Method

How did you learn your mother tongue? Did your parents set up a desk, writing pad and grammar textbook in front of your cot when you were an infant and then ask you to start memorizing rules of grammar and lists of vocabulary? Were you tested at the end of a set period of study to determine your level of proficiency? Did any of this happen before you could actually speak, and communicate, in your native tongue?

Of course the answer to these silly questions is NO! But then, how did you acquire your language skills?

In fact, every human being is born with an innate ability to communicate in any and ALL languages! The brain, at birth, is already “wired” to accommodate any language that happens to be in the child’s vicinity. It’s by trial and error that decisions are made about what is “correct” usage and what is not based on, and encouraged by, the reactions the child gets from their environment (i.e. parents, teachers, etc.). In this way, children “learn” the language that most effectively explains the outside world to them and how to communicate what they want to say to that world. In the process, the “correct” language structure (the grammar) is reinforced and other possible structures that might be applicable to other languages are weakened to the point of being unusable and, eventually, are discarded. This means that as we learn our native tongue we are, in effect, unlearning all other languages! But it is also important to realize that the “ghosts” of those “discarded” language structures still exist somewhere in the complexity of the brain’s neural network and, with the correct training, can be “resurrected” at any stage in a person’s lifetime.

That being said, it is also a fact that adults are not babies and do not have the same uninhibited “mental freeway” that enables a child to absorb, process and eventually use their mother tongue. On the road to adulthood, obstacles are created which can inhibit second language acquisition later on in life. One of these obstacles is, ironically, the grammar/test approach to teaching English in Japanese schools. This approach focuses on lectures (almost entirely in the Japanese language) about how English works, but not about how to use English. Native first language acquisition does not evolve by studying the rules of grammar before one starts to speak in that language and neither does the evolution of a useable second language.

So, the first thing to realize is that the study techniques you have been taught to use at school may not be very useful in acquiring a useable second language. Setting out to accumulate information/facts about the target (second) language – the rules of its grammar, etc – as you would when studying subjects like math, science, history, etc, doesn’t help much if your goal is to become a speaker of a second language. In other words, you can’t “learn” a language in the conventional sense. Languages are acquired naturally, organically. It is a process that applies no less to adults acquiring a second language as it does to children acquiring their mother longue.

Progress through the levels:

At Crossroads we very rarely use a standard textbook. If you are at the beginner/sub-beginner level you’ll first begin to learn how to “think in English”. This starter program uses a small training book, along with themed A and B dialogue cards. The program is designed to help you develop natural responses at the start of your English journey. Using this approach, we’re trying to dig up that “discarded” language structure (English) you buried so many years ago. The process can be likened to an athlete’s or dancer’s training routine, or to a musician practicing their scales. By training in this way, you’ll begin to use English “naturally” without, ironically, “thinking” about using English.

But at Crossroads we want our students to “take over” in the classroom as much as, and as soon as, possible. So, after you’ve passed the initial period of training to “think in English”, you’ll move up to the High Beginner/Lower Intermediate levels where the focus of the lesson begins to shift to you! “Direct experience is the best teacher” and at this point, we introduce elements of free conversation in your lessons – your personal anecdotes and other topics of interest. All the while your instructor will focus on how you speak and on what you want to say, offering corrections and assistance in developing appropriate vocabulary.

When it comes to learning how to convincingly communicate in English, the dialogues we use in class, either from cards or in the form of our student’s original writing, are approached using many of the “drama techniques” Crossroads has developed and used for many years. At the Intermediate levels, this is generally referred to as “role play”. It has to be noted that in any language, words alone do not adequately express full meaning. There are nuances, feelings, emotions and, in the case of a second language, the cultural context to consider. Our “drama techniques” cover all of these issues and much more.

An important component of our program at all levels, Beginner to Intermediate and Advanced, is writing – your own original writing. This starts out in dialogue form as “extensions” of the early card work and develops into full team-project, student-inspired dialogues as the levels go up. Our Advanced students have even written complete short stories! As mentioned above, we don’t like standard textbooks, instead, we ask our students to write their own textbook!

It should never be forgotten that learning a language is an experience in communication – verbal communication – and this is at the center of all the projects our students undertake – we talk/communicate ideas first, then write them down, then we look at the language used in this writing and discuss how to improve on it. Finally, it’s signed off as completed and the next project is set in motion.

Level System

Here is an overview of the levels system we use at CROSSROADS and an indication of where you might fit in, should you choose to join us:

BE –

If you are at this entry level, you will most likely never have studied English outside of the usual school system in Japan.

BE – LOW:You cannot speak in English, nor can you understand spoken English. The only skill you’ll need at this level is the ability to “sound out” written words as you “read” simple, short texts. You will most likely not even be able to understand most of what you are “reading”, but this is OK. Surprisingly, you don’t need to understand at this stage!

BE –MID:You’re not totally “shocked” at hearing native English but you still can’t speak with any confidence, nor, for the most part, can you really understand spoken English. But English doesn’t seem totally “foreign” to you and you are comfortable greeting your instructor in English at the start of each lesson.

BE – HIGH:You’re getting close to the “pidgin English” level. You have some understanding of spoken English and can utter a few one-word or short sentence responses to simple questions. Most importantly, your confidence is at a level where you feel, to some extent, “natural” being around native English speakers, even if you only understand about 50%, or less, of what is being said. You’re ready to move up a level.

