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It's clear: private Spanish classes are much more efficient that group classes. Students report a number of learning advantages:

Advantages of Private Spanish Classes

The student is able to set the pace

In a private class the pace of learning is set only by the individual student. Students of group classes complain that they struggle to keep up with the class because it moves too fast for them, or that they become bored waiting for something to be explained to someone whom they perceive as a "slow learner". A private class will always move at the correct pace.

Choice of subjects to learn

A person learning in a private class may tell the teacher at any time that they would like to focus on a certain topic today. It might be Spanish pronunciation, a grammatical concept, or reiteration of what they learned last week. In a group one might ask for something, but is generally forced to "go with the flow" and must study whatever the teacher has assigned for that day. Thus, private language classes offer individual attention.

Attention span is maintained

The attention span of students in private classes is much greater because they are engaged in the class the entire time. In a group class it is possible to "wander off" if the discussion focuses on other students or on another area of the classroom.

Flexible hours and private schedule

Spanish language schools which offer private classes generally allow students to start the course any day they please. Group courses simply don't work like this - there is a specified start date and end date of the language course, the hours are concrete, and so forth. Individual classes offer the ultimate in flexibility because the student can schedule a course for whenever the teacher is available; generally this means he/she may start any desired day and schedule classes as short into the future as desired.

Learn solely from a native speaker

Students of group courses report picking up mistakes and even bad accents from other students! This is simply not possible when learning Spanish one to one with a native speaker. The student only hears a perfect native accent and correct use of grammar, throughout their course.

The Advantage of Private Classes Measured

Just how much more effective are private Spanish courses? It depends on who you talk to as it can be rather difficult to measure. Casual estimates generally sit at around 4 times more effective. One technique is using a Spanish level test to measure a student's standard of Spanish. After completing a certain course, the student completes the test again and the results are compared.

Sometimes the results are not just metric though. They are emotional. How can you put a measure on the joy experienced by a student who is now able to communicate with millions of new people, having successfully and rapidly learned Spanish?

Mark Booth studied in private Spanish classes at Abla Lenguas language school in Barcelona. The language school offers intensive Spanish immersion courses in Barcelona and Valencia, and plans to expand to Madrid.

The jury is in. The decision is clear: private Spanish classes are much more efficient that group classes. Students report the following learning advantages:

Advantages of Private Spanish Classes

The student sets the pace

In a private class the pace of learning is entirely set by the individual student. Students of group classes often complain that they struggle to keep up with the class as it moves too fast for them, or that they are bored waiting for something to be explained to someone they perceive as a "slow learner". A private class always moves at the correct pace.

Choice of subject to learn

Someone learning in a private class may tell the teacher at any time that they would like to focus on a certain theme today. It might be a grammatical concept, Spanish pronunciation, or practice of what they learned last week. In a group one may ask for something but is generally forced to "go with the flow" and study what the teacher has assigned for that day. The private language course therefore offers individual attention.

Attention span maintained

The attention span of students in private classes is greater because they are engaged in the class 100% of the time. In a group class it's possible to "wander off" as the discussion focuses on other students or another area of the classroom.

Flexible hours and schedule

Often Spanish language schools which offer private classes allow students to start the course any day. Group courses simply cannot work like this - there is a specified start and end date of the language course, the hours are fixed, and so forth. Individual classes give the ultimate in flexibility because the student can schedule a course for whenever the teacher is available; generally this means starting any desired day and scheduling classes as short into the future as desired.

Learn only from a native speaker

Students of group courses report picking up mistakes and even bad accents from other students! This is simply not possible when learning Spanish one to one, assuming the classes are in Spain or at least with a native speaker. The student only hears a perfect native accent and correct use of grammar, throughout their course.

Measuring the Advantage of Private Classes

How much more effective are private Spanish courses? That depends on who you talk to as it is rather difficult to measure, but estimates generally put it at 4 times more effective. One technique is to use a Spanish level test to measure a student's standard of Spanish. After completing a certain length of course the student completes the test again and the results are compared.

Sometimes however, the results are not just metric, they're emotional. How can you put a number on level of joy experienced by a student who can now communicate with millions of new people, having successfully and rapidly learned Spanish?