Teacher And Student example essay topic

Problems And Advantages Of Teaching One-To-One There are pluses and minuses to teaching languages in different environments and situations. Being able to teach and learn in a one-to-one environment clearly holds advantages for both teacher and student when compared to the problems and pressure that can come with large classes. This is why both adult students and parents are prepared to pay for private one-to-one lessons, where they can have the full attention of their tutor. However there are drawbacks to this scenario. Firstly if you intend to use commercial teaching materials you are likely to find that many, if not the majority of activities are designed for the classroom, for students to work in groups and pairs. This also means that a lone student does not get involved in exercises and role-play with peers, which is very helpful especially with regards to listening to others' pronunciation and building vocabulary.

A classroom student can hear other able students talking in L 2 and interact with them. They can also share knowledge and confidence. This also allows the teacher to observe the students interacting without support from the teacher, giving amore realistic view of their active English use. On the other side of the coin it could be argued that a one-to-one student benefits from not being distracted by other students' errors and bad habits. Many students can pick-up poor pronunciation habits from their classmates. Young learners in particular may be distracted from their work, more interested in their relationship with the other children / teenagers, creating a barrier to learning.

Adult embarrassment about making mistakes in front of others can also create a real barrier to effectively learning / practising language areas. The only person that the lone student can relate to is the teacher. Therefore it's quite important that student and teacher have a good rapport, while the student must keep confidence and respect for the teacher's abilities. In some ways this means That a one-to-one teaching scenario is more demanding for the teacher. This is especially true in regard to younger learners. When teaching a child in a one-to-one situation there can be initial difficulties to overcome; many children are naturally very shy of a strange adult who looks and speaks differently.

It is essential for the tutor to build-up and maintain a sense of trust and interest from the child. Often such a child has been to school that day as well as doing homework and other extra-curriculum one-to-one lessons and may not want, nor be best able to sit down to another hour of concentration. It's important that the lesson takes place in an environment with little distraction. If teaching a child at home for example it is best that the lesson is conducted in an area of the house that the child respects as a place of study, perhaps not the living room floor with toys, mum and other siblings around. With adults depending on their needs, there are quite a few options. I have taught in cafes, restaurants, bars and at home in the dining room.

As long as there are no other demands or distractions on the student most places will do for conversational L 2. A major advantage of a one-to one lesson is that it is generally much easier for the student to concentrate and (depending on the environment) there will probably be fewer distractions. In fact the whole lesson can be focussed specifically to the individual students needs. For example a child who is speaking fluently but needs extra help with reading, an insurance saleswoman who needs to familiarise herself with difficult medical terminology or a college student with a specific examination approaching. Everyone can have a lesson privately, that is more tailored to their learning goals than in a class situation with others. This is an enormous advantage, and I think one of the key motivations behind most students attending one-to-one lessons.

Problems and queries can be dealt with as and when they come-up, as apposed to the student perhaps waiting for the end of a classroom lesson hoping to get a few moments to go over something with a beleaguered teacher. The one-to-one student benefits greatly from the interaction they have with their tutor. Assuming their relationship is as it should be, there could be quite naturally flowing conversations on mutual interests, so long as the student's ability allows. Most able and older students find conversational L 2 especially with a native speaker, both enjoyable and beneficial in widening their understanding and grasp of English in use.

Based on my experience to date I have personally found that if there is a good rapport between the student and myself, be it adult or child, elementary or advanced. I have found one-to-one lessons the most enjoyable and enriching.