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There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English) - TEFL Blog
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English)
Throughout high school and college, I mainly focused on learning how to speak Japanese as my second language. Unlike English, Japanese is a fairly phonetic language. Two of its three writing systems, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic. This makes it easy for foreigners to learn because each syllable, also known as sound clusters in some circles, is almost always said exactly how it is spelled. The third writing system, kanji, is not and, as such, is much more difficult for foreigners to learn because kanji are essentially pictures that describe their meaning. They are much more difficult to learn and use in everyday speech.
Table of Contents
Differences in... [Read more]
Common Problems Japanese Learners of English Experience - TEFL Blog
Wed, 09 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Common Problems Japanese Learners of English Experience
Japan is an island nation and is a recognized homogenous society with a very small percentage of foreign permanent residence and more than half of the adult population lacks the necessary skills to speak English proficiently. Because of this, English as a Second Language is in high demand with young learners being a focus group in Japan. English is taught in the school environment during nearly all of a child's primary education years, but this, unfortunately, doesn't translate to a proficient English-speaking Japanese population.
Table of Contents
Global Opportunities
Differences in Language Structure
Cultural Challenges
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!... [Read more]
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students? - TEFL Blog
Wed, 17 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students?
Japanese are known for being disciplined, dedicated, and hardworking individuals not only in their work but also in other aspects of their life like hobbies and studies. But why is it difficult for them to learn English despite their strong dedication, patience, efforts, and determination?
Table of Contents
My Teaching Experience
But still, the Japanese cannot speak English, why is that?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Princess D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
My Teaching Experience
I've been teaching English... [Read more]
How to Get Ready for Unforeseen Circumstances in The Classroom? - TEFL Blog
Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How to Get Ready for Unforeseen Circumstances in The Classroom?
There can be a lot of difficulties a teacher might face in the future lesson. You might have to manage a class without any help or you might have students from different nationalities, ages, interests or so on. I believe, however, that most of the problems you might have would be solved if you planned the lessons carefully in advance. There are some reasons to support my idea.
Table of Contents
What's your lesson goal?
You can manage your class anyways
Know your students
Are you ready to teach ESL classes?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eri S.
What's your lesson goal?
First, you can find what you should exactly do in a... [Read more]
What You Need to Know About Japanese Students' Challenges Before Teaching in Japan - TEFL Blog
Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
What You Need to Know About Japanese Students' Challenges Before Teaching in Japan
Japan is a country with a long history, deep tradition, and vibrant culture. Within this culture sits the Japanese language. At first, being a spoken language and then adopting the Chinese Writing System, Japanese has grown and changed into what it is today. If you look at all languages, most Western languages originate from a set family, such as Romance Languages (which became today's Spanish, French, Italian, etc). But Japanese (as most Asian languages) was formed from entirely different roots. These fundamental differences mean that the method of learning these languages has a lot to do with memorization and repetitive practice of the Chinese... [Read more]
Differences in Teaching Monolingual and Multilingual EFL Groups - TEFL Blog
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 Laura Payne
Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
Differences in Teaching Monolingual and Multilingual EFL Groups
I am currently working as an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan. Before I began this job I assumed that because Japan has a largely homogeneous population, all of my classes would be monolingual. However, I was wrong in this assumption. In addition to my Japanese students, I have many students who are Brazilian or Filipino. These students largely do not use Japanese as their mother tongue and have to learn both English and Japanese as a second language. This diverse student population, in addition to my work experiences and studies, has taught me a lot about working with both monolingual and multilingual classes.
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Listen to this blog post:... [Read more]
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers?
What's the most difficult part of learning a new language? Is it writing? Perhaps it's the reading or memorizing new vocabulary? Well for some it's speaking the new language, specifically when it comes to pronunciation. Every language has its unique ways or pronouncing their vowels and constants as well as how they form their sentence structure. Especially this write up will focus on Japanese English as a Second Language (ESL) students and the difficulties they face while learning English and its pronunciation.
