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It’s most obvious that almost all the teachers have to teach both one to one and group lessons during their carrier and of course, they both are very different, challenging in various ways and comes along with various possibilities and problems. However, I personally prefer one to one due to many reasons such as I can develop my own strategies, a way of approaches and distinct materials. But it is commonly thought that one to one classes are difficult to handle since a teacher cannot do everything that he or she able to do in a group lesson to make the class interesting, possible approaches for effective learning and most importantly review and feedback. But here I wrote my opinion on One to one classes (why they’re different, their advantages and disadvantages, approaches that can aid the teachers etc.) ONE to ONE Lessons: CLASSROOM OR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: Less time for classroom management is required by the teacher since there will be only a teacher and a student. The only thing that needs to be focused on is to find a calm and peaceful place to start (if the class is held outside the school). MATERIALS: It’s quite easy and effective to find or produce a learning material since the teacher is likely to know the level and skill set of his/her student. And to be more specific the teacher can focus on his/her student’s need such as test preparation, grammar, like speaking, writing skills etc. FLEXIBLE TIMING OR SCHEDULES: Since it’s a direct interaction you can more likely talk with the student to know about his/her schedules, the best time to learn, planning the length of any sessions accordingly rather than sticking to a boring timetable. T-S RELATIONSHIP: Due to more time together and intimacy of the interaction a teacher can be more likely to be a mentor or a helper creating a friendly and comfortable environment, but however, a teacher should always take an important decision in the class about the learning process and makes much out of it. But a teacher should keep limit that he/she should not get in with personal areas that a learner is uncomfortable with. TECHNIQUES: Since is one to one, many techniques can’t be used here, so a teacher needs to find an alternate way of making class smooth and interesting at the same time. Like personalized pronunciation drilling, reading practice, grammar practice etc. ENERGY LEVEL: As this type of lessons is more personal, a teacher or a student’s energy level can affect the whole session. So a teacher always needs to focus on keeping the energy level at a high pace allowing a comfortable motivating environment at the same time. GIVING INSTRUCTIONS: Sometimes it’s often ignored to give clear instructions, this more likely to happen to a teacher who starts new. So a teacher should keep in mind to give a clear set of instructions for e.g., for Homework and at the same time he/she should encourage to ask questions. CAN TRY A RANGE OF METHODS AND TECHNIQUES: Various games and techniques can still be followed in one to one class. For example, songs, games, chants, pair work, jigsaw listening and reading may all be applicable – with participation from a teacher. GIVING FEEDBACK: It’s easy to give feedback or review to in a personal class since it can be spontaneous and effective at the same time. There can be a useful session that can be spent on the learner’s weak areas, pronunciation, confidence sessions etc. So, in conclusion, one to one lesion is not difficult or easy at the same time. At the end of the day, it all comes to teachers responsible planning and ideology along with training.
