Everywhere’s a classroom, everything’s a textbook.
01/04/26 Filed in: 勉強法
The goal of any parent is for their children to both have fun in their life, and to build out skills and habits that will serve them well as they grow up. This is especially true for English. More and more Japanese universities are emphasizing English skills and ability and some have even switched to offering or even requiring certain courses in English. Who knows how far things will have shifted to English by the time 8-year-old Shota starts applying for post-high school studies?
Of course, that's why so many of you bring your kids to English Now! every week, and that's great! We love seeing them and teaching them, and they love playing and studying with us. But, as much as we can do with them when they're here, we’re only with them for 40-50 minutes once a week. They are at home far more than that. And when they are, many would rather play and have fun, and not spend even more time with a textbook, especially when they already get so much school homework.
The most important part of learning English as a practical life skill, is not about using perfect grammar, or being able to write beautifully, it's about being able to communicate effectively—of getting the thoughts in your head conveyed understandably to the person with whom you're speaking. That is, English as a skill, not just a school subject. And the biggest part of that is using English regularly. Many Japanese parents worry about getting involved with their children's English study. Thought's like "my English isn't good enough", or "I worry I'll teach my child bad English", come up often when I talk to parents. So I've come up with a couple of things you can do with your child that isn't 'study', and doesn't need you to have Eiken Level 1 or 2 English.
The best thing you can do for your child at home is to provide ways for them to hear, see, and speak English regularly and naturally. Chances for them to naturally use the skills, vocabulary and grammar we teach them in our weekly lessons. At English Now!, we send email reports after every class explaining what material we covered. In that email we also say which textbook pages were worked on. It would be great for the parents to have a look at those pages in their kids’ textbooks and see what grammar and vocabulary we covered, and then find chances to bring them up throughout the day. Generally we teach a question-answer pair, so asking questions based on the ones we studied in the textbook will give your child chances to practice what we've learned in class.
It really does help to enjoy English media with your child and we often recommend this in our report cards. English children's books, TV shows, and movies are fantastic. They provide excellent context-rich examples of English in use that your child can engage with without even realizing that they're learning and practicing English. Singing fun children's songs together is even better, as they not only hear the English, but produce it as well, and pick up intonation and rhythm without thinking about it at all—and while having great fun to boot!
English board games like Scrabble are also great for practicing and building out vocabulary—and are a great way for Mom and Dad to stealthily learn English together with their child. These offer a great way to see your child's progress in action, as they get better and better at the games.
English isn't just about textbooks, homework, and tests. It's truly a living thing, and we can do so much with it without ever even thinking that we're learning. And why pass up the chance to learn a little English yourself while helping out little Shota?
Of course, that's why so many of you bring your kids to English Now! every week, and that's great! We love seeing them and teaching them, and they love playing and studying with us. But, as much as we can do with them when they're here, we’re only with them for 40-50 minutes once a week. They are at home far more than that. And when they are, many would rather play and have fun, and not spend even more time with a textbook, especially when they already get so much school homework.
The most important part of learning English as a practical life skill, is not about using perfect grammar, or being able to write beautifully, it's about being able to communicate effectively—of getting the thoughts in your head conveyed understandably to the person with whom you're speaking. That is, English as a skill, not just a school subject. And the biggest part of that is using English regularly. Many Japanese parents worry about getting involved with their children's English study. Thought's like "my English isn't good enough", or "I worry I'll teach my child bad English", come up often when I talk to parents. So I've come up with a couple of things you can do with your child that isn't 'study', and doesn't need you to have Eiken Level 1 or 2 English.
The best thing you can do for your child at home is to provide ways for them to hear, see, and speak English regularly and naturally. Chances for them to naturally use the skills, vocabulary and grammar we teach them in our weekly lessons. At English Now!, we send email reports after every class explaining what material we covered. In that email we also say which textbook pages were worked on. It would be great for the parents to have a look at those pages in their kids’ textbooks and see what grammar and vocabulary we covered, and then find chances to bring them up throughout the day. Generally we teach a question-answer pair, so asking questions based on the ones we studied in the textbook will give your child chances to practice what we've learned in class.
