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Teaching students can differ greatly depending on it being a group of students or a one on one lesson. Both teaching methods have advantages and disadvantages that will be discussed in this paper. I will start by discussing group dynamics and class techniques to teach classes with multiple students. Working with groups has a big advantage of students being able to work with one another. The dynamic of a class with multiple students may be more comfortable for students as they are not in a situation where they are working intimately with teachers. There are also a variety of activities that can be done with classes, such as group skits, pair work, and games that need more than two people. Teaching whole classes also has its disadvantages. With groups of students, there may be varying levels of students. Even if students are around the same level to begin, some learners will take longer to grasp concepts and may fall a bit behind. When this occurs, there are a few ways to cater to multiple levels. There are ways to pair students together to help them succeed, the first being pairing a stronger student with a weaker student. You can also pair stronger students together and weaker students together and give them tasks that cater to their level. Another disadvantage of teaching a group of students is a variety of interests. It is impossible to craft a lesson that every student will enjoy. To help with this it is imperative to teach with a variety of topics and techniques to reach as many students as possible. Teaching individual students has advantages over teaching groups of students. There are no mixed levels that need to be catered to, just the one level of the student. Because of this it is important to assess your student’s level. With one student it is also easier to cater to their needs and interests. Instead of teaching a variety of topics, you can learn what interests your student and create lessons that reach their students interests. There is also the advantage of being able to form a close relationship with your student and cater to their specific needs. There also may be more of a desire to learn because the student has individual lessons rather than going to a class full of students. The disadvantages of teaching an individual student are that it may be more stressful for a student to be one on one with their teacher. There are also less activities that one can do with an individual, and the teacher will often have to participate. The activities that can be done are listening activities where students listen to recordings, watching videos, reading short stories and listening to music. These activities can be catered to the students and fit their level and interests, but also may be more difficult to determine. The disadvantages of students learning one on one are equal to teaching groups of students. In conclusion, teaching groups has its advantages and disadvantages, as does teaching an individual student. It may be the case that you have no control over which students and how many students you are working with, so it is important to be prepared to teach both. Whether working with a group or with an individual, the students come first. A teacher must always assess their student’s level and create lessons that help them improve. Taking a different approach to teaching an individual over a group is necessary to help the students learn.