B –

At this level, you’re able to speak a little in English; not, by any means, fluently or without many mistakes, and you’ll be significantly held back by a lack of vocabulary. But, at a rudimentary level, you are able to make yourself understood (sometimes). Your biggest challenge is to learn to stop mentally translating English to Japanese when you hear spoken English (or when you want to express yourself in English).

B-LOW:Your “English” is very hard to understand! You have difficulty putting a couple of short sentences together in order to express a simple idea. You make a lot of grammatical mistakes when you speak, and your vocabulary is severely limited. And, you still need to mentally translate from, or to, Japanese when you’re trying to communicate in English. Nevertheless, you’re talking! (Sort of)

B – MID:At this level your English is becoming more coherent and you are able to sensibly string together a couple of short sentences. You make many mistakes and you hesitate when you’re trying to speak, often due to a lack of vocabulary. Attempting to mentally translate from, or to, Japanese while you try to communicate in English is also holding you back.

B-HIGH:You are able to carry a conversation in (broken) English for about 10 to 15, even 20 minutes, and you can listen for fairly long periods without being totally confused. Nevertheless, you lack sufficient vocabulary to elaborate on your ideas, and you still make many grammatical mistakes when you speak in English. But, you have a certain “confidence” using the little English you do have and you rely less on mentally translating from Japanese – mostly because you have acquired some useful vocabulary at this stage.

In(B) –

You need to start working on the specifics. At this level, the emphases will mostly be on correcting grammatical mistakes and building up a strong vocabulary base. Your instructor will focus on improving these two areas at all times throughout your lessons. Writing assignments have an increasingly important role to play at this level, as do between classes reading assignments.

In(B)-LOW:You can carry a short conversation so long as the subject is simple and the topic is somewhat familiar to you. You need to work on correcting recurring grammatical mistakes and developing your vocabulary base in earnest.

In(B)-MID:The emphases remain on vocab expansion and getting the grammar/syntax right. It is also time to seriously look at ways to effectively improve fluency and pronunciation.

In(B)-HIGH:You have “survival” level English. Far from being perfect, nevertheless you can still rely on your English to survive a week or two overseas touring in a foreign country. You still need to straighten out you grammar/syntax and expand your vocabulary base, but you are functioning as a basic speaker of English. Most importantly, you have all but stopped mentally translating from Japanese while you are communicating in English.

In(A) –

The ability to “think in English” has taken root in your brain and you no longer need to translate. You are at the conversational level. You can understand most of what you hear (even if it is partially at an “intuitive” level) and you can generally express yourself fairly comfortably. But there isn’t much “sophistication” to your English – nuances, idioms, insinuations, etc may still evade you. It will be time to start working these subtleties into your awareness of English, while continuing to work on all the basics: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, etc. Reading and writing assignment will be an important part of this level’s program.

In(A)-LOW:You already spend some of your free-time reading English news reports, short stories and you watch English movies and TV on line (right?). Although you have a good “sense” of the English in these media, much of it is confusing because “native” English is full of metaphors and other colloquial expressions that defy conventional definitions. You are ready to start working on your understanding of how English actually works at a “native” level.

In(A)-MID:Along with a good grounding in basic English, you are also starting to get a “sense” of some of the subtleties inherent in “living” English. You are still making grammatical mistakes that need correcting, but your vocabulary base is quite solid. It’s now necessary to expand your usage of this base.

In(A)-HIGH:Words have more than common definitions. Native speakers know how to add nuances, subtleties and insinuations when communicating in English. You are now beginning to understand some of these variations. At this level it would be possible for you to enter, and study in, a foreign university without being unduly bothered with language limitations.

A –

You’re an advanced student. This means you have no limitations in carrying a conversation in English as long as the subject is not too far out of your range of interests. At a general English level, you can match any other speaker of English as a second language and not embarrass yourself. You have an extensive vocabulary base and a good grasp of how English works. This is not to say that you don’t make any mistakes – you do – and that your vocabulary can’t be extended any further – it can. But you can operate comfortably in any English speaking environment with confidence.

A-LOW:Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary. You are confident and relaxed using English, but you can still improve your range. And mistakes in grammar continue to crop up when you speak or write in English. Your primary concern should be on straightening out the remaining grammar issues and expanding your range and usage of vocabulary.

A-MID:You are quite a competent communicator in English. Not much would challenge your confidence and you feel at ease talking with native speakers. However, you still get “thrown” when the topic requires specialist vocabulary outside of your field of interest. Colloquialisms, metaphors, unfamiliar idioms and other “subtleties” of the English language also force you to pause, and your “instinct” for meaning doesn’t quite get you through. But for general, everyday English, you are untroubled.

A-HIGH:You’re not quite bi-lingual yet, but pretty close to it. Your English is a notch or two below native level, but the difference hardly matters. You have learnt to extrapolate meaning fairly accurately when you hear an unfamiliar word or expression. Not much escapes you, but that is not to say that you can’t improve! Complicated assignments and sophisticated projects will always push the limits, and we have plenty of these at Crossroads waiting for our advanced students to challenge.