It really does help to enjoy English media with your child and we often recommend this in our report cards. English children's books, TV shows, and movies are fantastic. They provide excellent context-rich examples of English in use that your child can engage with without even realizing that they're learning and practicing English. Singing fun children's songs together is even better, as they not only hear the English, but produce it as well, and pick up intonation and rhythm without thinking about it at all—and while having great fun to boot!
English board games like Scrabble are also great for practicing and building out vocabulary—and are a great way for Mom and Dad to stealthily learn English together with their child. These offer a great way to see your child's progress in action, as they get better and better at the games.
English isn't just about textbooks, homework, and tests. It's truly a living thing, and we can do so much with it without ever even thinking that we're learning. And why pass up the chance to learn a little English yourself while helping out little Shota?
Gideon
Creating an English environment at home
01/04/26 Filed in: 勉強法
Learning English can be a tough experience. It can be enjoyable, but a little confusing as you try to learn numerous words and phrases, and put them together to effectively communicate with others. Attending a language school can be a great way to improve, as the teachers can guide you and help you progress more quickly. However, more is needed. What can you do to further your English skills outside the classroom?
One of my most memorable experiences growing up was being introduced to martial arts. I practiced jujitsu, Shorin-ryu, and Okinawa-Te karate. Over the years, I improved greatly as I trained four times a week. However, my father knew that training at the dojo would not be enough to reach the levels that my instructors sought, and so he set up a mini-dojo at home for extra training. This kept me pushing to reach my potential.
It may seem unusual to discuss martial arts and language learning together, but to make real progress they both require practice and patience. It’s essential to find ways to keep developing your English skills outside of class. One of the best is to create an English environment at home. This may seem a little tough to do, but here are several suggestions to boost both your English level, and—if you have kids— to help with your child’s English study.
1) Label things around the house
Labels can be used to build and maintain vocabulary that is acquired in your more-formal studies. Of course this can be done for furniture and rooms, but it's also useful for learning the names of items used daily. It’s a great opportunity to read the words aloud every day for your pronunciation.
Labels also provide chances to use the words in sentences so you can get accustomed to using them in regular conversation. This is very helpful in getting children to listen and use the words to communicate. For example:
Parent: Where are your shoes?
Child: They are in the entryway.
Parent: Did you finish reading the book?
Child: Yes, I did. I put it back on the bookshelf.
This can easily be applied to practicing grammar, such as past, present and future forms.
2) Take advantage of English videos to learn everyday communication
With video platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Disney Channel available on numerous devices, now is an excellent time to study English not only at home, but anywhere. Many of the videos provide subtitles to give learners another way to read and study.
There are some great children's channels on YouTube for parents to use with their kids. Songs and stories on video help build vocabulary, pronunciation, phrases, and natural intonation. A few that we recommend are PBS Kids, ChuChu TV, Happy Toddler Learning, Smile and Learn English, and Rock 'N Learn. These short videos are great at capturing children's interest. By all means, watch them together with your child. This makes the experience far more meaningful and fun than watching alone.
3) Set an English conversation time for the whole family
Learning doesn't have to be a grind. One way to make it fun and more natural is to set a time for the family to use English. Devote 10-15 minutes daily to reading aloud, playing games or having little conversations together—of course in English.
Some—mostly adults—may be afraid of making mistakes. Perfection is not the goal. We just want to make using English daily natural, get comfortable with it, and build more confidence. Set a schedule and stick to it. Even just a few minutes a day can be very effective.
Finally, the most important part of language learning is taking everything step by step. No one can communicate perfectly overnight, but achieving one small goal at a time, whether it be memorizing 10 words in a day or nailing a conversational phrase, goes a long way to developing fluency in English. Good luck!
