Learn Without Limits has created a new teaching concept called the "teaching cloud" that is instant online math help.

Similar to the "computing cloud" composed of millions of computers used by scientists for solving complicated problems, the teaching cloud is an internet world that is composed of thousands of teachers online waiting for a student's question. The goal of the teaching cloud is to answer every student question when the student has the question-regardless of whether in the classroom or while doing homework.

If you think of teaching as a teacher being in front of class imparting knowledge in front of the black board, then the teaching cloud is not teaching because the starting point in the teaching cloud is not the teacher but the student's question.

If you think of tutoring as a tutor going over an assignment and quizzing the student to probe their understanding, then the teaching cloud is not tutoring because the student is person asking the questions, not the tutor.

The "Aha point"

The teaching cloud's primary principal is that the student is able to ask a question when they are studying. Questions were the first and are still the best learning tool yet invented.

The teaching cloud provides the most efficient method to answer students' questions. In contrast, a classroom inhibits the student's ability to ask a question on many levels-from having to delay the question for hours or days to a classroom not having enough time to answer all student questions. In a classroom, the concept of immediate feedback is lost completely.

We call the impact point when learning occurs the "Aha point" because we see every day student chatting with their teachers and saying "Aha! I get it." Usually a student has to ask several questions in a row before the Aha point occurs.

In the teaching cloud, students quickly find that being able to freely ask questions and getting immediate feedback is the best way to learn-the students never want to go back to waiting for their teacher in a classroom to understand their assignments.

The "shy barrier" is broken

The teaching cloud breaks one of the chief impediments to asking a question-shyness and embarrassment. The teaching cloud enables the student to ask questions without feeling embarrassed because of the comfortableness that comes from using instant messaging to communicate.

If a student does not understand after an explanation, teachers are not shy about asking follow on questions. If a student still doesn't understand, the student often just sends the question to another teacher to get another point of view.

Students take initiative in learning

Another important aspect of the teaching cloud is how students are taking the initiative in learning because they have a choice in their teachers. Students often blame the teacher for their not understanding; when the student can't use this excuse, students begin to take the initiative in learning.

Another subtle change the teaching cloud introduces that encourages the student to take the initiative is that students lead the questions, not the teacher. Children as two year old continually ask "Why?" Students not facing the embarrassment of being quizzed by a teacher rediscover the fun in asking questions.

Bad teaching can't hide

This highly charged statement, "Bad teaching can't hide," is rooted in actual experience. When the teaching clouded was first introduced, we quickly discovered a shocking number of teachers gave wrong answers to students. But just as amazing, it was also easy to identify the best teachers.

Students grade teachers on every answer they receive. The entire explanation including chat for every poor grade a teacher receives is reviewed by the teacher's peers fostering an every increasing cycle of quality.

The transparency and reinforcement in a teaching cloud simply creates a higher quality of teaching.

Parents adopt the teaching cloud for homework

Though the teaching cloud works both in school and at home, the first adopters are parents helping their children with their homework. Parents prefer the teaching cloud for math and science over their own help for several reasons:

1. Parents' help can often be more frustrating than helpful.

2. Getting stuck adds hours to a homework assignment.

3. Going to a tutor is expensive and time consuming.

The LWL "Explanation"

In the Learn Without Limits' teaching cloud, the teacher responds with an answer that is fully explained and open for further explanations if needed. In fact, LWL calls the reply an "explanation" instead of an answer.

Learn Without Limits' Web 2.0 communication tools enables students to quickly ask their questions and teachers to give a complete explanation so that students fully understands their answer. Experienced teachers say the new tools really do make a difference in explaining answers and concepts to students. "Teaching on LWL is as easy as standing at the blackboard. Our one-on-one interaction is key because every student's question is different and our technology lets us work with each student individually," says Ezequiel Pozzo, a physicist in Argentina.

Efficiency is a cost factor

The teaching cloud delivers one-on-one teaching very cost effective. The average cost per student in the United States is over $700 per month while the average cost of a teaching cloud is less than $50 per month.

Summary

The teaching cloud provides a secure environment in which a student can connect with teachers across the world or across a school to get answers to his or her homework questions-regardless of whether the student is in a classroom or doing homework at home.

The teaching cloud is quickly changing the face of education for one simple reason-answering questions while studying is the fastest way to learn. No longer faced with the frustration of being stuck on a question and taking hours to do their homework, students are discovering that learning math and science is fun.

The teaching cloud's low cost, ease of access, quick adoption and the measurable increase in student's academic performance is rapidly changing how students learn math and science in today's world.