Effortless English (JP): 4月 2007

2007年4月30日月曜日

Sample lessonの続き

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
Effortless Englishでは、６ヶ月＄４７のクラブメンバーを募集しています。
前回もお知らせしましたが、Effortless Englishのsample lessonで映画のHitchを使ったレッスンが聞けるので、まだ聞いていない方は是非ホームページにアクセスして下さい！

Effortless Englishより、前回の続きです。

Does “it” Pop?
Does “it” Sparkle?
Does “it” make you Grin?
Is “it” ... WOW?
If “it” (grand or mundane) isnt WOW ... re-do it! Or dont do it!
This is ... Your Day.
Not “their” day.
This Day belongs ... ULTIMATELY ... to You.
Not “them.”
Throw off the shackles of Conformity!
--Tom Peters

Suppose I point a shamanic death-bone at you and recite a curse?
Or utter a Magick Word that alarms and threatens you as much as a simple "fuck" threatens simple Methodists?
The role of magick in all language transactions has very concrete and exhilarating/terrifying implications.
There is a well-documented case of a man, a cancer patient, "miraculously" blessed by remission and recovery due to a placebo [with tumors shrunk to half their previous size], then cursed back into critical condition when learning of deaths of others receiving the same placebo.
Whoever speaks a sentence to another human may pronounce a blessing or a curse without even intending this.
--Robert Anton Wilson

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
--George Bernard Shaw

Question authority, and just say "Know"
--Dr. Timothy Leary

2007年4月26日木曜日

Sample lesson

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
Effortless Englishのsample lessonで映画のHitchを使ったレッスンが聞けるので、是非聞いてみて下さい！

Effortless Englishより、

Kerouac's Rules for Writing (Learning, Teaching, Living....)

まだEffortless English Podcastのダウンロードがお済みでない皆様！こちらから無料でダウンロードできます。ぜひ聞いてみて下さい！
mixpod
podcast navi

2007年4月24日火曜日

Rip-off podcast

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
本日は昨日発信されたpodcast、SLANG編『Rip-off』について少しご紹介します。

SLANG編podcastでは、以前ご紹介しましたTPR StorytellingのMini-Storiesを用いて、とても分かりやすく覚えやすく作られています。：）
是非podcastも聞いてみて下さい！

★rip-off (said of something overpriced)thievery ,theft.
What a rip-off!
Its aa rip -off!
You riped me off.
rip someone off...

まだEffortless English Podcastのダウンロードがお済みでない皆様！こちらから無料でダウンロードできます。ぜひ聞いてみて下さい！
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2007年4月22日日曜日

Persistence

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
本日はPersistenceをお届けします。本文の中で、learning English is a life-long activity. It is a marathon, not a sprint.とありますが、私も英語学習者として、長期的なスパンでの学習を考えています。是非参考にして下さい。：）

Persistence　Sunday, April 22, 2007

One of the toughest things about learning a language is finding the time and energy. Most of us can work hard and focus on a language for 4-6 months at a time.

But if you're like me, its hard to keep going longer than that. With Spanish, my efforts have been sporadic. I have tended to do very well for about 3 months at a time. Then I get busy with classes in San Francisco, the Effortless English Club, the podcast, and my personal life.

Its been especially hard as I develop the Club website. Its a lot of work for one person. So, inevitably, my Spanish efforts suffer. For the past 3 and a half months, for example, I haven't studied Spanish at all.

In the past, I would have quit. But this time, I keep coming back... even if I have a long break. The reason is that the study methods I'm using are much more enjoyable. Also, because I'm using a Listen First natural approach.. I find that I still remember most of what I studied in the past. So its very easy to start studying Spanish again... even after a 3 or 4 month break.

But perhaps the biggest change for me has been with my attitude. In the past, I always put a lot of pressure on myself. I wanted to be fluent in one or two years. If I couldn't do that, I just got frustrated and quit.

This time, with Spanish, I don't feel pressure. While I have made goals, I don't get stressed if I can't reach them. I have a much more relaxed attitude... and I have a much longer view. I know that even if I study sporadically-- if I keep doing it when I can, I will eventually become fluent. Already, I can use very basic Spanish to communicate basic information. That's a big improvement from all my past efforts. In the past, when I used traditional study methods, I was never able to communicate.

The main point for me is to never give up. I view Spanish learning as a lifelong activity now. I know my life will get busy at times, and I won't be able to study. That's OK. Because with a Listen First Effortless approach, I know I won't lose what I have already learned. I know that I can come back to Spanish when my life slows down, and I'll be able to easily continue again.

