日本語で · 30. November 2017

生徒たちにとってベストな学び方とはどのようなものでしょうか？ 英語を話せ・読め・書け・聞き取れるようになるには、先生の手助けはできるだけ少なく、生徒自身で学んでいくことが大切です。 では、どのように実践していくのでしょうか？ ー歌ではー

Teacher Tips · 14. November 2017

Touching students in class is an area of some controversy. What is appropriate? Is it ok to use it to create a bond with and encourage students? Recently I observed a new teacher and noticed that the discipline problems that had been causing problems might simply have stemmed from an over emphasis on establishing discipline at the expense of warmth. I have noticed how eye contact, smiling and a little nudge on the shoulder seem to foster a bond with students that doesn’t exist with a strictly

Teacher Tips · 14. November 2017

Here’s an activity that we use to improve reading and writing skills rapidly. It involves something we’ve heard the modern teacher is sometimes reluctant to use these days, the much maligned eraser. I read the Talent Code by Daniel Coyle . In it he talked of the importance of correcting mistakes in order to master a skill. This was a constant theme and got me thinking how we could it employ it in our classes

Teacher Tips · 12. November 2017

What is the best way for a student to learn? By them doing it themselves. As teachers, we can speak, read, write and listen to English. If we want our students to be able to do the same, they must speak, read, write and listen to English themselves, with as little help from us as possible. How do we do this? Let’s go step by step.

English School Owner Tips · 12. November 2017

At Dave and Amy English School, we rotate teachers every 4 months. We think we have the perfect balance between the benefits of changing teachers and the disadvantages of changing teachers too frequently. We have 7 dedicated teachers (including Amy and I) who have been with us for years. So, when we rotate teachers, the students are not getting a new teacher, they are reuniting with a teacher who probably taught them a year ago. This contrasts with schools that have to change due

Teacher Tips · 05. November 2017

Let's begin with my first experience with criers. 20 years ago, when I first came to Japan, I had naively/ optimistically/ stupidly (call it what you like) agreed to teach 10 new 3 year olds with no Moms and no other teachers. It was a disaster. As soon as