Teaching 121

Steve Hatting
About me
Teaching 1 to 1 for 10+ years

Started as a state licensed tutor in

California in 2008 for ESL

Continued tutoring and began

working as a classroom teacher
support in Utah in public schools for
2.5 years for 5th and 6th graders

Also taught 1 to 1 lessons online to

Russians, Ukrainian, Belarusians,
Algerians, and more
About me
Started teaching in Ukraine
(where I got my CELTA) 4+ years
ago

Now work with groups

sometimes, but mainly teach
students 1 to 1

Also work as a senior teacher at

Speak Up English School
Plan for Today
Overview of 1 to 1 teaching

Advantages of 1 to 1 teaching

Problems (and possible solutions) of 1 to 1 teaching

Helpful hints along the way

Overview of 1 to 1 Teaching
Who does 1 to 1 teaching affect?

● Teachers with private students

● Tutors
● Coaches
● Schools with individual
students
What are some
problems of teaching
1 to 1?
Conversation in 1 to 1 Lessons
“So, what do you want to talk about?"
Giving Feedback from Speaking
Write down the mistakes you hear

Listen for your student’s fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation

Try to concentrate on global mistakes first; then move to local mistakes

Consider the level of the student; this isn’t meant to de-motivate the student

Decide when to correct the student

Immediately, delayed, prompted, etc.

Helpful Hint for Teaching Speaking 1 to 1
1. Give your student a choice of topics to discuss.
2. Student has 1 min to prepare.
3. Student speaks for 2 minutes while teacher takes notes on student’s
mistakes, emerging language, examples of good language, etc.
4. Teacher gives the feedback in a “delayed correction” style.
5. Student prepares for 30 seconds on the same topic.
6. Student speaks for 2 minutes again.
7. Teacher gives additional feedback.

The errors can even be used in future lessons by marking them down (e.g.
passive voice, conditionals, past perfect, etc).
Not Enough Language Exposure or Repeated
Practice
Not Enough Language Exposure or Repeated Practice
Demand High Teaching (aka Learning-centered teaching; not to be confused
with Learner-centered teaching) founded by Jim Scrivener & Adrian Underhill
Not Enough Language Exposure or Repeated Practice
3XP (3 times practice)

- 1st P: Do the task

- 2nd P: Close the book, turn the handout over, etc. How much do you
remember about the sentences, story, text, vocabulary, etc.
- 3rd P: Dialogue, interview questions for a role play, make a story from the
text, etc.

Requires very little prep time for teacher so it’s easy to use and helps with
student repetition

For more information: https://demandhighelt.wordpress.com

Bloom’s Taxonomy
My 1 to 1 Lessons are Boring!
Before starting to teach, make sure you do a needs analysis and conduct
pre-course interviews to see if your personalities agree

When creating a special course for your student, make sure to incorporate
your student’s interests and your interests into the course plan

Consider using sources like the news, TED talks, etc.

If a student is slow and reflective in his/her speech, they should not be

expected to adopt a new fast and informal style
What is a Needs Analysis?
What do they want English for?
Do they need a specific type of English? Skills?
How urgently do they need each skill?
What is their learning style? Audio, visual, kinesthetic? Inductive? Deductive?
What level are they? Below Intermediate? Higher?
What types of errors are being made? (should be noted every class)

Listen to what they say!

Benefits of a Needs Analysis
When the teacher uses the needs
analysis to truly get to know the
student, the client feels valued and is
more receptive to future lessons.

This works with adults as much as

with teenagers and even children.

If a student feels good socially, they

are more motivated to work longer
and harder on the subject.
Not Grading your Language
Adjust your language as needed or when appropriate

Avoid using the student’s first language, but don’t hesitate to use it if the
student is too low of a level to understand English directions

Paying for additional support and scaffolding rather than a lecture

Try to make English the only language of communication from the very
beginning - it will become the accepted standard
Rushing your Student
Don’t feel tempted to try to ‘fill time’, rush, or overload your students.

Concentrate on doing everything a little bit slower, calmer, and with more
grace.

Give time to your student because that’s one of the reasons you are teaching
them.

By rushing our students, we risk reducing the quality of input.

Rushing your Student
You may plan extensively and have a stock of topics to discuss and materials
to exploit, but don’t feel tied to them.

Consider using a more dogme approach in your teaching.

Fewer handouts and more emphasis on emergent language

Use tasks to prompt language that you would expect

Modals/2nd conditional for giving advice
“I wish…”/”If only…” for expressing regrets

“What’s another way of saying that?”

Not Keeping Good Communication
Use technology to keep communication open

Confirm your appointments - contact them first; don’t wait for them to contact
you first

Use a way to exchange documents for tasks (e.g. E-mail, Viber group, Google
Classroom, etc.)

If you know you can’t teach a lesson on some day (even a month in advance),
let them know

The more open you are in your communication about lessons, the more likely
they will give you the same treatment
Helpful Hint for Teaching Online 1 to 1
Try using interactive whiteboards (Zoom, realtimeboard.com, awwapp.com)

If whiteboard isn’t available, I use the Notability while sharing my screen

Export to pdf and upload to Google Classroom

Helpful Hint for Teaching Online 1 to 1
Use the chat feature to prompt correction without interrupting them

Soundcloud.com for error correction

outside class
Lack of Motivation
A-R-C Triangle
Affinity: How much you like something
Reality: How much you agree with something
Communication: Interchange of ideas

Increase one corner, other corners will increase

Decrease one corner, other corners will decrease

Choosing a Coursebook

Single Coursebook ⧣ 121 Lessons

Choosing a Coursebook
Coursebooks are just a combination of formatted material and checking
exercises involving information transfer.

Because students are not good at organizing their notes, coursebooks are
desirable.

The type of work that goes into creating a coursebook is what a 121 student
needs.

The best 121 Teachers know their subject very well and have inexhaustible
materials.
Choosing a Coursebook
BUT…

If you use a single coursebook, make sure they aren’t studying the subject
they already know.

Focus more on the vocabulary or structures connected to the subject.

Make your student the professor while you concentrate on the errors,
emerging language, etc.
Superior-Underling Relationship
Don’t be afraid to become a learner

Consider asking your student to give a presentation about their field of study,
work, etc.

Non-native speakers have advantage because both are non-natives and more
likely to treat each other with humility

Create a contract with the student - the exchange of money for services
makes the meetings valuable

Meetings between friends may become uncomfortable when the line between
social and professional are blurred
Helpful Hint for Teaching 1 to 1
http://gamestorming.c
om/empathy-map/
 Summary
- Give your conversation lessons more structure.
- Try to give your student a chance to practice the language in three
different ways.
- Grade your language appropriately.
- Don’t rush your student.
- Keep free and open communication.
- Try to keep your students motivated.
- Use lots of resources.
- Learn how to think out-of-the-box
Major Takeaway Point
“What can I learn from my student, both
as a professional and as a person?”
“Everyone you will ever meet knows
something you don’t.”
- Bill Nye (the Science Guy)
Recommended Reading
Teaching One to One by Tim Murphey, Longman, 1991

One to One: A Teacher’s Handbook by Peter Wilberg, Language Teaching

Publications, 1994

Learning One-to-One by Ingrid Wisniewska, Cambridge University Press, 2010

Thanks!
Contact information:

Steve Hatting

steven8hatting@gmail.com

facebook.com/sthatting