Well actually I have not one, but two secret weapons for teaching languages.
One Iโm sure you have too ….. ย your students!
I’m always learning new things from them.
From learning how fast or slow to go.
What they like, what they don’t like and so much more.
That’s how we’ve managed to perfect the Genki English program over the years, with the feedback from thousands & thousands of students.
It’s also why there are so many “Why is that in there?? ย Ah, ย now I get it!” moments in the program too ๐
My other secret weapon is that ….ย
Iโm a “professional” language learner.
(Not one of the โpolyglotsโ on YouTube who claim to have learnt 37 languages when in reality they just mean they can read ใใใซใกใฏ in Arabic. ๐ )
Until Covid (and Brexit!) for the past 20 years Iโve literally been working or presenting in a different country each month. ย โ
All around the world.
And in almost every country Iโve had to learn the language.
So right now Iโm in lockdown in Italy and Iโm really lucky to have Genki teachers teaching me.
So I get to experience Genki English not just as a teacher, or materials maker, but as a student too.
And they are very different!
Sometimes you go โoh wow, that is really coolโ and sometimes โOh blimey, Iโm lost here! We need to make a bridge between these two lessons.โ
For example this morning with the Genki Storytellingย I realized that we need a “toolkit” of extra little phrases to join together the language parts that you do know.
It really does open up a whole new way of looking at teaching when you’re also a student too!
So, which languages can you learn? Which Genki teachers can you ask to help you with them? And what are your students telling you about your lessons this week?
Be genki,
Richard
P.S. ย ย If you want to see me speaking other languages I have quite a few Japanese ones on the YouTube channel, including the one above from today. ย ย Hopefully Iโll get some more up in Italian and Russian and some point too!
