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Teach English in Nanxing Zhen - Baoji Shi

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I decided to deal with this topic because I experienced both teaching one to one and groups during the last months. As an overall consideration, I have to say that I deem teaching a highly rewarding activity and that I am passionate about that, this approach helps me to overcome problems and improve my teaching skills. I had the opportunity to hold a 30-hour one to one course addressed to 4 students of different English level and many group courses addressed to pre-intermediate students. All the learners were adults and the courses took place at the learners' workplace. Thinking about these two different experiences, I confirm, at risk of being repetitious, that I enjoyed both, but as stated in this CTBE course, there are doubtless major differences between them. In the next few lines I will try to highlight these differences considering my personal experience as a teacher, therefore from a teacher's point of view. One of the main differences is the level of pressure. During a one to one lesson the teacher is required to pay a 100% attention, whereas in a group lesson some "off-moments" are allowed, typically when students are completing tasks or preparing group activities. These spare moments are useful to prepare what is coming next, check the syllabus or simply collect one's thoughts. I found one to one teaching more challenging than group classes because one to one learners are highly motivated to learn and the teacher is expected to comply with their expectations, on the other hand in group classes not all the students may have the same level of motivation, in this case the role of the teacher is to bring all the possible inclusion and enthusiasm. With reference to teaching materials, whilst there is a large availability of text books and activities for groups teaching, it is not easy to find ready-to-use materials for one to one classes. That represents another difference between the two teaching practices. I think the best way is to structure a customized syllabus for each one to one student starting from their needs analysis. The needs analysis highlights another difference: in a one to one class it is more crucial to assess the learner’s needs and to agree on a list of priorities at the beginning of the course and it is advisable to be prepared to change something on the way, because the learner's needs may change, whereas in a group course I found it easier to follow the scheduled syllabus. One of the issues related to one to one courses can be the lack of individual study time and that issue makes another difference from group teaching. In group classes it is normal to have silent study moments in which students complete a task, a test or prepare a presentation, whereas the one to one student might feel uncomfortable to tackle with long self study sessions in the presence of the teacher, mostly if he/she is not in a position to successfully carry out the task. I personally experienced such problem and I've always tried to encourage students to take their time, because I am convinced that individual study time is very important specially if the student hasn't other studying opportunity but the course. In one to one courses I found more opportunities to develop a real and productive relationship with the learner, in some cases students even suggested topics they were interested in and provided authentic work materials they needed to translate or fine-tune. That was possible because in one to one classes we dispose of more flexibility than in group classes where students normally raise less personal requests and syllabus is the reference for pace and progress. Finally, in one to one class it may be difficult for the teacher to assess if he/she is providing effective teaching practice because, in case of poor results, it would be unpleasant to ascertain whether the problem is with the teacher or the student. On the other hand in group classes progress can be measured by keeping under control the whole class improvements.


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