Teach English in Yingtou Zhen - Baoji Shi

While most of the preparation for future TEFL teachers is focused on teaching in a classroom setting, many teachers, while working abroad, will be faced with the task of teaching in a one-on-one setting, as tutors or during private English lessons. There are advantages and disadvantages to both classroom styles, for both the teacher and the student, and it is important to evaluate these differences prior to beginning both lesson planning and teaching. When working one-on-one with a student, it is much easier to develop a rapport and personal relationship. However, it is also possible for there to be a personality clash between student and teacher, which could make lessons uncomfortable for either party. With individual classes, teachers should try to avoid sensitive subjects to create minimal chances for conflict. When working with groups or larger classes of students, teachers must make an effort to connect with the students on an individual level. This can be done by making sure to learn each student’s name and perhaps some personal details about them. Names should be used to address students individually. Learning about friendships and dynamics between students can also help the teacher when grouping students for projects and activities. Behavior problems are less likely when working one-on-one with a student, because they are held more accountable to the teacher, but they are still possible. Teachers must be careful to stay calm and not lose their tempers with both individual students and large, rowdy classes. Because of more direct attention from the teacher, the pacing of an individual lesson will vary from a class with a group, even if the students’ levels are the same. Teachers must take into account some distraction and talk time, as well as time to calm the class down when planning lessons for large classes, especially if the class contain small children. Working with class groups gives the teacher many more options for planning and activities. Most English teaching resources, both online and in course books and teachers’ guides, are designed for use in the classroom, not individual lessons. However, many of these materials can be repurposed to be used for one-on-one lessons. While it may be difficult to find pre-made syllabi for an individual lesson, it gives the teacher more free range to focus on the topics and themes that are of interest to the student. Additionally, it can be difficult to track the progress of a student without a concrete syllabus, but many teachers feel that frequent interaction with students is enough for them to gauge progress, regardless of class size. For any class, it is important to supplement course book material with outside material, to give lessons more variety and make sure the students are interested. In an individual lesson, students can bring in some topics, themes, books or other materials of interest to work with the teacher. This is also possible in larger groups, but it may be difficult to give time to the materials of each student. When working with a group, a teacher should make sure to vary the topics so that the interests of all the students (and the teacher) are addressed, at least part of the time. The Engage stage of the lesson can be very similar regardless of the group size. A conversation or sentence building activity can be done just as easily one-on-one as in a class group. When working one-on-one, the Study stage can lead to some planning problems for the teacher to overcome as they may not want to “waste” lesson time with individual work for the student (even though quiet study is key to language acquisition) and the student does not have the opportunity to work with a pair or a small group. The same problem can also arise during the Activate stage, as many of these activities work well in small groups and students can be more creative and less shy when speaking in English with their peers rather than with the teacher. In both lesson situations, teacher attitude is important. Students respond positively to positive energy. With a larger classroom, the teacher also has to deal with students feeding off the energy of other students, not just the teacher. If a few students participate actively, other students may be encouraged to join in. With an individual lesson, it is possible that the student is intimidated by the teacher, and therefore, the teacher should be open and understanding with the student. It is also important that a teacher not a few students dominate the lesson. Teachers of a larger class must be careful of pacing so that the slower students do not get left behind and the more advanced students do not get bored. With a one-on-one class, the teacher has more flexibility to move at the pace of the individual student, slowing down the lesson when the student is confused and breezing over topics that may come naturally to them. In the end, it is about serving the students’ needs. Fundamentally, teaching is teaching regardless of class size. The teacher must plan lessons that are engaging, interesting and at an appropriate level whether teaching to one or 25 students. Attitudes, course books and materials and pacing must be considered in all classes. However, the way the teacher implements these different aspects of the lesson vary significantly based on class size, just as they can vary based on age or level of the students. Each class presents individual challenges and a good teacher will be ready for any of them.