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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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Three Typical Pronunciation Problems for Japanese ESL Students - TEFL Blog
Tue, 17 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Three Typical Pronunciation Problems for Japanese ESL Students
According to a study by scholars and experts in the field of linguistics, more specifically in the article of Riney & Anderson-Hsieh from International Christian University, the native language (L1) is a good predictor of pronunciation accuracy in English as researched by Suter in 1976. In the same article, it was mentioned that a subsequent study by Purcell and Suter in 1980, found that non-native speakers who are most likely to pronounce English (L2) poorly, fit the profile in Japanese ESL students.
Table of Contents
1. /L/ and /R/ sound
2. /ng/ sound
3. /th/ Fricatives
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The Most Challenging Aspects in English for Japanese Students - TEFL Blog
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
The Most Challenging Aspects in English for Japanese Students
Description: When teaching English in Japan, there are a few common problems all learners, young and old, face. Two main issues students face are with grammar, as well as pronouncing and hearing certain sounds. As this course was designed for teaching young learners, in this paper, I will address the issues above and possible solutions as they apply to this age group.
Table of Contents
Grammar Tricks
Pronunciation Tricks
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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]
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
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How Japanese as a Native Language Causes Problems for Students Learning English in Japan - TEFL Blog
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How Japanese as a Native Language Causes Problems for Students Learning English in Japan
This essay seeks to explain how the Japanese 'Katakana' and 'Romaji' alphabets cause barriers to the introduction of English education in Japanese elementary schools. It will look at how these alphabets affect the pronunciation, writing, and reading abilities of Japanese students.
Table of Contents
The Japanese language arguably has four different alphabets.
Chart 1: Examples of Katakana and Romaji
English word(s)/ English pronunciation/ Katakana/ Katakana pronunciation/ Romaji
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Study:
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Problems That the Japanese Might Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Fri, 20 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Problems That the Japanese Might Face When Learning English
Learners from Japan have to face cultural issues as well as phonetic problems when learning English.
Table of Contents
Social Pressure
Motivation Challenges
Sound Awareness
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susanne W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Social Pressure
Like in many other Asian countries, Japanese students are used to ex-cathedra teaching, rather than actively participating and contributing to the lessons. One of their biggest fears is to 'lose face' in front of others, which not only means losing... [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]
Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 456
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
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How Does a Teacher Successfully Manage a Classroom? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The problem of classroom management is relevant to many teachers both experienced and inexperienced. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to work it through.
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate answers the question "Why is it challenging to Japanese native speakers to learn English?".
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Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
How to Teach English Grammar Communicatively | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
English can be taught in many ways. In this blog post, our TEFL graduate considers the communicative approach.
How to Develop the Speaking Abilities of Kindergarten Level Students | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching speaking in a kindergarten.
The Importance of Business English | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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In this article, our TEFL... [Read more]
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Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
Top Tips for Teaching English to Younger Students Online | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with ESL children online. They explain all possible difficulties and benefits.
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
This blog post is devoted to the problem of pronunciation. Our TEFL graduate shares their experience of teaching Japanese native speakers.... [Read more]
Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 936
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
Solving Common Problems Encountered by Lao Students of English | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with students from Laos.
Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with Japanese learners and tells about their challenges in English.
How to Take Advantage of Your TEFL Certification | ITTT | TEFL... [Read more]
Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 648
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
How do Japanese Students Respond to Some Common Challenges in English? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
This blog post is devoted to some most common issues of the Japanese students in English and their attitude towards it.
The Most Common Pronunciation Problems for English Learners in Myanmar | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
In this article, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with students from Myanmar.
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Why do Japanese Learners Face Difficulties when Studying English? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 10 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Why do Japanese Learners Face Difficulties when Studying English?
English is causing many problems in Asian countries which can be seen just by the high demand for English teachers - including ESL teachers. One of the countries is Japan, a country with a good economy and a society well known for their kindness and politeness, but unfortunately also for the low number of English speakers. There are many reasons why English is likely to pose problems in Japan but there are many possibilities to improve the English lessons to offer lessons that help Japanese students to achieve a higher English level.
Table of Contents
1. English is only written during lessons (Student Talk time is too low)
2. Students are not asked to express their... [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]
Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL - TEFL Blog
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL
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.
Table of Contents
Grammar
Pronunciation
Japanese schools
Japanese culture
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Grammar
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,... [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]
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
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eri S.
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An Overview of Common Challenges of ESL Students from Japan - TEFL Blog
Mon, 04 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
An Overview of Common Challenges of ESL Students from Japan
Japan is a nation that has tried to increase its citizens' English ability, especially with the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games being held in their country. However, progress has been slow and not fruitful. There are various reasons for this slow stagnation of the nation's English abilities such as the larger academic system and access to proper education in rural areas. However, I will focus on three main hurdles that Japanese learners of English must face that can impede their English education.
Table of Contents
Japanese vs. English
Phonetics
Alphabet
Japanese English Class
Style Problems
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What are The Challenges for English Learners in Japan? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 25 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
What are The Challenges for English Learners in Japan?
I have taught in a Japanese high school for the past four years as an assistant language teacher, which gives me a particular insight into the problems and advantages of EFL in that area. This will naturally require some generalizations. Individuals have very different problems from one another, but broader shared issues do crop up.
Table of Contents
My experience
Japanese average
Gap between two languages
Japanese culture can also make teaching difficult
Another aspect of the culture that can make things difficult is the island mentality of Japan
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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]
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Centre Internet TEFL
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A.J. - Japan said:
Problems for Learners in JapanEnglish is a compulsory subject in all japanese schools and is studied for a minimum of seven years if not longer. Very few of these students, however, will become proficient enough to be considered at an advanced and in many cases not even an intermediate level. Those few that do excel at English are students that are motivated from outside of the classroom and/or have spent time abroad in a country where English is commonly... [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
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Class Location TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
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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]
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.
Table of Contents
Listen to this blog post:... [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]
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]
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Agency Inexpensive TEFL
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T.P. - Japan said:
Pronunciation problems in JapanJapan has cultivated a reputation for being a country that is rich in history, culture and resources. Within the global sphere Japan has also seen the impact of English language in transforming the way in which countries relate. In an effort to avoid being on the periphery of the development enabled by globalization, the Ministry of Education, Sports, Culture and technology (also referred to as MEXT) has made providing... [Read more]
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College TEFL Fees
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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
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A.R. - Japan said:
Problems for learners in Japan For many Westerners visiting Japan, the japanese way is simply an awareness that overcomes you while you make your way through the overcrowded streets of Shibuya, or attempt to slurp your first bowl of ramen noodles. However, in the classroom, the japanese way plays a much more significant role. Foreign teachers of English in Japan recognize it as a glass wall that insinuates itself between them and their students; the manifestation... [Read more]
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Authorized TEFL School
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V.B. - Japan said:
Pronunciation Problems in JapanSince I am currently teaching english in japan, I have decided to briefly discuss some the pronunciation problems that I have observed during my time here.
Correct pronunciation is vital in order for a student to communicate in English with the world around them. Although a japanese version of English pronunciation will most likely be understood by fellow native japanese speakers, native english speakers or English learners... [Read more]