Teach English in Maoyi Zhen - Loudi Shi

Learning English is becoming more and more popular due to the globalization. Thousands of people around the world choose to learn English for different purposes such as travelling, business, international communication. Attending group lessons at a language school or finding a private tutor is a matter of personal preference and well-being. Both group and one to one lessons have their pros and cons for students and teachers as well. So let's consider the difference between teaching these ways. Teaching individuals may seem an easy task at the first glance. However, there are some drawbacks in such lessons. Firstly, students often cancel or postpone such classes on their personal reasons. Secondly, one to one lessons are less dynamic than group ones. Even if the teacher tries to increase the pace of activities, he risks to get an exhausted student by the middle of the lesson. Individual lessons might become boring and monotonous if the teacher doesn't prepare various materials and sticks only to course book. Finally, it is impossible to do certain kind of activities which involve group work. During the pair work the teacher is the only available partner. On the other hand, individual lessons can be quite fruitful and productive. Normally students who choose such type of learning are highly motivated which makes teaching pleasant. The teacher can adjust the lessons to student's goals after making needs analysis. For example, pay more attention to listening or grammar if they are student's weak points. What's more, the pace of learning/teaching can be adapted in each individual case. In addition, one to one lessons usually provide more comfortable atmosphere for students who are shy or embarrassed of their mistakes. It is easier to maintain a good relationship with one student than with the whole group. There is a wide range of activities for individual lessons. Reading authentic materials, grammar exercises, videos, story telling, quizzes, and crosswords are suitable. The main point is to meet student's needs and avoid monotony. There are lots of different group types: monolingual and multilingual, existing and new, large and small. Regardless all these factors there is a number of rules applicable to any type. To begin with, the teacher should try to establish rapport with students. Friendly and relaxed atmosphere encourages students. Besides,the teacher has to conduct survey or make a questionnaire to define the students' needs. It can be made in different ways like filling in standard forms or answering questions in pairs with further written or oral feedback. Doubtless, teacher has to deal with discipline, organize the seating, control the class. One of the advantages of group lessons is the opportunity to use wide variety of activities. Group discussions, pair work, board games, surveys make lessons more interesting and lively. They also increase students' talking time. Furthermore, the change of activities makes classes more dynamic and keeps students engaged. Competition in group motivates students and encourages them to work harder. Nevertheless, teachers may face a number of issues with groups. One of the most frequent problem is different language levels within one group. Moreover, students may not have the same social or cultural background which should be considered while preparing materials. Almost every group has shy students who are reluctant to participate in speaking activities. Teachers should be sensitive and patient in order to involve those students without much pressure. Mistake correction is to be made tactfully as some students fear to look stupid in the eyes of their classmates. To draw the conclusion one can say that both teaching groups and individuals can pose certain difficulties for the teacher. Both ways of teaching involve a great deal of lesson preparation, teacher's patience, attention and common sense. In my opinion, either of these methods can be effective as long as the teacher and the student work hard.