Question from a student

 A student asked me about factors for language-learning success. Here are ten things off the top of my head:

• Basic skills like listening and vocabulary are crucial. 
• Daily practice effort is very important, too. 
• Getting a lot of high-quality sleep is important to learn anything. If you drink 2+ alcoholic beverages, you will probably not get high-quality sleep.
• It's easier for bilingual people to learn a third language than it is for monolingual people to learn a second language.
• Some people are more observant than other people (they recognize patterns and nuance well). 
• Younger people tend to do better than older people.
• Women tend to speak more clearly than men (pronunciation).
• Smokers often do better than non-smokers (I think it's because they're used to meeting people in the smoking area at work and making small-talk with strangers).
• People who play a musical instrument or sing are often more sensitive to intonation than people who don't.
• Lots of lawyers struggle because they are used to legalese.

IELTS vs. TOEFL

We did a few months of IELTS speaking classes earlier this year, but we're discontinuing it for now. Here's what we found:

1. Student levels in the IELTS class were quite a bit lower than levels in the TOEFL speaking classes. I think lower-level students self-select IELTS, thinking it will be easier.
2. IELTS reading and listening sections seem easier than TOEFL; TOEFL speaking and writing sections seem easier than IELTS.
3. We think that in the long-run, it's better to take TOEFL than IELTS. While TOEFL reading might be more difficult, it also prepares you for GMAT reading better than IELTS does. While TOEFL listening may be more difficult, it prepares you for studying in an English-language classroom better than IELTS does.
4. We also think that universities are becoming aware that IELTS scores seem inflated. MIT Sloan Fellows recently told one of our applicants that he needed TOEFL 100 or IELTS 7.5 (rather than 7.0).

At any rate, our TOEFL speaking classes are typically at full capacity until October or November. If this year follows the same pattern as previous years, we can run an IELTS class next fall, but for now, we're going to focus on TOEFL.

Younger TOEFL test-takers

Since I started E4TG in 2007, I have never accepted many high school or college students. However, a high school graduate with good fluency and fair intonation applied in December 2015, and I invited them to join TOEFL speaking classes in January. It went well, so we will start to accept high school graduates who already have high-intermediate or better English speaking skills.

Here is the testimonial:

発音、アクセント、話す内容などの指導が中心であるため、TOEFLのSpeaking対策のみならず、根本的な英語の話し方を改善できるような有意義なクラスでした。日本人ならではの発音の間違い、癖、文化的な違いによる内容の改善点などを分かりやすく、また楽しく指摘、指導してくださいました。目から鱗の瞬間が数多くあり、渡米する前に通って本当によかったと思っています。このクラスに通う前は、参考書で見たテンプレートを使っていましたが、より自然に話せるようになり、自信にもつながりました。どんな問題がきても何をどう話せばいいか分かるようになるような指導の仕方だと思います。クラスは少人数制で、一人一人に行き渡った指導ができるし、他の生徒さんから学ぶことも多くありました。私はほかの生徒さんより年下なため、はじめは緊張しましたが、皆さん休憩中に話しかけてくださったりとても優しく、そして何より勉強熱心、クラスを楽しんでいらしゃって、刺激になりました。先生は定期的にTOEFLを受験されているようですし、受験した生徒さんから情報を集めるので最近の問題の傾向も把握していらっしゃいます。TOEFLのSpeakimgで伸び悩んでいる人はもちろん、英語のSpeakingに自信がない人にもおすすめします。

E4TG Listening Seminar

Listening is the most important language skill. It's impossible to score high on TOEFL if you can't understand what you hear. With this in mind, we had our first TOEFL Listening Seminar on September 14, 2014.

It was very successful. 24 out of 24 participants said that they would recommend it to a friend. So we're doing it again next month.

