Potential Students Archives - Japan Switch Mon, 28 Mar 2022 02:32:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.5 https://japanswitch.com/jswp/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-Japan-Switch-Favicon-1-32x32.png Potential Students Archives - Japan Switch 32 32 Guide to Choosing Online vs Offline Lessons https://japanswitch.com/guide-to-online-vs-offline-lessons/ Sat, 09 May 2020 10:59:40 +0000 https://japanswitch.com/jswp/?p=11104 Guide to Choosing Online vs Offline Lessons You have come to the right article for a balanced view of the benefits of offline vs online Japanese lessons. These ideas come from our experience of providing affordable Japanese lessons both offline and online at Japan Switch. Do not listen to any teacher or company that says […]

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Guide to Choosing Online vs Offline Lessons

You have come to the right article for a balanced view of the benefits of offline vs online Japanese lessons. These ideas come from our experience of providing affordable Japanese lessons both offline and online at Japan Switch. Do not listen to any teacher or company that says one method is better than the other. Both methods have different benefits and depending on how you learn, goals, and living situation, your ideal platform can differ.

Most articles comparing online and offline lessons quite suck to be honest. Most of them just seem to be copy pasting the content from other articles and regurgitating the same obvious ideas. A smart reader like you does not need to be told that online lessons are more convenient schedule wise.

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Benefits of Online Japanese Lessons

Recording the Lesson

One non-obvious benefit of online Japanese lessons is that you can record the lesson. Most Japanese teachers would feel nervous or be against you recording the lesson in person. Looking at the device and seeing that big red button and the digital waves recording your every move, while teaching the lesson will distract even the hardest of veterans. Most people still feel uncomfortable, but you have a higher chance of getting permission to record while online.

You should always ask the teacher if they are fine with you making a recording and recording without permission would potentially be a breach of privacy. For example, at my Japanese language school Japan Switch, teachers can decline a student’s request to make an online video recording.

You could record the lesson using one of the methods below. 

How to record an online lesson in zoom

How to record an online Skype chat

Article by techradar on several free screen recorders

online video lessons at Japan Switch

More Desk Space

This is a random idea that I do not see people taking advantage of during lessons. However, since you are taking your lesson online, you have much more desk space to use for preparing for your lessons. For example, you could prepare the following things on your table.

  1. Textbook.
  2. Notebook for your lessons and questions for your teacher.
  3. Vocabulary list or dictionary app for the lesson.
  4. Workbook or homework for the lesson you are taking.
  5. Guitar to show off to your fellow classmates or teacher.

Students had to carry their manga, books, and other materials to show to their teacher for help. Now you can simply have the manga on your table and ask your anime heart away.

Share Screen Feature

All video chat software have a share screen feature. You can share your written report, digital version of the manga you are reading, or even a situation from a Japanese TV drama or movie you are watching. Just make sure you do not have any sensitive information or information you want to keep private before sharing your screen!

If you want to share a YouTube video, I would recommend you send a video link in the chat with the exact time stamp embedded into the link. For example, you can skip my friend’s channel introduction and jump straight into the main content at the 17 second marker with this link : https://youtu.be/YNFaL9PaVe0?t=17

Multiple Tabs Feature

Although your smartphone web browser has the capabilities to manage multiple tabs, it cannot compare to the sheer amount of information you can have loaded simultaneously on your computer browser. When doing offline lessons, you have to bring all your crap to the classroom and then use valuable class time to find the exact location you wanted to show your teacher. Now you can simply prepare for everything in advance and have it loaded in a tab on your computer.

I would recommend having a dictionary, google search, online notepad uploaded and ready to go for your online Japanese lessons.

Online Dictionary

Impress your teacher and classmates with your fake knowledge of new words attained using an online dictionary while researching when your classmates were speaking. There is even some software that works as both a dictionary and a flashcard study system. What this means is that you could search for a word and if you want to study it later you could save it as a word to study later using the same software. This can save you from having to carry a notebook around all the time.

Vidalingua makes a free dictionary app that has the flashcard feature - not sure how free it is though. Japanese pod101 also seems to have that feature built into their paid version.

Generic Ideas

You probably have heard these ideas, so I will gather them in one tiny spot.

