Teach English in Edmonton - TEFL Courses

Individual and group instruction are two types of teaching arrangements when instructing an esl course. There are many purposes for individual instruction and group instruction and it is important for the learner and instructor to understand advantages and disadvantages of each before taking or teaching an esl course. Group instruction is most common in school settings and is the structure that many students are accustomed to, especially young learners. Several schools around the globe begin foreign language instruction at a very early age and reap the benefits of the learning dynamic found in a classroom setting. Learning in a group provides students with varied exercises and activities. Exercises and activities are able to offer engaging, “real-life” examples and encounters to students that are vital in the language learning process. Many students may have difficulty understanding the reason behind learning english, especially if they are learning it in the country that their native language is spoken. Motivating students by providing them with such purpose through engaging activities in their learning can increase retention and overall comprehension. Group work and pair work can be instrumental in learning concepts and grammar structures. Students gain experience by conversing with many different students in the classroom and learning concepts from one another. By working in a group setting the technique of scaffolding takes place almost organically. This technique can be essential to the feeling of competency and the comprehension of the student. Scaffolding is when a teacher, peer, parent or technology permits a learner to perform a task beyond the degree of difficulty he/ she is able to achieve alone. This technique builds knowledge and skills until the student can complete the task alone, at which point the “supports” can be removed. ("Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)") Scaffolding is particularly helpful for group activities in which the ability of the students is varied to be able to successfully play a game or complete an exercise. Because scaffolding will most oftentimes occur without the teacher’s interference, it is key for the instructor to simply allow it to happen. For instance, this technique might be exemplified in a classroom where the teacher is giving instructions for how to play a game. Some students in the classroom may have difficulty understanding all of the rules of the game to be able to successfully play it, so inherently other students may explain the rules in their native language to help each other along. Obviously, this should not be a common occurrence in the classroom; otherwise the instructor may need to alter their explanations of exercises. One of the largest challenges for instructors is teaching students with varied levels of english within the same classroom. When teaching a group the instructor must always be catering to varied levels with their instruction. It is important for the teacher to always be aware of how and if concepts are “landing” on every student in the classroom before progressing. The classroom may also contain students that are not suited to be in the class because their level of english is higher or lower than that of the other students. Accommodating these students will have its built-in challenges for the instructor. This issue is one that is simply not present in that of individual instruction. Finding exercises and games that motivate students is generally easier than finding exercises that will suit an individual. The inherent learning dynamic that takes place between peers is much harder, if not impossible, to obtain between an instructor and a student. Exercises and games allow the instructor to mediate and observe learning taking place without always having to be 100% involved and actively participating. The amount of attention that teaching an individual involves can be exhausting for the teacher though neither of these teaching arrangements provides much respite for the instructor. One of the major advantages of one-on-one instruction is the innate motivation of the student. Because individual instruction is mostly sought by persons who understand the benefits of learning english or have a desire to learn it, the teacher may not have to work as hard to engage these students or to have them actively participate. Another benefit to individual instruction is that there are no varying levels to compete for attention in the classroom. The individual student can have 100% of the teacher’s attention and focus for the duration of class time. The fact that there are not other levels present in the classroom also allows the instructor to cater all of the lessons to the individual student’s needs. This can mean skimming over concepts that the individual is already confident with, or skipping them altogether and progressing in difficulty. By the same token, the instructor has the benefit, and the student the luxury, of practicing and reiterating difficult concepts that the student may struggle with. Each of these learning settings can be beneficial and detrimental to the teacher and students if not manipulated and planned for properly. teachers should be aware of the pros and cons of each arrangement before pursuing instruction to aim for the most successful learning environment. Works Cited "Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)." 2006-2012 Education.com, 2006. Web. 13 Sep 2012. . "Teaching esl Students." Columbia College Chicago. Columbia College Chicago, 2012. Web. 14 Sep 2012. . Pesce, Claudia. "Teaching Adults How-To: Advantages and Challenges." Busy teacher. busyteacher.org, 2012. Web. 12 Sep 2012. .