Teach English in Fucheng Zhen - Jincheng Shi

The demand for private tutors has risen with increased globalization of universities and the workplace. This demand is driven by the desire for the unique experience provided by one-on-one teaching. The benefits of this format include individualized lesson planning, personal interaction with a native English speaker, and feedback unique to the student. By teaching only one student at a time, the session can be driven by the student’s interests and needs while skipping material that has already been mastered. Speaking personally with a native English speaker allows the student to ask questions as they arise and builds rapport between the student and the teacher. Finally, the teacher can give personalized encouragement or corrections to the student as needed without embarrassing the student or neglecting others. In my experience, creating a positive environment for the student begins the moment they walk through the door. Students should be greeted with a smile, and a confirmation of their name. This is important because you will want to make them feel welcome, and you will want to use their name throughout the lesson with praise. You then want to introduce yourself and perhaps, briefly, your own teaching experience to make them feel that they are in good hands. The session should begin with a bit of an Engage phase while simultaneously building rapport. Allow the student to express any concerns or goals they might have for the session, while prompting them to tell you what they already know. From there, you can begin planning the direction for the lesson if you have not already. Moving into the study party of the lesson, ask them if they have any specific materials they wish to work on. If not, worksheets or articles should be kept on hand to guide the lesson. During the study phase, you might take on a few different roles than you would in a larger class. You will act frequently as an assessor, giving direct feedback to the student as they work through the lesson. Acting as a prompter is also important, using the Socratic Method to urge answers from a student who may be stuck or reluctant to speak. It is possible you will also have to act as a participant in role-play or as an example. However, the major appeal of having a private English teacher is having someone to act as both a tutor and a model—a personal English guide. As you work your way through the study phase, you will shift through several of these roles, providing encouragement, correction, and guidance. The activation stage is the final part of the lesson, even with one-on-one teaching. It might appear a bit differently though. As a chemistry tutor, the study phase often consisted of guided problem solving, with careful explanation of why that was or was not the answer. The activate stage was then allowing the student to solve questions on their own, only stepping in when needed as a prompter if they got stuck. The remainder of the activation would happen when they went back to class, with the one-on-one tutoring having filled in the gaps in their studies. With English I imagine a similar scenario, where the one-on-one teaching is used more as a supplement to pre-existing knowledge. One-on-one teaching tends to focus on the engage and study phase, with activation being dispersed where appropriate within the lesson and beyond. One-on-one teaching is an important tool for solidifying a student’s knowledge with personal modeling and feedback. As a teacher, it is especially important to build rapport with your student, building confidence and inspiring them to continue their studies. With appropriate engagement, studying, and activation of their knowledge, your students will shine long after you are gone!