  1. Save money on transportation costs through online lessons.
  2. Save time because you no longer need to commute to your lesson.
  3. You can practice your phone Japanese skills easily because it is harder to hear your teacher online than in person.

Updated 12/27/2020

Japan Switch is now offering online Japanese lessons with 1500 yen group lessons with a maximum of 4 students and 3000 yen private lessons.

Benefits of Offline Japanese Lessons

The first several reasons are pretty obvious, but easily forgotten if you have not experienced it yourself. For that reason I have decided to include them to the list of benefits of offline Japanese lessons.

Japanese school environment

Being surrounded by other Japanese students

Most of the benefits of offline lessons cannot be communicated through text or audio unfortunately. You really have to be at Japan Switch to experience the positive energy and enthusiasm. It is similar to listening to music on Spotify compared to watching a concert in person. The energy of experiencing things in person is good for people who get motivated seeing others improve and wanting to keep up with them. For example, if you are the type who gets competitive or motivated to study by seeing another student studying before his or her lesson, offline lessons could be ideal for you.

Would love to show the vibes of the classroom environment and the excitement and fun. This would also apply to the sheer amount of students coming in and out between classes.

Making friends with students of a similar level

We have many students, especially in our group lessons, who become friends outside of the classroom as well. Having someone who is at a similar Japanese level can help you persevere and they understand your frustrations with Japan and learning the Japanese language better than others. Also having a classmate can push you to attend class and having someone to have lunch with after class can help you remember what you just learned or clarify areas you did not understand.

We also have students having conversations and other students would jump in if the topic sounds interesting and the people seem friendly and welcoming.

Japanese-group-lessons-in-Shinjuku.jpg

Experience the power of a smile

You cannot simulate the smile of your teacher or praise from your teacher with online lessons. Even with the best screens on the market, you can never simulate the 3D experience in person with a 2D screen. This sounds silly but a thumbs up or LIKE cannot compare with a real high five. You can only experience a physical high five with offline lessons.

Internet lessons just suck sometimes

I personally hate wearing a headset or earphones. For me they just feel uncomfortable and unnatural when talking to another person. At a minimum, you would need to get wireless earphones, just so you can move and not be attached to the computer. Additionally, you have to deal with the lag sometimes and I am sure we can all relate to the headache of getting cut off. You also end up losing 1 - 3 minutes of your lesson because of the broken flow and the need to backtrack.

You cannot hear a person’s natural voice online, but things are improving audio wise, but still not at the same level of clarity as in person lessons. You also cannot see the gestures of the person and you can see for better or worse the twitching and other facial micro expressions which make interaction with others seem real. I won’t get into the topic of smell because that could be either benefit of offline or online lessons!

No interruptions

Living with another person will naturally result in interruptions. Additionally, when you are at home, you are expected to pick up the phone. When you are at a lesson in person, you can make the excuse that you are in a lesson, but for some reason people do not get it when it applies to online lessons!

Depending on your personality, you may actually study and review your lessons more frequently when taking lessons in person since you are stuck on the train. Having a 30 minute ride and taking two lessons can lead to 2 hours of extra uninterrupted study time. Too many distractions at home and people are not too talkative on the trains, so you can focus on your studies.

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]]> Guide to Choosing Group or Private Japanese Lessons https://japanswitch.com/group-or-private-japanese-lessons/ Thu, 16 May 2019 07:31:50 +0000 https://japanswitch.com/jswp/?p=7972 Guide to Choosing Group or Private Japanese Lessons What is the difference between group and private Japanese lessons? For people have taken Japanese lessons before, this is probably a simple question. However, for those who have not taken lessons, it is impossible to know the difference if you do not have context. We run a […]

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Guide to Choosing Group or Private Japanese Lessons

What is the difference between group and private Japanese lessons?

For people have taken Japanese lessons before, this is probably a simple question. However, for those who have not taken lessons, it is impossible to know the difference if you do not have context.

We run a 150 student plus Japanese language school in Tokyo and this is a question many students have posed to us. We have found that some types of lessons and teachers are more suitable for certain types of people. Depending on your main goal, choosing the right type of lesson can make a huge difference in your motivation and attitude towards learning.

