Teach English in Taishanmiao Zhen - Ankang Shi

When teaching English to non-English speakers, one may find oneself in a large classroom, a smaller seminar, or an individual tutorial. All of these scenarios have benefits and drawbacks. Teaching language is teaching communication, but it is also teaching culture and social usage. As the students progress, they will begin to think more like a native speaker, and approach problem solving and social situations in ways that may vary widely from their original culture. Each of these teaching situations offers opportunities for the teacher to enhance not just the academic aspects of language acquisition, but also the social aspects. Similarly, each situation can hinder these processes. Clarifying some of the balance-points between one-on one and group lessons is the subject of this paper. The purpose of learning a language is acquire fluency and skill. A teacher's primary goal is to provide instruction to assist this process. In a one-on-one situation, the teacher has many advantages. The focus is entirely on the individual. Their specific needs and goals are readily incorporated into the lessons. In assessment, problems are seen immediately, and can be immediately addressed. Feedback is personalized, and always specific to the task. However, one-on-one teaching lacks the instructive aids that come from a group environment. With the teacher's whole attention, the student doesn't learn to work on their own as readily. They have no access to pair work or group work, both of which offer hints and options that may help in understanding and fluency. Hearing the questions of other students can clarify a subtle problem; hearing how others pronounce words can give clues to better shaping the sounds; observing the interactions of the teacher with other students can help reveal how the language is used. When the one-on-one student does a project as an Activate task, there is no one to present their work to, so that skill is not learned. Additionally, in one-on-one the teacher adjusts to the individual's capabilities, the student gets less sense of their own progress, and no sense of the difficulties in the language. Seeing others struggle helps them see their own skills, and eases the feeling that they are inadequate when they can't quite “get” something. Socially, the teacher and student in a one-on-one situation can develop a strong relationship. Depending on their ages, they may even become more like friends. This has advantages in the comfort of the instruction, and in the exchange of cultural information, but otherwise is not beneficial as it can lesson the rigor of the instruction. In a group, students can play games, adding a fun, social dimension to the learning process. They can work in pairs or small groups, thus learning how to communicate more effectively, and in a variety of ways. Role play allows them to experience a glimpse of what real-world exchanges in the acquired language might entail. And perhaps they might even develop friendships with other students in the class. One-on-one is more protective. If a student is shy, or easily intimidated, this environment allows them to develop their skills without the stress of an audience. In many cultures, girls and women are obligated to a subservient role, and this can severely impact their progress in course work. They will not speak up, will not offer information, will not want to be noticed. For boys and men in these cultures, they might hold to a false sense of superiority, and may not be willing to accept correction readily. This will be an issue in any teaching environment, but in a group, there are more opportunities for them to see that others, even those deemed culturally inferior, may actually be better students. Unless a student's language acquisition is entirely theoretical, learning about the differences in cultural expectations is necessary to any student's success in other countries. We learn much from “banging into” cultural rules, and how the language reflects those, often unstated, rules. Role play in a class room is an excellent opportunity to show how to live in another culture. For the teacher, one-on-one is, in many ways, easier. With only one student, they are the only focus of the lessons. The teacher learns the student's strengths and weaknesses, and their quirks and interests, and can tailor lessons specifically to these parameters. This is useful in both Engage and Activate activities. Knowing the student's goal is to go to school in the UK, the teacher can incorporate information on many aspects of academic life in the UK, as well as hints about social interactions, and even things like renting flats and shopping for food. The teacher may come to genuinely care for the student, and a strong, enduring relationship may result. However, one-on-one has drawbacks for the teacher. Materials must be made, and making them for a group takes as much time as making them for one student. In a group, it is easier to make the lessons more varied. Having pair and group activities introduces a social dynamic. Importantly, having other students allows them to help, and learn from one another. Instead of focusing on one student's interests, a variety of topics and methods are used, and this enriches all the students' understanding of the language and culture. Instead of following one student's progress, perhaps hovering too closely and catching mistakes before they happen, a group forces the teacher to let the students learn from their mistakes, and correct them on their own if possible. Also, a variety of students sparks many emotional responses both in the teacher and from the other students. Personality conflicts, extremely difficult to work around in one-on-one, are absorbed in the group dynamic. Both methods have advantages and detriments. The ideal, from the student's perspective, would seem to be having both modes of instruction. One-on-one works best for specific goals, where the individualized attention and focus helps prepare the student for a targeted goal. Group classes are more helpful for learning the subtleties of language, how it's actually used, and the culture in which it was created and continues to develop. A group allows the student to grow into the usage, not just the academic knowledge of the language, and is thus better for real-world application. Both methods, judiciously used, will develop the student's academic and social skills, and keep the teacher actively involved and caring.