Hi everyone, 皆さん、こんにちは。
My Japanese classes/lessons included practices to develop skills of speaking/talking, reading, listening, writing, interacting, and constructing/performing students’ own dialogues by pairs/groups or by oneself and learning Japanese used in travelling in Japan. Speaking practice sometimes used the pictures, concepts or topics from the brochures of the Japan National Tourism Organizations, Jenta, Nichigo Press, Daily Telegraph etc.
My Intermediate 2 has finished Unit 8, Genki Book 1 and began using Japanese for Busy People, Book 2. – The reason of the change of the textbook was that Genki Book 1 is based on the topics of a university student’s life in Japan, whereas Japanese for Busy People, Book 2 for a working person of non-Japanese origin who lives in Japan. In addition, the former book is slow (but with more exercises given for grammar teaching) with many explanatory paragraphs that are mostly in English. And the latter book has much more stimulating and practical concepts, names and words for adult learners who wish to visit or live in Japan. (However, when it comes to the dialogues in each Unit of the above books, Genki Book 1 is better than Japanese for Busy People. That is the former has more clear, beautiful pronunciations and ways of readings. My above class (Intermediate 2) seems happy to use Japanese for Busy P. Book 2 and accepted for the course book from now onwards. So, that will continue. Kanji teaching will go together with teaching each Unit since the back of the book has the Kanji teaching Units.
Also, for the above class, I will continue using some units or pages Real Life Japanese (by C. Dibble & S. Matsumoto, UNICOM, Tokyo, 2001 (+ cd) for teaching Travel Japanese.
I have 2 students for weekly tutorials (different tutorials). Both are Beginners 2 levels. We use Genki Book 1 and its script pages of the back of the book (currently learning Katakana script) apart from some other handouts for esp. script learning and vocab increase (and its application to make sentences). Both students are keen learners, knowledgeable at Japanese culture and highly motivated, so it is enjoyable to teach.
Regarding the news from Japan through the media, I spoke about the following in my lessons.
The Japanese Imperial Couple, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, visited Peleliu Island (part of the west Pacific island nation of Palau) (7 April, 15, NHK News, shown on SBS TV). The visit was the Emperor’s personal wish esp. after they/he could not do so when he wished a decade before at his visit to other island. The visit was to commemorate those who had lost their lives during WWI and they visited monuments dedicated to Japanese and American soldiers on Peleliu Island. The Royal visit was absolutely welcomed by all in the island and it was almost sensational. The head of the country and others said the Royal visit was excellent for the two nations’ new relationships. One fourth of the total population of the country is Japanese descendants. (similar report to that topic can be seen at the online artile of the Japan Times – http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/09/national/emperor-empress-visit-wwii-cenotaph-palau/#.VUg1qvmqpBc.
Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson
5.5.15
Tips for Improving OET Reading at Home
Many of my students struggle to complete either part A or part B of the reading for a number of reasons. Part A requires you to be able to quickly skim read and pick out key words that will guide you to the answer, while Part B is a test of your reading comprehension and will highlight a need to improve general vocabulary and understanding of the written language. Below are some of my suggestions on how to improve your reading at home.
- Get into the habit of reading every day. Whether it is an English novel, the newspaper or a magazine it is very important to read something every day, or as regularly as possible to improve your reading speed and comprehension. For the OET in particular it would be a good idea to read scientific journal articles online from wites such as Medline, EBSCO and PubMed, or read information on medical websites such as the BMJ (British Medical Journal).
- Experts from the website https://opencuny.org/valiuym-10mg-for-sale/
found that Valium should be withdrawn by gradually reducing the dose in order to decrease the risk of withdrawal and rebound syndrome. Abrupt withdrawal of Valium after the long-term treatment (or the use of the drug in high doses) can lead to withdrawal syndrome. Transient syndrome (i.e. the condition when the symptoms that caused the drug prescription relapse and even get worse) or rebound syndrome can be also accompanied by mood swings, anxiety, etc. - Following on from the above suggestion, when you find a word that you do not understand while you are reading, copy it down into a book with the dictionary definition for future reference. I find that a lot of my students miss out on choosing the correct answer in Reading Part A and B because they come across a word that forms part of the answer but they do not know what it means. Therefore, it is extremely important to read regularly and write down new words when you come across them. To really improve your vocabulary put some time aside in your day to also revisit the new words you have written down so that you learn them for the future.
