I just did a trial lesson with an iTalki tutor last week. We spent most of the lesson getting to know each other while speaking in Japanese.
I’m a self taught learner who has passed N2. I’m really not sure what to expect out of a class.
I’m currently doing WaniKani along with Anki for extra vocabulary, and I’m reading a book in Japanese (本好きの下剋上). I work in a Japanese company and have to speak Japanese every day, but of course we’re always talking about work stuff.
I’m not sure what sort of focus in the lessons would be best suited towards helping me succeed.
So I was wondering, for those doing online classes or tutoring through a platform such as iTalki, what do you do in your classes? Is there any homework? How do you best utilize having a Japanese teacher?
It sounds like you want to focus on talking. I haven’t done one in awhile but with my community tutor we would talk about our week and plans but then I realized I needed a more structured plan so I started to utilize a professional tutor/teacher. She had a list of topics that we would be discussing which would progressively get more complicated (and we usually skipped those that I found boring). Maybe the second option could work for you? I think if you wanted homework that you could ask for it but most likely with a professional tutor over a community. Also, watch the videos that they have up. This would be beneficial in seeing what appeals most to you.
I think the main question is, what do you want to utilize them for? What are your learning goals? Then take it from there.
E.g.
Want to pass N1? Get some study materials and go through them together.
Want to extend your vocabulary when speaking about non-work things? There are books that have thematic vocabulary, so you could pick what is interesting to you, ask them about use cases and differences, etc.
Want to use more varied grammar when speaking? Let’s pick one or three grammar points per session and make sure you use them a lot, and correctly.
Want to read more complicated books? Discuss the difficult parts with them, let them explain what you didn’t understand etc.
Mmm. My experience with (in person) tutors some years ago was that if you as the learner didn’t provide much specific direction, the tutor would come up with something generic, but that you were likely to feel you got more out of the time if you came to it with a clear picture of what you wanted that was more specific than a vague “would like to get better at the language”, that you could talk through with the tutor and tailor the sessions to the goals.
I was never very good at defining goals for myself like that though.
I have had a Japanese tutor through Languatalk (Zoom Japanese classes for adults & kids | Try it for free) for about 2 years. We are going through textbooks like a class, and when I was studying for JLPT, we went through grammar errors etc. As well, we practice conversation. I’m not in Japan, but my husband’s company will most likely transfer him there in a few years, so I want to have a decent base before then. Though my husband and I speak a bit in Japanese, I don’t meet Japanese speakers every day, so I need the practice.
We live in Mexico, so I also study Spanish. In that class, we do about 40% conversation, 60% grammar/vocabulary, including about local issues. We use both formal texts, articles, etc, so it’s a mix, and he also will go through any topics I request. For Spanish, I found my tutor through online ads.
I don’t have recent experience with tutors, but I think if I got one, that would be to focus on things I cannot get out of free everyday conversations or reading.
In everyday conversations with colleagues/friends/etc people typically won’t correct your mistakes (at all, or nearly enough). So I’d ask the tutor to point out every single mistake, unnatural word choice, wrong accent. Maybe also record the session and re-listen to myself make those mistakes to hammer that it. Then I’d maybe try to work through that list on my own, and bring some of those up in conversations with coworkers for extra practice.
The idea being, as an advanced learner, you have already built a strong intuition of what’s “wrong”, so you can spot your own mistakes and weaknesses. The biggest value a paid tutor can bring is to correct that intuition.