Shin　Ito

Shin　Ito Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Shin! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. May we ask you to briefly introduce yourself?

A. My name is Shin. I live near Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. I am currently attending a course to become a Japanese language tutor. I am now finishing up my courses and have started actually teaching lesson to international students as practical training. Since the Japanese language teaching system has changed this year, I am studying for the Japanese language teaching certification exam while attending my courses. I also wanted to study more about welfare, so I started working at a welfare agency. I have several years of experience teaching Japanese online, but I will continue to make an effort to teach you in an even better way. I look forward to working with you.

Q. Please tell us more about your hometown and the area where you currently reside.

A. I was born in Beppu City as my mother’s home town is in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. I have lived near Haneda Airport in Tokyo since I was old enough to fly, so I grew up in Tokyo.

Although there are many industrial areas around Haneda Airport, new facilities and hotels have been being built around the airport in recent years. The area offers convenient access to Yokohama, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, and Ueno Station, and the number of international residents has been increasing recently. The town itself has an old fashioned atmosphere, but the area around the JR station is bustling with many restaurants and other new businesses.

Q. What motivated you to become a tutor on Cafetalk?

A. My teacher at the teacher’s training school suggested that I try online lessons, so I looked for them and registered with Cafetalk. The support staff can assist me in Japanese, so I feel very comfortable teaching here.

Q. What are you usually up to when you're not teaching on Cafetalk? What are your hobbies and interests?

A. I enjoy taking pictures and listening to music, so I often go for walks and take pictures while listening to music. I also enjoy riding my bicycle, so I often go out riding my bicycle and exploring interesting places, or visiting my friends’ restaurants and cafes. On days when I can't do anything, such as when it rains, I often think about the Japanese lanhuage by reading interesting articles, looking up unfamiliar words, researching any requests I received from my students, and creating lesson materials. I do all of this because I enjoy it, so I don't mind doing it at all.

Q. A lot of students are probably curious about the atmosphere in your lessons. What can a student imagine a lesson with you to be like? What’s your teaching style?

A. The first thing I would like to share with you, is that I incorporate the direct method, which is teaching Japanese using Japanese. I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to this method, but there are cases where the are limits to teaching when taught in different methods. Most Japanese language schools in Japan use the direct method.

As for the lesson atmosphere, I think it’s casual in a good way. I believe that the shortest way to learn a language is to not be strict, not to be negative, and to help students enjoy studying the things they are interested in, so I try to discuss with students what they want to do in my lessons. I do not force my students to do anything. I think it is best if we can enjoy each other’s company and grow together.

Q. Which lessons would you recommend to your students?

A. I don't have any specific recommendations, but my free-talking lessons are the most popular. Some students want to talk about a specific topic, while there are also students who are unsure about their Japanese skills and want to ask me how it is.

I also offer lessons that use textbooks. In Japanese language schools, the most common lesson format is textbook-based lessons, so of course I can accommodate such lessons. I also think that you don't have to decide on any particular one. Sometimes we can study using textbooks, sometimes we can enjoy casually chatting, and sometimes we can study for a specific qualifications, but there are times when some of my students are unable to speak as much as they usually do, and I think motivation changes from day to day. I think the most important thing is to enjoy learning while trying your best to stick with it. I think I need to improve my lessons even more to make them more appealing and interesting.

Q. Finally, would you like to leave a message for your current and future students?

A. Please have fun, unwind, and don’t hesitate to ask me anything or express any requests you may have. I will do my best to assist you as much as possible. I look forward to learning with you.

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Shin　Ito

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