This guide will talk about the benefits and challenges of both group Japanese lessons and private Japanese lessons. This article will also focus on casual Japanese lessons (1 - 8 hours a week) and intensive lessons (15 hours a week or more).

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    Benefit of Japanese Group Lessons

    Benefit 1 :  Make foreign friends

    One of the awesome benefits of group lessons is that you have teammates that can help you learn the language and be a support system during your time in Tokyo. You’ll be connected by the fact that you will usually speak around the same level of Japanese and share the same goal in improving your Japanese. We have seen our group lesson students go from strangers to friends, help motivate each other and even go out for lunch after every lesson.

    Benefit 2 : Ample lesson Time

    For group lesson students, most casual schools either do multiple 50 minute lessons in a row or have one long 80 - 100 minute lesson. I have not seen any schools do 50 minute lessons, so another great point for Japanese group lessons is that you have ample time for learning Japanese and more time than a private lesson for the same price.

    We have found that 80 - 100 minutes is an optimum amount of time for lessons. Three hours of lessons can be overwhelming and leave your head spinning. However, taking 90 minute lessons gives you a sense of accomplishment without draining all your brain energy. At our Japanese language school in Shinjuku, we have found a decent amount of success doing 100 minute lessons.

    Benefit 3 : Discover new things through your classmates

    Since you are around the same level of Japanese, you will have many opportunities to learn from one another. Your classmates may have a question you never thought about and you may learn something really interesting thanks to them. Another example is when your classmate makes a mistake and your teacher gives them a correction and from that you can correct your own mistakes.

    Benefit 4 : Less Attention and Pressure

    This benefit really depends on you and you may not find this beneficial. However, we have had students mention that they feel nervous being one on one with a Japanese teacher and do not want to be corrected all the time. If they can take a lesson with other people, there will be less attention and less pressure on them to answer questions from the teacher.

    Benefit 5 : Reduce your nervousness speaking in front of others

    If the thought of speaking Japanese in front of other foreigners scares you, a group lesson may actually be a better option for you than private lessons. We have quite a few students at our Japanese language school who decided to take private lessons because they are afraid to speak Japanese in front of a group of people and wanted to develop their confidence through private lessons.

    Jumping into a group lesson will give you many more opportunities to practice speaking in front of other people and help you break out of you shell. An added bonus is the pressure of speaking in front of other people will probably also help you increase your response speed time. My personal recommendation is try taking both types of lessons because you can get the best of both worlds.

    Benefit 6 : Raise your motivation for studying

    In your group lessons, you will likely have classmates who speak Japanese better than you. In some cases, they may be several months ahead of you in terms of ability and it can be daunting at first. If you are the type of person who is competitive, attending a group lesson may motivate you to study more to catch up with your classmates. When I was studying Japanese, all my classmates were Chinese who could read all the kanji or Koreans who already understood the grammar structures. This motivated me to out study because that was the only way I could keep up with the class.

    Benefit 7 : Easy first step for people who are not sure what they want

    Another potential benefit is that attending group lessons can serve as a first step towards learning Japanese. Some people feel that they need solid goals and a purpose for taking private lessons and would feel nervous to be one on one with their Japanese teacher for an hour. We find that many students who take group lessons at Japan Switch are not sure what type of lessons they would like to take and “would just like to try lessons out before making a commitment.”

    If you read this article and you are still unsure about what type of lessons you should take, consider taking group lessons as your first step.

    Challenges of Japanese Group Lessons

    Challenge 1 : Differences in student levels and learning speeds

    There are unicorn group lessons where all 6 students are exactly at the same level and share the same learning speed. This is usually not the case for casual lessons because everyone has their own separate reasons for learning and do not study or use Japanese in equal amounts outside the classroom.

    Some students might be good at reading and writing, while other students might have excellent speaking skills. In some cases, you will have to move on to the next section even though you do fully understand the lesson because the class needs to move on.

    Some classes may have a dominant higher level student who speaks a lot using language that is beyond your level of understanding. The opposite may also happen where a student is not studying outside of class or learns at a more relaxed pace and may hold the class back by asking many questions to the teacher.

