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There are many positives for teaching in a group than a one to one. Groups allow students to connect with others that are in their position with learning a new language and gives them someone to relate to. They can pick up and learn from others instead of just the teacher. It allows for a teacher to plan group or pair activities which cannot be done when it is one to one. It can also feel like less pressure for the student when the teaching is in groups because it can make it easier to self correct when activities or assignments are done in groups or taken up in groups. When working in pairs if one student is struggling they can receive assistance from another student instead of from the teacher. Teaching in a group gives teachers more options for games and activities for the engage and activate stage. It also allows the student to not always have to work individually during the study stage. Many activities during the ESA lesson plans are better or easier done in group teachings because there are more options and there is interaction. It’s easier to brainstorm more vocabulary for certain units and to bounce ideas or finish stories when it is a group setting. When it is just one to one the student can only rely on themselves with the teacher just prompting and providing some assistance during activities. I feel as though group dynamics are more beneficial because it takes the focus off of the one student to always know the answers & it can also reassure a student that they are not “slow” when they are unable to grasp an idea or concept immediately if another student is struggling with the same thing. A few drawbacks with teaching in groups instead of one to one is that every student is not able to get individual attention from the teacher. It may be difficult to cater to individual student needs, or if a student needs more attention or practice than another. There may be faster or slower students or ones that are more advanced than others. This can still be address in a group teaching by varying the activities chosen and putting students in groups and pairs that can balance the imbalance among the students. It is more than likely that poor behaviours will arise in a group setting than in a one to one and addressing the behaviour would be more difficult. Making sure to keep all students motivated and trying to meet their individual goals identified on the needs analysis test done at the beginning or the course would be more difficult as well. It’s harder to gauge how each student is tracking consistently in a group dynamic than one to one, although this can be addressed by speaking to students individually during a group assignment. Many things that would be more beneficial in a one to one can still be addressed in a different way in a group setting and not vice versa, which is why teaching in a group dynamic is preferred to a one to one.
