The Advantages of Traditional Classroom Learning

Traditional classrooms have been competing with the increasingly popular virtual classrooms ever since information technology started to develop. Online courses are an alternative to regular classrooms for students who want to obtain a degree cheaper and faster. In a year or two, students can earn a diploma without even knowing their teachers or colleagues. Still, many students consider traditional classrooms a more efficient way of learning and improving social skills.

Most students consider the traditional classroom environment beneficial for learning because they can interact with the teacher and their classmates. Especially for people who learn better through cooperative activities and group work, the possibility of asking questions and receiving immediate answers is important. Many students prefer face-to-face interactions to technology-mediated conversations. Some students need constant reassurance that what they do is correct and that they are going in the right direction, so they need feedback to keep them moving.

Before college and university classes, students are used to going to school and learning in a classroom surrounded by classmates. Even if they don’t need to do that anymore after high school, to combine a place traditionally meant for acquiring knowledge with the environment of their homes is confusing for them. The learning atmosphere of the traditional classroom helps them to stay focused and keeps them motivated; unlike virtual classrooms, where procrastination can become a common attitude, traditional classrooms preserve a feeling of “now and here” all through the learning process.

Some students don’t have access to technological devices, so online classes are out of the question. Some don’t know how to use them, and some don’t care about them. In a traditional classroom environment, learning begins with the teacher sharing his knowledge with students, proceeds with discussions between the teacher and the students and ends with the new information written in notebooks. For students of specializations that have nothing to do with technology, printed courses and books from the library are, in most cases, enough.

Another advantage of traditional classroom learning is that it provides students with a fixed schedule and specific periods dedicated exclusively to learning. Most adults lead busy lives these days, whether they have a demanding job or children in school. It’s difficult to find time for personal study between working hours and PTA meetings, and there is always something more important to do. Students in this situation prefer to be “forced” to schedule classes first and then plan other activities around them.