The 'best' way to learn English

I am often asked what the 'best way' to teach – or learn – English is or which the 'best method' is. I don't believe there is a 'best' way or method because everybody is different. I know this sounds like a lame excuse, so let me expand a little and look at some of the various techniques and methods used to teach languages (and other subjects, for that matter).

1) Direct Method

This approach to language learning dictates that the teachers and students use only the target language to communicate and it is used extensively in private language schools. All communication takes places in the target language, for example English, which in theory gives the student a kind of mini immersion in the language. The lessons are more often than not structured around a topic or grammar point. There is no translation from the target language into the learner's own language.

2) Translation

This is probably the most common form of teaching English currently used in Japanese public schools and involves learning vocabulary and grammar, mainly by rote, and mainly by translating from English to Japanese and vice-versa. In tests, there are many grammatical, spelling, translation and vocabulary exercises. There is little emphasis on spoken English.

3) Audio-lingual Method

Like the Direct method, this method uses the target language exclusively, although the focus is on aural (listening) and oral (speaking) skills. There is little or no use of a reading or writing component.

4) 'Self-learning'

This method of learning has been used in various ways and by many teachers, schools and companies, and generally entails the students learning by themselves (often in a silent environment) using pre-prepared textbooks, worksheets and other materials (for example Gattegno's sound & colour charts) with little or no guidance from the teacher.

The above are perhaps some of the more well-known of the many approaches to language education, but there are many more styles of teaching which are more likely to depend on the teacher. Some teachers prefer a relaxed, hands-off approach to teaching, whereas others prefer to get more involved with the students. Many teachers like to inject some humour into the lessons, whereas many like to take a more serious, conservative approach.

I have used all of these approaches to teaching and more besides and have found advantages and disadvantages to them all. I have taught students using the direct method who had to translate at some point or other, others who were very serious and wanted to concentrate on grammar, and others who took a very lax attitude to learning English and mainly wanted to chat. All require a different approach which is why I no longer use one approach or one set of materials exclusively. If you do (or your teacher does) you will quickly find that you will become frustrated.

If you are a teacher, you will start to blame the students, the materials or the school/staff/other teachers. I'm amazed at how many teachers never stop to think that maybe they are the problem. Be flexible, innovative and inventive. Show some interest in what you are doing and react to your students. Make the best of materials if you are forced to use a certain textbook or other materials. Think about how you use the language.

If you are a student, you may also blame the materials, your teacher or your fellow students. Think about your own motivation for studying and be honest about your own abilities.

It is for these reasons, and many more besides, that you will never find me claiming that there is a 'K Creative Way' or a 'K Creative Method' and that it is the best. I, and the other teachers I work with, employ various techniques and never treat one student the same as the last. Lastly, we don't pretend that we know it all. We have many years of experience, but we still have a lot to learn. If you have any questions about EFL/ESL, please leave a comment or email us at: media[at]k-creative-japan[dot]com

Five Questions You Should Ask Your English Teacher (EFL/ESL)

English teachers (EFL/ESL) are often too keen to teach a certain grammar point or phrase without really thinking about how useful it is (I have also been guilty of this in the past). Here are some quick questions to ask your teacher if you are unsure about how or when to use something:

1) Is this natural?

2) Can you give me three situations when you would use this?

3) How often do you use this? (Or When was the last time you used this?)

4) Can you use this the same way in both writing and speech?

5) What are some other ways to say this?

I am not suggesting that your English teacher is trying to trick you! I am suggesting that you should not feel bad about asking questions. I encourage my students to ask as many questions as they like - it helps them to understand and it helps me to become a better teacher.

Everyday vs Every Day: Usage

I have written about this before, but have felt compelled to do so again due to emails and the number of people looking it up on the internet and visiting this site.

I previously included this information:

'Everyday' is an adjective that means, ordinary, commonplace or normal. For example:

'I need some shoes for everyday use.'
'That's just one of my everyday worries.'
'Getting stuck in traffic is an everyday occurrence in big cities.'

'Every day' means "each day":

'I have to work every day this week except Sunday.'
'I go running every day.'
'I want to go the beach every day this summer.'

