Teach English in Pinglianglu Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

The difference between teaching one to one and groupsThere are a number of fundamental differences between teaching one to one and group classes. Most teachers will tell you that they prefer group based teaching, however the reality, according to Nicola Meldrum it that ?one to one is a normal and often significant part of our teaching lives.? (http://www.onestopenglish.com/business/teaching-approaches/teaching-one-to-one/methodology/) Most will find the transition from group to one to one daunting, however having personally come from a one to one background and made the transition into group teaching, I have had quite the opposite experience and discovered that there are a number of advantages and disadvantage to both cases One of the most obvious advantages to one to one teaching is the teacher?s ability to define a suitable language level. There is no need in a one to one lesson to try and cater for mixed levels within the class. This is very often not the case with larger classes where there is likely to be various levels of capabilities and needs for the teacher to address. Behavioural issues should also be less of an issue in one to one as students tend to be highly motivated, whilst in larger groups the teacher must make the effort to motivate the class. In contrast to large groups, in one to one classes the needs of the student can be clearly defined. Often a one-to-one student might have a clear aim in mind and can provide the teacher with information to tailor the lessons to the student?s wants. It is also easier to identify topics that interest the student and work them into the lessons. This is turn means the student benefits from the attention received from the teacher, which would naturally increase from attention received in a larger class. One-to-one classes allow the teacher and student to develop a much closer relationship. This can have its u.s.and downs, as ?one teacher neatly described the teacher role as being ?blurred? between teacher, psychologist and friend.?( http://www.onestopenglish.com/business/teaching-approaches/teaching-one-to-one/methodology/) The advantage to such a relationship is that the better a teacher knows their students, the easier it will be to teach them, focusing on what interests them but also being able to deal with behavioural issues. Whilst one-to-one can be easier in terms of a lack of mixed abilities, it also means that there is a loss of classroom dynamics. It is not possible for students to play off one another?s ideas and certainly there will be less variety of ideas and interests brought into the classroom with which to work from. This group dynamic generally makes for much more interesting lessons and so in a one to one situation it is up to the teacher to make the class as interesting and dynamic as possible. One of the main complaints that teachers make about one-to-one tuition is the lack of available activities. There is a restriction on games and activities that rely on larger numbers and role-plays, and other games have to be played between the teacher and student, which can become quite monotonous. As Peter Wilburg puts it, ?many. . . of the . . .skills we have developed as language teachers relate almost exclusively to working with groups.? (http://www.oxfordtefl.com/One-to-One-Language-Coaching.html) Thus it becomes a challenge for the teacher to come up with fresh ideas to keep class activities interesting or to find ways to adapt games and activities designed for larger classes. However, coming from a one-to-one background, I have actually found some of the material on the TEFL course conducive to teaching a one-to-one class; it is a matter of tweaking an activity to suit the situation. Other teachers complain about tiredness due to the intensity of the one-to-one situation. Classes can be up to and over an hour long and this is a long time to spend talking to one person. However, there are ways to tackle such issues, for example, allowing periods of silence in which the student works on an exercise, moving about the room and changing the pace of lessons and activities (http://www.onestopenglish.com/business/teaching-approaches/teaching-one-to-one/methodology/one-to-one-methodology-ten-tips-to-minimize-disadvantages/144658.article ) Every teacher will need time and trial and error to find the methods that suit them and their students be it a group or one-to-one. Both types of classes have their pros and cons, and often it is a matter of a teacher adapting to a new situation having moved out of a familiar comfort zone.