Table of Contents
Japanese Writing
Teaching Approach
Pronunciation Differences
Further Steps
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL... [Read more]
How Discipline Affects Motivation In and Out of Japanese Classrooms - TEFL Blog
Wed, 13 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How Discipline Affects Motivation In and Out of Japanese Classrooms
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... [Read more]
Teaching English Pronunciation to Students from Japan - TEFL Blog
Wed, 05 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Teaching English Pronunciation to Students from Japan
In my experience teaching elementary and junior high school level English in Japan, several different pronunciation problems appear frequently. The Japanese phonemic inventory is smaller than English's phonemic inventory, and the sounds present in each language differ from each other quite dramatically. Because of this, it can be difficult for native Japanese speakers to learn and master English pronunciation, but there are a few teaching techniques that can help students overcome this difficulty.
Table of Contents
Consonants Challenge
Non-Existent Sounds in the Native Language
Vowel Challenge
3 Methods to Work on Problems
1. Visual Representation
2. IPA Phonetics
3. Pronunciation... [Read more]
Japanese Native Speakers and Their Challenges in ESL Learning - TEFL Blog
Thu, 04 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Japanese Native Speakers and Their Challenges in ESL Learning
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Doneika D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Table of Contents
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today!
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I am currently an English teacher living in Japan. I teach both Elementary and Junior High School English Language.
Japan's government allows the students to start learning English sometimes as early as Kindergarten. Most Elementary schools have a designated ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) that possesses a native level of English. Even though English is a compulsory subject in Japanese Junior High and High... [Read more]
Class TESOL TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Class TESOL TEFL
Check out tefl tesol about Class TESOL TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad.
You could also be interested in:
This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Check out ITTT's Blog Posts
Y.I. - U.S.A. said:
Non-native monolingual class Studying English is a heated topic in Japan these days. We used to start studying English when we were at junior high, and most of the classes were taught by japanese teachers. We studied mainly English grammar for a long time, however recently the preference has shifted to conversation skills. And the starting age of studying English is getting younger and more native English speaking teachers are needed right now. I believe that the... [Read more]
An Australian Amongst American Textbooks in Japan: ✅ Teaching in a Country that Values American English - TEFL Blog
Tue, 15 Dec 2020 Maddy Payne
Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
An Australian Amongst American Textbooks in Japan: ✅ Teaching in a Country that Values American English
Assistant Language Teachers in Japan come from different countries worldwide, bringing different kinds of English with them. In my experience, American English is often the most sought-after version of English. Some countries highly value Language Teachers from the USA, which often matches their American-style textbooks and resources. Sometimes people are even overlooked for job opportunities due to their Australian accent and British English background. Well, Japan is no different in this regard. Many Japanese schools hold American English in high regard, so what is it like being an Australian-English... [Read more]
Teaching English to Beginners in Japan - TEFL Blog
Wed, 25 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Teaching English to Beginners in Japan
Japanese is certainly one of the most interesting languages in the world thanks to its three types of writing (hiragana, katakana and kanji).
Table of Contents
International Links
Main Challenges: Phonetic System
Main Challenges: Exposure to English
Main Challenges: Grammar
Main Challenges: Beginners
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Desiree I. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
International Links
After the outbreak of intercontinental travel (therefore with the appearance of commercialization and missionaries around the world) many... [Read more]
Establishing Rapport in Rural Japan - TEFL Blog
Mon, 14 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Establishing Rapport in Rural Japan
I first decided to take this TEFL course because I am currently teaching English in rural Japan. I plan and execute English lessons for Junior High School students, as well as serve as a cultural representative of my country and foster cultural exchange. Here's the catch though - I don't speak Japanese.
Table of Contents
Setting up good relationships
Beginning of the study
Inspiring students
Rewarding system
Role model
English only
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gwendolen J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Setting up good... [Read more]
Problems Japan Faces in Developing English as a Second Language - TEFL Blog
Fri, 28 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Problems Japan Faces in Developing English as a Second Language
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... [Read more]
How do Japanese Students Respond to Some Common Challenges in English? - TEFL Blog
Thu, 07 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
How do Japanese Students Respond to Some Common Challenges in English?
