[ENGLISH COMPANY University Examination Department] "90 days of training" that I worked on aiming to study abroad. I overcame my weak reading skills and acquired practical English skills!

"ENGLISH COMPANY University Entrance Exam Club" is the first English personal gym for high school students in the university entrance examination world, which started service in June 2021. Through 90 days of short-term intensive training, you can train your essential English skills such as "quick reading" and "correct listening", and are fully compatible with the common university entrance exam that was introduced in place of the National Center Test.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Kazunari Okamoto, who completed the 90-day curriculum, and Mr. Yamaguchi, the trainer in charge. Ms. Okamoto, who is aiming to study abroad, took a 90-day English training course in order to build a foundation for her English skills. In addition to successfully improving his reading skills, which had been his weak point, it seems that there has been a change in the way he approaches English learning. Let's take a closer look at what kind of training was done.

*The interview was conducted online.

I want to study fields in Europe that I can't study in Japan

ーーCurrently, I am at Zero High School (*Presided over by Takafumi Horie, a high school whose educational policy is to "find out what you really want to do with your life.") ), I heard that after taking the recommendation entrance exam for a national university, you are considering studying abroad or transferring to a European university. Could you tell me why he is aiming to study abroad?

Mr. Okamoto: I am studying programming and computer science as a hobby, but I would like to study these fields more deeply and professionally in the future. When I thought so, I considered Europe as a study abroad destination because it has advanced education and research, such as having departments that Japanese universities don't have, and there are many universities that have received international acclaim for computer science. I came to At the moment, I am considering Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) in Hungary as my first choice because I think I can go financially.

Also, there are various languages ​​in Europe, and I would like to study the language of my study abroad destination. Interested in French, Polish and Spanish. I have friends living in those three countries, so I would like to communicate with them in the local language instead of English. I would especially like to learn French.

ーーOkamoto-san, who is aiming to study abroad, why did you decide to enroll in the ENGLISH COMPANY university examination department?

Mr. Okamoto: I've been studying English since junior high school, but I was not particularly good at reading. I couldn't understand English just by reading it once, and I had a habit of going back to the beginning and reading it over and over again.

I decided to enroll in the ENGLISH COMPANY university entrance examination department to solve such problems. In order to keep up with the local classes at your study abroad destination, you need to improve your reading and listening skills from now on. I had high hopes that if I went to the ENGLISH COMPANY university examination department, they would be able to accurately point out the causes of my sluggishness, and that I would be able to improve my English skills efficiently in a short period of time. I also thought that it would be useful for improving the scores of tests such as TOEFL, which are necessary when studying abroad.

I was impressed when I actually received the training for the first time. It was a very refreshing experience as they offered a lot of “training” that was completely different from the English education I had received up until now.

Through ``chunk reading'', you can understand ``once'' without going back

ーーNow, let's look back on the actual training with Trainer Yamaguchi, who was in charge. Mr. Okamoto, you said that you had trouble reading English sentences over and over again. What kind of training did you start to overcome?

Trainer Yamaguchi: "Reverse reading", in which students go back and read English sentences many times, is caused by trying to understand English by translating it into clear Japanese. English and Japanese have different word orders, so if you try to force the translation into beautiful Japanese, you have to go back and forth in English. It was necessary to learn how to read English from the beginning of the sentence “with the English word order”.

For that reason, I worked on "chunk reading" training to understand English sentences for each chunk, which is a mass of meaning. Using teaching materials divided into chunks, you can understand the meaning of each chunk and the connection between the meanings of chunks, and check whether you can quickly recall the meaning of each chunk. I worked on ′′ reading aloud ′′ while remembering the contents of.

After getting used to the chunk reading method in the first month, I gradually raised the level of the material and repeated practice so that I could understand long and complicated English sentences chunk by chunk. By being able to understand English from the beginning, not only did my reading speed increase, but my listening accuracy also improved. Listening cannot be read back, and you have to process the meaning in order from the English you hear. The reading method of understanding each chunk is also useful for listening. The final measurement also confirmed the growth of each, so I think I was able to feel the effect.

- chunk reading and site translation. Okamoto-san, have you done this kind of training before?

