121 Interview with Frank

Steele
ETP issue 18 – year…?
Written by Webmaster
Frank Steele answers questions about his experiences with just one student.
What do Alexander the Great, Friday and Emperor Akahito all have in common? Their only
classmate was a teacher. Over 2,300 years ago, Alexander’s father asked Aristotle to educate
his son, and since then, many VIPs have been taught individually by tutors. One-to-one (or 121,
to use my favourite symbol) is often the classroom of choice for those who can afford to choose.
But why? And what are the implications for the teacher?
Why do learners take 121 lessons?
Students might be shy, egotistical, or in a hurry. They, or their companies (a lot of 121 teaching
is with business people) or parents (the other main ‘market’ is teenagers cramming for
examinations), can afford it. 121 students are usually more aware of the need to learn English,
which also (usually) leads to greater commitment – and adds to the pressure on all concerned.
Are there advantages for you?
In 121 lessons, I learn more about my students, their jobs, and the world. Getting to know
individuals in a big group can be boring for others and embarrassing for all concerned if you go
beyond the superficial journalistic interview. In 121 lessons, it is almost expected. It is not only
more interesting, it also allows me to cater for each individual’s special needs and preferred
learning styles. And students get to know me as a person, too.
Are there any disadvantages?
Not everyone wants this degree of intimacy with a professional colleague/client – especially
when you have several of them. Nor does one’s partner always appreciate it. And then, no-one
has come up with an ideal venue for 121 lessons. Home, office, classroom and café all have
drawbacks for creating the right mix of professionalism, privacy and practicality. 121 requires
higher, constantly focused concentration, too. It’s almost impossible to give the student a task
while you collect your thoughts, for example. Nor can they talk with a partner for a moment.
You are their partner!
Are there disadvantages for the learner?
There is nowhere to hide for the learner either. There is no switching off for a moment, or
learning from others’ mistakes – the pressure is on all the time, which isn’t necessarily good for
learning. It is up to the teacher to incorporate breaks or lighter activities. With your partner (or
even your therapist) you’re allowed to remain silent. Not so with the language teacher! There is
the possible disadvantage of having only one teacher – which can be offset by the use of
videos, tapes, etc – but this can apply in groups too. It is more difficult to follow a conversation
with several people involved, so I usually recommend that students take group classes at some
point. There is also a fairly major problem if the two of you just don’t get on, but this usually
resolves itself very quickly. One of you usually stops the lessons.
Is it worth it for learners?
Basically, yes – if they choose the right teacher. Usually the main concern of professionals and
corporate business people is time. With 121, students get flexible appointments, tailor-made ad
hoc training, customised correction, and the undivided attention of the teacher – not unlike
what they might expect from doctors, lawyers and other professionals.
Who is your client?
If companies are paying, then technically they are the clients, but obviously the relationship is
with the student – and there is the question of confidentiality. All teaching treads a delicate line
between giving students what they think they want and what you (the specialist) think they
need. Problems usually only arise when the company has unrealistic expectations. The answer
is to be clear while being diplomatic – a typical business negotiation really. And that goes for
giving feedback on the student’s level and progress. I try to involve all parties in both the
original agreement and the feedback procedure.
What materials do you use?
There are no published materials for 121 teaching – absolutely none! There are some books and
articles about how to handle 121, but for teaching materials, one is very much on one’s own. If
we complain that nothing suits a particular class, imagine how difficult it is to produce materials
suitable for the huge range of individual needs of 121 students. Neither class nor self-study
books are suitable – whatever publishers claim! I would like to see well-designed openframe
materials which provide a structure which teacher and student apply to the particular situation.
There should be more emphasis on learners asking questions rather than simply answering
them, too. Inevitably one ends up using exercises from a range of different books, initiating
discussions from the student’s own experiences and interests, working with newspapers, etc. I
have also found it productive for students to design their own roleplays to practise situations
they expect to find themselves in. It makes sense to use the real documents business clients
need to deal with, although confidentiality can be an issue. I always ask learners to censor
documents we use.
Isn’t it rather a lonely job?
It can be. But most of us do not confine ourselves to 121, and the contact I have with my 121
students has a positive effect on the groups I teach. However, I’m sure that we 121 teachers
would all benefit from more contact with each other. I would certainly be the first to sign up if
anyone introduced a 121Special Interest Group.
Frank Steele has taught in companies for more than 20 of the 30 years he has been
in English language teaching. He is a founding chair of the Munich English Language
Teachers Association and on the advisory committee of ERFA, the German
association of corporate language training.