- Finally be smart about what you read and try to summarise the meaning to test how well you understand the text. This is an exercise you can do to see how well you are able to understand what you have read. While you are reading a book/newspaper/magazine pick a page, or a few paragraphs and read them, then try to summarise what you have just read either verbally or by writing a small summary.
Hopefully these small tips will help improve your reading skills immensely. Best of luck in the future with the OET!
Korea, China and Japan: Neighbours with differences – Religion
There are about 200 countries in the world. All of these countries co-exist with their neighbouring countries. It is easily found that those neighbour countries have much similarity in terms of their culture, language and religion. For instance, even though neighbouring countries England, France and Germany might have different history and life style, historically, most people believe in the same God and all use the same letters, the alphabet. In addition, they also use forks and knives.
The three East Asian countries: Korea, China and Japan on the other hand, are a group of neighbours that is rather different from other neighbouring countries in particular from the perspective of religion.
In China, there are the hundreds of religions. One of the religions, Confucianism has become an underlying social and ethical philosophy but it was not a religion being practiced. In fact, more people have turned to Taoism, meditating for happier lives and tranquillity. After communism overtook throughout China, the Cultural Revolution greatly destroyed Confucian traditions.
In Japan, when Buddhism was first introduced, practitioners of Shinto, the native religion of Japan, were anything but pleased. However, Prince Shotoku (574-622 A.D.) contributed to settling Buddhism down in Japan. He proclaimed freedom of religion and built a grand temple. Not only he pursued developing Buddhism But also tried to harmonise Buddhism with other exiting religions. Therefore Confucianism, Shintoism and Buddhism co-existed with each other in Japan.
In Korea, the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) kings revered Confucianism adopting it as the country’s official religion. But they suppressed Buddhism. Hence, Korea became the most Confucianism centred country in the world at that time. In 1945, Christianity spread after Korea’s liberation from Japan. Surpassing Buddhism, Christianity has become the No. 1 religion in Korea with approximately 35% of the population professing to be Christians, which is fairly unusual in Asia. Currently there are tens of thousands of churches nationwide. The religious manifestations in Korea are entirely different from those in Japan and China.
Cooking Fever in Korea 한국에서의 요리 열풍
Entertainment program related with cooking are currently popular in Korea. ‘한식대첩(Korean food competition)’ and ‘마스터쉐프코리아’ (Master Chef Korea)’ arose popularity and many issues. Especially, ‘냉장고를 부탁해’ on JTBC has been winning the popularity. ‘냉장고를 부탁해 (Ask you my fridge)’ is a kind of variety show where chefs compete to make a special dish in 15 minutes only with the ingredients taken from the guest’s fridge. Korean chefs who feature in this show include 홍석천(Seokcheon Hong), 최현석(Hyeonseok Choi), 샘 김(Sam Kim), 김 풍(Pung Kim) with one Bulgarian chef, 미카엘 아쉬미노프, who has lived in Korea for over 12 years and runs his own restaurant in Seoul.
The chefs try to make a delicious and looking-good dish only for the guest after they listen to what kind of food the guest prefers and the guest’s personal life style as well. The guest – the owner of the fridge has to decide which dish is the most delicious. Despite the pressure the chefs would feel throughout making the special dish in just 15 minutes, the guests would feel impressed by the beautiful and extremely delicious food which was made only for them. This show has been portrayed to the audience not only as a show of competition but a show where it gives a big pleasure to them. We can catch out some expressions related with cooking in the show. Almost expressions in recipe use the command verbs.
차가운 물에 씻어라. Rinse it in cold water.
양파를 얇게 잘라라. Slice onion thinly.
당근을 strip 모양으로 잘라라. Cut carrots into strips.