As you study English, remember that learning English is a life-long activity. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes you will get busy and you won't have time to study. Sometimes you may take a long break. No problem. Just continue using a Listen First Effortless method of study-- and your English will continue to grow.

まだEffortless English Podcastのダウンロードがお済みでない皆様！こちらから無料でダウンロードできます。ぜひ聞いてみて下さい！
mixpod
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2007年4月21日土曜日

Podcast Changes

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はEffortless Englishポッドキャストの変更をお知らせします。
まだEffortless English Podcastのダウンロードがお済みでない皆様！こちらから無料でダウンロードできます。ぜひ聞いてみて下さい！
mixpod
podcast navi

Podcast Changes　（Friday, April 20, 2007）

The Effortless English podcast will be changing over the next few weeks. I've decided to overhaul the format to make it more useful and interesting to students. When I originally started the podcast, I had mostly an audience of English teachers and very advanced English learners.

However, over the past several months, the podcast audience has grown a lot. Most people who listen to the podcast are English learners... and they are a mix of intermediate and advanced learners.

To help these learners, I will be doing more frequent podcasts. I hope to increase to about 4 per week. I will focus on two main points: 1. Casual conversational English and 2. Motivation and Learning methods.

I'll probably do about 3 conversation lessons per week-- each focusing on slang, idioms, and real "street" English. I'll introduce a new word or phrase, explain it, help you pronounce it, and then tell a very short mini-story to help you learn how to use it.

In addition, each week I'll continue to do one podcast focused on motivation, inspiration, and learning methods. Motivation is very important. I know its easy to get tired, or to lose your energy and enthusiasm for English. I'll encourage you and help you keep that motivation high!

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2007年4月20日金曜日

THE CHILD'S SECRET

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はEffortless English（Sunday, March 21, 2004）よりTHE CHILD'S SECRETをお届けします。

THE CHILD'S SECRET Sunday, March 21, 2004 By Dr. J. Marvin Brown

It is common knowledge that when people move to a new country the children will end up speaking the language natively and the adults won't. The widely accepted explanation is that children have a special 'gift' that they lose as they grow up. Even with the coming of the age of science this 'gift' theory went unquestioned, and early linguists thought some special remedy was needed. They proposed that, for adults, languages should be taught and studied instead of picked up. And this idea slowly evolved into present day language teaching.

But are we any better off with present day language teaching? Why, for example, do adults in Central Africa clearly do better when they move to a new language community than our modern students do? Could it be that early linguists (and all the rest of us) were mistaken? Maybe adults can do what children do. Maybe it's just typical adult behavior (not adult inadequacy) that interferes.

THE MISTAKE – Children can do something that adults cannot.

THE UNASKED QUESTION – What would happen if an adult were to just listen for a year without speaking?

OUR ANSWER – Both adults and children can do it right, but only adults can do it wrong.

It seems that the difference between adults and children is not that adults have lost the ability to do it right, (that is, to pick up languages natively by listening) but that children haven't yet gained the ability to do it wrong (that is, to spoil it all with contrived speaking). We're suggesting that it's this contrived speaking (consciously thinking up one's sentences – whether it be with translations, rules, substitutions, expansions, or any other kind of thinking,) that damages adults, even when the sentences come out right). We're also suggesting that natural speaking (speaking that comes by itself) won't cause damage (not even when it's wrong). It seems that the harm doesn't come from being wrong but from thinking things up.

What we're suggesting is this: The reason that children always end up as native speakers is because they learn to speak by listening. And the reason that adults don't is because they learn to speak by speaking.

By AJ Hoge

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2007年4月18日水曜日

With Speaking, Be Patient

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はEffortless English（Saturday, December 30, 2006）より抜粋してお届けします。

With Speaking, Be Patient

I still do not speak Russian with anyone and have no real desire to do so. I guess I would summarize my philosophy as follows; until I can read and listen to a novel, news programs and recorded conversations in Russian and enjoy doing so, I have no desire to speak with anyone. I might be extreme but I feel there is so much I can do on my own to improve in the language, I am not sure that stumbling around in a conversation at this stage in my learning would really help me. I think the same is true for English learning.

--Steve Kaufman of The Linguist (Learn English With The Linguist)

The above quote is from Steve's blog. It comes at a great time for me. As I mentioned previously, I have just restarted Spanish study after a two and a half month break.

The most discouraging part of my Spanish learning experience has been the pressure I get from other people to speak. Whenever someone knows I'm learning Spanish, they immediately want to know if I can speak... or they ask me to say something. If they are a Spanish speaker, they try to talk with me. Of course, they are being friendly and I do appreciate the chance to try out a bit of Spanish.

