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When teaching one to one, there are many advantages to this, although like most things, some disadvantages too. However, in my perspective, I think there are definitely more advantages to this type of personal attention. For older students or adults, learning a new language is perhaps a little more difficult than for young learners, as older students can't "soak" in the language as easily as children do, and of course must deal with more vocabulary and grammar. Therefore, especially for students who can easily feel intimidated or are shy or easily embarrassed, this personal study method is probably the best way forward. It is also advantageous for the beginner/absolute beginner level students who could feel very overwhelmed when embarking on learning a new foreign language. Furthermore, the timing of the lesson would be more convenient for the student to choose as opposed to having to fit into an already established schedule of a course designed for a class or group. Over a period perhaps, when the student can start to converse a little and moves to a higher level, that the student could feel more comfortable to be in a group or class and decide to move into that environment. A one to one lesson gives both the teacher and the student a good understanding of each other. It’s easier and faster for the teacher to build a rapport with the student and to get a good understanding of the character of the student, his or her needs and level of the language. Similarly, it is also easier to monitor the student’s progress during the course. The teacher can slow down when teaching certain topics if needed and not have to worry or even feel stressed about slowing down other students if it were a class or group. Having a good understanding of the student's abilities, gives rise to the opportunity to repeat certain topics that are not entirely grasped. Furthermore, the syllabus can be tailor made for that student and altered along the way, according to the progress of the student. Types of equipment and teaching aids can also be made and/or chosen accordingly. The student receives the undivided attention of the teacher and can dismiss any awkwardness or embarrassment especially when needing to ask or re-ask about something they don't or find very difficult to understand. Oral practice is also much easier for the student especially when needing to practice the more difficult pronunciations or when speaking or reading aloud. When we look at the disadvantages of teaching one to one, it would be more that the student loses out on interaction with classmates, who are in the same predicament of learning a new foreign language, more so if they are in a monolingual group. Ideas and suggestions are also limited as with more students, more inputs are forthcoming, especially in the engage and activity phases of a lesson. There can also be more fun in a group lesson when there are games to be played. Motivation could also be stronger when students have classmates to keep up with, however, this could be the complete opposite when there is a weak student who is unable to keep up with his peers. To summarize, I would say that In my opinion, teaching one to one is more advantageous to both teacher and student, especially as an initial stage in the learning process of a foreign language.