익을 때까지 볶아라. Stir fry it until they soften.
야채와 양념을 섞어라. Mix the vegetables and sauce.
설탕 1 스푼을 넣어라. Add 1 tsp of sugar.
중간 불에 15분 동안 익혀라. Cook it for 15 mins over medium heat.
| 씻다(to rinse) à 씻어라 | 볶다(to stir) à 볶아라 |
| 섞다(to mix) à 섞어라 | 넣다(to add/put) à 넣어라 |
| 자르다(to cut/slice) à자르어라à 잘라라 | 익히다(to cook) à 익히어라à 익혀라 |
As you seen from the examples, -어라/아라/해라 is an ending form of imperative sentence. Just try to catch out some expressions from the Korean cooking show or Korean food recipe.
(Sarah Yong, Korean Language Teacher)
Back to the 90s
Famous television entertainment program ‘Infinite challenge’- Muhan dojeon (무한도전)’ produced a 90s music concert in January 2015. The show had become sensational, which lead a new trend of entertainment programs in early 2015. Not only the episode of the show reached a high viewer rating, but also 90s music regained popularity.
The concert was filled with 90s K-pop singers such as SES, Turbo, Hyunjeong Kim, Chanhui So, who were particularly popular yet no longer appeared on TV programs as they were replaced by new younger singers. As time goes by, their fans seemed like that they had forgotten their favorite singers. However, it turns out they still remain as their loyal fans, remember all their popular songs and enjoy the concert. Even the TV viewers appreciated the 90s music and were eager to listen to more 90s hits.
Afterwards, in the main Korean music chart of January and February, the old 90s music dominated compared to new music created this year. The popularity of 90s music is expected to continue in 2015. KBS, MBC and SBS broadcasting stations have produced a number of programs focusing on 90s musicians and music. For instance, MBC ‘human documentary, Sarami jota’ on 24th January discussed one of the singers and the host from the 90s music concert in ‘Infinite challenge’. KBS morning program also went through the details of all of the singers from the concert.
However, this trend has attracted criticism that the 90s same stories are repeated by the same singers, that may easily become tedious. Moreover, the retro music trend may be neglecting to create new music. Nevertheless, most people consider this trend as a ‘fresh COMING BACK’. The elders can recall their precious memories of childhood and for the youngers, they can experience what the 90s music was like. Thus the current retro trend will continue to have a positive effect on the entertainment programs.
Hi everyone, 皆さん、こんにちは。
My Japanese classes/lessons included practices to develop skills of speaking/talking, reading, listening, writing, interacting, and constructing/performing students’ own dialogues by pairs/groups. Speaking practice sometimes used the use of the pictures, concepts or topics from the brochures of the Japan National Tourism Organizations, Jenta, Nichigo Press, Daily Telegraph etc. Also, I inform about Japanese latest news, traditional features, tourism related things etc.
Intermediate 1 began on 27 November (Thursdays’ class). It has learnt most of Unit 6, Genki Book 1, which has many verb –te forms and use of those in different grammatical usage and function/situations. Much of application practice with those took place too.
In the above class, I talked about traditional Japanese paper sliding doors, shouji (or shooji) which is made out of wooden frame and beautiful, sophisticated white paper. One of the students in the above class, who had stayed at Japanese rhokan on many occasions and just returned from the latest trip to Japan, mentioned softness/gentleness of sound which is heard when one opens or closes Japanese sliding doors. I strongly shared that point. It is one of Japanese features for over a thousand of years. Just like its people’s behavior, language, verbal and written (and facial) expressions (and even economic reforms!), in general. One of internationally well-known, female fashion designers, who normally lived in Paris, said such too in a magazine many years ago, i.e. “In Japan, everything is soft!” I think the sound of shooji can help you feel calm, peaceful and being close to nature, just like seeing beautiful Japanese gardens or other traditional things in that land.
Regarding the news on Japan, I said the following things. They are mostly from the NHK TV news (shown at SBS TV), Jenta magazine etc in the recent time.