The problem isn't them, its me. Because whenever I have these encounters, I invariably feel frustrated. I can't say much and what I do say is stuttered and hesitant. Worse, I feel an immediate surge of stress when someone springs Spanish on me.

After such encounters, I feel my motivation drop. I begin to question myself. I start doubting. I think, "I'll never be fluent in this language. I don't really need it. I might as well give up."

Its easy to forget that speaking takes time. Speaking is something that naturally emerges after you have acquired a lot of the language through listening and reading. There is a lot of research about this, and I know that. But its still easy to get discouraged when you feel that your speaking ability hasn't kicked in yet. Its easy to think that nothing is happening.

Which is why I was so encouraged to see Steve's post. It reminds me that even Steve, who already speaks 9 languages, still waits for speaking to emerge. It reminds me to remain patient with speaking, and continue to focus on lots of input. Steve has the benefit of experience-- he's done this before so he knows, from personal experience, that it works. But some of us don't have that personal experience yet and therefore need periodic encouragement.

So remember Steve's advice: Before you can read a novel and enjoy a TV program in English, do not worry about speaking. You might need to speak sometimes, you might want to... and that's fine. But don't put any pressure on yourself in regards to speaking. Focus on input, input, and lots of input.

Be patient. Speaking will emerge naturally, without effort.

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2007年4月17日火曜日

Easier Is Better

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日は４月１７日発行の無料のニュースレターより、Easier Is Betterをお届けします。

Easier Is Better

Many learners focus on difficult English. Perhaps teachers told you that you must read difficult articles to improve your English. Maybe teachers encouraged you to study very difficult grammar.

Well, they were wrong. They were wrong because research shows that the best way to become fluent is to focus on easier English. That's right, you will increase your vocabulary faster by reading and listening to easier English. You will improve your speaking and understanding faster by listening to easier English.

And the opposite is also true-- if you focus on very difficult English, you will learn MUCH more slowly. Your vocabulary, speaking fluency, and understanding will also improve much more slowly.

Research shows that the best way to improve quickly is to read and listen to easier English. What do I mean by "easier". Well, the general rule is that you should understand 90% or more of what you are reading or listening to. 95% is even better.

Dr Constantino, SY Lee, and KS Cho found that students who focused on easy reading had better TOEFL scores than students who focused on textbooks and traditional English classes. Research by Drs. Gradman and Hanania found exactly the same result.

The same is true of easier listening. Those students who focus on fun, easier listening speak better than students who study with textbooks and normal schools.

So what should you do? If you want to speak fluent English in 12 months, you should spend 1 hour a day listening to easier English. You should listen to the same thing many days, until you know it very well. You should choose English that is interesting to you. You should not need a dictionary to understand what you are listening to, or reading.

If you need a dictionary, it means its too difficult-- you should find something easier. Don't waste time with dictionaries. Instead, spend the entire 60 minutes just listening to English. Use that time well. Listen carefully, listen to easier English, and listen to things you enjoy.

That is the key to speaking English well.

Good luck!

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2007年4月16日月曜日

Remembering Naturally

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はAJのブログ（Sunday, April 15, 2007）からRemembering Naturallyをお届けします。
では、今日も楽しく英語にふれましょう！

Remembering Naturally
I have not studied or listened to Spanish for four months. Four months without any Spanish input.

In the past, when I studied languages with traditional methods, this kind of lapse happened all the time. Im a busy person. But more to the point, I tend to do things in spurts. Ill study hard for several months, then take a few months off. Its just the way I like to work.

When I used traditional language study methods, this was a disaster. After a 2 month break, I would forget most of what I had studied. I lost a lot of vocabulary. I lost a lot of listening comprehension. Usually, this discouraged me, and I would give up. I quit. I quit Spanish. I quit Japanese. I quit Italian.

But this time, I'm using a Listen First, Effortless method to learn Spanish. I don't study grammar rules. I don't memorize vocabulary lists in textbooks. In fact, I don't use textbooks.

Learning this way, I find that once I learn something, I keep it forever. I don't forget.

Today, after a 4 month break, I listened to about an hour of Spanish. I listened to some of my old audio files. I was happily shocked that I could still understand them very well. I hadn't forgotten. In fact, I was amazed at how easy it was to start again after such a long break.

This is very encouraging. By using an Effortless method, I know that when I learn something I really learn it. I will have it for the rest of my life. So even if I get busy, or take a long break, I will not go backwards. I will be able to start again at any time, and I'll immediately start at the level I had stopped at.

This makes language learning seem easier. I know I can do it in bite-size chunks... at my own pace.

All that time spent using textbooks is a waste, because you will forget most of what you study.

To learn and keep English for life, use a Listen First, Effortless method.

