connection problems. This was clearly an obstacle for students.

With in-person school, it is different. Students absorb knowledge more easily, and interaction with friends and teachers lets children take a more active part in the lesson being taught.

2. More Familiar Learning Media

Online learning usually makes it hard for students to do activities such as practical work and direct observation. Yet online learning had to go ahead, even though not everyone lives in a well connected area. Many students' parents come from villages, which created many difficulties.

As a result, students and parents may have had some trouble understanding the technology. In-person (offline) school is different, because it lets students do activities outside without depending on technology. This makes the offline system easier.

3. Easier to Supervise

With online learning, students have to stare at a screen for quite a long time, and the quality of learning sometimes drops because of a lack of focus. Learning in person is different, because students are easily supervised and kept in check by the teacher.

4. Not Always Tied to the Internet

Online learning usually needs a decent internet connection, yet not everyone lives in an area with a stable one. This clearly makes it hard for students to absorb knowledge. In in-person learning, students do not depend on the internet, because reading books are provided directly to make things easier for them.

In fact, the only negative side of PTM (pembelajaran tatap muka, or in-person learning) is the risk of virus transmission when educational institutions lack adequate facilities. That can be handled by providing adequate facilities and giving training.

One recommendation is the learning at Sekolah Murid Merdeka, which can be done in two ways: online and offline. This approach is workable given that many parents are still worried about the virus. With in-person learning, it will reduce the impact of PJJ (pembelajaran jarak jauh, or distance learning).