This week I joined the Level 2 group class at my Mandarin school here in Guangzhou, southern China. For the past two weeks I had been taking one-to-one lessons only so I was looking forward to meeting some new people and getting stuck in to the group lessons. After three days of the new course I started to think about the pros and cons of private and group tuition and decided to make a list (old habits die hard!):
Private tuition – The Pros:
– you can study at your own pace
– you develop a stronger relationship with the teacher
– you progress much more quickly in the short-term
Private Tuition – The Cons:
– it is a lot more expensive!
– you don’t meet anyone apart from the teacher
– lessons are very intensive (and tiring) because all of the focus is on you
Group Tuition – The Pros:
– you meet lots of other people from all over the world
– other students ask useful questions that you may not have thought of
– you have more time to digest the new language as the focus of attention in the classroom is not solely on you
Group Tuition – The Cons:
– you have to study at the same pace as everyone else
– you may feel that your level is higher or lower than the other students in the class
– it may be more difficult to remain motivated as you will (obviously) not receive the same level of attention from the teacher as you would in a private class
For me the conclusion was clear: for a short-term course I would prefer to take private tuition and for a long-term course I would prefer group tuition with occasional one-to-one “tutorials” to monitor my progress and maintain motivation. I plan to continue with my group classes until March and then I will decide whether to extend my course or not. It is so interesting to see everything from the other side of the desk!
Vocab:
pros = advantages
cons = disadvantages
to get stuck into sth = to begin something with lots of energy and enthusiasm
to digest (information) = to think and consider something until you fully understand
solely = only, exclusively