Mr. Okamoto: No, it started from the stage where I didn't know chunk reading in the first place (laughs). However, after learning how to do it the first time, the more times I did it, the more I realized that the effect of this training was showing up in my reading.

Until now, even if I knew the words, it often took me a long time to understand the meaning when I read a long sentence. However, by learning the method of chunk reading, I think that it is a big growth that I can definitely understand it in one time!

From grammatical knowledge that you "somehow know" to grammatical knowledge that you "know and use"

--Please tell us about your next challenge and approach, Mr. Okamoto.

Trainer Yamaguchi: Ms. Okamoto had excellent speech perception to distinguish which sound the English she heard, but her knowledge of grammar was somewhat vague. Without a systematic understanding of grammar, it will be difficult to understand exactly what you hear, even if you hear the sounds correctly. Of course, you can't understand English correctly in reading.

Therefore, we used English Company's original educational material "CORE GRAMMAR", which is based on cognitive grammar based on the idea of ​​​​"how native speakers perceive the world" through words, and made grammar feel like a native. I understood.

――It is true that if you don't know the grammar, you can't accurately grasp the meaning of English sentences. What exactly is the way of understanding that you just mentioned, “understanding with native sensibility”?

Trainer Yamaguchi: Take the present perfect (have + past participle) as an example. According to conventional English grammar, the present perfect tense includes ``completed'', ``experienced'', ``result'', and ``continuing''. There are four ways to use it, and the general approach is to memorize each of them together with the Japanese translation.

On the other hand, in the cognitive grammatical approach, "have" is considered to have a common underlying image of "having". The past participle itself means "completed". In the case of the present perfect tense, all you have to do is understand the image of "currently having a completed state".

Then, if ``I have lost my wallet.'', then ``I've been to the UK before.'' I have been to England)”, then you can easily imagine that you have the event of “I went to England before”.

-I see. So you will be able to understand intuitively without memorizing detailed usage names and Japanese translations!

Trainer Yamaguchi: A big advantage of cognitive grammar is that you can understand the correct use of grammar in English without having to force yourself to translate it into Japanese because you use images to understand grammar. In the process of understanding, Mr. Okamoto also explained in his own words why the grammar was used.

After that, in a training session called "Pattern Practice", students practiced reading aloud many times while changing the subjects and verbs of example sentences using the theme's grammatical items. The aim is not to end with ``I know'' grammar, but to turn it into knowledge that ``can actually be output''.

――I don't think there are many high school students who learn grammar through "cognitive grammar." How was this grammar study, Mr. Okamoto?

Mr. Okamoto: In the past, I thought that even if there were some parts I didn't understand, it would be fine if I could understand about 80% of them. However, because of this, I often misunderstood the meaning of the sentence. Even when communicating in English, there were times when I misinterpreted what the other person was saying and didn't respond appropriately.

I realized that by learning the essence of grammar through cognitive grammar and practicing until it comes out naturally, it becomes a skill to input and output more accurately.

Strengthen the semantic processing of the English you hear with "shadowing"

--So far, you have taught me the content of the training, mainly reading and grammar. What kind of training did you do on the listening side?

Trainer Yamaguchi: After gaining knowledge of grammar, in order to accurately process the meaning of the English we hear, we focus on “shadowing” training, in which one or two words are delayed from the voice we hear. I was able to do it properly.

There are two types of "shadowing": "prosody shadowing", which is conscious of voice, and "content shadowing", which is conscious of both voice and meaning. I had already learned to shadow the voice, so I asked them to practice shadowing while imagining the meaning, and improved the accuracy of their understanding of the meaning when listening.

At the beginning of the course, there were times when I couldn't understand most of the content just by listening to it once, but by the end of the course, I was able to understand about 80% of the content once I heard it. I hope you were able to feel the results of your training.

Mr. Okamoto: As Trainer Yamaguchi said, I could hear the sounds of English, but my understanding was not catching up with the next sentence, so I was confused. You taught me the correct way of shadowing from scratch, and as I practiced until I could actually pronounce the English sounds I heard, I was able to process the meaning in my head while listening to the sounds of English. .

