Written By: Tim Johnson
ESL + Business Instructor | Aston American University
As an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, I often have students ask me how much one-on-one (face-to-face) time is recommended to study per week. Mentally, every learner is different. And the budget each student has to spend on learning a language, is different too. So, it is safe to say that not every student will have the same experience. The ideal amount of time would be as much as possible, with all your free time. However, most people don’t have so much free time to spend learning a language.
Some of my students prefer to have 90-minute weekly lessons with me. This amount is probably the most effective one-on-one time for a student hoping to improve their English; if attending a single one-on-one lesson per week is the goal. Anything longer, and a learner will become tired and lose concentration by the end of the lesson. It can also be a challenge for instructors to plan for lessons longer than 90 minutes with only a single student.
But here are two things you can do to maximize your one-on-one lessons: Always stay up-to-date in your course and be sure to practice what you are learning outside of classroom instruction. Taking time out of your busy schedule is understandably hard to do, but to really learn a language, you must make the time. Building a good working relationship with your instructor is also important because they can maximize your learning experience, even within the limited free time you have to learn. Having “chemistry” (a good working relationship) with your instructor is vital to learning a language; especially, one-on-one.
If you have extra free time available and would like to boost your English even more, contact an academic adviser at Aston American University about adding one-on-one time with an instructor. As mentioned earlier, you really cannot say for certain how much time you should spend learning English one-on-one with an instructor – as each learner is different. But you should use all the time that is possible, and our instructors here at Aston American University are ready to help you maximize your English!
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