Online Japanese Lessons - Information Page
I'm currently offering online Japanese lessons and tutoring to folks. Since there's a lot of information strewn about multiple places from when I was putting this all together, I thought it made sense to collect it all in one place.
This list will be updated as more information becomes available.
How do I sign up?
There's an online signup sheet that you can access right here.
How does this all work?
Lessons are held online via Google Hangout. All you need is a Google account to log in, and a headset mic so that you can talk to me and the other students. I use the Hangout's Screenshare feature to display my lesson plans and my "whiteboard" for examples.
What are the classes like?
Individual classes contain between one and six students, and you can request private lessons if you prefer. Regularly-scheduled lessons are, of course, intended for non-solo classes.
What level of Japanese are you teaching?
Currently, I have two six-lesson curriculum sets that, together, cover what I consider "Introductory Japanese." I'm going to be adding Intermediate Japanese very soon, as well, likely also broken up into two levels the same way Introductory Japanese is.
What do the different levels cover?
The curriculum for Level 1 of Introductory Japanese is here for reference, and the curriculum for Level 2 will be up soon. Essentially, though, after both levels of Introductory Japanese, students should be able to construct and understand basic sentences and understand most key grammar concepts.
Intermediate Japanese will cover more advanced concepts, such as passive voice, causatives, honorific speech (keigo), and a stronger grasp of colloquial language.
What courses are being offered right now?
Introductory Japanese Level 1 is staring new classes on Monday evenings at 6:00pm PST beginning on September 16th. Introductory Japanese Level 2 will be held at 5:00pm PST and 7:30pm PST on Wednesday nights, starting September 18th. Intermediate Japanese classes will likely begin in late October or early November.
Privately-scheduled lessons can, of course, be for whatever level the student requests.
Are there homework assignments? Or tests?
Not as such, no. Since this is private tutoring, no one is graded on their progress. However, students will have access to worksheets and exercises (prepared by me) to test themselves on the concepts learned in a given lesson, and I will give feedback on progress and tailor lessons to help address problematic points or cover material that needs more extensive review.
Help! I don't know how to read or write in Japanese!
No problem! Obviously, if you're just starting out, you won't know the Japanese writing system. Though it isn't called out in the syllabus, learning hiragana and katakana (the two Japanese syllabaries) is part of Level 1 of Introductory Japanese, and students planning on taking Level 2 are expected to have a functional grasp of these.
For Intermediate Japanese, a working knowledge of basic kanji (Chinese ideograms) is expected. More advanced kanji knowledge is better suited to the purview of self-study.
How much does this all cost?
I charge $40 per 90-minute lesson, or $200 for a full curriculum of six lessons if you pay in advance (which is akin to buy five, get one free).
This list will be updated as more information becomes available.
How do I sign up?
There's an online signup sheet that you can access right here.
How does this all work?
Lessons are held online via Google Hangout. All you need is a Google account to log in, and a headset mic so that you can talk to me and the other students. I use the Hangout's Screenshare feature to display my lesson plans and my "whiteboard" for examples.
What are the classes like?
Individual classes contain between one and six students, and you can request private lessons if you prefer. Regularly-scheduled lessons are, of course, intended for non-solo classes.
What level of Japanese are you teaching?
Currently, I have two six-lesson curriculum sets that, together, cover what I consider "Introductory Japanese." I'm going to be adding Intermediate Japanese very soon, as well, likely also broken up into two levels the same way Introductory Japanese is.
What do the different levels cover?
The curriculum for Level 1 of Introductory Japanese is here for reference, and the curriculum for Level 2 will be up soon. Essentially, though, after both levels of Introductory Japanese, students should be able to construct and understand basic sentences and understand most key grammar concepts.
Intermediate Japanese will cover more advanced concepts, such as passive voice, causatives, honorific speech (keigo), and a stronger grasp of colloquial language.
What courses are being offered right now?
Introductory Japanese Level 1 is staring new classes on Monday evenings at 6:00pm PST beginning on September 16th. Introductory Japanese Level 2 will be held at 5:00pm PST and 7:30pm PST on Wednesday nights, starting September 18th. Intermediate Japanese classes will likely begin in late October or early November.
Privately-scheduled lessons can, of course, be for whatever level the student requests.
Are there homework assignments? Or tests?
Not as such, no. Since this is private tutoring, no one is graded on their progress. However, students will have access to worksheets and exercises (prepared by me) to test themselves on the concepts learned in a given lesson, and I will give feedback on progress and tailor lessons to help address problematic points or cover material that needs more extensive review.
Help! I don't know how to read or write in Japanese!
No problem! Obviously, if you're just starting out, you won't know the Japanese writing system. Though it isn't called out in the syllabus, learning hiragana and katakana (the two Japanese syllabaries) is part of Level 1 of Introductory Japanese, and students planning on taking Level 2 are expected to have a functional grasp of these.
For Intermediate Japanese, a working knowledge of basic kanji (Chinese ideograms) is expected. More advanced kanji knowledge is better suited to the purview of self-study.
How much does this all cost?
I charge $40 per 90-minute lesson, or $200 for a full curriculum of six lessons if you pay in advance (which is akin to buy five, get one free).