[Project Stories] Creating a complete set of learning materials: Research

Every project I work on has a story behind it, and I think they are stories worth sharing.

The first story comes from one of the most challenging and interesting projects I have worked on recently: Creating a complete set of learning materials for Kumon Learning Therapy. As it was such a big project, I have decided to split it into three parts corresponding with the stages of the project: Research, writing and design.

The materials were unlike anything I have worked on before because they were aimed not at learners primarily, but people suffering from various stages of dementia. Backed by research from Tohoku University and successful trials in care homes in Japan, there was quite a lot of pressure on me to come up with something good for the UK and US versions of the materials.

Phonics: Theories and teaching approaches

Should you be teaching phonics? Are you teaching the right kind of phonics? Do you even know why you are teaching it?

The inclusion of phonics teaching in the classroom, be it in a native language class or a foreign language class, has educators strongly divided, with many - to put it bluntly - simply clueless as to what phonics teaching is and why it is used. It is further confused by the varying schools of thought and studies, but perhaps the emphasis is in the wrong place.

Poor grammar costs you money: Part two

I asked people from various backgrounds and countries the following questions:

1) Would poor grammar and spelling errors in promotional material affect your choice to use, purchase or endorse products and services?

2) Would the industry matter?

In this part, I look at the whether the industry is important and, first, whether writing in a foreign language would influence opinion.

ケン・ロビンソン卿：教育に革命を！

ケン・ロビンソン卿の今回の講演は、2006年のTEDにおける今や伝説的となった講演の続編です。

洞察に満ちユーモアあふれるこの講演で、ロビンソン卿 は、型にはまった学校教育から脱却し、
子供の個性を重んじる教育へと抜本的に変革する必要を説いています。

ケン・ロビンソン「学校教育は創造性を殺してしまっている」

サー・ケン・ロビンソンは、人間の創造性を（弱めてしまうのではなく）育てていくための教育システムを構築している。

彼のやり方はエンターテイメント性に溢れると同時に、我々の心の奥底に何かを強く訴えかけてくる。

すばらしいと思います。

Dave Eggers' wish: Once Upon a School

これはすばらしいと思います。 I wanted to share this because I think it's brilliant. Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, author Dave Eggers asks the TED community to personally, creatively engage with local public schools.

Five things you should ask your English teacher

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.

What is a tautology? Examples and corrections

I have posted this article elsewhere and it has proven to be popular, therefore I have also decided to share it here.

I was once asked to look over a paper which had already been edited as the author remained confused and unsatisfied. The previous editor had written 'tautology – requires correction' a number of times throughout the paper and the author did not really understand what he meant.

When asked for clarification, the editor simply said 'you've used tautologies, so you should correct them.' Quite apart from the fact that the editor should have corrected the mistakes, he made no attempt to offer advice or suggestions. The author was left in the dark as to what his mistakes were and how to avoid them in the future.

A tautology is when a writer (or speaker) says the same thing twice, rendering some of the information redundant. A lot of people commenting on tautologies tend to offer a list of examples and sound slightly smug when pointing out how silly one must be to make such a mistake.

"A free gift? Well, it wouldn't be much of a gift if you have to pay for it, hohoho!" And so on. The problem is, many of these commentators offer little in the way of advice or address why some of these tautologies occur, so hopefully this article will offer some guidance.

Let's begin by looking at 'free gift', as it is possibly the most commonly quoted tautology. 'Free gift' is a tautology because a gift by its very nature should be free, therefore 'gift' alone is sufficient. The problem here is that free gift is used in promotional copy, obviously, so the tautology actually serves a purpose and – I suggest – might not be as incorrect as it first appears.

If you are given a gift simply for taking a short survey, no money changes hands and the goods you receive are indeed free. If, as is often the case, you receive something as an incentive for subscribing to a magazine or booking a holiday, the gift may be a bonus, but it is arguably not 'free'. I'm sure many people will disagree with me on this one, but I am not so quick to judge.