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2007年4月15日日曜日

Jmemorize

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はJmemorizeシステムについて紹介致します。

Jmemorize
Today I started using a vocabulary review program called Jmemorize.

Basically, its a computer flashcard system... but it schedules the review to maximize long term memory. Its a very simple program, but I find it useful.

Of course, I am not using it to review random lists of words. I always learn my Spanish vocabulary from articles and podcasts. Once I meet a word in a real context, I sometimes save it for later review.

To be honest, I've never liked doing vocabulary review. Usually I prefer to just listen to the article again as a way of reviewing.. instead of focusing on individual words.

But sometimes it can be helpful to review words or phrases that just aren't "sticking". For these, a program like Jmemorize is helpful. You can download Jmemorize for free at: http://www.jmemorize.org/

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2007年4月12日木曜日

TPR Storytelling

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！

今日はMini-Storiesで使われているTPR Storytellingについてご紹介します。Effortless EnglishのMini-StoriesはAJがストーリーを作り、その話を元にPoint of View Mini-Storiesでリスニングを通して文法を修得しようという試みです。昨日もご紹介しましたが、Point of View Mini-Storiesでは、同じ話を、現在、過去と過去完了、未来と時制を変えてゆき、その話を通して自然と文法を身につけらるようになっています。下記のTPR Storytellingに関連するAJのポッドキャストも参考にして下さい。では、今日も楽しく英語にふれましょう！

< TPR Storytellingに関連するAJのポッドキャスト >

Mon, 19 March 2007　Point of View Mini-Stories
Tue, 13 February 2007TPR & Listen First
Sun, 17 December 2006 Storytelling
Sun, 17 December 2006　Storytelling Mini-Story Example

By AJ Hoge

参考までに
TPRStories.comより

TPR Storytelling is a method for teaching foreign languages that was invented by Blaine Ray, a Spanish teacher in Bakersfield, California, in 1990. Concerned that his students were disinterested in the unexciting process of learning a language from a textbook, he began to use James Asher's Total Physical Response to teach Spanish. Asher says that students acquire their second languages as they acquired their first languages. Our students learn as babies learn. Therefore, we should not expect them to produce the language before they have had an ample amount of time to listen to it. Blaine experienced great success, and the students began to be excited about his class. Although TPR has been the most effective method for acquiring a second language since it was invented in the 1960s, Blaine found that after hitting the "TPR wall," he was unsure of what to do to move from the imperative to the narrative and descriptive modes of speech. He found that changing from commands to the third person singular allowed him to tell stories, a long-term memory technique. He found that asking the students to act out the parts of the characters in the stories preserved the highly effective physical element that had been so powerful in Classical TPR. As the technique was developed over the years, it became an all-encompassing method and methodology. The method combines Dr. James Asher's Total Physical Response (TPR) with Dr. Stephen Krashen's language acquisition strategies, allowing us to teach grammar, reading and writing along with vocabulary.

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2007年4月11日水曜日

英語学習方法〜How To Study With Effortless English

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
さて、今日はEffortless Englishメンバーが、サイトを使っていかに勉強しているかをご紹介します。
みなさんにも参考にして頂き、自分の好きなリスニング教材や英語のコンテンツを使って、この方法も試してみて下さい！

では、How To Study With Effortless English！！

1. Listen to the Vocabulary Explanation a few times. Once you understand it, listen to it at least one time every day for 1-3 weeks.

2. Listen to the Mini-Stories a few times. Try to re-tell the stories, using the new words/phrases. Listen to each Mini-Story lesson (regular and POV) at least one time every day for 2-4 weeks.

3. Read the Learning Guide, and review new vocabulary, a few times.

4. Listen to the Article & read the Text, a few times.

5. Listen to the Article a few times (without reading). Listen to each article at least once every day, for 2-4 weeks.

6. Listen to the Article sentence by sentence. If you are ready to speak, pause after each sentence and copy the pronunciation- especially the intonation. If you are not ready to speak, just listen carefully too the intonation and rhythm.

7. If you have time, write a Forum Comment about the topic, use some of the new vocabulary.

下記はEffortless Englishの具体的なレッスン内容について説明しています。Free Report (English)より抜粋。

Vocabulary Lessons

This is a listening lessons. You learn new vocabulary by listening to me discuss new words. You do not study lists in a book. You do not learn by reading.

I teach you important new words and phrases. These are words that educated native speakers actually use-- not textbook English.

You download (get) the Vocabulary Lessons from the website after you join. The lessons are MP3 files, so you can play them on your iPod, MP3 player, or computer-- anywhere you want.

