Why Online Italian Classes for High School Students are Crucial to their Success

Whether your child is learning Italian for cultural reasons to make strong connections with family, or if they are planning a trip to Italy and want to be fluent, or it is simply the language your child has elected to take so they can move on to college, accredited online Italian classes are a smart investment.

The current challenges facing traditional school campuses, including budget cuts, higher tuition for private schools, high student-to-teacher ratios, and course shortages cause many students and their parents to look for alternatives. According to national statistics, six million high school students take accredited online courses as part of their regular high school education. Some take online Italian classes to replace the traditional option on campus, and others attend classes on campus while meeting with online Italian tutors to help improve their skills and solidify higher grades for graduation.

The evolving reputation of online language classes has helped fuel the expansion of companies like LanguageBird and their online Italian classes for high school credit. Just make sure the language company you choose to invest in is fully accredited and offers one-on-one learning with students. Now let’s discover how online Italian classes help improve a student’s chance to be successful.

Why Accredited Online Italian Classes are more Effective than Traditional Education

We all remember taking a language in high school, or even in college. You likely had to chant the alphabet, speak words, and recite sentences in unison along with 30 other students while one teacher was expected to pick-up on every student’s pronunciation–it’s simply impossible. Then you were likely paired in groups to have conversations while a teacher patrolled the room listening to multiple groups speaking at once, and making a few corrections (at least the ones she heard). Most tests are written because teachers don’t have time to schedule 30+ oral exams, and if they do, its likely the students never received close enough attention to improve at their full potential. In a scenario like this, kids might walk away with a passing grade, but does this mean they can have a conversation with a local person at a cafe in Florence? Probably not, and they will also likely lack the confidence to try.

On the other hand, good accredited online Italian classes offer one-on-one instruction from native Italian language speakers that students never get on campus. In addition, the one-on-one instruction not only helps students learn faster and at a higher level of comprehension, but the instructor is able to customize the lessons according to the student’s learning style, thus helping them be more successful and confident to actually engage in conversations with locals when they travel to Rome or Venice.

Partnering with an Online Italian Tutor

An online Italian tutor usually has two approaches: they take the place of traditional Italian teachers at high schools through accredited online programs, or they work with students who take Italian classes on campus to help them get ahead of the curve and improve their final grade, speaking, and comprehension skills. Think of an online Italian tutor the same way you would a hitting and pitching coach: imagine your son joined the baseball team, and he is trying to make the bullpen. He has his coach on campus but works with a specialty instructor outside of school to improve his pitching and hitting skills. This is what a certified online Italian tutor can do for your student–give him a leg up in class by setting him on a path to truly master the language and get a better grade through heightened performance. 

Online Italian Classes Make Life Easier for Students

Being a high school student is a full-time job. They have classes to attend, homework to complete, social activities to join in order to beef up their transcripts, sports,

 band practice, and other activities. They might also work a part-time job, and have family obligations. Simply by eliminating a single physical class can be a game-changer by giving them more time in the day to get things done. When your student gets to take online Italian classes from an accredited program, they have unfettered freedom to attend class on their own time, as it best fits into their schedule. In other words, they can take the class at 8 AM and finish before school starts, at 5 PM when basketball practice ends, or even at 10 PM before going to bed. Taking online Italian classes offers students tons of flexibility in their schedule, and in turn, this can also make parent’s lives easier. 

Talk to the School Counselor about Online Italian Classes

Before you enroll your students in online Italian classes, set an appointment with the school counselor where you and your child can sit down with him or her, and go over the necessary consideration points. First, you will want to make sure the online Italian classes are fully accredited to meet the student’s needs. You may just need the credits to easily transfer to the high school, but in many cases also ensure universities will honor them. If your student is going to enter the NCAA to pursue a sport in college, then the online Italian credits must be transferable to the NCAA. Your school counselor can verify these things for you, and even examine your child’s class schedule and other obligations and find the ideal time to take online Italian classes in the most productive way that honors scheduling.

Finally, ask the school counselor if the high school would ever be in any position to offer online Italian classes and other language programs on campus. This could be proposed as a complement to current traditional learning, or as an independent program to keep the school innovative while truly offering resources to the student body to help make them successful. You can make a notion at a school PTA meeting, or at a School Board meeting.