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Nihongo Online School > Tips for More Effective Studying > [Study Plan with Ben-san] completed 150 hours of studying Japanese
[Study Plan with Ben-san] completed 150 hours of studying Japanese
2024/03/29
Hi, this is teacher Natsumi of Nihongo Online School. Today, we introduce study plan for one of our students Ben -san living in UK who completed 150 hours of studying Japanese.
Qualifications
Teacher Natsumi
Completed 420-hour Japanese language teacher training course
Experience
After obtaining her Japanese language teaching certification, she traveled to developing countries as a member of an international independent administrative organization and worked at a local Japanese language school, while also being involved in school management.
Since 2019, she has been working as an online Japanese language instructor at Japanese Online School, LLC, teaching practical skills for doing business or living in Japanese, drawing on her many business and Japanese language teaching experiences.
We reviewed, 1. Trial lesson 2. Feedback about Japanese level 3. Study plan 4. Study approach 5. Improvement for this blog.
●Summary
Nationality: UK
Age: 20
Occupation: Office worker
Reason for learning Japanese:
I love Japanese culture, and when I went on a trip to Japan, I felt frustrated because I couldn’t communicate with the local people. I want to be able to communicate with Japanese people as soon as possible. I also plan to study abroad in Japan starting October of this year. After graduating from Japanese language school, I’m considering finding a job in Japan.
●Trial lesson feedback
【 Level : JLPT N5 (Level 2 in our level chart) 】
※Based on the OPI level criteria, we will evaluate your conversational ability on a scale of 10. If you want to more about conversation level criteria, please check this blog.
Listening: 1 Speaking: 1 Reading: 2 Pronunciation: 2
・Pronunciation is clear and easy to hear.
・Able to read Hiragana and Katakana accurately.
・He can understand if I ask him questions slowly using simple words.
・Unable to form sentences and respond by arranging words.
・He can read the time, but he says numbers incorrectly.
・He remembers the words he studied, but it takes time for him to output them. If he has more time to output, his speaking ability will improve even more.
※we will evaluate your Japanese ability in terms of Reading, Speaking, Listening aspects.
●Learning plan Enrollment course: 150 hours course
Lesson notes: He’s making an effort to speak actively using the words and grammar he knows. However, he makes noticeable mistakes in grammar and tenses, so I will provide appropriate guidance. Since he is a person who loves talking and would like to improve his speaking skills, we plan to use the first 20 minutes of the class as output time for free conversation. Also, if he cannot explain it in Japanese, he may end up speaking in English, so I encourage him to say something like, “Let’s try speaking in Japanese.”
●Learning approach
Teaching materials: Original text, Minna no Nihongo, Genki II, Marugoto
Class frequency: 2 times/week (50 minutes)
How to proceed with the class:
① Vocabulary and grammar- Learn using texts. Make it stick by taking a vocabulary test every time. Create his own example sentences using new words and grammar to deepen his understanding.
② Speaking- The first 20 minutes of class will be used as free conversation time, where students will talk about today’s date, day of the week, and recent events. Allow 20 minutes for students to speak as much as possible.
③Listening- The teacher asks various questions using new vocabulary and grammar. To improve his listening level, speak faster and ask more questions. In addition, students will prepare for the JLPT using the entire listening Marugoto materials.
④Writing (Homework)- Consolidate his memory by creating and outputting sentences using new words and grammar.
⑤ Reading (Homework)- Read NHK’s “News Web Easy” and learn Japanese expressions and phrases. As his level improves, he will also practice writing impressions about articles.
●Achievement 【 Level : JLPT N3+ (Level 5 in our level chart)】
① Vocabulary and grammar: Reached N3 level. Even in conversations, he can now use words such as `隔離、両替、停電、症状、違和感.”
② Speaking: N3 level. He’s now able to express what He wants to say in a way that is easy for the other person to understand. He can now say 2-3 sentences per question without making many grammar mistakes.
For example, use expressions such as “I was sleeping in the shade. The mailbox was painted gold. It’s not effective for everyone. If I don’t have any symptoms, I’ll test myself. I want to reduce my load.”
③ Listening: N4 level. Can answer questions at normal speed.
④Writing: N3 level. He is now able to write his impressions of articles and news written in easy Japanese using N3 kanji.
Overall: Due to the effects of his independent study, he eventually grew from N5 to N3 level. He made sure to review new vocabulary and grammar (homework), and actively used new vocabulary and grammar during class to produce output. In the beginning, there were many grammatical mistakes, but towards the end, He was able to notice and correct them himself. His vocabulary has increased and He’s now able to express his opinions on a variety of topics.
Good luck studying abroad in Japan!
Ben-san The U.S
12 month with 150 lessons course
I only studied at home by myself before signing up for Nihongo Online School, so my knowledge has been pretty basic, theoretical and pretty random. I needed more structure, boundaries and deadlines through a teacher, and conversation practice to force me to say real sentences with proper grammar.
The good points are being able to practice my speaking with someone that can help me with my mistakes. I’ve enjoyed all my lessons so far with Natsumi-sensei. The lesson level has been appropriate, have been going well.
Qualifications
Teacher Natsumi
Completed 420-hour Japanese language teacher training course
Experience
After obtaining her Japanese language teaching certification, she traveled to developing countries as a member of an international independent administrative organization and worked at a local Japanese language school, while also being involved in school management.
Since 2019, she has been working as an online Japanese language instructor at Japanese Online School, LLC, teaching practical skills for doing business or living in Japanese, drawing on her many business and Japanese language teaching experiences.