Japan is a country continuously changing at a rapid pace largely due to globalization and marketing. With its growing popularity and necessity, difficulties are sure to arise for people learning English and specifically, in Japan. To fully understand all the problems learners face in Japan, it is important to realize why English is so widely being studied in the first place. Firstly, students must study English for 6 years throughout primary and high school. As well as being part of the Japanese schooling system, the advantages of being able to speak English are endless. The benefits of finding a job or being able to communicate whilst abroad are common motives.... [Read more]
The Struggles for Japanese Students When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Thu, 24 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Struggles for Japanese Students When Learning English
I have been teaching in Japan for over 12 years in three different locations ranging from the southernmost part of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu, where I presently reside. The youngest students I have had were children not even two years of age, whereas my older students were in their seventies. This is a very common situation for those who teach here in Japan; a country where the English boom occurred not too long after they rebuilt their nation following the Second World War.
Table of Contents
Interest
Popular Culture Influence
Pronunciation Difficulties
Language Systems
Confidence
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This... [Read more]
Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English
Learning a second language can be difficult and depending on the learner's mother tongue, it can present challenges unique to a certain group of people. More specifically, there are several unique challenges for Japanese native speakers who are learning English and vice versa. English can be difficult for Japanese native speakers for various reasons such as difficulty distinguishing certain sounds, the use of katakana to teach English words, and drastically different sentence structure.
Table of Contents
Difficult Sounds
Vocabulary Typical to Japanese Only
Sentence Structure
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
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This post was... [Read more]
Class Location TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Class Location TEFL
Check out tefl tesol about Class Location TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad.
You could also be interested in:
This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Check out ITTT's Blog Posts
W.P. - U.S.A. said:
Pronunciation Problems in JapanEnglish pronunciation for japanese learners is very difficult compared to many other languages such as the Romantic ones. Not only does Japan have a different style of writing (non-Roman alphabet) but it has rules of speaking that limit how words are pronounced. They also add items to a word such as extra syllables or letters so that the English spoken word fits in with their known, existing japanese rules of speech.
Since the... [Read more]
The Most Common Issues Faced by English Learners in Japan - TEFL Blog
Fri, 17 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Most Common Issues Faced by English Learners in Japan
Given the increase in globalization during the late 20th and early 21st centuries and the growing inter-dependencies of domestic economies within the international marketplace, English, as a primary language medium for conducting international business arrangements, has become an increased priority both socially and within the business environment. However, notwithstanding the importance of English fluency within contemporary society, Japan and Japanese English learners face difficulties when trying to achieve competency. These difficulties and issues can be shown by the 2018 EF English Proficiency Index which ranked the English level of Japanese learners as rank 49 out of 88... [Read more]
From Student to Teacher - My Language Journey - TEFL Blog
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 Mark Crocker
Alumni Experiences
From Student to Teacher - My Language Journey
It was the last day of Japanese class and my teacher's last day of teaching at our school. We were all standing up getting ready to bow him one last time. It was dead quiet but I could still hear sniffles around me and felt the sadness of the moment. I never thought I would care so much about a teacher leaving. To this day, the words and wisdom my Japanese teacher taught me still ring in my head. Flash forward to a few years ago, I went to Japan for the first time, after a hiatus of not studying Japanese, but amazingly I still had all the skills my teacher had taught me in high school. How did this person have such an impact on me? The answer I have come to realize is that because he truly... [Read more]
Alumni TEFL Chat with Maddy & Georgia - Two Aussie Sisters Teaching English in Japan - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Alumni TEFL Chat with Maddy & Georgia - Two Aussie Sisters Teaching English in Japan
07/08/2021
all right hi hey everyone hi as you can see it's not only me this
week welcome to our live stream we have guests today i'm super happy about it hi maddie hi
georgia hello hey so yeah back here another for another week and
i'm live on a different day i usually go live on fridays so today is very special
and also because we have guests so i'm super happy about that
and yeah if you are watching if you can see us if you can hear us please just leave a high in the comments that would
be really cool and where you're watching from i'm always really curious about where people are watching from
and um yeah i'm in south korea my name is linda from itt if you don't know me and i'm yeah
about an hour... [Read more]
Common Issues Japanese Learners Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Common Issues Japanese Learners Face When Learning English
Through my experience as an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan, there have been numerous difficulties and challenges my students face in learning the English language. My students are primarily between the ages of 5 and 15. These challenges involve the pronunciation difficulties the students face coming from Japanese pronunciation, as well as the methodology of teaching English in Japan They may not apply to all of Japan but are definitely prominent issues within my area.
