Monthly Archives: November 2011

What Do Japanese Enjoy From Foreigners?

Years ago, before English was legalized in Japan, ESL students would often congregate in attics and practice reciting the alphabet to candlelight. The country has progressed a lot since those days, with English being learned by everyone in public schools, … Continue reading

Posted in What do I...? | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

How Do I Translate “Oni”?

In Japanese, a rough concept of “ogre”, “demon”, “devil”, and “Satan” are all combined into a single word; oni(鬼). An oni is a large, horned orge that lives in the underworld and eats pickled beets. It often carries a club, … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

How Do I Teach Words of Latin Or Greek Origin?

Some students familiar with English gain their abilities through the workplace, bringing a wide range of vocabulary to the classroom. These words can be specialized to the point of being unusable, and corrections should be made to allow the student … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

How Do I Stop Students From Saying “Cock” All of the Time?

Due to Katakana pronunciation, when Japanese ESL students are learning English, they often revert to saying “cook”(コック) as “cock”. The atmosphere of the classroom can quickly go sour when explaining the differences between the two words. It goes without saying … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How Do I Stop Students From Using Phones In Class?

In this age of technology, we encounter a lot of students who would rather focus on their gadgets than classwork. So how do we keep the student’s attention in the classroom when faced with iPods, smart phones, and Nintendos? There … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How Do I Teach Participal Adjectives?

Participial Adjectives confuse even the best English speakers, so it’s understandable that they are nearly incomprehensible for Japanese learners of English. As a teacher, I still have difficulty understanding the difference between the usage of “bored” and “boring”. A handy … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

How Do I Explain the Difference Between Hotcakes and Pancakes?

As Japan becomes more Westernized, their traditional Dora-yaki snack has transformed into pancakes and hotcakes. Dora-yaki has been a popular treat for children in Japan for over a thousand years. Made of sweet red bean paste and held together by … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

How Do I Teach Children?

Teaching children is no simple task, and is even more complicated when teaching them in a foreign language. Not only do children have different needs than their adult counterparts, but also cry much more frequently than adults. As much as … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

What Should I Do If I Cannot Stop Coughing In The Classroom?

Coughing is a reaction wherein the diaphragm convulses violently in response to bracial irritation. If you didn’t have brachii, you would not cough. Removing your brachii is beyond the scope of this blog, therefore you would need to find the … Continue reading

Posted in What do I...? | Tagged , | 2 Comments

How Do I Teach Number Pairs?

In Japanese, the words 13 and 30 are identical, and the meaning must be gained through context. The same holds true for the pairs 14 and 40, 15/50, 16/60, 17/70, 18/80, and 19/90. This is one of the reasons Japanese … Continue reading

Posted in How do I...? | Tagged , | 1 Comment