Speaking In Japanese

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In the wake of the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Japan, there has been an increase in elementary school level English classes. As an assistant language teacher half into my fourth year, I have had the rare chance to work the entirety of my time in one elementary school where I have had many great memories. However, being present every day I began to notice that some students were struggling or in some cases, not even trying when it came to English class. Talking with my peers and colleagues from other elementary schools as well as my own, there are some common problems that many students seem to experience in an English class. These problems include learning in a counter-productive environment, inconsistent exposure to the language, and a lack of...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here are some great printable speaking cards aimed to practice the usage of the future perfect tense in speaking.   Have your students work in pairs or teams. Have them take a card and interview each other on the given questions. This activity is aimed to practice the usage of the future perfect tense in speaking.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I work in two schools. I am an assistant language teacher at one commercial (low-level English) high school, and an integrated (high-level English) academic junior high and high school. I have had experiences with different kinds of students, Japanese-English teachers, and classroom atmospheres. In Japan, students take an entrance exam to get into high school. If they scored low on the entrance exam, then they are placed in the lowest ranking class. Each school has a certain number of classrooms for each grade. Both of my high schools have six classes total for each grade. There are usually around forty to forty-two students in each class as well. Teaching forty plus students in a crowded classroom is difficult. And unlike many stereotypes of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences During my stay in Japan, Japanese people often told me how they can't communicate in English despite studying the language for six or more years in school. In Japan, students in junior and senior high learn English grammar and vocabulary in compulsory formal English classes. English is also taught in elementary school as foreign language activities. Yet despite spending several hours in English classes, many Japanese people graduate high school with poor English communication skills. Education system Class culture Learning goals Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rachel M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daisy C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar Pronunciation Japanese schools Japanese culture Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: One problem facing many Japanese students learning English is differentiating between countable and uncountable nouns. In the Japanese language, the same word is often used for 'much' and 'many'. In English, 'much' is used to describe countable nouns, and 'many' is used to describe uncountable nouns. A problem facing many EFL learners, especially Japanese learners, is idioms. The English language has thousands of idioms, which are used in everyday life. These are...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. 1. Mystery Party Guest 2. Choose Your Victim 3. Ice-breaker Jenga 4. 20 Questions 5. Apples to Apples 6. Get to Know You Bingo 7. Create A Game Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a "party" with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific...  [Read more]

ICan is a Canada based online ESL company committed to transforming ESL learners into dynamic, confident English speakers. ICan offers Speaking Classes, Writing Classes, and IELTS preparation courses. Ican Speaking: Young students of speaking and conversation are given interactive playful lessons with new vocabulary, phrases, and games. Our teachers are there to help guide their pronunciation, correct their mistakes, and to create as much conversation as they can from what the student has given them. Mid-level and more advanced students use an interactive but less playful program which is more based on the conversational aspect of English. Along with grammar, the students are regularly prompted by the course material to speak on the different subjects introduced. Each lesson begins with a...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are several pronunciation problems that students of English will face in Japan; however, I will focus on two. 1. Differences in the phonetic systems of two languages 2. Lack of exposure to authentic English resources Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brandie K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The first of these problems they face is the fact that Japanese doesn't have some of the same sounds in its' alphabet as English does. For example, Japanese does not have a hard R sound; instead, it has a sound that is a mix of R and L. So, when students from Japan go to say rice, for many...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In Japan, elementary schools typically employ an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to provide support to homeroom teachers during English classes. I have been working in such a capacity for the past two and a half years, first through an international program and currently as a direct-hire via my local city hall. Until recently, mandatory English classes at the elementary school level have been limited to the fifth and sixth grades, but new national requirements are being rolled out that will require mandatory English classes as early as third grade while doubling English classroom hours for the fifth and sixth grades. English Language Tests Designing Activities Team Building Group Lesson Planning Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun two-part speaking activity about happiness. First, have a class discussion with the question of part one and then have students discuss the quotes of part two in pairs.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great speaking activity to develop fluency at Christmas time. Students take turns choosing a question to ask another student in their group.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great speaking activity is for developing fluency on the topic of Christmas.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! These speaking cards about animals are ideal for teen ESL students to practice speaking or can be used as class openers or finishers and even as writing prompts.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a set of 8 printable cards with questions to practice the passive voice.   Have your students work in parks or groups and interview each other. This activity aims to improve your students' speaking skills and their use of grammar.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great speaking task to develop fluency for talking about New Year's Eve, the past year, and the year to come. Have your students take turns to choose a card and ask the question to their partner/group.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun multi-purpose worksheet to practice writing and speaking skills.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! When practicing speaking English it can be confusing for language learners to find that certain words have a silent letter that shouldn’t be used. Here we look at some of the most common examples.   