One of my most memorable experiences growing up was being introduced to martial arts. I practiced jujitsu, Shorin-ryu, and Okinawa-Te karate. Over the years, I improved greatly as I trained four times a week. However, my father knew that training at the dojo would not be enough to reach the levels that my instructors sought, and so he set up a mini-dojo at home for extra training. This kept me pushing to reach my potential.
It may seem unusual to discuss martial arts and language learning together, but to make real progress they both require practice and patience. It’s essential to find ways to keep developing your English skills outside of class. One of the best is to create an English environment at home. This may seem a little tough to do, but here are several suggestions to boost both your English level, and—if you have kids— to help with your child’s English study.
1) Label things around the house
Labels can be used to build and maintain vocabulary that is acquired in your more-formal studies. Of course this can be done for furniture and rooms, but it's also useful for learning the names of items used daily. It’s a great opportunity to read the words aloud every day for your pronunciation.
Labels also provide chances to use the words in sentences so you can get accustomed to using them in regular conversation. This is very helpful in getting children to listen and use the words to communicate. For example:
Parent: Where are your shoes?
Child: They are in the entryway.
Parent: Did you finish reading the book?
Child: Yes, I did. I put it back on the bookshelf.
This can easily be applied to practicing grammar, such as past, present and future forms.
2) Take advantage of English videos to learn everyday communication
With video platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Disney Channel available on numerous devices, now is an excellent time to study English not only at home, but anywhere. Many of the videos provide subtitles to give learners another way to read and study.
There are some great children's channels on YouTube for parents to use with their kids. Songs and stories on video help build vocabulary, pronunciation, phrases, and natural intonation. A few that we recommend are PBS Kids, ChuChu TV, Happy Toddler Learning, Smile and Learn English, and Rock 'N Learn. These short videos are great at capturing children's interest. By all means, watch them together with your child. This makes the experience far more meaningful and fun than watching alone.