The other thing to bear in mind is the effect that the word 'free' has on consumers. People like getting things for free and are arguably less concerned about grammar, therefore 'free gift' may be more appealing. It's just a thought. Of course, the best way to avoid this error if you are involved in writing promotional copy is to specify the gift, e.g. 'free pen', 'free book', etc. 

Let's now look at other common tautologies, why they are wrong and how to correct them:

I also like it, too. – Also and too, in this context, mean the same. Use also or too; not both.

PIN number – The last letter of the acronym signifies the word at the end ('number'). Other examples include GPS system, SAT test, HIV virus and ATM machine. For all of them, it is OK to simply use the abbreviations/acronyms.

¥100 yen – You do not need the currency sign and the name of the currency. Use one or the other, but my advice if you are writing online is to use the name of the currency as some signs may not be readable in all browsers.

Dot.com – The dot (.) is not needed.

In my opinion, I think that... – They mean the same, so use one or the other.

Joint cooperation – Cooperation means working with other parties, so the joint is redundant.

One after the other in succession – In succession means one after the other, therefore it should be used alone.

4 am in the morning – Very common amongst non-native English speakers who do not know the meaning of am (ante-meridian – 'before noon'). 'In the morning' is not needed.

To reiterate again – Reiterate means to say something again, making the use of 'again' redundant.

Close proximity – They mean the same. Close is usually fine in non-technical writing.

Necessary requirement – If something is required, it is necessary. Use one of them.

Today's modern technology – Use modern technology or today's technology – they mean the same.

 

Some Problematic Tautologies

While researching this a little further, I found the following examples of tautologies and I would like to look at them in more detail.

Win a Free Trip! – This was listed because, the other noted, 'if you are winning, it is free', but is that really true?

I have seen competitions in which you can win a flight, but not accommodation. In such cases, the airfare is indeed free, but the trip itself would not be (unless you just flew to the destination and came straight back). Be careful when using such language – particularly if writing or editing promotional copy – and ensure that the meaning is clear.

Top priority – Naturally a priority should be one's main concern, therefore this is a tautological phrase.

However, in an age of self-help gurus and 'life hacks', we are constantly being told that we should put things in order of priority. The result is that phrases such as 'top priority', 'main priority' and 'first priority' are becoming more and more common. Should you use them? I would not use them, but perhaps it is becoming more an issue of preference than grammar.

I also found this on a website:

"Tautologous expressions are often used in legal documents for clarification of meaning; such as, "will and testament" and "breaking and entering"."

I thought that I should address this as my background is in law, therefore I also write and edit legal documents and papers.

In will and testament, the two words relate to different things: 'will' relating to the desire to create the document and 'testament' relating to the act of creating it.

Likewise, 'breaking' relates to the force used in entering a property whereas 'entering' relates to the trespass element of the crime.

There are other examples in law, including assault and battery. While they do include expressions to clarify the meaning, they are not really examples of tautologies.

I hope this helps!

Eight simple tips for teaching English to children (EFL/ESL)

These guidelines are for communication classes only and are aimed at teaching children. I try to follow these rules when teaching and creating materials and I have found them to be very helpful – I hope you do too.

1) Smile

Foreign languages are difficult and often intimidating. The easiest way to make a student feel less intimidated or nervous is to smile. Show that you enjoy what you are doing and inject a little humour and fun into the learning.

2) Create a need – better yet, a desire – to use the language

I believe in creating an ‘English Zone’ in the classroom. Both I and the kids speak only English in the classroom (I have also used a ‘passport’ system where children carry passports which are stamped when entering and leaving the classroom. The students loved it and it had the added bonus getting them in ‘English mode’). If you are team-teaching, use only English when addressing the other teacher and encourage them to use mostly English to both you and the students (the tendency for teachers in Japan to translate everything is a common gripe amongst Assistant Language Teachers).