    Challenge 2 : Difference in ages, hobbies, and stage in life

    Similar to differences in levels and learning speeds, you will most likely have classmates who are older or younger than you, have different hobbies and interests in Japan, or are at a different stage in their life and have challenges that are not relevant for you. You might have a classmate who is the same age as your mother or the same age as your child. Almost all classes work well together, but in some cases there are groups with people who can’t really relate to one another.

    You may also have students who ask questions to the teachers that you already know the answer to or don’t have much interest in. As a Japan veteran, I would not want to use class time to listen to questions about Japan from curious travelers, so for me private lessons would be more appropriate. However, as someone who is new to Japan, you would gain a lot from any questions about Japan from other students.

    Challenge 3 : Students who are absent or missing a lesson

    Another challenge to taking group Japanese lessons is that if you miss one lesson, you will have to study the content on your own and catch up with the class. For students who are taking classes up to 5 days a week, missing one week could set them back quite a lot. With casual classes, you can easily prepare for the lessons you missed and if you are taking private lessons alongside group lessons, you could use your private lesson time to make up that missed lesson as well.

    This challenge also applies to your classmates. You may have classmates who miss lessons and the teacher would need to balance moving on to the next section while spending time to help them catch up.

    For those who are fast learners or who want to prepare for their lessons in advance, private lessons may be more suitable for you.

    Summary

    If Japanese group lessons matches your needs and you are looking for a school in Tokyo, learn more about our group lessons here.

    Japanese group lessons in Shinjuku with four students and a teacher
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    Online Japanese Group Lessons

    Challenge 1 : Classroom Management

    The biggest challenge of online group lessons is classroom management. In a in person classroom environment, it is easy organizing students into pairs, writing things on the board, and calling on students to speak. When doing lessons online, the teacher has to switch between sharing screens and ensure that only one person is speaking at a time since you cannot do pair work in many cases. You sometimes get the hilarious scene of people accidentally talking over one another which you would not get in a in-person class.

    Challenge 2: Classroom Sizes

    We see many schools trying to do online lessons with 6 or more students and we personally think those lessons are ineffective because of the classroom management challenges above. We have reduced our maximum online group Japanese class sizes from 6 > 4 students to avoid many management challenges and to increase student speaking time.

    Other than the above too, most of the points are the same.

    Benefits of Japanese Private Lessons

    As of 2020, we have launched online private Japanese lessons. The online lessons are going very smooth and get our same quality lessons at home and save money on transportation fees.

    Benefit 1 : Go at your own pace

    One of the main benefits for taking private lessons is that you can learn at your own pace. For students who want to move at a quick pace, you can prepare for your lessons in advance using the tips in our guide on how to prepare for private lessons.

    For students who would like to ask many questions to their teachers, private lessons would give you the opportunity to take your time and ask as many questions as you want.

    Here are some examples of things you can do

    1. You do not need to worry or think about inconveniencing other students
    2. You have more time to practice challenging areas
    3. You have more time to practice pronunciation
    4. You have more time to ask about Japanese culture

    Benefit 2 : Having an ambassador in your corner

    Group lessons can be great for meeting other foreigners, but you cannot develop the one to one relationship that private students have with their teacher.

    Living in Tokyo (and Japan in general) can be tough and we have discovered that meeting the same teacher each week helps provide a pillar or source of consistency for students. There are many things that foreigners both new to Japan and long-term residents may not know and having someone you can go to every week and ask all your questions makes life much easier.

    Based on my interviews with our students at Japan Switch Tokyo, I highly recommend students who are in Japan short-term (example: tourist visa) to take private lessons. Every student we interviewed had visited Japan before but mentioned that taking privates lessons made them feel much more connected to Japan than their first trip to Japan.

    Benefit 3 : Having someone who understands your needs

    The longer you take Japanese lessons with your teacher the more they will get to know you and your individual needs. Your teacher will learn about your strong points and weak points and can adjust how they deliver the lesson based on those needs. Your teacher will also know what areas they need to spend more time on and also the best way to explain things to you.

    This also relates to what you like personally and your goals in Japan. For example, if you like talking about Japanese food or are interested in pop culture, your teacher may introduce you to a new restaurant they heard about recently or a something they saw on the news.