Date: February 15, 2015

Time: 10:00-13:00

Location: E4TG (八重洲）

Cost: ￥4,320 （税込み）

Limit: 20 students

Content:

• Understanding tricky English sounds
• How to extract the right meaning of expressions
• How to avoid making wrong guesses
• Effective ways of practicing outside of class

Instructor: Masako Uehara (上原　雅子):

• 神田外語大学専任講師・早稲田大学非常勤講師
• King’s College London (University of London) English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistic 修士課程修了。応用言語学修士。
• 大学講師。ビジネスセミナー講師。英検面接官。大学・企業にて学生・社会人の英語指導全般に携わる。TOEFLテスト指導はTOEFL対策校および大学にて、大学・MBA・Law School留学希望者を多数指導。
• 著書『頂上制覇・TOEICテスト・スピーキング/ライティング　究極の技術』(2013年3月　研究社) 他2冊 
• 記事掲載『日経ビジネスAssocie 2013 June 賢いTOEIC テスト対策 （p.74-79）』
• 「最強のTOEFL iBT®入門」(コスモピア）

Student comments from the September 14, 2014 class:

• The teacher taught us useful strategy how to practice listening, particularly “speaking loudly” and “visualizing” is important.
• She taught how to improve the listening skills in detail.
• Excellent. Good organized class.
• Rule/mechanism on how English sounds change
• A point of view of Japanese, not native speaker
• Display concrete methods how to practice everyday
• Can learn new tips to improve listening skills
• She taught we a lot of useful ways to improve my listening skills
• The class shows that a practice method for listening. Because I don’t do practice without strategy or stop, it was very helpful.
• SV is important. Focusing on main sentence. Shadowing is not recommended.
• Topic about connection of sounds
• The good point is that she taught us how to practice listening.
• It was good for me to recognize right process for improving listening skills
• I’ve never taken a lecture about listening, so it was a good introduction for me.

Bloopers

We've started a very large group of new students in January and February, and we've heard a lot of typical English mistakes in class. Here are some:

1. First my TOEFL score was 42.
2. University students can be easy to clean the university.
3. You can easily to remember the place.
4. Studying at an MBA takes me a lot of money.
5. Some students will be difficult to see the screen.
6. This game makes students easy to learn the concept of time.
7. It allows kids to get bored. 
8. The customer is easy to imagine.
9. His advice made freshman easy to catch up the class.
10. Blue fin tuna was famous for sushi.
11. He was hard to find the information in the library.
12. They can easily to meet other students.
13. His classes included 80 to 90 students.
14. He became familiar with his classmates.
15. In Tokyo, people are coming from all over the world.
16. A female is dangerous.
17. Squirrels are easy to get off.
18. I'd like to use my money every time.
19. The cost is expensive.
20. It makes him hard to finish his homework.
21. The children enjoyed me.
22. I suffered from English class.
23. He has a date with her boyfriend.
24. She made a promise with her boyfriends.
25. They came to be able to find food.
26. Students will be convenient to read.
27. I was out of stress.

Can you fix these? There are a wide variety of errors here, and the solutions most of these problems are discussed elsewhere on the blog.

Please use English well!

発音のクラス：生徒さんの声

Here is the feedback from the September pronunciation class. I'll post it on the E4TG homepage the next time we update.

This class will be a regular part of the weekend afternoon curriculum. If you think you have pronunciation problems, I recommend it. Contact Donald Miller to register.

1. Nickname: Yuki

2. My opinion

クラス受講のきっかけは、”英語を話す上で話す内容の善し悪しに関わらず、正しい発音なしでは通じないのでは？”という思いからである。SpeakingのクラスでICレコーダーで自分の発音を聞いて決意した。

初回授業はリップストレッチ、タングストレッチの練習からスタートし、全４回の授業を通じて母音、子音一つ一つの発音をクリアにしていく。Brianの説明はいつも明快で、テンポよく進み、非常にわかりやすかった。

特に、舌と唇の動きについては筋肉の動きから徹底的に分解して説明してくれるので、発音のメカニズムを理解しやすい点が気に入っていた。

また宿題用の教材も充実しており、それを上述のストレッチとあわせて毎日欠かさず行う事で、今までうまく発音できなかった音が少しづつ発音できる感覚がついてきた。

結果、今ままでうまく発音できなかった音（"world", "three", "after that" などthとr）が発音できるようになった。

まだ習得したてで、発音の上達は単語ベース、ショートセンテンスのレベルでしか発揮できないが、継続的に練習してTOEFL Speakingでも効果を発揮したいと思う。

1. Nickname: Aki

2. Describe your opinion of the class:
Brianのpronunciationクラスは、英語の発音に関する脳の働かせ方を変えてくれます。私は純ドメですが、舌・唇・focal point等をどのように意識するかをBrianから学んで練習することにより、日々気持ちよく英語の発音ができるようになっていることを実感しています。また、生徒の質問に真摯に回答してくれますので、英語の発音に関する自分の疑問を解決しつつ実力を伸ばすことができます。とても楽しいクラスですので、笑いながら発音方法を学びたい人全てにお勧めできるクラスです。

