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With the increase in demand for one on one lessons, there are many things that must be considered to ensure an effective individual lesson. As Unit 19 indicates, an individual lesson can be useful as it allows the teacher to focus on the student and their needs without worrying about different levels. It is generally less formal so it creates a more open, easy-going academic space. It also creates space for the teacher to develop a close relationship with the students. With good rapport, students will be more susceptible to the teacher and the lesson. However, there is a loss of classroom dynamics which allows for a variety of group activities. In a one to one setting, these lessons are not possible and inefficient. Additionally, individual lessons can be draining as well. Before teaching individual students. these are all things to consider and prepare for. In my experience with teaching on a high school level, I have had to consider all these important factors when it comes to interacting with students one on one. I worked in a public high school at the college office. I advised seniors on their college essays and guided them through the college application process. While this is not technically an English lesson, it requires a lot of vocabulary building and learning different sentence structures to portray meaning. Although this was an American high school, a large majority of the students who received one on one lessons with me had English as their second language. I exchanged personal emails and phone numbers with my students to increase communication with them. It also allows for rapport to build as students will feel more connected to the teacher. Unit 19 suggests that this is helpful as one to one meetings are often canceled. In my first meeting with a student, I always attempt to understand what they wish to walk away with, what their interests are, and what life experiences they are comfortable sharing. From the guided conversation, I also get a sense of their English proficiency and their way of communicating. I wanted their essays to reflect their personality while also following correct English rules. In the following meetings, I let them read out loud passages from other well-written college essays. We have discussions on what works in the essay and what needs to be improved. Doing so will give students an understanding of how their essays can be constructed. While my experience teaching was not centered on teaching English to ESL students, it lays a foundation for my future teaching experiences. This course helped me broaden my understanding of effective teaching methods. While I always knew that I had to consider my students’ lives outside the classroom as a reflection of their behavior, I did not know the proper ways to handle situations where students had a tough time focusing on the lesson, whether it is out of boredom or confusion. It is important to take the students’ reaction as a measurement for the effectiveness of my lesson. As a teacher, it is important to take notes of what can be improved to ensure a students’ needs are met.
