What would be the best way to teach someone Japanese?

Question

For someone who is fluent in the language but hasn't any teaching experience.

The main problem would be not enough discipline [like that of schools] right?

Answer 1

Absolutely true, but schools also do not have the flexibility of the internet. I teach, and  thanx for realizing  teaching as a skill.  I use a fantasy, i call (DOWN THE ROAD SLOWLY),  wherein i imitate the structure of   "SECOND" language learning.

SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING IS THE BEST WAY, BECAUSE IT INVOLVES THE LEARNING OF NOUNS , MORE INTERACTIVELY, INTO THE TRAINING.

Second language learning, is  simply  a system, if 2,4,6,8,10...! It is just one word and its equivalent. This idea,mstabilizes value judgement, which thereby provided the balance needed for value judgement in learning.

I place the target language on one side of the road, and the  known language on te otherside of the road, and then lace them like lacing my shoes, which inne to walk down the road slowly!

Answer 2

It really, really depends on who you are teaching.

Part of the problem is discipline, yes, but another part of the problem is the method of teaching. You need to figure out who you are teaching, and what they need.

So, for example, if you are teaching elementary kids, you might want to start with colors and basic animals, and get them used to the pronunciation of Japanese. Use a CD for proper pronunciation (if you aren't native), and then don't be shy about having them drill and re-drill. There are games that make this fun, such as bingo, or something my co-workers came up with called "dokkan."

For adult students, you want to engage their curiosity. If they want it for a trip, you do trip oriented stuff, with lots of role-play games and activities. If they want it for business, again, go for business oriented stuff. If they want to enter college, then you can go a more traditional route.

Using a textbook is often the best bet for a beginning teacher. Coming up with your own curriculum takes time and experimentation.

I've got a couple of friends who want to learn Japanese, and since I can't meet with them, I've only given them hints for self-study. But self-study means you need to be extremely motivated! It's pretty tough . . . .

Answer 3

Hit as many senses as you can: audio, visual, tactile, etc.  For listening, Japanesepod101.com has thousands of podcasts at all levels of ability you can listen to for free as well as a learning center that's pretty good.  Do an iTunes search for other Japanese podcasts.  For visual, you can do almost anything: RosettaStone has adequate learning software, but you can also find the hiragana and katakana alphabets online for free, as well as the 1,980 recommended kanji characters in order to be considered 'literate.'  My daughter is a tactile learner so we practice her spelling words with her in a box of sand.  One could practice the characters this way as well.  She has a penpal in Japan that she exchanges e-mail with occasionally. For the language to really sink you one has to speak it as often as possible.  Are there any foreign exchange students nearby?  Another idea would be to carry around a list of vocabular words on flashcards.