The Personal Approach

Eureka!

‘The personal approach’ is a term used by the author that refers to a manner of teaching; it relies on forming a bond between the students and the teacher, which is based on being open and sharing personal information. By ensuring mutual trust and respect, this paves the way for learners to speak without hesitation and with no inhibitions.

It makes perfect sense and is certainly no coincidence that the most relevant and successful subject matter that students find interesting is that which they can relate to. Crucially, building a bond allows for a stimulating environment in which both parties can learn and work together towards an achievable target; this mutually beneficial dynamic works wonders, as teachers can motivate their learners, while students exhibit an enthusiastic, can-do attitude.

There may well come a time when you ask yourself the following: what is the recipe for a successful course? What ticks the boxes for my students? And how do I get a 10 out of 10 on those evaluations as often as possible? You could always try ‘the personal approach’. After all, teachers are always being evaluated, and perhaps a new approach is on the cards.

Talk of the town

‘The personal approach’ should not be intrusive or unnatural, nor awkward or out of place. In the first lesson, the opportunity is already there to get to know your students, i.e. what do they do at work? And in their spare time? In a custom-made course, for example, hobbies can be useful when choosing conversation topics to be used further down the line like ‘playing and watching sports’ for sporting fans. All things considered, before you can make things more personal, select subject matter for conversations that finds its place earlier in the course so that the students become accustomed to speaking freely about multiple (manageable) topics.

At least early in your career, it is a matter of trial and error; over time, you will discover what goes down well and what does not go down a treat. One approach is to begin with timeless discussion topics such as food, film, music and travelling, and then gradually to make the material more challenging and specialised/ abstract. Once you’ve found a winning formula, it’s time to tailor questions to match the situations of the student. For example, if he/ she has given up smoking, during a conversation about health, you could ask how many cigarettes he/ she used to smoke, and whether it was hard to stop. Of course, it is a matter of getting a feel for what your student is comfortable talking about. It goes without saying that you must not talk about something that feels awkward or upsets him/ her.

Personalised quizzes can be put together as another option, which can find pride of place in the last lesson and tie things up nicely, allowing for a fun activity that tests the student’s knowledge of a few of their own interests. For example, one student is a keen runner, he likes the singer Taylor Swift and he is a Belgium beer connoisseur, so questions would be divided up based on these topics; focus on the fun element and beware; the idea is not to trip up your poor student!

Extra Sensory Perception

There is no need to worry, as you do not need to have a sixth sense, despite the sub-heading. You won’t always be able to fathom specific work terminology every time, so be honest, and explain your limitations without shame. You won’t be able to effortlessly create perfect role-plays that fit any job description either. The key is to work with your student and explain that you are the language expert and that he/ she is the expert at his/ her profession. Then, ask for typical questions that can be used in a role-play for homework. Asking for them as an extra ‘favour’ often doesn’t work. One example was a customer services agent at a beverage company who supplied a list of typical complaints for a complaints role-play. One more would be a mortgage advisor who supplied a list of FAQs for clients with existing mortgages. This way, the student will benefit from answering questions that will come up at work.

Getting personal

Generally, showing an interest in the life of your students is not a bad thing. Usually, with trust and mutual respect comes familiarity, and, on some occasions, even friendship. On a one-on-one course, if you. ask how your student’s week went, family is bound to come up quite often.

After a while, inhibitions disappear and eventually confidence takes over. It comes as no surprise that psychology is an intrinsic part of the teaching process. In one case, a student relayed to the teacher that over the years her own mother had told that her English language skills were poor, which was quite untrue. This, in turn, had given her feelings of inferiority and a lack of confidence, even though her level was upper intermediate. It is important to learn about such things, so that you (the teacher) can understand how learners are affected by their own personal situations and how, in this case, having low self-esteem when learning English can be deeply rooted and cause insecurity for a long period of time.

On the other hand, there are some people who are intensely private or introverted, and who require a different strategy. It is important that you adapt whenever necessary. Discussing politics could be a safe bet instead of having a chat about your fun-packed week. If push came to shove, in a group situation, it should be easier for such types to interact in larger groups of four if possible. Writing assignments would make up for this and could be nice and personal. For example, write about your weekend in diary form or, after a holiday, write a postcard to the class.

Do you think ‘the personal approach’ works for you as a teacher? Why/ Why not? It would be good to hear from you!