Helping Students Think in English (to improve fluency)

Beyond accuracy, pronunciation, and vocabulary, there is the broader problem of gaining fluency. Even students who can speak accurately and express themselves in conversation adequately speak with hesitation or pause for prolonged periods of time. This problem is caused by a variety of factors but the primary one is that the student is frequently thinking in Japanese in whole or in part and then translating into English.

There are relatively few ways to improve overall fluency when the student is living in Japan and has few or no opportunities to travel abroad for a prolonged period of time. Exposure to English in a mundane setting over a period of time is the best way to promote fluency as it gives students a chance to pair English phrases with daily experiences.

That does not mean it is hopeless for students living in Japan but it does mean they have to develop daily habits to allow them build a "pseudo-English" environmental experience. Tips on accomplishing this are in the lesson "Thinking In English (While Living in Japan)". To teach this lesson, you may want to do the following:

• Introduce the idea of thinking in English to improve fluency.
• Discuss the section on reading in English and make recommendations appropriate to your student's level. You may want to check Amazon.com for children's books that may fall into the right reading level. A student with a TOEIC score of around 450 will probably be okay with second grade level books, for instance. Most Amazon books in the U.S. can be ordered through Amazon Japan so your student should be able to obtain them at a reasonable price.
• Discuss the section on singing in English. If possible, visit the web site and play a song for the student and show him that the lyrics are there. If you are comfortable with the idea, sing along with the student and try to help him pronounce the words properly.
• Discuss the section on parallel thinking. Make sure the student understands the idea. Reinforce the way in which this works by offering a phrase at the end of the lesson which can be repeated mentally each time (such as "The lesson is over now" or "I'm getting ready to leave").
  

In order to encourage the student to continue these exercises, ask him in subsequent lessons how he is doing in building his English thinking skills.