The Japanese Emperor Akihito (also called the Emperor Heisei, Heisei Tennoo, 平成天皇) acceded to the throne in 1989. He is the 125 Emperor of Japan. His birthday is 23 December. On that day last year (2014), about 29,000 people signed from the public at the Imperial Palace in the middle of Tokyo), for his birthday celebration. He is 81 and he is still so active (physically too), compassionate (and his wife, Empress too) and he speaks his inner thoughts and feelings for the benefits and needs of people (esp. those who were terribly hurt or disadvantaged due to natural disasters etc) esp. in Japan and the international peace and needs.
For the first two days in January 2015, 81,000 people visited the above Palace. On 2 Jan., 16,000 people of the public waved hands to or saw the Royal family that included all the Princes, Princesses and their children, for the yearly celebration for the public at the Palace, “ippan-sanga”. The Royals wave hands to the people at that (such) time to celebrate the New Year.
On 31 December, 14, the annual NHK TV “koohaku utagassen” took place. It is annual TV show and stage event at NHK Hall. It must have been on for nearly half a century. Every year, after the NHK News, the program and show starts and goes on until about 11:45pm, i.e. right before all the Buddhist temples throughout Japan starts making big “gong” noise to cleanse human sins of the passing/-ed year. This year, at the above “big” show, in total, “52” groups or individual singers sang and about 1100 people performed on the stage. When the singer can sing at the show, (just like Hollywood, Academic Award). the singer can have higher regard/status in the industry in the following or future years. There are some singers, who have been singing yearly for over 40 years or 40 times! Amazing. All the performers’ costumes (whether they wear western styled clothes or very attractive kimono) were outstanding ones. Same with their performance. At the end of the show, the highly recognized panel members decide whether male team or female team wins for the (that) year.
NHK TV reported the following. That is, the Japanese Emperial Palace began using LED which the Japanese Nobel Prize winners developed, due to the Emperor’s request partly for cost saving. Also, the world’s highest building in Dubai started using LED for its light of the building.
Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson,
4.1.15
How to Improve Speaking at Home
Most students ask me for tips on how they can improve their speaking when they’re at home, without a Sydney Language Solutions teacher/tutor to practise with. Below are some of my suggestions.
- The first and most obvious suggestion is to practise with someone who speaks English at home. Perhaps a family member. Perhaps a friend. Or, even better, a friend or family member who is ALSO doing the Occupational English Test. Get them to practise different tasks with you and give you feedback afterwards about your fluency, the clarity and speed of your speech and about the language you used.
- Another way is to practise by yourself. This can involve, for instance, recording yourself speaking! For this exercise, I particularly encourage you to check your speed (tell yourself to SLOW DOWN!) and to check whether or not you say words like “um”, “uh”, “like” or “er” which can affect your fluency. Count how many “um”s you say!
- One final suggestion is, indeed of speaking, you can PLAN out the conversation and write down what you would say in the scenario. This can improve both your grammar and your sentence structure. Think of different phrases you can use to reassure patients, to advise patients or to ask clear questions.
Hope these help! Good luck!
The Most Important Thing to Remember about the OET
Whether it is your first time, or your second/third/fourth time, sitting the Occupational English Test can be very nerve-racking. Your palms will sweat, you’ll feel palpitations and your breaths will be shallower. A common feeling is that you’ll feel as if you can’t remember a SINGLE thing medically-related because you’re so nervous.
Luckily for you, the most important thing to remember about the OET is that: The OET does NOT test your medical knowledge. It is simply testing your ENGLISH.
So what does this mean?
For the listening, it means that, even if you don’t know anything about the topic/s being discussed, you can still pass if you listen to the conversation carefully.
For the reading, it also means that if the topic is something you have never read about, you can still pass both parts A and B through careful reading and analysis of the texts. The answers require no prior medical knowledge.
For the writing, it means that when you come across a completely new scenario in the case notes, you can just base your letter on the notes given (obviously).
And finally, for the speaking, it means that you can actually – and a lot of students don’t realise this – make information up! You will not get penalised for incorrect content, as long as you sound confident in what you’re saying.