To give the strict grammar rule, everyday is a single word and it is an adjective, so it is used in front of a noun to describe something as normal. Every day is the combination of an adjective (every) and a noun (day), and it means each day.

Although what I wrote is correct, I would like to offer a little advice on usage. If you want to say that something happens on a daily basis, use every day. If you want to say that something is ordinary, common or normal, use those words.

Let's look at the examples I gave once more and let me apologise: they are not the most natural things to say, but I was trying to find examples. In doing so, I didn't follow my 'Rule of Three' very closely (if you can't find more than three natural uses for a grammar point or phrase, find a more natural way to say it).

'I need some shoes for everyday use.'

This is actually not too bad, but it's better to be more specific (especially if you are in a shop), for example:

I need some shoes for work.

I need some walking shoes.

I need some running shoes.

etc.

'That's just one of my everyday worries.'

I'm not sure I have ever said (or used) this, and I'm not sure I ever will. I would probably use:

It's a common/usual/normal worry.

It's normal/usual to be worried about (that).

It's normal/common to worry about (that).

'Getting stuck in traffic is an everyday occurrence in big cities.'

Again, this is not so bad, but it might be easier to say:

Traffic jams are common/usual in big cities.

It's normal/common/usual to get stuck in traffic in big cities.

Getting stuck in traffic is common/usual in big cities.

I hope this helps.

Katherine Fulton: You are the Future of Philanthropy

In this uplifting talk, Katherine Fulton sketches the new future of philanthropy -- one where collaboration and innovation allow regular people to do big things, even when money is scarce. Giving five practical examples of crowd-driven philanthropy, she calls for a new generation of citizen leaders.

As small-scale philanthropy is one of the founding aims of k creative, this was very interesting as some of the things suggested we are already trying to put into practice (for example providing private education for free).

Gever Tulley on 5 Dangerous Things for Kids

More from Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School (see below), as he spells out 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do. Seriously good!

Gever Tulley Teaches Life Lessons through Tinkering

Fantastic! Gever Tulley uses engaging photos and footage to demonstrate the valuable lessons kids learn at his Tinkering School. When given tools, materials and guidance, these young imaginations run wild and creative problem-solving takes over to build unique boats, bridges and even a rollercoaster!
http://www.tinkeringschool.com/

UNESCO ICT Training for Teachers in the Msinga District in Kwa Zulu Natal (South Africa)

Within the framework of UNESCO's contribution towards strengthening practices for ICT in support of knowledge creation, acquisition and sharing in the field of education a training session for School teachers will be held at the Lobethal School in the Msinga District in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, from 29 June to 12 July 2009.

Elements of the ICT competency standards for teachers will be used in the training as communications access and connectivity for ICT services and applications in remote rural areas are in need of support.

For more information on UNESCO and ICT:

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2929&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Teaching Your Own Child/Homeschooling

The idea of parents teaching their children is not exactly a new one, but it does seem to be attracting quite a lot of attention recently. It is also quite personal to me as I am considering my son's English language education. He was born here in Japan, is mainly surrounded by Japanese speakers and will probably go to Japanese speaking schools, therefore I am under no illusions that his strongest language will be Japanese. This doesn't bother me, but I would like him to be bilingual and feel as comfortable using English as Japanese. I simply want to give my son exposure to English, but many people want to homeschool their children. This is a major commitment. I am not considering this kind of undertaking, but what should you think about if you are considering homeschooling your children?

Let me start by saying that these are only my thoughts, but they are based on quite a few years of involvement in education and observation of parents' involvement with the education of their children. If you are thinking of teaching your own child, you could start by asking yourself these questions:

Why do you want to educate your child at home?

There may be practical reasons such as location, but if you are doing it because you don't trust the school system or you are trying to shield your child from something, you may not be doing him or her any favours. Try to be as honest and objective as possible and look at what your child may be missing out on – interaction with other children and adults, access to specifically designed curricula and libraries, recreation, sport and supplemental learning facilities for example. Even simple (pleasurable?) experiences such as the journey to and from school, carrying a school lunch, etc. are going to be missed.

What do you want your child to learn?

