About

I was blown away with the simple, fun and pain-free way that language was acquired. I was living proof!  As a complete novice, I was reading and understanding short texts in Spanish after several hours of aural input. And I wanted desperately to give my students the same experience. To maximise student engagement. To give  ALL students a real shot in the arm of confidence using Japanese to communicate unscripted and spontaneously.

"We acquire language when we understand what we HEAR and READ"   Dr Stephen Krashen

I had a thirst for more knowledge, a need for a greater understanding of how I could assist my student’s language acquisition rather than their language learning. I went deep diving into research, blogs, podcasts and have learnt so much from the wonderful language teachers who teach for acquisition.

I began teaching with a focus on 'acquiring language'- using comprehended language with a big emphasis on reading text that used the language the students were hearing- and never looked back. 

When I embraced this acquisition focused model of language instruction, I happily observed many positive changes in my classes.

• increased engagement (from both students and myself)
• greater use of the target language (Japanese)
• increased use of spontaneous language 
• greater inclusion especially from the slower processing students                   

The Power of Reading cannot be underestimated and is backed by numerous research. It is a vital component when learning a new language. Reading for pleasure rather than content learning provides additional exposure to the language. The text should be easy to read to allow the reader to build up reading speed and fluency and implicitly strengthen understanding of grammatical structures and Japanese script. I have written more about the benefits of reading on my blog. 

PRESENTATIONS & CONFERENCES