1.      Nickname: Katsura
2. Brianのクラスの授業内容
クラスは4回×3時間で完結する内容で、初回に英語特有の口や舌の動かし方を学んだあと、
母音・子音とその組合わせを4週間かけて網羅する形式となっています。授業後にはエクササイズ教材が復習用に貰えます。

Brianのクラスの感想
そもそも、英語のNative Speakerが日本人に英語の発音を教えるという組み合わせが、どの程度助けになるのかが良く分からなかったのですが（日本語の場合でも、Non-Nativeの人が何故その音を発音出来ないのかというのは、日本人からしたら分からないと思います）、実際に授業を受けてみるとその点は全く問題ありませんでした。
クラスでは、生徒一人一人が、英語を発音していく場面が多いのですが、Brianは、誤った発音がどういう口、舌の動きによって出てくるのかを直ぐに突き止め、正しい発音にするために的確なアドバイスを与えてくれました。これが何回も続くうちに、徐々に自分が苦手とする発音が分かってきて、復習の際にはその音を集中的に練習することで、ある程度効率的に発音を良くすることが出来ます。
ただし、時間の制約もあって、授業は音節レベル・単語レベルの音に集中した授業となるので、文や文章レベルでの発音やイントネーションについては、（ある程度授業でも触れてはくれますが）生徒一人一人の自主的な練習に委ねられる部分が大きいです。
なお、Brianが授業を盛り上げようとしてくれたのもあり、クラスの雰囲気は非常に良かったです。
積極的なクラスだったらしく、質問もどんどん出てきて、他の方の質問を聞いて初めて「そういえば自分も分からないな」という事も何回もあり、非常に勉強になりました。

下記のような方に、特にお勧めしたい授業です。

*長期的な視点から、自分の英語の発音を良くしたいと思っている方
*授業以外に、毎日一定時間発音の為に時間を取れる方
*Nativeの英語をある程度聞き取れる方（Brianの英語はかなり分かりやすい方だと思います）
*英語を話すのに抵抗がない方

Nickname: YK

Opinion: 発音に問題があることを認識していて、改善を目指される方にはブライアンのクラスを受けることを是非お勧めします。

単に正しい方法を教えるだけでなく、自分の発音方法の何がダメなのか具体的に指摘してもらえます。

どうやらブライアンには、生徒の口の中の動きが手に取るように分かるようです。

音についての指摘だけでなく、舌・唇・口角の動きを指摘・指導してもらえるのが最大のポイントだと思います。

日本人が苦手とするr,l,thといった子音の発音ももちろん大きな収穫ですが、それ以外にも以下のような収穫がありました。

(1)単語レベルの発音は問題なくとも、文章中に登場した場合に突然おかしくなる音を発見できたこと

(2)全ての子音・母音の発音をひと通り学びなおしたことで、それぞれの音に注意を払うようになったこと（例えばdsとzの区別。結果リスニングの精度が上がったように思います。）

もちろん、3時間×4回のクラスですので、授業だけで完結するものではないと思います。

宿題、そして、受講後の自主練習でカバーしていく必要がありますが、自分の弱点を認識し、正しい発音方法を理解したことは、スピーキングの基礎力の強化につながったと思います。

最後に、ブライアンのクラスはとても楽しく、たった1ヶ月でクラスが終わってしまったのが、残念でなりません。

1.Nickname: Soichiro

2.発音は、TOEFLのSPEAKINGのみならず、英語を話す上で必須である。しっかり発音していないとそもそも伝わらないし、評価すらされない。

にも関わらず一人ではどうしようもないもの。自分では、正しく話しているつもりでも、録音して聞いてみると全くうまくいっていないことは多々あった。

それに対して、Brian はクラスの中で、主に2つのことを教えてくれた。

1.正しい発音の仕方を1からしっかりと教えてくれること

特に多くの人が苦手としているr/lやth/z/dは徹底的に教えてくれる

2.1人 1人苦手としている発音を見抜き、それに対する解決方法を個々にカスタマイズして見つけてくれること

同じ音でも、うまく出せない生徒に対しては、それを出すために様々な解決方法を考えてくれる

Brian のおかげで、始める前と後の自分の声を聞き比べても、明らかな上達が見られるようになり、

自信を持って話すことが出来るようになった。

Pronunciation Classes and Privates

Pronunciation problems are a HUGE issue for Japanese, even for some 帰国子女. I think E4TG is the only TOEFL preparation school in Japan to hire speech-language pathologists (言語聴覚士) to teach pronunciation classes.