Table of Contents
Pronunciation
The Problem of Making Mistakes
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate James W.... [Read more]
Teaching in Japan: Problems of Local Learners - TEFL Blog
Thu, 05 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Teaching in Japan: Problems of Local Learners
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.
Table of Contents
Eikaiwa... [Read more]
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program: All You Need to Know and How to Apply - TEFL Blog
Mon, 15 Oct 2018 Laura Payne
Destinations TEFL Information
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program: All You Need to Know and How to Apply
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program is not the only means to teach English in Japan, but it is one of the most popular programs out there both for aspiring teachers and those who wish to pursue other fields. I first joined this program a little over a year ago. In the short time since then, I've gained incredibly valuable experiences through my work as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT).
Table of Contents
The History of JET
Duties of an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)
How to Apply for the JET Program
Remuneration and Living
Rewards of JET
Common Challenges for ALTs
The JET Community
Listen to this blog post
What are you waiting... [Read more]
Being a Cultural Ambassador in Japan: the Other Side of the EFL Experience - TEFL Blog
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 Shanique Hutchinson
Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences
Being a Cultural Ambassador in Japan: the Other Side of the EFL Experience
Throughout my scholastic journey, I have been exposed to various foreign languages such as: Spanish, French, Japanese and Chinese. Apart from learning the lexical and grammatical structures of these languages, I was apprised of other cultural elements of the countries that spoke these languages through various materials as well as interacting with natives from these territories. This deep rooted love affair with other cultures, specifically languages, stirred my future aspirations to become a cultural ambassador.
Table of Contents
Listen to this blog post:
Cultural exchange and classroom teaching
Cultural exchange outside of... [Read more]
Challenges of EFL Teaching in Barbados and Japan - TEFL Blog
Tue, 24 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Challenges of EFL Teaching in Barbados and Japan
This essay will be a comparison of my personal experience teaching English in Barbados, a country whose main language is English versus teaching English in a rural area in Japan, a country whose main language is Japanese (not English). Firstly, I will briefly discuss the definitions of teaching. Secondly, I will summarize English education for young learners in each country. Finally, I will compare and contrasts my personal experience in both countries and the valuable lessons I have learned. To protect the anonymity of the schools, the specific areas and any other identifying information will be excluded from this essay.
Table of Contents
What is Teaching?
My International... [Read more]
Classroom Management for Young Learners in Japan - TEFL Blog
Thu, 11 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore
Alumni Experiences
Classroom Management for Young Learners in Japan
With the end goal of working in a Japanese kindergarten or pre-school, I decided to take the Teaching English to Young Learners certification course to accompany the TEFL course I recently completed through ITTT. Even though I knew the skills necessary for teaching young learners would differ from teaching learners of other ages, I found a lot of useful information in this course specifically regarding the topic of classroom management.
Table of Contents
How to become an English teacher in Japan
Disciplining the students while still maintaining a fun learning environment
Switching seating around to avoid the creation of 'cliques' in the classroom
Are you ready to take your Teaching... [Read more]
The Struggle of Teaching English in Rural Japan - TEFL Blog
Wed, 05 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The Struggle of Teaching English in Rural Japan
Perhaps one of the most commonly used justifications for widespread English language education is "English is the global lingua franca." This statement seems to encapsulate the general sentiment towards the importance of English. With the recent advancements in technology, geographical and temporal barriers have greatly lessened and international relations are no longer restricted to certain fields such as politics and media. The average citizen can now commence personal and economic relationships with the world via the internet. And this, of course, highlights the need for a common language that will facilitate effective intercultural communication. In highly urbanized and... [Read more]
Tips for Getting Involved in the EFL Community Abroad - TEFL Blog
Mon, 08 Jun 2020 Amanda Stern
Destinations Alumni Experiences
Tips for Getting Involved in the EFL Community Abroad
Are you planning on teaching abroad, but worrying about how you can get involved in the community and leave a memorable impression on the locals? Language barriers may make this seem like a harrowing task, but fear not, the following is a list of a few jumping-off points for those planning to take the plunge into their new community.
Table of Contents
International Events
Sports Teams
Culture Classes
Holiday Festivals
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today!
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International Events
Celebrating multiculturalism in a community is a worldwide phenomenon, even for unassuming towns. In our rural port-town in Japan, we have multiple... [Read more]