3) Set an English conversation time for the whole family
Learning doesn't have to be a grind. One way to make it fun and more natural is to set a time for the family to use English. Devote 10-15 minutes daily to reading aloud, playing games or having little conversations together—of course in English.
Some—mostly adults—may be afraid of making mistakes. Perfection is not the goal. We just want to make using English daily natural, get comfortable with it, and build more confidence. Set a schedule and stick to it. Even just a few minutes a day can be very effective.
Finally, the most important part of language learning is taking everything step by step. No one can communicate perfectly overnight, but achieving one small goal at a time, whether it be memorizing 10 words in a day or nailing a conversational phrase, goes a long way to developing fluency in English. Good luck!
Kenya
フランスで知った、多様な人と話す面白さ
08/31/25 Filed in: 海外生活
こんにちは！スタッフの松永です。今回は僕が去年、大学3年生の時に、フランス/グルノーブル短期留学で得た経験についてお話をさせていただきます。留学は、建築デザインの設計演習を現地大学生と合同で行うという内容で、期間は1週間ほどの短期間のものでした。しかし、多国籍なチームメンバーと共に過ごした経験はとっても刺激的で、今でも自分の大きな財産です。
現地のメンバーとは基本的に英語を用いてコミュニケーションをとりました。英語ネイティブなメンバーがいなかったものの、全員がお互いの知っている単語や漢字、知識をフル動員したことで、会話が途切れることはなかったと思います。
現地の大学は建築に特化した工科大学だったので、ユニークで多様なバックグラウンドを持った生徒が多かったです。ある台湾出身の生徒は、なんと社会人を経てから学び直しで大学院に入学されている方でした。その方からは社会人としての実務の仕方・マナーや、なにより、台湾の文化(映画、音楽、言葉)をたくさん教わりました。例えば、台湾でも「乾杯」は「乾杯(Gan bei)」というらしいです。こういった素朴な興味や好奇心がより豊かなコミュニケーションにつながるのだと実感しました。
大学があるグルノーブルという街もとっても素敵なところでした。路面電車が走っている、アルプスの麓の小都市で、ハイキングとスキーが盛んな街です。石造りの街並みの中心には商店街が広がり、昼間は屋台や服飾店、カフェで賑わい、ファッションあり、音楽あり、美味しいものありの街でした！夜になると通りにバーのテーブルが並び、屋外で涼しくお酒を楽しむことができました。
グルノーブルに滞在したのはほんの短い間でしたが、得たものはとても大きかったです。
なにより、たどたどしくてもどんどん英語を用いてみること、何事にも興味を持つことの大切さを改めて考えることができました。完璧な英語を話すことよりも、面白さや新鮮な気づきを大切にすることこそ、語学を学ぶ上で欠かせない姿勢だと思います。ここEnglish Now!では様々なバックグラウンドを持った先生やスタッフがいます。ぜひ一緒に、楽しく英語を学んでいきましょう！
現地のメンバーとは基本的に英語を用いてコミュニケーションをとりました。英語ネイティブなメンバーがいなかったものの、全員がお互いの知っている単語や漢字、知識をフル動員したことで、会話が途切れることはなかったと思います。
現地の大学は建築に特化した工科大学だったので、ユニークで多様なバックグラウンドを持った生徒が多かったです。ある台湾出身の生徒は、なんと社会人を経てから学び直しで大学院に入学されている方でした。その方からは社会人としての実務の仕方・マナーや、なにより、台湾の文化(映画、音楽、言葉)をたくさん教わりました。例えば、台湾でも「乾杯」は「乾杯(Gan bei)」というらしいです。こういった素朴な興味や好奇心がより豊かなコミュニケーションにつながるのだと実感しました。
大学があるグルノーブルという街もとっても素敵なところでした。路面電車が走っている、アルプスの麓の小都市で、ハイキングとスキーが盛んな街です。石造りの街並みの中心には商店街が広がり、昼間は屋台や服飾店、カフェで賑わい、ファッションあり、音楽あり、美味しいものありの街でした！夜になると通りにバーのテーブルが並び、屋外で涼しくお酒を楽しむことができました。
グルノーブルに滞在したのはほんの短い間でしたが、得たものはとても大きかったです。