I think there is still room for me to improve my skills in listening to English sounds and processing their meanings accurately at the same time. I'm here.

ーーI would also like to ask about your daily home study. Okamoto, how did you maintain your daily study habits?

Mr. Okamoto: When I had a vocabulary assignment, I practiced using the vocabulary app for TOEFL preparation taught by Trainer Yamaguchi in my spare time, such as after meals. Learning with the app is convenient because you can feel free to do it in your spare time. Even if I was sleepy, I think that I made it a habit by trying to do little by little rather than doing nothing. For other tasks, I worked on specific times and places when I was clear, such as securing time in the evening.

Trainer Yamaguchi: Mr. Okamoto, you were very good at making use of your free time. Continuity is very important in language acquisition. Even if it is difficult to secure a large amount of time in a day, it is easier to continue learning by using the free time well. Also, setting a specific place and time is effective for making it a habit because you can immediately start learning English without thinking too much. He put into practice what I told him in his own way, and completed each assignment as I expected.

Through the 90 days I acquired practical English skills that would be useful for studying abroad

――Looking back on the 90 days of training, what was the most impressive?

Mr. Okamoto: Up until now, when I heard about studying English, I had the image of “just learning words and grammar and solving problems.” On the other hand, I realized that the study at the English Company University Entrance Examination Department goes beyond the test and can be applied directly to practice. What I found particularly practical was learning how to read from the beginning of a sentence through chunk reading, and learning grammar to understand like a native speaker. I thought that the method of reading while imagining the contents of the English text in my head would be very useful when I study abroad.

Trainer Yamaguchi: The speed of semantic processing in English has really improved. Comparing the mock exams of the first and last rounds, I can see a big improvement in my reading score, and I think that the amount I can understand in just one listen has increased as well in terms of listening.

Mr. Okamoto: I could feel it myself. Before taking the course, I had a feeling that I would be able to improve in just 90 days, but in 90 days I learned how to read sentences and how to process meaning, and I felt that my English skills had improved. I am also very grateful that my need to improve my reading skills was fulfilled.

Also, I had a very strict image at first because the person in charge of me was not a "teacher" but a "personal trainer". However, he was actually very friendly, and while observing me carefully, he suggested training that perfectly matched my issues and weaknesses. In a good way, I think it overturned the original image 180 degrees.

There was also a change in the way I approached learning English. While I only had a vague understanding of my weaknesses, Trainer Yamaguchi accurately pointed out my weaknesses. I used to study words only vaguely, but now I have a specific goal: "Let's study 100 words today. Aim to learn 10,000 words in a year."

It seems that the 90 days of training yielded more than you could have imagined! How do you want to make use of the results and experiences of learning English this time in the future?

Mr. Okamoto: I haven't decided yet, but in the future I would like to contribute to society so that I can serve as a bridge between Japan and the rest of the world through cutting-edge technology. I would like to spread technologies such as semiconductors, which are only known in Japan, overseas, and to communicate in English the appeal of Japanese technology that is second to none overseas. On top of that, I would like to play a role as an intermediary between Japan and overseas so that they can develop technology each other so that we can incorporate overseas technology that Japan does not have.

ーーLastly, please give a message to high school students and students studying English.

Mr. Okamoto: Because many people are studying hard to prepare for entrance exams, training to know their weaknesses and pinpoint their solutions is very useful for exam preparation and in the future. I would say it is effective. I would like other high school students and students to experience what I have experienced in these 90 days!

＊＊＊ Through one-on-one training, Mr. Okamoto improved his English reading and listening skills, which he was not good at, and built a foundation for his English skills that he can use in the future. I will support him from the bottom of my heart so that he can make his dreams come true and use his English and a wide range of knowledge to play an active role in the world.

ENGLISH COMPANY The university examination department can take training completely online. If you would like to study in earnest at home and avoid places where people gather, or if you live in an area where there is no studio, please feel free to contact us. Face-to-face training is available at Ginza Studio (Tokyo) and Umeda Studio (Osaka).

Click here for free trial class application and inquiries ENGLISH COMPANY University Entrance Examination Department Official Website