TPRS Mini-Story Lessons

Next, you download (get) the Mini-Story Lessons. I use the powerful TPRS method to teach you to speak English fluently. This is a Listen First lesson. You do not read the story, you listen to it many times and practice it.

In this lesson, you improve pronunciation and you learn how to use vocabulary correctly. The TPRS Mini-Story lesson is the most powerful English teaching method I know. Use it to speak naturally and fluently.

Text Article and Vocabulary Guide

Next you read a real English article that uses your new vocabulary. This article is written at a university level, but I make it easy to understand with a "side by side" vocabulary guide.

Reading is also input. Most of your time with Effortless English will be spent listening, but a little reading will help you learn vocabulary quickly.

I give you the meaning of difficult words next to the article text, so you don't waste time using a dictionary. Obviously, since you have already learned some of the words in the first two lessons-- you understand the article quickly and easily.

Point of View Mini-Stories

Point of View Mini-Stories teach you grammar. How? You listen to the same story told from many points of view. For example, you might first listen to a story in the present. Then you will listen to the same story told in the past (it will start with "10 years ago"). Then you will listen to the same story told with a mix of past & perfect tenses (it will begin with "Since 2004"). Then you will listen to the same story told in the future ("Next year...").

You don't need to study grammar rules. You don't need to memorize grammar. You just listen to these stories many times and automatically learn the grammar.

Movie Lessons

As a member you also get movie lessons. I use an English language movie to teach you conversational English. You learn common idioms and slang. You also practice your pronunciation. Each movie lesson includes-- the audio for a movie scene, the script for the scene, a Mini-Story for the scene, a Point of View Story for the scene, and a Commentary for the scene.

Pronunciation Lessons

As a member, you also get pronunciation lessons. I teach you to speak with a standard American accent. You learn the "music" of American English in short and easy lessons. When you do this for 15 minutes every day, you will speak English like an American.

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2007年4月10日火曜日

Survey & Feedback Results

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
Effortless English学習サイトを運営して半年が経ちました。この半年の間、カイゼンを重ね、今も進化し続けるサイトをAJと作っています。２人で少しずつの作業ですが、私達の目標「このサイトを通して英語学習者のコミュニティを創る」に近づけるよう、頑張りたいと思っています。これからも変わらず暖かいご支援、ヨロシクお願い致します。: )

英語が恋しい人のために、私達の取り組みの経過から抜粋．．．Effortless English Blog (Wednesday, February 21, 2007)より抜粋

Survey & Feedback Results
I've run a couple of surveys on the Club site recently, and members have also posted feedback regularly on the Forums. Here is a short summary of the trends I've noticed:

1. The POV Mini-Stories are a HUGE hit. In fact, the new POV stories already seem to be the most popular lesson with members. I suppose this shouldn't be surprising. The POV stories allow members to practice and use the most common conversational grammar forms-- without studying grammar in any way. You learn how and when to use these grammar forms... but you never study grammar rules and you certainly never worry about terms like "present perfect", etc.

Of course, due to this feedback, I will continue doing POV lessons for all lesson bundles. I will also continuing doing the basic TPR Mini-Stories-- which focus more on vocabulary, but still teach grammar intuitively and naturally as well.

2. The new movie lessons are a hit. The movie lessons have also proven to be popular. In the movie lesson, I take a scene from a popular movie and then base a series of lessons around it (including a TPR Mini-Story & POV Story lesson). Our first movie is the romantic-comedy "Hitch", starring Will Smith.

3. Keep the Vocabulary Discussions. One concern I had was with the vocabulary discussions. To be honest, I worried they were a bit dry and boring compared to the other lesson types. I considered eliminating them. But members have unanimously asked me to keep them-- saying they are easy and helpful. So, I'll keep doing them ;)

4. Layout. Navigation and homepage layout have been a problem for a while-- the source of many complaints, in fact. These have now been completely changed and the new layout seems much more popular. Members can now easily access all lessons from the home page. Also, lessons are now grouped by lesson title instead of lesson type. In other words, on the homepage you click a lesson title (ex. "Hitch Intro", "Censorship") and that links to all the lesson types for that subject (ex. "Censorship Text", "Censorship Mini-Story", "Censorship POV", "Censorship Audio Article", "Censorship Commentary", "Censorship Vocab").

5. Audio Quality. This was a problem in the beginning, but I've finally found a new microphone that is working very well. Audio is now very clear and strong.

Remaining Issues

Members also had a few more suggestions and issues:

1. Forums-- Forum participation is still anemic. Writing is the final step in the Effortless English system, but many members say they are too shy to write because they fear they will make many mistakes. Of course I say, "Its fine to make mistakes"... but I know that isn't enough to reassure learners.

