How does the classroom work for tutors?

As previous students and experienced professional educators ourselves, we know exactly what lessons need to be productive, efficient, and enjoyable for everyone. That’s why we created our online classroom and packed it full of intuitive, clever features, such as:

• The online whiteboard

• The lesson plan box

• The resources box

• The tutor feedback box

• The lesson export box

• Classroom naming, topic selection, and tabs

The way in which classrooms work is simple. Every time you’re booked for a new lesson, a shiny new online classroom is automatically created, keeping everything neat and organised from the get-go. 

Here you and your students will be able to interact with the online whiteboard and take full advantage of the classroom’s other features. For students, the classroom looks like a mirror image of your classroom. 

The lesson plan box works a bit like a noticeboard and is visible to the tutor, student and parent/guardian. Here you can plan what you’ll be covering in the next lesson, such as a particular topic, or maybe there’s something the student struggled with in the last lesson that needs to be revisited. This keeps everyone in the loop and gives you a heads up as to what to prepare for next time.

Go to the classroom, click the Edit button in the lesson plan box, write your comments and then hit Save.

You should update the Lesson Plan before you start so your student knows what you’ll be covering in your next lesson.

You can upload resources in the Resources box by clicking Add resources. Your student can also upload resources here. 

You can join the online whiteboard by clicking the big green Start lesson button. You can enter the classroom early to prepare if you’d like, but your student will only be able to enter 1 minute before the lesson is due to start.

After a lesson, you should provide some feedback, along with notes on what you’ll be covering next time, in the Feedback box. Students and billpayers will be notified when you leave feedback.

Once your lesson is finished, a ZIP file will appear in the Lesson export box, located at the bottom right of your classroom. Just click the 3 dots and choose to download the file. You can then reupload the whiteboard in your next lesson.

For students, this will be a recording of the lesson, so they can watch it back and revise.

If you want to find out more about reusing past whiteboards, you can read our FAQ here.