Keiko

I am a native speaker of Japanese and passionate about language teaching and learning. I find teaching Japanese extremely rewarding. Currently I teach exclusively online.
I was trained to become an English language teacher as an undergraduate student and subsequently, I took my master's degree in Applied Linguistics focusing on Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Teaching and Learning. I also completed a Japanese Language Instructors Qualification Course.
I enjoy learning foreign languages as well as teaching Japanese as a foreign language. I am currently studying Chinese. Learning new languages gives me a great insight into challenges you as a Japanese language learner might encounter and makes me a compassionate teacher.

Tutoring Experience

I have taught Japanese to university students and staff at higher education institutions in the UK for over 9 years. I have also taught Japanese to adult learners in adult education settings as well as to young learners privately.
I have extensive experience in both face-to-face and online teaching and I enjoy creating teaching and learning materials that my students can use to enhance their learning.

Tutoring Approach

In my teaching, I focus on what each student wants to achieve from taking the lessons and try to bring out the highest potential of each of them. I am always mindful of my students' individuality and strengths and weaknesses. As a language learner myself, I understand how intimidating and frustrating it might feel to speak in a foreign language, especially in a language so different from your own mother tongue. I appreciate that everyone learns at their own pace. My aim is to help my students gain confidence in using the language and achieve their goals.
I believe that understanding Japanese cultures and society is an essential part of learning the language. I try to incorporate this into my language teaching and I enjoy sharing my interest and knowledge of Japanese arts, cultures and society with my students.