So I'm still thinking about ways to improve the Forums. One idea I will try is to add lighter Forum topics. Right now they are fairly serious-- especially ones related to the lessons. I'll try adding topics such as "Movies", "Music", "Book Club", etc. and see if this encourages more participation.

2. More Memberships. Lots of people have complained that I'm still in Beta Mode and am still limiting membership each month. My only answer is "please be patient :)" I don't want to fully launch the site (with totally open membership) until it is "ready". By ready I mean: a) The site has a library of at least 50 complete lesson bundles (each "bundle" contains: Text Article, Vocab Discussion, TPRS Mini-Story, POV Mini-Story, Audio Article, and Commentary), b) audio is upgraded further (I'm still researching even higher quality microphones and recording equipment), c) the Forums are active and energetic, d) our Street Team is organized and energized, and e) I've got a wider variety of lesson topics.

Once these goals are met, I will end "Beta Mode" and will open membership more fully. Until then, the best way to hear about periodic membership openings is to subscribe to the free Effortless English Newsletter-- to subscribe go to: www.effortlessenglish.org

So that's where things stand with The Effortless English Club. HUGE thanks to the amazing members who have helped build the site. Its only been a few months, but we have made big progress. I'm having a fantastic time working with you all- and look forward to growing and improving more in the near future.

次回はTPR Storytelling'sについてご紹介します。お楽しみに :)

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2007年4月9日月曜日

Community, Not Marketplace

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はコミュニティの重要性について、Effortless English(Friday, April 06, 2007)より、お届けします。

Community, Not Marketplace
I have recently re-thought my idea about making a Teacher Skype Marketplace on Effortless English. I have decided not to do this in the future.

Why not? Well, I have two main reasons:

1. Commercialization
I don't want to commercialize the member site. I want The Effortless English Club to be a true community... in which all members are working together to develop the site. I don't want it to be a "marketplace". Our lives are commercialized enough. And I must already charge members a fee to join. After that, I don't want to have more ads in the member site.

2. The Linguist
There is already an excellent site that offers Discussions with native speaker tutors: The Linguist. The Linguist offers both group discussions and individual discussions on the internet, using Skype. In fact, I still periodically do discussions with them.

I have always thought that Effortless English and The Linguist complement each other. In fact, I encourage my members to also join The Linguist in order to get speaking practice and writing correction. In truth, they do a great job and its much simpler to just refer my members to them for tutors. Click here to Learn English With The Linguist

What I envision for Effortless English is a true learner-designed community. Now that we have a membership base and the basic site design, I'm trying to give more control to the members. I want them to have more control over lesson topics, materials, layout & design, recruitment & marketing,... in fact, everything.

I have no desire to repeat the hierarchical structure of traditional schools. The truth is, traditional education is failing across the board. Recent posts by Tom Peters and Seth Godin have attacked business schools for being irrelevant. My own Social Work program (a Masters degree) and Journalism program (Bachelors) were also irrelevant.

The truth is, the old hierarchical, passive method of education is no longer useful. Sitting in a class listening to boring lectures is a waste of time... whether you are studying English, business, social work, or journalism. Real learning happens on the job, in life, through mentors, individually, and in learning communities.

These are the kinds of communities you find at Effortless English and The Linguist. These are communities that support self-study... where members are equal, enthusiastic, and responsible for their own learning.

If you are tired of learning or teaching the old way... join the future.. join a learning community online.

Learn To Speak English Easily, Subscribe To The FREE Effortless English Newsletter

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2007年4月7日土曜日

Club

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
また、１ヶ月無料トライアルに多くの方のお申し込みをいただき、本日を持って閉め切らせていただきました。また、次の機会を作りたいと思っていますので、その際はヨロシクお願い致します。（このサイトでお知らせ致しますね）

では、今日はEffortless Englishの新しい試みをご紹介します。
Effortless Englishでは、従来の英語学習サイトではなく、新しいコミュニティを創る取り組みを行っています。
英語を学習しながら英語を使おう！と言うのが目的で、それがクラブ感覚であり、コミュニティなのです。
ネイティブスピーカーの先生とのレッスンもいいですが、私達のサイトで、世界中の英語学習者とコミュニケーションを図りながら、お互いに励ましたり、情報交換をしたり、webの運営を行ったり、実際にもっと英語を使えるようにしたい！と言うのが、私達の夢なのです。

その取り組みとして、PBwikiを使って、メンバー参加型のサイトを創る試みを行っています。このBPwikiは「ピーナツバターサンドイッチを作るように簡単に作れる」と言う意味らしいです。このサイトを使って、メンバーと私達の双方向コミュニケーションを図るつもりです。具体的には、サイトのデザインであったり、YouTubeを使ってビデオを作ろうと思っています。
是非のぞいてみて下さい。

Effortless Englishより抜粋

Club Links

Street Team Wiki
The Street Team has its own Wiki for making materials to recruit more members. We also work on new designs for the Club site. Any Effortless English member can edit or add to this Wiki. Add pages for improving the member site. Help design the site.

