I think that language classrooms suck, but it is due to the way they teachers teach, I mean, it could be better, I think it is possible to adapt the ajatt/antimoon method.

We start learning foreign languages at the age of 12, and I don’t think that at this age all kids are mature enough to go through the ajatt method by themselves. A teacher could be useful to teach them the ajatt method and give them some motivation.

Also, classes aren’t bad. After Japanese camp, I realized that. As long as they are taught fully in Japanese, with no English ever being said unless someone is in danger, or is misbehaving terribly. That’s my theory. I teach English as a Second Language now, and I really love it (^-^). Japanese camp really gave me that push into good Japanese conversations. I learned so much there. However, it was this site that taught me how to study on my own, and this site that gave me the confidence that it can be done. I encourage everyone to not follow this site 100% down to every word. Learning a language is something personal, and no method is perfect for everyone. Everyone needs to find their own way. I used to think this site was amazing, and held the perfect method, but I realized even I have gone off into my own method that works for me.

Also, methods aren’t set in stone! They are like seeds. The more you nuture them with personal experience, and outside influence, the larger they grow as unique trees.

The teacher dissed a rather uh, radical approach (sorry, Khatzumoto). Classrooms can be effective etc. So what? What’s upsetting here is that he almost crushed this girl’s confidence and will to learn a foreign language because it did not fit into his controlled learning environment agenda. He also provided some bad advice. “Random” things will fall into place, some language study and exposure is better than doing nothing and waiting for college.

TPRS, Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling, formerly known as Total Physical Response Storytelling is copyrighted (and also a mouthful). I fail to see the point. The real power of any classroom setting is not the method, it’s the teacher. And this one stinks.

The french generated sounds fairly decent to me. Couple that with the learning environment and you should be good to go. =)

I also took four years of French in high school. I was pretty good by the end. I tested out of the first two years of college French and completely outperformed my 3rd year university classmates as a freshman. By the end of my junior year (and a year in France) I was asked by a French person if I was French. Not so much an ego trip as demonstrating that “traditional” methods can and do work. Sure, it took 7 years, but it worked. Obviously I wasn’t living a 24/7 French life, so it took a bit longer than Khatzumoto’s method.

Now for my perspective as a language teacher (I taught French for 3 years in America, now I’m teaching English in Japan), I just have to say that Khatzumoto doesn’t have a copyright on the research upon which his method is based (not that he’s ever claimed such a thing). My preferred methodology is TPRS, Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling. It’s based largely upon Krashen’s hypotheses, as is Khatzumoto’s method, while being informed by general trends in second language acquisition research as well as actual classroom, anecdotal evidence and action research. I would wager that it actually outperforms AJATT in that all input is comprehensible whereas with AJATT, input isn’t designed to be comprehensible for the learner. The learner must seek out comprehensible input or make input comprehensible on their own. TPRS underperforms in that classroom hours are severely limited compared to out of classroom hours. This obviously is a big deal, but doesn’t negate the power of a classroom based on comprehensible input. No doubt a TPRS class, plus AJATT would have incredible results.

For a TPRS experience, you can google it and read about it (don’t confuse with TPR) or check out fluencyfast.com. No, I don’t work for them, I just believe in the method strongly. And I don’t like blanket remarks about “formal” language classrooms. (Unfortunately, they don’t have Japanese classes regularly if at all.)

I’d also like to add that more than a methodology, it’s a student’s commitment and drive to learn a language that is of utmost importance. If a student is ambivalent or, worse, actively despises learning a foreign language, no method in the world will bring them to fluency. By the way, there are MANY people who say they want to learn a foreign language, but who don’t really mean it or who are actually ambivalent. I’d bet that for every 1 student who successfully reaches fluency following Khatzumoto’s steps, there are a 100 or more who have started and not made it. It’s because it takes commitment to acquire/learn a language. People don’t realize there is no finish line; you never stop learning a language, even your first language. It’s incredibly hard to take on a task which doesn’t have a set ending.

Anyway, I could go on, but I think I got my point across. Not all language classes are the same, and if you want to know another language, it’s going to take time and effort and you’ll never be done.

Cush: For me, what has really helped me tremendously is every day keeping to a Japanese environment, studying everything that I hear, and read. The SRS is only a tool I use to help keep the things that I am learning in my memory. It’s not something of which I base my learning. I don’t really keep track of how many sentences I have in my SRS, I’m adding more each day. To me, keeping track of how many sentences I have in it is not that important, I’m not limited to the sentences I have mined for my SRS. The base of my learning is the Japanese environment I’ve created for myself, that’s the most important part of my progress. The stronger it is, the more input I’m getting. An SRS will help you take in, and really know the input you’ve been getting, but it’ll never create new input for you.

If you are using your sentence SRS as a gauge for completion that is a very dangerous thing to do. You have to do the kanji and listening, too. Don’t think of it as a percent till completion, it will click when your mind is ready. Just keep at it!

Also, how can you stand simpleton characters? They’re hideous. Even the Japanese simplified characters are often questionable (広????).

I will have to stop taking Japanese classes in the fall (yes I have been taking classes at the same time, but my success is largely as a result of all the listening, I feel) and what people don’t get is that my regret is not about not being able to study the language – I can do that just fine, perhaps better without the class. What I will miss is the people (lots of fun, even if their pronunciation can be excruciating) and the easy A.

I’m actually beginning to wonder if all those years struggling with French in a classroom setting mostly just trained me to struggle and to not have confidence in my French.

Classroom language is useless, I’ve been living in Japan for almost a year now and the methods on this website will shoot your Japanese into super-ultra space while your peers will be struggling out of Earth’s atmosphere. At first it might feel slow [with RtK], but you will hit a point where everything makes sense.

Just remember to never skip a day!

No, seriously, good job!
I am also getting good results with the AJATT method.
I started studying japanese because I wanted to see if it’s possible to learn a language without doing any output at all. I don’t care about being able to speak at all (for the moment, at least) but reading literature is important to me. I’d say so far it’s working well.

Anyway, your story really says a lot. One of those things that make me wanna run off and go do & add sentences like there’s no tomorrow x3