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When it comes to one on one teaching, there are a multitude of factors that must be considered and accounted for, ones that do not appear as often in group teaching and do not have a great of an impact. The teacher must be prepared to meet and react to these unique problems or complications in teaching can occur as a result. The biggest and most unique difficulty that can present itself in one to one teaching is the individual personality of the student. Due to the fact that people vary greatly, the behaviour of the student can often be unpredictable and the teacher will need to be prepared to recognise and cater best to this new personality. For example; a extroverted, energetic, and generally social student may have a very different reaction to a generally quiet and shy person when presented with the same material and tasks. The former may prefer an interactive roleplay, exercise and the latter more akin to writing stories or scenes. If the teacher fails to notice and alter their methods in response to how a student behaves, this can potentially create unhappiness and a lack of motivation and engagement, which is an extremely important factor in one to one teaching due to the fact that these aspects typically govern how well a student learns. While this can be present in group classes as well, due to the fact that in a one to one attention of the teacher is solely focused on a single student, these factors are greatly amplified due to the relatively increased ratio of teacher to student attention. In addition, the exterior problems of the student, such as family matters, are more prevalent in one on one teaching and the teacher should be aware that they could pose difficulty occasionally. Another scenario that is often absent in group classes but can be prevalent in one to on teaching is the situation in which a student has particular difficulty in learning or comprehending an aspect of the teacher’s material. Due to the fact that in a one on one a teacher can devote significantly more time to a single student, the teacher has the increased ability to correct problems and mistakes the student may have. However, if for a reason the student continually fails to retain information or has other troubles regarding the learning process, the teacher’s extra correction results in a unique problem. In the case where, despite the student and teacher working to correct an issue, it continues to persist, if the teacher chooses to continue to focuses on the issue this can cause the student to lose motivation due to the repeated failures disheartening them, or the teacher’s increased frustration that can arise due to the student’s difficulty. While this does not occur often in group sessions due to a teacher moving from one topic to another based on the average comprehension of the class, if the teacher fails to recognise the issue at hand and attempt a solution, such as attempting a different teaching method or postponing the topic for a future date, it can lead to frustration and a negative attitude between teacher and student, as both the teacher and the student feel as if no progress is being made. Similar to how the issue of correcting a student is amplified in one to one teaching, so too is the motivation. Repetition of similar tasks and teaching methods can quickly drain the student’s attention. In addition, the lack of other students can leave the student feeling isolated, unable to interact with anyone else. As such the teacher should be prepared to introduce new methods occasionally to spark interest and if it is permitted, engage the student in conversation more often in an attempt to disrupt the solidarity. However, be mindful of the student when doing so, as it may not always be the best choice. Although the challenges that potentially occur in one on one teaching can pose significant problems in the ability for the teacher to educate the student, such as the unpredictable personality and nature of the student and how they interact with, and the ease at which they can learn the taught material. If the teacher is able to adapt and change aspects of their teaching method so they are best suited to aid the student, the ease and ability for the student to learn the information and engagement and motivation to learn the language can be far higher than if the student was part of a group of students.