I am more than happy to introduce students (even students not taking the regular TOEFL speaking classes) to these three speech-language pathologists:

1. Brian Walker teaches group classes at E4TG on weekend afternoons. The classes are 3 hours/week for four weeks, limited to 5 students, and include intensive practice in-class and practice exercises at home. ￥45,000/4 weeks.
2. Sandrine Wu teaches private lessons at E4TG, usually on Tuesday night and Sunday morning. You can focus on your specific problems with her. ￥12,000/hour; ￥6000/30 minutes.
3. Jennifer Tarle provides on-line accent reduction. She's worked with many students in the past. We hope to bring her to Japan next spring for some special classes.

Pronunciation classes with a speech-language pathologist can't turn you into a native speaker overnight, but they are the best way to improve your English pronunciation. Please contact me if you are interested.

Please use English well!

Complex grammar and word choice?

This post is dedicated to the Wednesday night guys.

Here's the study among American university students that TRYING to look smart can make you look dumb. This is one reason that I recommend that you simplify your grammar and word choice.

The other reason is that complex grammar and vocabulary are difficult to use and lead to more mistakes.

Please use English well!

Q: Should you speak loudly on TOEFL speaking?

A student recently asked me, "Should I speak loudly on the TOEFL speaking section [1]?"

I know from my own TOEFL test-taking adventures that some people believe their TOEFL speaking score is based on the volume of their voice.

This is a mistake. You should speak at your normal volume. Two reasons:

1. The microphone sensitivity automatically adjusts to the volume you use when you say, "I live in Tokyo, I live in Tokyo [2]." If you speak in a loud voice, the mic is less sensitive, and if you speak in a smaller voice, the mic becomes more sensitive. If both the microphone sensitivity is HIGH and your volume is HIGH, the recording will not be very clear. You can test this for yourself [3].
2. You can not control your intonation well if you are speaking too loudly [4]. Most Japanese people breathe shallowly, so a loud voice sounds like you are barking, not speaking.

So you are better off using your normal speaking advice.

Please use English well!

***   Notes   ***

[1] When  I get questions like this, the conversation is usually something like this:

Student: "I heard that I should speak loudly on TOEFL."
Dono:  "That's bad advice. Who told you that?"

And it's always one of two Japanese teachers in Tokyo. Use a Japanese instructor for reading and listening, but not for speaking, even if your TOEFL score is low.

[2] I don't recommend that you keep repeating "I live in Tokyo, I live in Tokyo ..." by the way.

[3] Test this yourself at home with an IC recorder. Set the mic 録音シーン to 口述モード (LOW sensitivity) and record yourself at a loud voice, then with a small voice. Then try it with 会議モード (HIGH sensitivity). Which of the four sounds better to you?

[4] Unless you are an opera singer, and even then it's hard to breathe deeply enough to use your diaphragm if you are sitting down.

Pronunciation Class

As I've blogged about extensively, many Japanese people have consistent English pronunciation problems. We work on some of them in the TOEFL speaking classes, but some people will benefit from a dedicated pronunciation class


So E4TG is starting a pronunciation class with a certified speech-language pathologist. It will be a small group class (5 students/class), with lots of individual feedback. The price will be ￥45,000/4 weeks, and it will run on Saturday afternoons (3-6 p.m.) from June 9 through June 30 at our office near Tokyo Station.


E-mail me to apply for the class.

Former Student at Michigan

I just ran across this video from a former student at the 2 year Ross MBA at the University of Michigan. I strongly recommend this. If all Japanese were as motivated and hard-working as Kanayama-san, Japan would be a much more vigorous country!

Pronunciation classes

I've blogged about pronunciation quite a bit, and the reason is that it's really important. If the listener can't understand what you are trying to say, you won't communicate effectively, and your TOEFL speaking score won't be very good.

So I'm pleased to announce that Jennifer Tarle will be providing some pronunciation classes at E4TG during Golden Week. She's a speech pathologist, and has a lot of experience working with business people who speak English as a second language.

I am also trying to find a way to bring Rebecca Linquist to Tokyo for accent reduction classes later in 2012. Her videos on YouTube have some great mouth stretching exercises. I strongly recommend this!