    For group lessons, the teacher has to think about all of the students and make adjustments accordingly and may not always be spot on for you because of the uniqueness of the group. If you are taking private Japanese lessons though, the teacher can focus their full attention on your needs and it will be much more spot on.

    Challenges of Japanese Private Lessons

    Challenge 1 : You have to answer every question yourself

    I was surprised to hear this but one thing some multiple group lesson students mentioned was that they feel more comfortable in a group lesson with other students. They mentioned that they felt nervous having to answer every question in the book during private lessons. In group lessons, they were able to hide under the radar and allow other students to answer questions. You can also say that you do not know the answer and pass the question or speaking challenge to another student.

    Challenge 2 : Not having enough content to talk about

    Several students we interviewed at our Japanese language school in Tokyo mentioned that they took private lessons and felt they did not have enough content to talk about with their teacher.

    Students who have many questions on the textbook or on the language or culture will probably not run into this challenge. Students who like to go with the flow and prefers to let someone else lead may experience this challenge.

    Challenge 3 : Using a lot of mental energy speaking Japanese

    Some students mentioned they felt exhausted because they had to speak the whole time in Japanese. In group lessons, you can take short breaks and have time to think or daze off while the other students are speaking. It would be impossible to daze off during private lessons, because all the attention is on you.

    Summary

    If group lessons are not your cup of tea, and private lessons are the way to go, come check out what type of private Japanese lessons we offer here.

    Best Japanese Language School in Tokyo Shinjuku

    Summary and Quiz

    Group Lessons

    If your answers are mainly yes, than group lessons are for you.

    • Are you interested in your classmates questions on culture or life in Japan?
    • Are you interested in your classmates opinions on Japanese culture and Japan?
    • Do you want to meet other foreigners more than learning at a fast speed?
    • Are you motivated to try harder if your classmates are more advanced than you?
    • Are you willing to study several hours a week to keep up with your classmates?
    • Are you just curious to see what it’s like to study Japanese?

    Group lessons are in general great for people who want to meet and learn from other foreigners and who are fine with studying with students who may be slightly higher or lower level than you.

    Private Lessons

    If your answers are mainly yes, than private lessons are for you

    • Do you want to only focus on the book and lesson or do you want both lessons and non textbook conversation time?
    • Do you want to take your time and go at your own pace on the lesson?
    • Do you want the teacher to expand on the textbook or do things that match your interests?
    • Do you want to prepare for your lessons in advance?
    • Do you like to ask many grammar questions or deeply understand the structure?

    If you want to improve quickly or at your own pace take private lessons.

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    ]]>         How to Prepare for Private Japanese Lessons https://japanswitch.com/how-to-prepare-for-private-japanese-lessons/ Wed, 08 May 2019 03:20:46 +0000 https://japanswitch.com/jswp/?p=7932 How to Prepare for Private Japanese Lessons This article has some great advice for private lesson students to get the most out of their Japanese lessons. The advice is relevant to those taking offline and online Japanese lessons with Japan Switch. The advice in this article would not apply to people who take Japanese group […]

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    How to Prepare for Private Japanese Lessons

    This article has some great advice for private lesson students to get the most out of their Japanese lessons. The advice is relevant to those taking offline and online Japanese lessons with Japan Switch.

    The advice in this article would not apply to people who take Japanese group lessons since you have to follow the pace of the class.

    Private Lessons Allow You To Prepare For Lessons

    The problem with group lessons is that the pace can never be a perfect match for each individual because you have six people with different study habits and reasons for being there and your momentum is limited by the speed of the group.

    The great thing about private lessons is that you can learn at your own pace and you can prepare for your lessons in advance to maximize your time in the classroom for speaking.

    You can practice the language patterns and listening so you have a general grasp and feel of the language before you come to class, so you can save the 20+ minutes of your lesson spent on learning the language

    When in the classroom, you can use your lesson time to use the language and receive corrections, ask questions that you did not understand, and allow the teacher to expand on the limited content in the book.