3) If you speak to parents of the children in the school, use English with them also

Children are a lot more perceptive than we give them credit for and small things make a big difference. If the children see that the best way to communicate with you and learn more is to use English, they will hopefully feel a need to use it. If they see their teachers, friends and parents using English to you (and ideally looking like they are having a good time), they will hopefully have a desire to use it. This is also a good way to get the parents more involved in what their children are learning, rather than just sending them to an English school because they feel they should.

4) Make it useful

If you have a class full of primary school students, there probably isn’t much point doing a lesson all about business terms (and before you scoff, I have seen it done…). Find out beforehand what kids like and try to make the language relevant to them. This is closely tied in with the point above, as people are much more willing to talk about something familiar to them than struggle with unfamiliar topics, grammar and vocabulary. This doesn’t mean that every lesson needs to be (or should be) about the latest pop sensation, fashion or cartoon, but you should try to tailor language and situations to maximise student input.

5) Make it realistic

Some people get so hung up on putting certain grammar patterns or vocabulary into lessons or materials they lose sight of how often they are actually used, or how they are used. I don’t advocate leaving out certain tenses or grammar patterns, but what I do advocate is taking a step back before you teach a certain pattern and ask yourself ‘would I say that?’ Ask yourself whether the examples you have chosen are realistic and natural. As a rule of thumb, if you are struggling to find example sentences for the pattern you are teaching (or have been asked to teach) chances are it is not used on a very regular basis. While this certainly does not mean that you should leave it out, you may want to place less emphasis on it.

6) Don’t over-correct

People make mistakes. You should not expect your students to be using flawless grammar from the outset – your primary aim should be to ensure that what they say is understandable. Constantly pointing out small mistakes that don’t really affect the flow of the conversation only serves to make the student more apprehensive about speaking English. I used to have an adult student who basically communicated in nouns. An example sentence would be along the lines of ‘Weekend, daughter and grandson, my home, sushi. Very nice!’ Simply by my asking whether she meant this weekend or last weekend it was not too difficult to get what she was trying to tell me. She was conveying her message and having a great time doing so (she was constantly laughing and smiling). If I had corrected her as soon as she said ‘weekend’ and every subsequent mistake, I probably would have destroyed her confidence and put her off learning English altogether.

7) Don’t be afraid to correct mistakes

The point above, naturally, comes with a caveat. Sometimes correction is essential, but it often goes hand in hand with the aims and expectations of both you and your students. For some children direct correction may be necessary, but for others more subtle forms of correction are often preferable. I prefer indirect correction as students become aware of their own mistakes and their confidence doesn’t take such a bash. Try repeating what they said back to them in the correct form and then throw on a question at the end. This may sound like a lot for a child to do, but as I said, we often underestimate their ability.

Example: Teacher: Where do you live?
Student: I live at Tokyo.
Teacher: You live in Tokyo? Where in Tokyo?

In this very simple example, the student made a mistake with the preposition (a common mistake) which was corrected and then reinforced by the teacher’s response. Students often respond very well to this kind of correction.

8) Have fun!

This, I know, is very similar to number one, but it took me a long time to realise that I actually enjoyed teaching kids. I used to hate it and dreaded doing it. I began to realise, however, that kids were a lot of fun to teach. They are full of energy, they are not afraid to give things a go (and have a laugh when they get things wrong), they are keen to learn and they have a tremendous capacity for learning. Enjoy it – teaching kids is incredibly rewarding.

Five things to think about for English teachers

1) Is what you are teaching natural?

Do you use what you are teaching? Do you hear it, read it or write it?

2) Can you think of three situations when you would use what you are teaching?

Three should be an absolute minimum.

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

Be honest.

4) Can you use this the same way in both written and spoken English?

If not, why not? Think about different situations - conversations between friends, business settings, email, academic papers, etc.

5) What are some other ways to say this?

Give some alternatives, unless there truly are none.