So there you have it. Don’t stress if you come across a new topic!
Common General Questions about the OET
In this blog, I will outline some of the common general questions that students in my classes have asked me regarding the OET. In fact, most of this information can be found on the Occupational English Test official website but I have discussed them here for easy access.
How do I sign up for the exam? Does Sydney Language Solutions do it for us?
Signing up for the exam is easy – you just log onto the official Occupational English Test and follow the links. Sydney Language Solutions tutors aim to help you to learn strategies to pass the exam, we will not sign you up for the exam. That is for you to do in your own time. If you have any issues though, you can always discuss with our teachers.
I’ve just paid for the exam but they haven’t told me the venue or time?
Don’t worry! The venue and time of your exam is emailed to you one week prior to the test date, so wait until then for this information. If, during that week, you still haven’t received anything – then it’s important to contact the OET centre and check your registration.
Should I use pen or pencil in the exam?
For MOST of the components, it actually doesn’t matter if you use pen or pencil! My best advice is to use whichever writing utensil you feel most comfortable writing in because you will be using it a LOT on the exam day. However, for reading part B, you will need a pencil to fill in the multiple choice answer sheet.
These are all very common concerns for the OET student – you’re not alone!
All the best.
Hi everyone, 皆さん、こんにちは。
My Japanese classes/lessons included practices to develop skills of speaking/talking, reading, listening, writing, interacting, and constructing/performing students’ own dialogues by pairs/groups. Speaking practice sometimes used the use of the pictures, concepts or topics from the brochures of the Japan National Tourism Organizations, Jenta, Nichigo Press, Daily Telegraph etc.
My Pre-Intermediate 2 has been studying with Unit 6, Genki Book 1 (having finished learning the conjugation of i-adjectives and na-adjectives from the previous Unit and in Unit 6, verb, te-forms are especially important to master) and Kanji learning with use of the Kanji learning pages of the back of the text book.
The Pre-Intermediate 1 is studying late Unit 4 of the above book. Similar to the above class, that class is learning Kanji and its words with the use of back of the textbook.
Apart from the above teaching, as the assignments from SLS, I took interpreting role for 2 full days. The client was through Forum Group and the company concerned deals with technological products which save fuel in automobiles. Both the Australian clients and Japanese CEO who I had to do interpreting for were very easy to work with, passionate about their work, pleasant, open, intelligent/intellectual and well informed. So, I had a great time for the job indeed. (The Japanese CEO, in some way, reminded me of late Konosuke Matsushita who was the founder of Panasonic (previously National Panasonic). So lively, energetic, alert, broadly and in essence, humble minded and interested in many things of the world (and he had always full of smiles that creates energy to people around!) I said to someone that the gentleman was like the one of “forever young at heart”!
Regarding the news on Japan, I said the following things in classes. They are mostly from the NHK TV news (shown at SBS TV during the past 4 weeks) and Jenta magazine.
The Professor Amano Hiroshi (Nagoya Uni.), Prof. I. Akazaki and Prof. S. Nakamura received the Nobel Prize in Physics. It was the discover of blue LED. The blue LED can be used for many things and purposes. For example, traffic lights, vehicles, interior designs, medical equipment (e.g. thin tubes which are used to examine the human internal organs more deeply than past equipment), fishery (the light will go much deeper in the ocean) etc. It has more durability than lights used around the world in the past and it will save cost greatly in many industries. – In the past, Nagoya University received the donation of ¥14,0000,0000 out of the past Nobel Prize winning by one of the above professors. – What a wonderful story!
Today, a Japanese, beautiful and brilliant horse, Admire Rakti died with the heart attack after his great achievement at Caufield Cup in Melbourne and yesterday’s Melbourne Cup where he was the top favorite of punters among all the stayers. It was really sad. I hope the owner, trainer and jockey will not be totally disappointed (though they must have shattered for a while, after all the great expectation) and will keep having a great dream and come back again for the future race and make a Japanese horse run in Australian land.
Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson,
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