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The Difference of Teaching One to One and GroupsThere are a wide variety of reasons why a student will be enrolled in an english course. For some, it is because they are forced to and it is a required subject in their course curriculum at their educational institution. Others may be taking a class because their employer wants them to brush up on their skills in order to gain promotion. Regardless of the motive for a student to be taking a class, there is one major factor that has a high determinant of a student?s success ? whether they are taught one on one or in a group setting. This independent research article will discuss the merits and challenges, as well as the similarities and differences between a one on one class and a group class. First, I will begin with the aspect of individual attention in the classroom. Here, obviously, the choice for the most attention an instructor can give a student is for a one on one session. An instructor can effectively tend to the specific needs of the one on one student as well as zero in on the problem areas. Conversely, in a group setting, (depending on how large the group is), the attention of the instructor must be divided in order to try and appease each student. Often in larger groups, as in public school settings, some students may be completely overlooked and never really helped by the instructor simply because there is not enough time for the teacher to sit down and talk and focus in on each student?s problem areas. One on one lessons are far more effective as far as the attention and help given by the instructor, yet group settings allow for the students to really work on their own and help each other. Strong students can help out the weaker ones during grouped activities. They can also help one another to understand the material easier by explaining the material in their native tongue. Sometimes hearing an explanation in a native tongue can give a better detailed answer to the students? problem. Students in group settings are also more apt to experiment with language because they feel more comfortable with their peers. In a one on one setting the students may feel like he or she has to "save face" and puts entirely too much pressure on themselves in order to succeed. In my personal experience I feel that a one on one setting is far more effective in lessons. I can easily keep the student focused and do not have to try and control the class. (There are also factors of age, however, that go into that finding, as my one on one lessons have mainly been with adults and my group settings have mainly been with young children). Students in group settings also gain the ability to role play and complete activities that a one on one session would not be able to permit. The same can be said for one on one activities that are unable to be used in a group setting. All in all, there are advantages and disadvantages of a group vs. one on one setting. The key is to find the correct activities that are suitable for each setting. One must also of course consider english level and ability of the student(s). By choosing the suitable activity and giving the proper attention to either a single student or a group as a whole, an english instructor can maximize their teaching ability.