When teaching English to non-native speakers the presence of silent letters can be a cause of great confusion among students and teachers alike. For the learner it can be frustrating to find that the written form of the word they have just mastered is actually spoken without using all the letters. There are a few basic rules when it comes to silent letters, but as is usually the case with English, there are often exceptions. Silent (B) Rule 1: The letter B is usually not pronounced after M at the end of a word e.g. comb, bomb,...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Let’s talk about LOVE! Here are fun ESL conversation cards for elementary to intermediate level students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a free printable ESL worksheet about apartments and houses to practice with your students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Traditionally, education in the classroom has largely employed a teacher-centred approach. Focus is on the teacher who talks, rather than on the students, who exclusively listen and are discouraged from collaboration. Student-Centered Approach The ESA Method Peer Feedback Corrections Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christie T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In recent years, however, more emphasis has been given to student-centred education: instructors share classroom talk time with learners, allowing them to communicate with their teacher and each other. By minimizing teacher domination...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are several challenges Japan faces when it comes to learning English as a second language. Japanese culture is a bubble. Everything, including their ad signs, TV, games, government, studies, work and even the internet is filled with one language; Japanese. In a world of globalization, where your goods and services can come from literally any part of the globe. Japan is one of the few remaining homogenous cultures where English is still seen as an optional language. As the global economy becomes more global, the English language will likely become less optional, but essential. In addition to the cultural issues, Japan's English curriculum in the school is largely unchanged from the '60s according to my Japanese cousins and uncles still living in...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Are you about to take an English speaking exam or simply want to improve your speaking skills? These advanced C1-C2 level English phrases are going to spice up your English conversations and make you sound more professional at the same time.   We've all been there. You're in a conversation and get asked a question but you have no idea what to answer or don't understand the question. Instead of giving a blank stare or blurting out "huh?", there are some more professional things to say when you don't understand a question: Getting asked about things you like and dislike is part of almost every conversation. Instead of answering with a simple "yes" or "no", there are some better ways to spice up the conversation: Getting your...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun multi-purpose worksheet to practice writing and speaking skills in the third person.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This "Talk for a Minute" topics activity is a great game to develop fluency and bring some fun into the ESL classroom.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Hoàng Minh Huy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Language is a tool for communication; we use it to share our ideas and learn about those of other people. Communication occurs anywhere speech is present. Without speaking, we are unable to communicate with one another. Therefore, speaking skills are crucial for language learners of any language. The Importance of Speaking Skills in Language Learning The Benefits of Fluent Speaking in a Second Language Challenges Faced by Language Learners in Speaking Strategies for Improving Speaking Skills in English The Global Impact of English Language Proficiency Conclusion Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! English skills include speaking,...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Using speaking cards is a great way to encourage conversations among ESL learners. The cards act as guides to give the students a direction in their conversations. Below you will find conversation cards about books and reading for your ESL classroom.   Let's take a look at all of the questions and possible answers. Possible answer: I recently finished reading the first book of the Outlander series. It's a fantastic book about an English woman from 1945 who travels back in time to Scotland in 1745. The story is very compelling and the characters' personalities are very well thought-through. Possible answer: One of my favorite books is "The Da Vinci Code" written by Dan Brown. Even though it is a fictional story, Dan...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a set of cards to practice unreal conditionals questions and short answers with your ESL students. They work in pairs or groups and interview each other.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Many language learners will have the difficulty of creating something new in the targeted language. Reading something written out loud is not as challenging or rewarding as reading your own work. When a language learner starts creating her own work, then she can start feeling productive and confident in the targeted language. There are many different ways of teaching productive skills such as speaking or writing. Listen to this blog post: Natural skills Higher level of interest Types of writing Teaching writing What is speaking Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nalan F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Well, before starting this summative task and as I was going through the list of topics, I noticed this one…TEFL for non-native English speaking teachers (N°30) and thought: that's the one I want to talk about. What TEFL means for a non-native English speaking teacher What it does not mean A balanced and broader view of this situation should help such one to remain optimistic and confident. Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Yes, I am a non-native English speaker and months ago, I have given to my life a completely different orientation, leaving behind nearly a 30 years career spent in the financial and business fields. As being one important step included in this global professional and personal project,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this essay I will be discussing the problems for young Japanese learners of English, and what problems Japanese learners often encounter as well as explaining some of the reasons why teachers can run into problems while teaching in Japan. I will be referring to the book "The Smart Guide to Teaching English in Japan' by Charlie Moritz and Martin Bragalone, as well as drawing from my knowledge and experiences of studying and volunteering in Japan. Japan can be a challenging but rewarding country to work in, despite stereotypes of Japanese people being polite and studious so it is important to consider that reality can be different when teaching in Japan. Eikaiwa Juku ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) Kindergarten/International preschool Do you want...  [Read more]