Table of Contents
Who We Are
Beyond Language Learning
A Close-Knit Multilingual Community
Join us and become part of a vibrant community where Japanese and English learners teach and learn from each other.
Authentic and Immersive Practice
Experience genuine language practice with native Japanese speakers in our Japanese class providing endless opportunities for real-world application.
Supportive and Community-Centered
Embrace a relaxed, community-oriented approach to learning. Together, we support, grow, and share joyful moments, making every step of the journey enjoyable.
Study Exchange
Joining our community unlocks access to Study Exchanges, a dynamic way to practice your target language, especially Japanese, outside traditional settings.
Whether hosting or participating, these sessions in cafes, restaurants, or beaches, allow for tailored learning experiences focused on conversational skills, vocabulary, or grammar.
Beyond language improvement, Study Exchanges foster community connections, sharing strategies and experiences in a relaxed atmosphere.
Hosting sessions also deepens understanding through teaching, enhancing retention and confidence.
This approach offers a personalized, effective, and enjoyable method to accelerate your language learning journey within a supportive environment.
Getting ready to host your own Study Exchange involves several steps to ensure a successful and beneficial session for all participants.
Here’s a guide to help you get started:
1. Join the Community
-First and foremost, ensure you’re a member of the community. This will give you access to resources, guidelines, and potential participants for your Study Exchange.
2. Plan Your Session
– Set Goals and Objectives: Outline what you aim to achieve with the session. It could be practicing conversational skills, vocabulary expansion, or grammar.
– Choose a Format: Decide whether the exchange will be one-on-one, in small groups, or a larger gathering. This will depend on your objectives and the number of participants.
– Select a Platform: Based on your format, choose an appropriate platform for hosting the exchange. Options include video conferencing tools, chat rooms, or in-person meetups if feasible.
3. Create Materials and Resources
– Prepare any materials or resources that can aid the learning process. This might include discussion topics, vocabulary lists, grammar exercises, or games. Ensure these are accessible to all participants ahead of time.
4. Post Your Study Exchange
– Use community channels to promote your session. Share the date, time, language focus, and any preparation participants should undertake before joining.
5. Host the Session
– Start with Introductions: Allow everyone to introduce themselves and share their language learning goals.
– Facilitate Activities: Lead the group through the planned activities, ensuring everyone gets a chance to participate.
– Encourage Interaction: Promote open communication and interaction among participants to maximize the language practice opportunity.
6. Follow Up
– After the session, review and post the Study Exchange Report. This could include a summary of what was covered, additional resources for further learning, and a survey for feedback to improve future sessions.
7. Schedule Regular Sessions
– Consider hosting Study Exchanges regularly. Consistent practice is key to language learning, and regular sessions can greatly benefit all participants.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to hosting a successful Study Exchange.
It’s a fantastic opportunity not only to practice your target language but also to connect with others who share your learning goals.
Post Template
Let’s see how to post to find your Study Exchange Buddies.
***This is for students and members of Blue House Okinawa only.***
Open your Blue House Okinawa app and go Living Room > Groups > Study Exchange.
Here is what to post and how to post.
1. Ask
いっしょに/isshoni
べんきょう/benkyou
しませんか。/shima senka.
Meaning: “Why don’t we have a Study Exchange together?” in Japanese.
2. Date and Time
Suggest a date and time to have your Study Exchange so that other students can check their schedule or arrange their schedule.
Make suggestions including:
ひにち/hinichi/Date:
Example:
*きんようび/kinyoubi/Friday
*１０がつ/10gatsu/October
*１にち/tsuitachi/1st
じかん/jikan/Time:
Example
*ごご７じ/gogo shichiji/7pm
から/kara/from
ごご８じ/gogo hachiji/8pm
まで/made/until
3. Pair or Group
Write whether you’d like to have a pair Study Exchange or a group Study Exchange.
ぺあ/pea/pair です。/desu./it is.
ぐるーぷ/guru-pu/group です。/desu./iti is.
4. Your Practice
Write about what you’d like to practice.
