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Getting the most bang for your buck
This entry was originally posted to AzarGrammar.com. “Bang for the buck” is an English idiom that means the return you get for spending a fixed amount of money, time, or effort on something. It is similar in meaning to…
Read MoreWhat do we know about language teaching and learning
The dictionary definition of know is “to be aware of the truth or factuality of: to be convinced or certain of.” These are not the same things, so saying that I know that the earth orbits the sun and saying…
Read MoreWho’s the expert?
This entry was originally posted to http://azargrammar.com/teacherTalk/blog/. At every ELT conference, there are plenary speakers. At major conferences, these are often “big” names who are well known in the field. The reason for their fame is normally either that they…
Read MoreWhat’s the best way to learn Japanese?
Photo by John Spiri of Global Stories Press At the 2014 JALT National Conference, I gave a talk entitled “What’s the best way to learn Japanese?” The slot was quite late on Saturday afternoon, and it was labeled “commercial,” so…
Read MoreHow the Two "L"s Stifle Reform in English Education in Japan
The other day, a Japanese colleague mentioned how he had noticed that it is becoming more and more common to see university job advertisements for teachers with expertise in English education. As he pointed out, this is a relatively new…
Read MoreHunters & Gatherers
I’m guessing that most of you are familiar with the idea of a “hunter-gatherer” society. According to Wikipedia, this is a society in which “most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals.” One feature of this kind…
Read MoreDon’t sweat the small stuff
I often ask students whether they have any problem understanding “small” English words like “a,” “the,” “it,” “at,” and “in.” They invariably reply that they do. Luckily, I have some great advice for them:
Read MoreHow to Write Numbers
Last weekend, I was working on a book that contained a lot of numbers. I frequently found myself unsure as to whether to write numerals (e.g., “50”) or whether to spell the numbers out (e.g., “fifty”).
Read MoreSowing the Seeds of Grammar
This article was originally posted on the “Teacher Talk” blog at azargrammar.com. People often ask me how long it took me to learn Japanese, and I normally tell them that it took me about six months. When they look surprised,…
Read MoreThe "New Car" Phenomenon
This article was originally published on the “Teacher Talk” blog at azargrammar.com. When I was about ten years old, my father announced one day that we were getting a new car. Now, there is very little in the world more…
Read MoreHow to Give a Good Presentation
This is a video of a presentation that I gave to Japanese learners of English at a conference on self-access learning held at Nanzan University on February 2, 2013. The aim was to teach some simple guidelines that I hoped…
Read MoreWhat Is "Conversation" and How Can You Teach It?
Every English teacher who comes to Japan will, at some point, find themselves having to teach a “conversation” class. To many, the word “conversation” simply means “chatting,” but for those who are serious about doing a professional job, the reality…
Read MoreTeaching Students How to "Take" a Lesson
Here is a video of the presentation I gave at the 2012 JALT Hokkaido Conference at Hokkai Gakuen University in Sapporo. Apologies for the occasional focus problems. I have posted a video of the slideshow below the main video. The…
Read MoreHow Not to Give a Presentation
Thank you to everyone who attended my presentation at the JALT National Conference in Hamamatsu last Saturday. Even though it was labelled as a commercial presentation, I think there were around thirty people there, so it seems that a lot…
Read MoreWhat's in a Name?
In a previous post on my blog for azargrammar.com, I suggested that any teacher who wishes to be popular with their students will need to make a serious effort to learn and remember their names. Of course, I’m sure there…
Read MoreThe SHAPAL Method
This article was originally published on the Teacher Talk blog at azargrammar.com. Language learners all over the world will no doubt be pleased to hear that I have finally discovered the definitive technique for learning a foreign or second language.…
Read MoreThe CALL Guy
Many years ago, when I was just starting out my career as a part-time university teacher, I was given some advice by an older colleague who was already well established in the profession. He told me that I needed to…
Read MoreThe Coefficient of Group Cohesion
Let me begin with a confession: the “Coefficient of Group Cohesion” (CGC) is a pseudo-scientific term that I came up with in order to make a very simple concept sound more academic. However, I make no apologies for this. After…
Read MoreTen Things You Should Not Say to People from Other Countries
This is a version of an article that was originally published on the Teacher Talk blog at azargrammar.com. It has been adapted to make the references more appropriate for Japanese learners. Please feel free to copy it if you would…
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