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ssjup81 · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:16 am Post subject: How exactly does it work?

This just came to mind for me. As I mentioned elsewhere, I am doing Volunteer ESL Teaching with native Spanish speakers here at home. I know a little bit of Spanish so it helps somewhat, but I do know that my Spanish could be way better, but seeing as how I haven't used it in almost ten years, it's not too surprising.

I notice that some of these ads for ESL teachers in Japan don't require the applicant to have any Japanese language ability, only English on a native level. For those who literally started off at a 0 level of proficiency, how did you actually manage in the classroom?

This question is more so aimed at those who were literally in charge of the class or working by themselves (probably eikaiwa stuff), as opposed to something like JET since on JET, one is an ALT and has a JTE to probably help with the communication.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Unless you are "teaching" infants, you will not likely run into too many cases of true beginners, IMO.

Anyone at JHS age has had some experience with some level of English, whether from TV commercials, movies, or other mass media. It may be horrendously broken English or even Japlish bastardizations thereof, but it's not like this is a black hole.

How one manages in a classroom with zero Japanese under one's belt... well, I would have to say that in the cases where zero English is the level one is teaching, you probably won't be in a situation where you are forbidden to use Japanese. Even if you are, the kiddies are probably so young that it doesn't matter to their language-empty sponge-like brains. Lots of TPR helps, as does the simple word-object association routing. Also, having a parent in the room is probably not unusual.

I'll let those tho have actually been in such situations explain. Most people you teach will be false beginners at worst.

ssjup81 · Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:38 am Post subject:

I was mainly curious because of how the volunteer classes are that I'm doing. We may explain something in English, but explain in Spanish too, if it calls for it. That's why I was curious as to how the 0 ability people do so.