Pick one or more from below:
わーくしーと/wa-ku shi-to/worksheet
かいわ/kaiwa/conversation
たんご/tango/vocabulary
ぶんぽう/bunpou/grammar
はつおん/hatsuon/pronunciation
And add the phrase below after it or them.
れんしゅう/renshu/practice
したいです。/shitai desu./want to do.
5. Your Help
Write about what you can help Japanese friends with.
Pick one or more from below:
わーくしーと/wa-ku shi-to/worksheet
かいわ/kaiwa/conversation
たんご/tango/vocabulary
ぶんぽう/bunpou/grammar
はつおん/hatsuon/pronunciation
And add the phrase below after it or them.
れんしゅう/renshu/practice
のおてつだい/no
otetsudai/help
できます。/dekimasu./I can do.
6. Closing
Write a closing phrase.
よろしく/yoroshiku
おねがい/onegai
します。/shimasu.
= Please help me, please treat me kindly, nice to meet you.
Once you understand what to write and how to write then you can simply copy and paste the template below.
Study Exchange Post Template
Example Post in English:
————————————–
Why don’t we have a Study Exchange?
Date: (day of the week), (date), (month) Time: (time) to (time)
I’d like to have it as a group.
I’d like to practice with ◯◯◯(what to practice).
I can help you with ◯◯◯(what to help with).
Please give me a comment if you’re interested!
Example Post in Hiragana:
————————————–
いっしょに Study Exchange しませんか。
＊にちじ：◯ようび、◯がつ ◯にち、
じかん：ごご/ごぜん ◯じ から ごご/ごぜん ◯じ まで
ぐるーぷ です。
◯◯◯(what to practice) を したいです。
◯◯◯(what to help with) の おてつだいが できます。
よろしく おねがい します。
When preparing your post for a Study Exchange, ensure it clearly outlines all necessary details, making it straightforward for Japanese participants to understand the schedule and what practices are involved.
After filling in your practice needs and how you can assist in English, you’re set to post.
Regularly check for comments to engage with interested members promptly, either through replies on the post or by initiating a direct conversation to plan the exchange.
Additionally, explore and join other members’ exchanges. Your active participation and willingness to help significantly enrich the community, showcasing the value of mutual support among friends learning each other’s languages.
This approach fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment for everyone aiming to improve their language skills.
How to Host the Study Exchange
1. Start the Study Exchange
Begin by arriving at the designated meeting place at least 5 minutes early. This ensures a smooth start to the Study Exchange.
2. Self-Introduction
If it’s your first meeting, introduce yourself and invite your buddies to do the same. For subsequent meetings, start with friendly small talk to ease into the session.
3. Inform about the Schedule
Clarify the duration of both the Japanese and English practice segments and when the session will conclude. This helps participants focus on learning without worrying about time.
4. Decide Who Goes First
Encourage your buddies to choose who wants to start. If they’re hesitant, offer to go first to get the ball rolling.
5. Pronunciation Practice with Worksheets
Go ahead and share your worksheets with them and practice your pronunciation.
Practicing with native speakers is the best!
5 – 2. Quiz with Worksheets
If you’ve opted for a quiz based on the worksheets, encourage your buddies to randomly call out numbers from the Japanese script on the worksheets.
You can ask them in Japanese
“すうじ を ばらばら に よんで ください。”
Or “Suji wo barabara ni yonde kudasai.”
Meaning please call out the numbers randomly.
5 – 3 . Say it in Japanese
When your buddies call out the numbers, you go ahead and look for the numbers on the English Scripts of the worksheets.
Now you translate the word/phrase next to the number into Japanese and say it!
See if your buddies can understand your Japanese.
You can tell your buddies,
“すうじ の ことば を にほんご で いいます。”
Or
“Suji no kotoba wo nihongo de iimas.”
Meaning I’ll say the word of the number in Japanese.
Run a couple test quizzes and show them how it works if needed.
Practice till you can say it in Japanese smoothly.
6. Ask Questions in Japanese
After finishing the worksheets, use your learned Japanese to ask prepared questions.
