akamonkai_online While searching for Japanese lessons online for beginners, there are many factors to consider.
In fact, for many courses, you can get hints at the quality of the course before you even sign up! We will be going over some of the qualities you should avoid while looking for a Japanese course online. Let’s get into it!
1. Lack of Structured Curriculum
A good Japanese language course is built around a curriculum. The curriculum is the structure that makes it possible to understand how each lesson builds up to the next, and it helps you keep track of progress.
When Japanese lessons online for beginners do not have a curriculum, the content of the course is incoherent. It becomes difficult to create a study plan, and make connections between concepts as you learn them. Take a look at the syllabus of your online Japanese course, and you will get a clear idea of its structure.
2. Incompetent Instructors
Having a mentor is often the greatest benefit of enrolling in Japanese lessons online for beginners. They provide tailored support for students, answer questions, and break down the lessons in order to make them digestible.
Unqualified instructors are a telltale sign of a low quality Japanese language course. Someone can be labeled “unqualified” for many reasons. Being unable to speak Japanese on a native level is an obvious indicator of an incompetent instructor, but it does not end there. Someone can be great at a language, but whether they are great at teaching is a completely different question. Your instructor must be as good at teaching the language, as they are at speaking it
The Personality of Your Instructor
On top of that, the personality of your instructors is very important. If your mentor provides feedback that is not constructive, or shames you for asking questions, you are in an unhealthy learning environment. The Japanese language must be taught in a supportive and constructive setting. It should be a positive learning experience!
3. No Opportunity for Interaction
The ability to interact with the content and people in Japanese lessons online for beginners is crucial. For starters, if you have little communication with your classmates and instructors, the environment is not resembling of real communication in Japanese. It is no different from learning on your own.
When it comes to practice, it is important for you to learn actively. Speaking is more engaging if you are having a dialogue. Listening is more engaging in videos and real Japanese audio content, compared to basic course audio.
Engagement is relative
One thing to keep in mind is that “engagement” is relative to the type of course you choose to sign up for. An asynchronous course will have less real-time communication with your instructor, one-on-one lessons will not come with a group for you to converse with etc. Keep this in mind while evaluating the interactivity of your course.
4. Outdated Materials
Outdated course material is indicative of a dodgy Japanese language course. After all, language is constantly changing and evolving. There are phrases and words that go out of use, and new words are introduced & borrowed from other languages all the time.
Also, pay attention to the version of the textbook used in your course! The older it is, the more likely it is that the materials are outdated. Make sure you sign up to Japanese lessons online for beginners where the material is consistently updated and relevant to everyday use.
5. Poor Reviews
Before you sign up for Japanese lessons online for beginners, take a look at the reviews of the course.
The experience of other students will give you a clear idea of what the course is like. If the average review score is negative, it means that most students are unhappy with that learning experience.
Negative reviews are commonly associated with inconsistent mentors, curriculums, inconsistency and other negative qualities of an online Japanese language course.
6. No Support System
If your Japanese language course does not provide student support, you might as well be paying to learn on your own! The appeal of a course is in the support that the language school in question provides. It is possible to find textbooks and study plans for free on the internet, after all.
The tailored education experience, the consistent feedback, the specific questions you need answers to… It is the supportive network that makes it beneficial to enroll in Japanese lessons online for beginners. If your course does not provide any of the previously mentioned, that is a strong indicator of a lack of commitment.
This will slow down your progress and make you unhappy with the learning experience. Whether it is through email, messages, or a built-in chat feature, make sure you enroll in online Japanese lessons that provide adequate customer service!
7. Hidden Fees
As you enroll in Japanese lessons online for beginners, an important quality to look for is price transparency. If your course has a lot of hidden fees, that is a serious red flag that hints at exploitative intentions. You want to avoid this at all cost.
A quality Japanese language course will be upfront and transparent about its prices, and your expected budget will be consistent from the time you sign up. While considering a course, do some additional research into the cost structure of the course to avoid getting overcharged.
8. Unrealistic Promises
Learning a language is a skill that takes long-term commitment. There is no particular time frame for how long it takes to become fluent in Japanese. Some sketchy Japanese courses, though, will tell you there is.
