VOA慢速英语:British Kids + Online Tutors in India = Divided Opinions

India was once a colony in the British Empire. But now Indian tutors are helping to teach math to some British children over high-speed Internet connections.
印度曾经是大英帝国的殖民地。但是现在，印度的教师正通过高速互联网连接帮助教一些英国的孩子学习数学。

Early results suggest that online tutoring may improve student performance. But not everyone is happy at this so-called outsourcing of tutors.
早期的结果表明，在线辅导可以提高学生的成绩。但是并不是每个人都喜欢这种所谓的“教师外包”。

(SOUND)
It’s three thirty in the afternoon at Raynham Primary School in London. Students are gathering for their after-school math lesson.
现在是下午3:30，这里是伦敦的雷纳姆小学。学生们放学后正聚在一起上数学课。

Five time zones and thousands of kilometers away, their math tutors are also arriving for class.
在相隔五个时区，数千公里之外，他们的数学教师也到达上课地点。

(SOUND)
Each pupil gets an individual online tutor. The students work with activities on their computer screen and wear a headset and microphone to talk to their tutor.
每个小学生都有一位单独的在线教师。学生们积极地在电脑上操作，戴着耳机和麦克风与他们的教师交流。

Their classroom teacher, Altus Basson, says he has seen an improvement in results.
他们班级的教师Altus Basson表示，他看到了学生们成绩都进步了。

ALTUS BASSON: " Children who struggle to focus in class focus a lot better on the laptops."
Altus Basson：“在课堂上难以专心听讲的孩子们在电脑上更容易集中精力。”

Nine-year-old Samia Abdul-Kadir says she enjoys the online lessons.
九岁的Samia Abdul-Kadir说，她喜欢这些在线课程。

SAMIA ABDUL-KADIR: "It helps me because sometimes when we’re doing it in class, I don’t hear the teacher very much and I don’t understand, but online is better."
Samia Abdul-Kadir：“它对我有帮助，因为有时在上课的时候，我听不清楚老师的话，我也不理解，但是在网络上就好多了。”

Her friend, Abdul-Fadil Badori, agrees.
她的朋友Abdul-Fadil Badori也表示赞成。

ABDUL-FADIL BADORI: "Online, you can hear it, it’s not shared by everyone, everyone has different topics they’re learning."
Abdul-Fadil Badori：“在网络上，你能够听到，它不是所以人一起分享，每个人在学习的主题都各不相同。”

Tom Hooper started the company that provides the online tutoring. The company is called BrightSpark Education.
Tom Hooper开办了提供在线辅导的公司——BrightSpark Education。

TOM HOOPER: "Children today feel very confident online, they feel very engaged, they feel very in control. And that’s half the battle with education. Give them control, make them feel confident and enjoy their learning and you’ll see them start to improve and embrace it."
Tom Hooper：“现今孩子们在网络上感到非常自信，他们感到自己能够积极参与，他们觉得自己能掌控一切，那已经是教育这场战役成功的一半。给予他们控制权，让他们感到有信心，享受他们的学习，然后你会看到他们的成绩开始提高，开始喜欢这样的学习方式。”

Online tutoring costs between twenty and twenty-five dollars an hour. An online tutor is about half the cost of traditional face-to-face coaching.
在线辅导的费用在每小时20至25美元之间。在线辅导的费用大约是传统的面对面教学费用的一半。

But some people say an Internet connection is not enough of a connection for teaching and learning. Kevin Courtney is deputy general secretary of Britain's National Union of Teachers.
但是一些人称光凭互联网连接的教学时不够的。Kevin Courtney是英国全国教师工会的副秘书长。

KEVIN COURTNEY: "We think there’s something that's a really important emotional connection between a teacher and a child, whether it’s a whole class or whether it’s one-to-one. You need that immediacy of feedback, and we’re not convinced that that can happen across an Internet connection. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we think that we can afford to have teachers with the genuine emotional connection there with the children."
Kevin Courtney：“我们认为，教师和孩子之间的情感联系非常重要，无论是整个班级还是一对一的教学。你需要立即的反馈，而我们并不认为互联网能做到这一点。在世界上最富裕的国家之一，我们认为我们负担得起与学生之间拥有最真诚的情感交流的教师”

BrightSpark Education says the online tutoring is used only as an addition to supplement regular teaching. The company says its service does not represent a threat to teachers’ jobs in Britain.
BrightSpark Education公司表示，在线辅导只是用于对常规教学的补充。该公司表示，他们的服务并不会对英国教师的工作造成威胁。

Some parents say they are satisfied with the results. And what about the children?
一些家长表示，他们对在线教学的结果感到满意。那么，孩子们呢？

CHILDREN: "I love it!" "I love it!" "I hate maths!"
孩子们：“我喜欢！”“我喜欢！”“我讨厌数学！”

So math -- or, as the British call it, maths -- is still not everyone's favorite subject even with the latest technology to teach it.
所以，即使用最新的技术来授课, 数学依旧不会是每个人都喜欢的科目.