Uber Teacher
[ADAPTING A GROUP CLASS TO A ONE ON ONE CLASS]
The Problem
5 students are registered in the class but only 1 or two show up on a regular basis or the class began as a group and attendance has dwindled to only one regular student. You plan your lessons for a group class with many pair and small group activities planned, an indepth language presentation and a note book poised to note down all those language issues as you monitor.
The Solution
ADAPTATION is the key. The book is designed to be used in a group class so many of the activities are designed for pairs (student A, student B, the third wheel etc) but of course this is difficult to do with just one student. You will become the partner in all conversations and you have the opportunity to put all your talents and skills into a focused language session with the student. Whereas your original lesson plan may have been very structured for a group of students you can now take a less formal approach to the topic.
Adapting your lesson plan Part of Lesson Warm Up
Language Presentation
Practice Activity
Listening Activity
Produce Activity
Feedback/Corrections Wrap Up
Original Lesson plan
Adapted Lesson Plan
1.Give students pictures of stressful situations, they brainstorm what they are and how to solve them. Write their answers on the board – introduce the topic and aims. 1. On the board I will highlight the modal verbs (should, could, must) in the sentences and how they give different degrees of advice. 2. Ask CCQs of the students to check they understand the differences, 1. In pairs students will match the problem to the advice on page 47 then we will check together as a class. 2. In groups of 3 students will look at the situations on page 48 and give advice using the modal verbs. Check as a class and do corrections. 1. I will ask the students to answer the prelistening questions on page 49 about what they think happened to Julie. 2. Play the listening twice and students will check their answers. 3. Discuss with class what they would have done if they were Julie, what should she have done? I will put students into groups of 3 or 4, I will explain that the world is coming to an end. They must choose the best 4 people from the list on page 50 to take to a new planet then we will listen to their choices as a class and see if we agree. I will write 8-10 sentences on the board of the most common mistakes from the lesson and we will go through them. We will do a few discussion questions on p. 51
1. Ask student what is a stressful situation they face – how do they normally solve it. Tell them about my morning commute what advice do they have for keeping my cool. 1. Ask student if he listens to advice about staying calm. Have a discussion about what you should/could do to stay calm living in the city. Ask about future plans. I will ask the student to choose two of the pictures from page 48 that relate to him or he has experienced and describe what is happening. I will add a few more categories based on his experience on the board and we will talk about methods for coping. I will correct his pronunciation and sentence structure as we go. 1. I will show the student a clip from ‘Dinner Ladies’ on my I-pad where Brenda’s wedding is ruined because of accidents and we will discuss what we could do to save the day.
I will ask the student to be one of the characters on page 50 and I will also be one. We will debate why each of us should have the last seat on the spaceship and ways we could be an asset to the mission. If time allows we will choose a second character. Feedback and corrections will be on the spot as necessary. I will highlight pronunciation errors on the board for the student to note down. Talk about what the student will be doing for the rest of the day/weekend.
Uber Teacher
[ADAPTING A GROUP CLASS TO A ONE ON ONE CLASS]
Tips and Ideas Use more realia. If your student uses English at work or at school, ask him/her to bring in materials from his/her daily life, like work emails, class homework, presentations, etc. This is your chance to customize your teaching to just one student. Learn about your student. The more you know about your student, the more you can adapt materials from the books to match his/her student. For example, if there is a lesson on browsing for clothes, and you know your student is a tech junkie, you can adapt the lesson to focus on technology. Share your interests. Students want to know what interests you, and a 1-on-1 environment gives more of a chance to be yourself in the classroom. On the other hand, don’t let the class revolve around you. Before you bring in that sitcom that you love so much, consider whether the student will really benefit from viewing it. Don’t be afraid of silence. Give you student time to brainstorm alone or think for a minute before a discussion or activity. A 1-on-1 class with no time to rest can be exhausting. Take shorter, more frequent breaks. Two 5-minute breaks are better than one 10-minute break. 50 minutes can seem like a long time to be constantly engaged in a second language, especially at lower levels, and 10 minutes can seem like a long time to be in the classroom alone. Let the student teach you something. It could be something cultural, perhaps, or something related to their field or interests. With only one student, you need to mediate the degree to which you come across as an authority figure, and by “playing the student”, you are lowering your level of authority and making the student more comfortable. Don’t sit at the front. By not sitting at the front of the classroom, you are breaking down the teacherstudent barrier. That barrier is necessary in a group class, but can come across as too impersonal for a 1on-1 class. Use a piece of paper as a substitute for the board. The student can then take home the piece of paper at the end of the lesson. Don’t neglect feedback. As much as your student likely enjoys having more casual conversations with his/her teacher, remember that the student is also paying good money to be in that classroom, and they registered with the expectation that the teacher would help them improve by correcting mistakes and finding patterns of errors. Take notes during the class and review mistakes periodically, at least once per class. Give a bit of homework. Have your student listen to a podcast, or watch a youtube video (levelappropriate, of course). While homework is not part of a standard SLE class, assigning and reviewing some light homework can add some interesting variety to a 1-on-1 class.