Job Discussion Forums

[NorthofAmerica]

I have picked up a private on Monday nights where I have to teach 2 kids separately for an hour each. They are 11 and 13. Normally I have a lot of ideas and things to do but these kids lived in the US for the last 4 years and rock English pretty hard.

Aside from the odd bit of correction in their grammar they are pretty much beyond grammar drills and exercises. All the high level stuff I have is generally for adults too. I know they like manga and I had them read one and explain the storyline in English but they're still Japanese people and they don't really talk freely or open up discussions. This lesson is pretty brutal.

Any ideas?

[Glenski]

Treat them as their age group, not as high level students. Think of what interests them, then adapt the lesson to their needs.

They may be able to speak in good American slang, but can they write a book report well? Can they present it well? No slang. Same with essays (cause and effect, comparison, listing, etc.). Perhaps they could benefit from writing texts geared for native speakers instead of Japanese learners.

How are their reading skills? You can always increase reading speed and vocabulary. They'll need both to do well on TOEFL/TOEIC tests or just the college entrance exams. Start them early. Have you worked on word structures (prefixes, suffixes, etc.)?

Find topics that interest them, not you, for their discussions. Manga is just one area. One thing Japanese learners find difficult is expressing an opinion or explaining complicated things with certain critical thinking skills. See what you can do to develop those skills.

[NorthofAmerica]

Thanks dude!

Their mother really likes the heavy homework so I often give them essay type topics to write about.

[markle]

Yes, really challenge them because they will lose that ability really quickly.

[Glenski]