| How: | | | | through homework together, receive more homework, |
| 1. Put the students into pairs or small groups (See TT1 | | | | get ready to leave etc. 5 minutes would be more |
| for further explanation). | | | | realistic. So there you have it, pay for 60 minutes and |
| Why: | | | | get 5. Where's the logic? If that doesn't work I do this: |
| 1. Making students speak to each other instead of the | | | | Let the student have his/her way. Yup! Smile and listen |
| teacher maximises STT (Student Talking Time) and | | | | very attentively. Make sure that everyone else is |
| minimises TTT (Teacher Talking Time). This is a good | | | | listening too. Let him/her start rambling, taking up |
| thing because the students are the ones who need to | | | | everyone's valuable time and then just pick him/her up |
| practise their English - you, hopefully, don't! | | | | on every grammar mistake and correct his/her |
| 2. A lot of students will be using their English to speak | | | | pronunciation every second word. I find that the |
| to non-mother tongue speakers anyway so they might | | | | student in question usually enjoys this to start with, |
| as well start getting used to it. For example, my | | | | getting so much attention - having a one-to-one lesson |
| students are Italian and they often need English to | | | | in front of everybody - but the novelty soon wears |
| speak to other European clients and colleagues. Some | | | | off. I either correct the student aloud, frequently, or |
| of them never use English to speak to mother-tongue | | | | write his/her errors up on the board as s/he goes |
| English speakers at all! | | | | along ("don't mind me, do keep going, we can all learn |
| Extra Info: | | | | so much from your mistakes"). |
| Students like talking to the teacher because it makes | | | | Generally speaking, correcting a student every few |
| them feel important and that they are getting value for | | | | seconds destroys the impact of whatever s/he was |
| money. While this is fine in a one-to-one lesson it is no | | | | saying and makes them (and everyone else) lose the |
| good in a group because while one student is | | | | thread. Writing their mistakes up publicly on the board |
| monopolising the teacher/conversation everyone else | | | | tends to make students shrivel up and die (See TT11 |
| is losing out. | | | | for an explanation about how to do error correction |
| When I encounter students who want to talk to me all | | | | nicely). After this, in my experience, the student is |
| the time in a lesson (flattering though it is) I advise them | | | | generally quite happy to get on with pairwork. And so |
| (politely) to consider having individual lessons if they | | | | are all the other students! Sometimes I have students |
| want the teacher's full attention all the time. If that | | | | who don't want to speak much until they can be sure |
| doesn't work I explain like this: 60 minutes divided by 6 | | | | of getting it right and not making mistakes because |
| students = 10 minutes each; so they can each talk to | | | | mistakes are bad things, right? (Wrong! See TT11 for |
| me for 10 minutes and I will listen to each of them for | | | | further explanation). These students tell me that they |
| 10 minutes which is sad really when they've paid for a | | | | want me to talk to them (individually) because they will |
| 60 minute lesson. And, let's face it, it wouldn't really be | | | | learn correct English through listening to me. (By |
| 10 minutes because you have to take time off for | | | | osmosis, presumably!) They can't see the benefit of |
| taking the register at the beginning of the lesson, giving | | | | talking to each other because if they make a mistake |
| everyone time to hang their coats up, sit down, get | | | | the other student won't be able to correct them. |
| settled, receive their worksheets, read the instructions, | | | | (Actually, the other student often can correct them, |
| listen to the teacher presenting grammar points or | | | | and does correct them and that's what they don't like!). |
| whatever, do a listening exercise or a roleplay, go | | | | |