ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Halloween's coming! You know Gem will be having its own daytime party at Manno Park, so you should go! I'll be there and the rest of my buddies:, too. Did you go last year? I was a kooky, loony, loopy, groovy, crazy Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland lore. I was in the entrance of the Haunted House. So much fun!



Meanwhile, enjoy the following!

I am officially registered to take the JLPT N3 test on December 4. JLPT stands for “Japanese Language Proficiency Test” and it is given to verify one’s fluency in the Japanese language according to standards set by an officiating Japanese organization. There are five levels, N5 being the easiest and the N1 being the hardest. Some of my friends who have studied Japanese and even some of my native Japanese friends state that the N1 test is even difficult for some of them to pass. I believe that the N1 level tests for a language proficiency equivalent to what is expected of university students to have during their university studies. Presently, the N3 level tests for a language proficiency equivalent to what is expected of those entering high school. My guess then is that the N2 level tests for a proficiency equivalent to what’s expected of graduating high schoolers.

As some might recall, I took and failed the last JLPT test I took, which was the N4 test. That was in the Summer of last year. Now I will brave the next level up. I was hesitant at first, for the obvious reason that if I couldn’t pass the N4 test then what makes me think that I can pass the N3 test? Well, just recently I’ve come to realize something really amazing. With all the studying I did last year and the studying that I picked up again two months ago when I returned, my acquisition of new language bits has drastically improved. I’m not kidding. And I’m extremely elated by this bit of discovery. To put it in perspective: Last year I MAYBE attained N4 proficiency. But then I basically stopped studying Japanese when I left Japan, but now that I’m back and only after two months of studying, I regained all that I forgot and reached a kanji recognition count of 1200 as well as a vocabulary count in my N3 vocabulary book of 700 words. That’s in two months. The N3 test will utilize vocabulary from a list of about 4000 words and 600 kanji, so I’m pretty sure I’ll reach that minimum requirement by December 4. My only worry is the listening part…but my Japanese teachers are all helping me on that end, creating sentences using N3 vocabulary lists I hand them.

What’s the takeaway for you, dear reader? Keep at it. Keep at it. Once you build your base, your progress will consistently improve, and once that happens, you will constantly find yourself congratulating yourself for your gains. It’s a self-perpetuating circle: you will do good, then you’ll praise yourself, and that praise will keep you going, so that you’ll do more good, and praise yourself all over again. But there is one thing you have to do first: Study consistently and give it some time. Be easy on yourself. After you build your base, you will see that your progress will then advance at a faster rate. You need that base. But before that, you need the will. I believe we are all capable of learning any language we want if we stay positive about ourselves.

So why is learning Japanese so important for me? Lots of reasons. I’ll only give the most important one now: If my students are learning my language, I should learn their language. A new perspective has opened recently with my gaining proficiency. Experiencing what is effective in learning a new language personally translates to better teaching, I believe. I have a greater sense of what level of words to use, what tone to convey words, what kinds of examples are memorable, what speed to talk with, how much grammar to teach per session (very letter apparently), and so on. One the most important lessons I’ve learned though in my own acquisition experience is that class is not about me. It’s about you, your learning, your practicing, your time, your effort, your joy. I want to get you to speak with as much pride and happiness as possible. That’s what I enter each class with, that positivity I want to share with you. So let’s keep at it together.

TIPS:

So let me share some of my findings in my recent go at Japanese.

First, get a vocabulary book with lots of opportunities in it to practice reading. I would recommend a frequency-based vocabulary dictionary, or something geared for a proficiency test, since that gives you the opportunity to measure your progress. Second, forget grammar and focus on vocabulary building. Third, listen obsessively to everything and try to imitate the target language user’s accent. Memory stores words better when they are standardized and acquired with confidence. Also, you’ll learn your grammar through imitation. Fourth, have FUN and learn in peace and make EVERYTHING PERSONAL. Attach as many senses and scenarios to each word you learn. Fifth, don’t overwork, but keep learning. Consistently is key, the volume you go through is second to consistency. In a language acquisition book I am reading, the author cites some researchers’ discovery that we learn best when we struggle to RECALL words after some time has passed. The key is to RECALL, not simply to repeat, so give yourself some time between reviews of words to forget the word a bit, to have the target word “at the tip of your tongue,” and then try to remember it. That struggle is what strengthens your memory. The motto of this particular book I’m reading is “What gets fired is what gets wired,” or in other words, what gets used is what gets remembered. So sixth, try to recall words just as they are about to be forgotten. This will take some time to get used to, as you’ll have to locate through trial and error and time your personal tendency to forget. And finally, don’t ever feel like you can’t learn a new language. You can. You always can, no matter who you are and no matter how much you have available for studies. Keep at it =)