Teach English in Maoping Zhen - Hanzhong Shi

Teaching one to one can be very different from teaching groups and it can have some unique problems that some teachers might not be ready to face. On the other hand, if you take the right approach, I believe that one to one teaching can be more rewarding then traditional teaching as you can really focus on the student. In this paper I am going to cover some of the key differences along with some advantages and disadvantages of teaching one to one and some of the ways I go about addressing these disadvantages. The first key difference in teaching one to one is that there seems to be a lot less support and resources available to teachers then for group classes. Although, much of this material can be modified to work with single student classes, it can be very time consuming to do this. Even searching online, it seems as if there is a limited supply of material suitable for one to one classes, but I think there is more and more coming out then in the last few years. On the plus side of this, one to one students can find their own material to go over in class and study and can be more interesting to them. Another difference in one to one teaching is that the student or parent has much more control over the pace and timing of the class. These can be adjusted based on the needs of the student rather then a schools or institute course structure. One to one students can also adjust the number of classes per week more so then with students of groups, if a student wants to learn quicker they just have to take more classes. Often time, there is not a deadline to finish a course with one to one due to the facts that, there are not usually formal exam or tests done at a set time like in most group classes. The role of the teacher can also be a lot different in one to one compared to traditional classes. One to one classes tend to be much more intimate and can lead to a stronger like or dislike between the student and the teacher. This feeling seems to be less strong in a group setting. Also, in one to one the class is less teacher centered and the student can make more decisions about the course. Even when the teacher and student get along very well this can lead to another issue of becoming a friend and/or therapist instead of being a teacher, which can lead to quickly being off subject and on to random topics. Another difference in one to one teaching is with some of the techniques used, where as most can be used some are more suitable, for example reading out loud to work on pronunciation would be better in one to one, but a very long reading activity would be better off in a group setting. One difference that is also a plus is in the level of motivation of the student. Unless the student is required to be in class, maybe by their parent, the student is usually highly motivated to learn as they are spending their own time and money on the class. The last key difference between one to one and group classes is there can be a different type of stress felt by the teacher and student, there can almost be a feeling like you always have to be ready to perform or if you are the student you feel like you always must have the answer to every question. This can be off putting to some, but to others it can be fine. Some students prefer not being in front of a large class when experimenting with new language as they fear they will be laughed at. In conclusion, even though there are numerous differences between teaching one to one and group classes, I believe that as long as the teacher prepares properly, and they put in the effort, it is not too difficult to overcome these differences. I also think that many teachers would benefit from the experience of trying one to one classes, as it can give a different prospective for the teacher. This can also be very rewarding for the teacher as it can almost give a “close up” to how the teachers actions directly affect the student.