    How to Prepare for Your Lessons - Listening

    You can use the listening CD and script in the textbook to practice your pronunciation and listening. Did you know that you cannot hear sounds that you cannot pronounce? There is a 99% chance you cannot hear the difference between a Japanese SU and TSU sound.

    The best way to learn pronunciation and intonation is through shadowing and you can shadow the conversation section and listening section in the textbook. If you practice the listening section before your lesson, you can skip having to do it in the lesson and use that time for more speaking.

    Want to know how to improve your listening skills? Check out our Top 15 Listening Tips!

    japanese vocabulary learning

    How to Prepare for Your Lessons - Vocabulary

    The challenge with learning vocabulary is that you cannot download the words into your brain but actually have to use it to remember them.

    Practice Vocabulary Through A Flashcard App

    Some people like using a vocabulary notebook, but the challenge for most people is that you only look at it while you are in your classroom, which is the wrong time to be checking it. The other problem with notebooks is that you have to spend time sorting through the words you know and do not know.

    We recommend learning the vocabulary in the textbook before your lesson through digital or physical flashcards can be more effective for remembering words than a notebook. The most common apps for flashcards are memrise, anki, or quizlet, which are effective because they only show you the flashcards that you do not know and stop showing you the ones you do know.

    Please Do Not Limit Yourself To The Words In The Textbook

    Private lesson students do not need to limit yourself to the words in the book. You can prepare for your lessons by looking at the words in the book and think of the words that are more appropriate for your day to day life.

    For example, in the lesson about going to places in Book 2, there is an example about going to the embassy for your VISA. If learning the word embassy and city office is not relevant for you, you can prepare a list of places in advance that are more relevant to you than the ones in the textbook and practice them in class.

    You Do Not Need To Learn All The Words In The Textbook

    The key for developing a maintainable routine for vocabulary is to focus on the words you use most frequently in your daily life and conversations. You do not need to learn all the words in the textbook.

    Need help familiarizing words? Here are our Top 15 Japanese Vocabulary Tips!

    How to Prepare for Your Lessons - Grammar

    When preparing for your lessons, my personal recommendation is to not practice grammar and vocabulary on the same day when learning something for the first time. I personally prefer learning vocabulary the day before learning grammar, so I can reinforce and review the vocabulary when learning grammar the next day.

    Look at the sentences and look at the underlined area. Practice using the sentence pattern many times by substituting the underlined word with other words you want to use. Speak out loud when reading the sentence and have fun with what you say.

    Thinking About What You Want To Say

    Practicing the grammar patterns in the book is useful, but make your preparation more authentic by thinking about what you would like to say to expand on the conversation instead of being limited by the grammar patterns in the book and write it down in English. You can ask your teacher in class on how to communicate what you want to say in Japanese, so you can not only practice the grammar patterns in class, but also on how you would naturally want to expand the conversation.

    Example 1 - Textbook

    I need to go to the video store to rent a movie.

    Example 1 - What I want to say :

    I need to go to the video store to rent a movie. The store has many uniques videos.

    Example 2 - Textbook

    Can you say that again?

    Example 2 - What I want to ay :

    Can you say that again? It is hard to hear your voice.

    I really want to know how to ask someone to speak more loudly without offending them and this is the type of question I would ask my teacher in class.

    For further help in grammar, check out our Guide to Japanese Conjugation!

    developing a Japanese study routine

    Developing a Routine

    Developing a new routine can be a challenge, but you have already taken the first step by attending weekly lessons. Once that starts becoming a part of your weekly routine, the next step is to sneak in study time. The ideal study routine is about 20 to 30 minutes a day. You can sneak in study time by reducing your time watching TV or Facebook, or some Japanese time on the train using your smartphone.

    The key point for your routine is not the amount of hours you study in the week, but more about how much time you spend each day to signify to your brain how important something is. This is why cramming for tests never work from a long term perspective and isn’t that much fun.

    Routines are important because the more consistent you are with your routine, the more momentum you have to achieving your goal. A strong momentum is like a fast moving train and you can maintain good speed without using any power and effort. Developing momentum on the other hand is like climbing a hill and you have to use a lot of energy and effort to move up.

    Two short videos on developing a routine

    Frank : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Ls28qBT5c

    Hannah : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EDxwAHDwjM

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