なにより、たどたどしくてもどんどん英語を用いてみること、何事にも興味を持つことの大切さを改めて考えることができました。完璧な英語を話すことよりも、面白さや新鮮な気づきを大切にすることこそ、語学を学ぶ上で欠かせない姿勢だと思います。ここEnglish Now!では様々なバックグラウンドを持った先生やスタッフがいます。ぜひ一緒に、楽しく英語を学んでいきましょう！
Sean
今だからこその勉強法
08/03/25 Filed in: 勉強法
こんにちは、English Now!の受付スタッフの金山です！2025年6月より入社しました。皆様、改めまして宜しくお願いします！
今回は、社会人になってから英語の学び直しをした経験談をシェアさせていただきます。
『今度のお客さん、英語で打合せよろしくね。』急遽仕事で、こう言われたのが、学生を卒業してから早17年経った頃。突然のことでした。メールや資料など読み書きで使うことはあっても話すのは久しぶり。案の定いざ使おうとすると言葉が全然出てこない！ミーティングの日まで時間もあまりない。おまけに自分のまとまった時間もない。でもやるしかない。こうしてspeaking強化の独学を始めました。利用したのは話し相手としてChat GPTやスピーキングアプリ、時々オンライン英会話(ここでEnglish Now!というべきですよね、すみません）。とにかく、習うより慣れろで、通勤中、昼休み中は話しかけることにしました。
もちろん、すぐにできるようにはなりませんが、話す練習を始めたことで気づいたことがひとつ。日々の生活の中でこれは英語で何て言うんだろう？と思うことが増えたこと。そしてそれを調べることが増えたこと。イコール全て覚えた、とは残念ながらなっていませんが、全てデジタル単語帳に書き留めるようにしました。絶賛まだまだ勉強中ではありますが、調べたりメモを見返すことが苦ではなくなってきた感覚があります。
大人になり、仕事をしたり、子育てに追われたり、その他諸々で忙しいですが、今だからこその便利ツールとスキマ時間を活用することで勉強できるんだといい気づきになりました。時々寝落ちしながらのスキマ時間活用法、まだまだ続けようと思います！
今回は、社会人になってから英語の学び直しをした経験談をシェアさせていただきます。
『今度のお客さん、英語で打合せよろしくね。』急遽仕事で、こう言われたのが、学生を卒業してから早17年経った頃。突然のことでした。メールや資料など読み書きで使うことはあっても話すのは久しぶり。案の定いざ使おうとすると言葉が全然出てこない！ミーティングの日まで時間もあまりない。おまけに自分のまとまった時間もない。でもやるしかない。こうしてspeaking強化の独学を始めました。利用したのは話し相手としてChat GPTやスピーキングアプリ、時々オンライン英会話(ここでEnglish Now!というべきですよね、すみません）。とにかく、習うより慣れろで、通勤中、昼休み中は話しかけることにしました。
もちろん、すぐにできるようにはなりませんが、話す練習を始めたことで気づいたことがひとつ。日々の生活の中でこれは英語で何て言うんだろう？と思うことが増えたこと。そしてそれを調べることが増えたこと。イコール全て覚えた、とは残念ながらなっていませんが、全てデジタル単語帳に書き留めるようにしました。絶賛まだまだ勉強中ではありますが、調べたりメモを見返すことが苦ではなくなってきた感覚があります。
大人になり、仕事をしたり、子育てに追われたり、その他諸々で忙しいですが、今だからこその便利ツールとスキマ時間を活用することで勉強できるんだといい気づきになりました。時々寝落ちしながらのスキマ時間活用法、まだまだ続けようと思います！
Kahori
英語が全く話せない私がフィジー留学で得たもの
07/01/25 Filed in: 海外生活
こんにちは、English Now!の受付スタッフの黒田です！現在もまだまだ英語を学習中の私ですが、今よりも前、本当に英語を初めて学んだ時のお話です。
私は社会人になってから英語を話せるようになりたい！という気持ちからお金を貯めて留学に行くことに。それもフィジーという南国の島🏝️半年間とりあえず言ってみれば話せるようになるでしょう！と思い英語力0で行きました。
結果、英語は半年間では話せるようにはなりませんでした。というのも0だった英語力に基礎ができてやっと入り口に立ったんだという感じです。ですがフィジーで得たものはたくさんありました。とにかく話せなくても話を聞こうとする努力や、間違いばかりを恐れずに、話しかけてみる勇気が自分を成長させてくれるんだと気づくことができました。
現在はEnglish Now!で先生と英語で積極的に関わることで日々新しい単語や言い回しに出会うことができています。
これからも生徒さんと一緒にたくさんのことを学び、成長できたら良いなと思っています！
私は社会人になってから英語を話せるようになりたい！という気持ちからお金を貯めて留学に行くことに。それもフィジーという南国の島🏝️半年間とりあえず言ってみれば話せるようになるでしょう！と思い英語力0で行きました。
結果、英語は半年間では話せるようにはなりませんでした。というのも0だった英語力に基礎ができてやっと入り口に立ったんだという感じです。ですがフィジーで得たものはたくさんありました。とにかく話せなくても話を聞こうとする努力や、間違いばかりを恐れずに、話しかけてみる勇気が自分を成長させてくれるんだと気づくことができました。
現在はEnglish Now!で先生と英語で積極的に関わることで日々新しい単語や言い回しに出会うことができています。
これからも生徒さんと一緒にたくさんのことを学び、成長できたら良いなと思っています！
Iori