Balance is the composition of a piece; the negative and positive spaces that make the piece visually important.
Formal balance is when everything is symmetrical. Think of a butterfly. When you split him in half, his left wing will math his right wing.
Structural balance (I think your teacher means informal balance) is when the piece has elements or objects placed in a complex way, so opposite of formal balance.
Softness of contour and an atmospheric effect
www.britannica.com/biography/correggio-italian-artist