See if they can understand your Japanese questions and see if you can understand their answers.
If you need repetition or slower speech, don’t hesitate to ask.
You need them to say it again?
Ask them
“もう いちど いって ください。”
Or
“Mou ichido itte kudasai.”
Meaning please say it again.
Do you need them to speak slow?
Ask them
”ゆっくり はなして ください。”
Or
“Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.”
Meaning please speak slowly.
Enjoy the Japanese conversation.
7. English Practice
Help your buddies with their English practice, praising their correct answers.
If they get it correct, you can compliment them by saying
“すごい！” or “Sugoi!”
Meaning great!
Or you can also say
“じょうず！” or “Jozu!”
Meaning well done!
8. English Practice with Answering the Questions
If time permits after the worksheets, let your buddies ask you questions in English. Answer slowly and clearly, checking if they’re comfortable with your speed.
Slower than you think, especially to those who have just started learning English.
We wouldn’t want to discourage our buddies.
So ask them if your speaking speed is ok with them and they will really appreciate you for caring about them.
We help each other and encourage each other here.,
9. Closing
Say thank you to your buddies or say
“ありがとう ございました。”
“Arigato gozaimashita.”
Share your learning highlights and what you enjoyed about the session, fostering a supportive environment for mutual growth.
Study Exchange Report Template
Following your participation in the Study Exchange, it’s beneficial to reflect on your experiences.
Engaging in a review process is an effective method to transition your newly acquired knowledge into long-term memory.
Here’s a guide on how to conduct your review
Reflect on Your Activities:
Start by recounting the activities you engaged in. Detail the tasks you completed and the projects you worked on. This step helps in acknowledging the breadth of your experience.
Analyze What You Learned:
Identify the key lessons and insights gained throughout the exchange. This could range from academic knowledge to cultural understandings. Highlighting these takeaways clarifies the value of your experience.
Acknowledge Mistakes:
Recognizing errors is a crucial part of learning. Reflect on any challenges or mistakes made during the exchange. Understanding these missteps is foundational to your growth and future improvement.
Identify What Benefited You the Most:
Consider the resources, practices, or interactions that significantly aided your learning process. Identifying these successful elements can inform your future learning strategies.
Visualize Your Review:
To enhance memory retention, incorporate charts, images, and a variety of colors in your review. Visual aids stimulate the brain, making it easier to recall information later.
By systematically reviewing your Study Exchange experience through these steps, and visualizing the review, you not only solidify your learning but also prepare a foundation for continuous improvement and success in future endeavors.
Here is a Study Exchange Report Template that you can copy and past to post your report.
You can tag your friends with @ and hashtag a keyword with # just like instagram.
(But you need to be friends on Living Room to tag someone so please be sure that you and your study buddies are friends on Living Room.)
Don’t forget to post a picture of yourself with your buddies and a picture of the study materials too!
For iPhone users, the photos taken on your iPhone will be rotated when you post for some reason.
You can change your camera formats setting from heic(High Efficiency) to jpg(Most Compatible) on your phone so that pictures won’t be rotated.
And if needed, please resize your photo when you post it.
Any other issues?
Please report to us!
＜Study Exchange Report Template＞
#Report
————————————–
* Place We Had a Study Exchange at:
* Date & Time We had a Study Exchange:
* Participants: Tag the students who you studied with
* I Learned:
1.
2.
3.
* Study Materials That I Used:
1.
2.
3.
—————————————
Post a group photo and a photo of the materials you used during Study Exchange!
Write about all the information above and once you’ve filled in all, you’re ready to post!
Who We Are
Beyond Language Learning
A Close-Knit Multilingual Community
Join us and become part of a vibrant community where Japanese and English learners teach and learn from each other.
Authentic and Immersive Practice
Experience genuine language practice with native Japanese speakers in our Japanese class providing endless opportunities for real-world application.
Supportive and Community-Centered
Embrace a relaxed, community-oriented approach to learning. Together, we support, grow, and share joyful moments, making every step of the journey enjoyable.