Public Wiki
This is a public site, anyone can add to it or edit it (even non-members). Add articles and mini-stories. Add suggestions for learning to speak English easily.

Other EE Links
These are other Effortless English links (Newsletter, Podcast, etc.)

"Speak English Easily In 12 Months- Guaranteed"

The Effortless English Club is not accepting new members right now. We hope to open for new members again soon. You can hear about the next membership opening by subscribing to the Free Effortless English Newsletter.

☆お知らせ☆
２００７年４月８日にEffortless Englishポッドキャスト「Learning Communities」をアップロードしました。
是非聞いてみて下さい。内容は伝統的な学校VSコミュニティについて話しています。その中で紹介されている Seth Godinも参考までに。

mixPodからもEffortless English無料ポッドキャストにアクセスできます。楽しんで下さいねー！！

2007年4月5日木曜日

Dear Abby

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
今日はEffortless Englishメンバーに提供しているDear Abbyを紹介致します。（Dear Abby is a regular advice column (article). Americans write to Abby and ask her for advice. The English used in the letters is very casual and conversational. ）
私がこのAbbyへの手紙を読んだとき、アメリカ人は日本人よりも、客観的意見が必要なのかなぁー？と思いました。実際内容が、家庭、恋人、友達、コミュニティと多岐に渡っています。まぁ、日本で言う所の「みのもんたへのお悩み相談」と言った感じのような気がします。しかし、この手紙はとてもカジュアルな英語で書かれていて、言い回しが結構ためになります。
今日はDEAR ABBYより、Meddling Mother-In-Lawについて紹介致します。

DEAR ABBY: Meddling Mother-In-Law
How do I politely tell my mother-in-law to stop doing my laundry? It all started when I wason bed rest due tomy pregnancy. I didn't mind her doing an occasional loadto help us out. But now she does it anytime she's overtowatch the kids.

I'm very pickyabout how I do my laundry, and this is the main reason I don't want her doing it. Also, I'd prefer she spend time playing with the kids than with the laundry!

She also puts things away in the wrong places. She does it with my dishes, too. Once I told her not to worry about my laundry because I wasn't done sortingit. She took it upon herselfto do it anyway.

She's very strong-willed. My husband and I have had problems with her not respecting our parenting, too. She often takes things the wrong way. What's the best way for us to tell her that her help is not needed?

-- DIRTYFAMILYLAUNDRY

☆☆お知らせ☆☆
mixPodよりEffortless English無料ポッドキャストにアクセスできるようになりました！是非アクセスしてみて下さい！

2007年4月4日水曜日

Effortless English　無料ポッドキャスト

みなさんこんにちは。
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！
さて、ご存知の方も多いと思いますが、Effortless English　無料ポッドキャストと無料ニュースレターについてご紹介します！

☆Effortless English無料ポッドキャストとはEffortless Englishとは違い、英語学習にまつわるトピックスをAJがレコーディングしています。とてもユニークで面白いとの評判をいただいていいますので、是非聞いてみて下さい。こんな話が聞いてみたいとか、コメント等もお待ちしています！

☆Effortless English　無料ポッドキャスト

☆無料ニュースレター

さて、今回はニュースレターより抜粋　（２００７年４月３日Effortless English無料ニュースレターより）

Make A Daily Schedule

How much time do you need to study English each day? Well, that depends on your goals, of course. But in general, I recommend 1 hour and 15 minutes of study.

75 minutes a day is enough to become fluent in English in 12 months. "Fluent" means you will speak English quickly and easily. No, you won't be perfect (even native speakers aren't perfect). But you will feel comfortable speaking English. You will be able to understand English conversations. You'll be able to communicate your ideas.

To do this you need to use those 75 minutes correctly. If you spend 75 minutes a day studying textbooks, you will not become fluent. If you spend 75 minutes a day in a normal English class, you will not learn to speak easily. If you spend 75 minutes a day studying grammar and vocabulary lists, you will not learn to speak fluently.

You must use those minutes well.

Here's what I recommend:

1. Listen to English One Hour Every Day
Of course, you can break this up. You might listen for 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon, and 20 minutes at night (in fact, that's a great idea).

