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One of my first memories of teaching ESL is when I substituted in a class of 40+ students. Being my first ESL class ever I was naturally very intimidated, as it seemed impossible to connect with all of these students and make sure they are absorbing the material and can accomplish the learning objective in 45 minutes? Looking back on this memory I laugh at the thought of being nervous about teaching all of these students as it is not as difficult as it looks. I have found group work grading assignments, and having five minutes before and after class available for students to ask the teacher questions are phenomenal ways to give students individualized attention. With a little preparation, you can always find ways to give individualized attention to your students. Group work is one of your biggest allies and dealing with a large class as it really frees up the teacher. For instance, a class of 40 in groups of five students gives the teacher 7 groups of students to focus on, which is significantly more manageable and allows the teacher to give individualized attention to the group rather than each individual rather, while still allowing for personal issues to be addressed. In business English class you could also assign roles members actually perform so they feel more comfortable with what they are doing, and it shows you know something about them. Utilizing groups crucial for teaching a large number of students, and without it would be seemingly impossible to teach big classes. Grading assignments is another great opportunity to give feedback to students. When grading assignments the teacher can write individualized feedback on how well they did or how to improve. This shows students you care about them and you are paying attention to their progress in class. You can also tailor your corrections to what a student said in class or refer back to previous work they have submitted. Not only does this help students see how they have improved but it shows them you are tacking their progress throughout the course. Providing feedback like this shows your students they are not just a number in your class, but rather an individual whose work matters. A little conversation about anything goes a long way when trying to establish a connection with your students. Using small talk is a great way to show students you are interested in their lives and gives a more human feel to the teacher-student relationship. It is also important to set time before and after class to give students an opportunity to voice concerns to the teacher, as in some cultures it is improper to question a teacher in front of a whole class. This lets the teacher know that there may be issues that the whole class needs to work on. Setting a bit of time before and after class also allows more opportunities for students to talk to the teacher. Having time for students to converse with the teacher is easy and could significantly improve the relations between teachers and students. As you can see providing individualized attention to students in a large class is not a significant issue, as long as you are prepared. Effectively using group work, providing individualized comments on student assignments, and giving opportunities for students to talk to the teacher before and after class are just a few ways for students to get individualized attention. Teachers should be creative and see what works in their own classes.