It could be that, like me, you are raising your child in a country using a language other than the one you speak and you would like him or her to learn your language. Whatever the reason, try to ensure that you have your child's best interests at heart.

Are you up to the job?

Be honest. Do you really believe that you have the skills and experience to effectively tutor your child?

What kind of person are you?

This will affect the kind of teacher you will be. Some people are not cut out to be teachers. If you demand perfection or tend to be short-tempered, you should perhaps reconsider teaching your own child.

Do you need to teach your child?

In my case, I am hoping that I do not have to teach him English in the structured 'sit down and study' style hardly at all. I will talk to him English, provide ready access to English (books, TV, magazines, music, etc) and try to engage him in the things he likes in English; i.e. in much the same way that I learnt the language. Think about how you can apply similar techniques to other subjects so that the child is learning in a fun, creative and constructive way without feeling that they are really 'studying'. I have recently read about 'intersession' programmes in North American schools, whereby children, for example, learn about science by making potions and chocolate frogs in a 'Harry Potter' class and learn about equations by dividing up biscuits.

Do you intend your tutoring to be the primary source of education?

If you simply want to 'top-up' your child's education by applying some practical, real-world application of what they are learning in school, it may be easy to do. In my case, I'd like to talk to my son about what he likes and/or is doing at school to show an interest in what he's doing and to help his English keep pace with his Japanese as far as possible. If you intend to tutor your children in all subjects, you are taking on quite a task. Are you ready for it?

Do you have any support?

Are the people around you (family, friends, etc.) supportive of what you want to do? If not, ask them why and be prepared to listen without prejudice.

What does your child think?

This requires a very honest evaluation of your relationship with your child. Are you forcing your own thinking and/or desires, unfulfilled dreams and ambitions onto your child? It is great to offer your child opportunities that may not have been available to you, but ensure that you are doing so for the right reasons and that your child is happy. Your child's happiness should, after all, be the most important thing.

Richard Knobbs

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It is best to use the right medium when learning French for toddlers to let them have fun while learning new things. Tip: Young children can have fun and learn a foreign language with entertaining DVD videos such as one that promotes learning French for toddlers.

Everyday vs Every day

I recently saw a lesson that a teacher had written including the word 'everyday', which is often used in English. The problem was that the sentence read something like this (I forget the exact sentence):

'I get up at 6 o'clock everyday.'

This is clearly wrong! The worst of it is, one would hope that somebody is checking his work before it goes into class, but that does not seem to be the case. If this was in some small English conversation school with 5 students it wouldn't be such a big deal, but this was for university students studying English as part of a hospitality course, which I find unforgivable.

The words 'every day' and 'everyday' are often confused by learners of English (and native English speaking graduates, it seems), especially as the pronunciation is essentially the same, so let me explain the difference and give some examples:

'Everyday' is an adjective that means, ordinary, commonplace or normal. For example:

'I need some shoes for everyday use.'
'That's just one of my everyday worries.'
'Getting stuck in traffic is an everyday occurrence in big cities.'

'Every day' means "each day":

'I have to work every day this week except Sunday.'
'I go running every day.'
'I want to go the beach every day this summer.'

To give the strict grammar rule, everyday is a single word and it is an adjective, so it is used in front of a noun to describe something as normal. Every day is the combination of an adjective (every) and a noun (day), and it means each day.

So, what the teacher should have written is:

'I get up at 6 o'clock every day.'

Creative English

I am currently working on a new course and book about 'Creative English", so I thought I would say a little about it.

What is 'Creative English'?

When people imagine creative English, they usually think in terms of something artistic, imaginative and complex: a novel, a poem or a song, for example. While we encourage people to try these things, our Creative English course is a little more down to earth.

Our Creative English course is not designed to turn you into Shakespeare or John Lennon. It is designed to show you that you do not need to be a native English speaker to be able to communicate freely and expressively in English. For the purposes of this course, Creative English means the ability to use English naturally and tailor language to suit almost any occasion. It does not require an exceptionally high level of English – beginners can learn it – and it does not require extensive study of grammar patterns and vocabulary.

What is does require, however, is a change in focus on behalf of both the student and the teacher.

More later.