Here is a fair warning: If the expectation is set to be “learn Japanese in 2 weeks” or “complete fluency in 90 days”, you are being blatantly lied to. Of course, you can learn some words, phrases and learn how to read some syllables in two weeks. In 90 days, you may be able,to achieve some conversational proficiency. It will require a lot of effort outside of the course, though. Remember, when it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Learning Japanese Takes Time!
Learning a new language is an ongoing journey, and the more shortcuts you take, the harder you make learning for your future self. Keep an eye out for marketing ploys that make unrealistic promises, and avoid them at all cost. Quality Japanese lessons online for beginners will teach you the importance of patience and consistency, in both learning new skills, as well as Japanese culture.
9. Lack of Cultural Context
Speaking of, the Japanese language is greatly influenced by the culture. The language has a lot of nuances and intricacies that are rooted in the country’s tradition and societal norms.
A lack of understanding of the cultural context behind the Japanese vocabulary, such as honorifics and customs, makes for a shallow and unfulfilling learning experience. Failure to provide this aspect of education is a sign of low quality Japanese lessons online for beginners. Not to mention, it makes learning the language boring!
Learning about the country, its people and tradition is part of what makes studying the Japanese language an immersive experience.
10. Poorly Designed Website
A website that is messy can negatively impact your learning experience. For this reason, taking a look at the website of your Japanese language course can be indicative of the coursework itself. While learning a new skill, it is important to focus as much of your energy as possible on the actual learning.
This means that you want to spend as little energy as possible figuring out your way around the website/curriculum. Although the website of a Japanese language school is not the end-all-be-all determinant of course quality, it is a hint at how professional and user-oriented the course is.
11. No Accreditation
The best Japanese lessons online for beginners go through a lot of steps in order to get accredited and establish their reputation. On the other hand, not making the effort to prove the credibility of a course will result in the experience being less recognizable by other institutions.
Now, for many people, learning the Japanese language is a hobby, not a credential, so that is not a problem for everybody. Still, it is reasonable for beginners to feel more confident in their decision to sign up for a course with a proven reputation, compared to one that lacks accreditation.
12. Excessive Self-Study
Studying and learning outside of your Japanese language course will greatly boost your progress. That should be your choice, though. If you find yourself learning more on your own than you do from your instructors, that is a cause of concern. It can also be a potential cause of burnout.
The mentor is in your course to guide you, help you focus on the right areas, and give you the base concepts. Then, you can practice them further in order to internalize them.
If your instructor is only there to grade you, and place expectations on you, however, that is a strong sign of a low quality Japanese language course. It is also a good reason to ask for support/change of instructor from your language school.
13. No regular practice
The consistency of your practice sessions is extremely important. When enrolled in Japanese lessons online for beginners, your course should encourage you to repeatedly attempt solving an exercise. They will go as far as to schedule dedicated time for you to have practice sessions.
You can understand a concept at its base, but you’re only going to truly internalize it by practicing it frequently over an extended period of time. For this reason, make sure you sign up for a Japanese course in which you spend time practicing speaking, reading, writing and listening.
14. No assessments
Although assessments can be challenging, they are integral to learning. Do not get the wrong idea, though. Your success in learning a new language is not measured by the score of an assessment.
The deep study sessions leading up to an assessment will be some of the most important in your learning journey. Active learning is necessary for you to get better at a new language. The habit of preparing for assessments is much more important than the assessments themselves.
Assessments Provide Feedback!
If you perform well, you know you are on the right track when it comes to that specific topic. If not, it is not the end of the world, but you will be aware of where you need to improve next. Assessments provide a challenge, require practice, and always end with feedback, making them essential for learning.
It is not encouraged to enroll in Japanese lessons online for beginners if they do not have assessments as part of their curriculum. These kinds of courses are marketed as “easy”, but their productivity is limited by passive learning.
Conclusion
There are a lot of red flags to look out for while searching for Japanese lessons online for beginners. Now that you have an idea on what the bad qualities are, you will be able to avoid them, which will bring you much closer to finding the right course for you.
Check out Akamonkai Japanese Language School in your search for quality Japanese lessons online for beginners!