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Teaching English as a foreign language is something that I have come to thoroughly enjoy throughout my years of teaching. My experience has been in both the physical classroom as well as online. I have taught English to second language speakers whose native language has been either Shona or Chinese. It has amazed me how quickly younger learners are able to grasp a second language. During my teaching career, I have found that teaching one to one allows you to build a rapport much more quickly, as the student has your undivided attention and does not have the added potential threat of other students’ opinions. One to one teaching, allows you to adapt the lessons to the specific needs of the learner rather than meeting the needs of the majority of a class. I have enjoyed planning lessons around the personal interests and circumstances of my learners, as it helps them to engage in the learning content with much more self-motivation. One to one teaching is the lesson type I personally prefer. I feel that the student gets far more attention and is more likely to make faster progress as they have all the undivided focus of the teacher. Where it does become difficult, is when the student wants to interact with another learner their own age. Peer work does inspire students to try harder through a bit of healthy competition, which unfortunately is not possible in one to one teaching. Teaching a group requires the teacher to be much more organised and prepared in order for her to have good classroom management. If the teacher allows the students to talk over her, or each other, the lesson can easily become chaotic and learning time is lost. Teaching a group makes activities such as pair work and team games possible. I have found that the students all enjoy a bit of healthy competition and it encourages them to try harder. Teaching a group online is a much more challenging task than in the classroom setting, as you are not physically present. It requires you to speak clearly and give concise and specific instructions. I much prefer teaching a group in a classroom setting, as you are able to connect with the group more easily and establish a better rapport. In group work you are able to make use of pair work, which is very useful when you have a student who is unmotivated or is struggling. The teacher can pair an unmotivated student with another that is highly motivated, or one that is weak with another that is strong. Overall, teaching requires the teacher to put in the time and effort to prepare her lessons, whether it be for a group or individual student. Each lesson deserves to be taught with enthusiasm and professionalism from the teacher. In a group setting, behaviour can be a problem, and the teacher needs to make sure that the students respect her and each other in order to have a successful time of learning. The teacher needs to make use of positive reinforcement to help the students to be self-motivated in both one-one and in a group lessons.