What you listen to, and how you listen, are very important. First, you must listen to "authentic" English. "Authentic" means real-- in other words, you must listen to conversational English that is actually used by native speakers. Don't listen to textbook CDs. The best thing to listen to are recordings of real conversations-- chats between native speakers (not actors!). I will soon be offering these to Effortless English Club members-- with text and mini-stories to help you understand the vocabulary and grammar.

If you can't find real conversations, use movies that have a lot of modern casual conversation. The kind of English used in these movies is much closer to the English we use every day.

Another important point is how you listen. When you listen, you must listen carefully. You should focus on both the meaning and the pronunciation (don't worry about the grammar). You should listen to the same thing many times... repeating it many days. Then you will really learn the phrases, grammar, and pronunciation deeply.

2. Practice Pronunciation 15 Minutes Every Day
Pronunciation is very important. If nobody understands you when you speak,... it doesn't matter how much vocabulary you know or how good your grammar is. Understanding and being understood should be your top goals.

To practice pronunciation, listen to some real English. Pause after every sentence and copy the speaker's pronunciation. Focus especially on intonation--- the stretching of words, and the rise and fall of pitch. Americans love to stretch words (especially vowel sounds) and we usually start with a high pitch on stressed syllables and then drop, drop, drop. For Effortless English members, you can also do the pronunciation lessons on the site.

とりあえず、とっても面白いので、是非聞いてみて下さい。これってレッスン？？↓　↓　↓
How To Say Shit! (Pronunciation Lesson)

You can download a Free audio lesson on American pronunciation. I decided to use the common American word "shit". This is profanity (a rude word) of course, but its a great example of how to use intonation correctly. If you say the word with the wrong intonation, you completely destroy the meaning and power. So, practice saying "Shit" and improve your American pronunciation ;)

To download this free lesson- go to the Free Effortless English download page.

2007年4月3日火曜日

Casual English

みなさんこんにちは！
いつもブログを読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！！
AJとTomoeはサンフランシスコで、いかに英語を楽しく身に付けてもらうか。そして、そのインプットを生かして、コミュニケーションできる場をいかに創るかを考え中です。
私達Effortless Englishのサイトで、英語を学ぶ機会を作るだけでなく、メンバー同士のコミュニティーを創って行きたいと真剣に取り組んでいます。
インプットに比べ、アウトプットは難しいと思いますが、英語学習者なので間違えて当然というスタンスで、言葉＝ツールとして、多くの人と交流してもらう場を提供して行きたいと思っているのです。

これは新しい試みなので、まだ機能していませんが、少しずつ改善＆改良していきます。
楽しみにしていてくださいね！
今日は AJのエッセイ「Casual English」を紹介します。

Effortless English Blog (Sunday, April 01, 2007)より抜粋

Casual English
It is well known that spoken Japanese has many different styles-- often roughly divided into a "polite-formal style" (-mas/desu) and a "casual" style.

But textbooks and teachers rarely discuss the same division in English. Schools almost never talk about the very different styles of spoken English-- yet the same division exists.

In fact, the more I have taught, the more I've realized that the difference between everyday spoken English (casual English) and formal English is big. Its a very big difference.

Textbooks and schools teach formal English. In fact, they often teach a written style of English. Students learn to speak "written English". They learn to pronounce English as if they were reading. When we read, we usually pronounce every word separately and clearly. When we read, we are often using a quite formal style of English.

But in everyday speech, we use a totally different kind of language. First, we do not pronounce every word separately. We speak in phrases--- groups of words are pushed together and pronounced as one.

I'll give you one example. My friend Wat was talking to an American customer and the customer asked him "You beer?" Wat was confused... he said, "What?". The customer said, "Tomorrow... you beer?" Finally I helped Wat and said slowly, "Tomorrow, will you be here?" Wat understood me because I pronounced every word separately.. but in fact, we almost never do that in normal conversation.

Our vocabulary choice is also different in normal conversation. We tend to use a lot of "phrasal verbs" when speaking. "Phrasal verbs" are two (or more) word verbs. We often say, "I messed up"... instead of "I made a mistake". We often say, "I bumped into Jane yesterday",... instead of "I met Jane yesterday".

This is not slang. For a native speaker, this is basic spoken English. An American child understands and uses this vocabulary and pronunciation.

So why aren't schools and textbooks teaching it? I have always wondered why they try to make students fly before they can crawl. In my opinion, the first step is to understand basic conversational English. The next step is to be able to use basic conversational English.

Only after a learner can do this should they worry about the TOEFL exam, writing super-complicated essays, and reading difficult research papers.

The spoken language is the base. Learn the fundamentals first. Master the fundamentals first. Then you will find that advanced English is much easier to understand and use.

by AJ Hoge

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