Outschool Has Virtual Video Classes for K-12
Outschool.com offers interesting classes for kids ages 3 and up.
Outschool CEO Amir Nathoo has seen hundreds of thousands of students sign up for Outschool classes in just a few weeks.
My kid finally got a chance to try out Outschool, which offers classes such as science, math, reading, music, VR, foreign languages as well as other subjects. While it is free to join, the prices depend on if it is a one off class or a re-occurring class. This review is for the 3-8 age range, but if you have older kids there are Outschool classes that teach relevant skills such as coding and essay writing. There are apparently more than 50,000 classes to pick from.
In the last 48 hours, I enrolled my kid in 8 classes to compare them for this review. Half of the classes were really impressive and engaging, but the rest were not that great. There’s always an element of who the teacher is and who the other kids are that can impact your kid’s overall satisfaction of the class. Outschool has a generous return policy, which you can review here. I was able to get a refund on a weekly class that we were not fond of. And I unsubscribed to 2 weekly scheduled classes.
The class that my kid enjoyed the most was a fun math class that involved puzzles and a conversation about addition in the double digits. He also enjoyed a reading class taught by the same teacher. Outschool’s website makes it easy to see what other classes the teacher is teaching, in case your kid really likes that particular person.
When the classes were too easy, my kid seemed bored - which is expected, of course! The hardest part of finding classes that are engaging, in my opinion, depends on how challenging the content is for your child and their initial interest.
If you are trying out Outschool for the first time, I would recommend picking a one off class in a subject your child is passionate about. I would also select a teacher who has been on the Outschool platform for a while for a positive first class experience.
Here is an example of an ongoing offering:
In addition to course goals, Outschool has a system of reviews from parents and a video teacher intro to help parents decide on enrollment.
There’s also a way to message the teacher and other parents throughout the duration of the class. The classroom runs on Zoom, so when it is time for a class you’ll get an email ahead of time with a link to join the virtual classroom. You should have Zoom installed on a tablet before class starts to avoid any delays.
Here is a photo of a class in action via Twitter.
One main difference between private tutoring sessions and having kids join in on a virtual Outschool classroom is that they get to interact with other kids.
Outschool has some rules and encourages parents to be off the screen so that “only” kids attend the class. I think this rule helps create a more intimate classroom vibe. Attention spans are short and some teachers have less tolerance for disruptions. The more seasoned Outschool teachers seemed to expect disruptions and smiled, while the newer teachers didn’t know how to handle it and remained silent. Teachers will mute a child if the noise is disrupting the flow of the class. As expected, there was a lot of muting and unmuting in the classes I observed.
Finding classes to fit your kid’s schedule can be challenging, but if you put in a little bit of time, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you can find on Outschool. Also, you can ask teachers for a time that is more suitable for you. Sometimes though, the teachers will only teach a class if there’s a minimum number of students enrolled. There’s a sharing feature to invite others kids to bump up attendance. There are some pre-recorded options, but the majority are live Zoom classes.
Another unique aspect to Outschool is the fun perspective each class offers such as math with Legos, Harry Potter python programming, cooking Italian food, Space Phonics, and so on. There is also private tutoring available if you want your kid to get some one-on-one attention.
If you decide to try it out, respond to this email or via social media and I will send you an invite link for a $20 credit towards a class.
One last tip, while Outschool has a good search based on time and age, you’ll have to gauge your child’s own skill level because it doesn’t always correspond to the suggested age range.
Also, if you need financial aid to sign up for classes, you can register for some assistance from Outschool via their donation fund.