Both of these women are professionals who provide effective pronunciation lessons for those of you who need it. They have both worked with my students with good results. If you would like an introduction, just let me know!

Please use English well!

Listening and Note-taking

A lot of students had problems summarizing "It's difficult for the falcons to focus on one specific bird (while hunting)" this week. People said things like:

• The falcon is difficult to focus on one bird.
• The falcon is hard to hunt.

And of course, the content of those summaries is wrong. I think the cause of the mistake is too many notes *. People write notes based on content words, like:

Falcon     difficult     focus

This is fine if you understand the relationship between those words, but obviously a lot of people didn't.


The point is this: your notes won't help you if you don't understand the lecture or conversation. Your priorities must be:

1. Understand the content
2. Take notes

If you get those priorities backwards, you'll make more mistakes.


* I recommend that you get a native Japanese speaking teacher for listening. Listening is too easy for native English speakers. I've spent thousands of hours listening to lectures in high school, university, and graduate school, so all of the implications are obvious to me. Plus, I hear exactly what they say, so I can't really sympathize with the way you hear English. Yoshi-sensei and WebTOEFL are strongly recommended for listening instruction by my students.

Voice Sample

I require a voice sample from applicants to my classes in order to check your pronunciation.


If your voice isn't intelligible, my strategies won't help you. In this case, it's better for you to spend your money on a speech therapist or accent reduction coach.


Some people don't want to hear that they need to work on their pronunciation. They seem to think that if they just improve their speaking strategies, they will get a high score. That doesn't work.


Your pronunciation doesn't have to be perfect, of course. There are some pronunciation points that I teach in class. But if you have severe pronunciation problems, you need to work on those with a trained specialist.


Please use English well!

7/31 TOEFL Results

As I mentioned, I took TOEFL on July 31. My score was 119 (30, 29, 30, 30). Here's what we learned:

1. Reading: I deliberately missed one question and still got 30.
2. Listening: I deliberately missed one question and got 29. I might have missed more, but I don't think so.
3. Speaking: once again, my strategies worked perfectly. Of course! My Integrated Speaking answers were 40~51 seconds long. You do NOT have to use the entire 60 seconds, but you do have to provide complete and accurate answers.
4. Integrated Writing: We had to use 助動詞 to answer this task. I think this is why several students dropped from GOOD to FAIR. If you used a template and wrote: "The professor argues/insists that ~," then you made a mistake. This professor did NOT argue or insist. I wrote about this in a different blog post.
5. Independent Writing: 370 words, no template, all simple sentences （重文なし） and simple vocabulary.  Some writing instructors say don't use "And" at the start of a sentence. I used "And," "But," and "So" at the start of sentences and did not use more academic transitions like "However," "On the other hand," etc. Here's more on my Independent writing strategy.

Please use English well!

2012 Applicant Results

I thought I'd summarize my 2012 applicants' TOEFL speaking results so future students can know what to expect. If you have a clear voice and don't use templates, you should expect a similar score.

Here are the results of 2012 applicants who have taken my class for at least 2 months (many of the best performers have taken my classes for 6-9 months):

Here are the results of the students who started in June, 2011 (after one month of class):

And here are the scores of the new students in July, 2011 (before taking my classes):

All in all, at least 34 of my 2012 applicants have scored 100+ on TOEFL iBT as of the June 25, 2011 test. The top score so far this year is 110. I have had no 帰国子女 this year.

If anything, the figures above are lower than the real score attained by my students. Some students get busy with GMAT/essays/etc. and don't update me on their score progress after finishing classes.

2013 Applicants

I encourage 2013 applicants to contact me regarding TOEFL speaking classes. If you start preparing for TOEFL in the fall, you should be able to finish by January or February. Then you will be in a very good position to finish GMAT by the summer of 2012 and apply for first round admissions.


There are already 2013 applicants on the waiting list and I will give them priority starting in October. We already have four 2013 applicants who have hit 100+ on TOEFL and are starting GMAT. These guys will do very well in their MBA admissions because they are preparing early.


I strongly recommend that you study TOEFL and GMAT sequentially: TOEFL first, GMAT second. It is very difficult to do them at the same time. The only similarity is the vocabulary. The strategies are completely different.


The wait list for 2012 applicants is pretty long, and it's unlikely that I will be able to accept more.