"Teacher, I passed": The story of how 12 students who had never taken the Eiken exam all passed in 3 months
Living in Taiwan, mother of two 🍊 Former high school English teacher for 8 years, TESOL certified
I am relearning English and Taiwanese Mandarin in the gaps of childcare 🗣️
As I touched upon briefly in my previous article,
I once held an Eiken preparation course during my time as a teacher.
One of the moments that made me happy as a teacher
was when my students reported that they had passed.
"Teacher, I passed!"
"I didn't think I could pass on the first try!"
It is no exaggeration to say
that I prepared my lessons
for those very words.
In this post, I will write in detail
about what I actually did
in that course.
The background to starting the Eiken preparation course
I worked at a private high school.
At one point, I decided to open
an online Eiken preparation course.
Around that time, university entrance exams
that utilize external English exams were becoming mainstream,
and more students were using
Eiken and TOEIC scores for their university applications.
A total of 12 students gathered.
They were all students who had never taken the Eiken exam
and felt insecure about their English skills.
What I did over the 3 months
All the participating students were meeting me for the first time.
They didn't know what kind of teacher I was,
and I imagine they were nervous and restless
about what kind of class it would be.
The first thing I did
was an activity to grasp the students' English proficiency.
The content was simple: just having them write English words and sentences
in a game format.
I always do this activity in the first class,
whether it is an in-person or online class.
The reasons are:
・To reduce their insecurity about English
・To help them understand where they are stumbling and why they can't do English
(Making the students themselves realize things like a lack of vocabulary or grammar skills)
・For me to know the English proficiency of the students participating in this class
These are the three points.
If I dive straight into reading comprehension or grammar in the first class,
students who feel insecure about English or studying
will lose their motivation at that point and get left behind.
To avoid that,
I give this activity my all so that they think,
"This teacher is a bit different. Maybe this will be fun." (laughs)
Then, using Google Forms,
I interviewed each student
about what they wanted to improve through this course.
Passing the Eiken exam was a given, but
I asked which of the four English skills they wanted to improve.
Are they bad at reading?
Do they lack confidence in speaking?
Do they want to train their writing more?
I conducted this interview once a month,
constantly gathering fresh needs,
and while responding to those, I developed the lessons focusing on past exam questions.
I started classes for Eiken levels 3 to 2.
Each level had one 50-minute class per week.
In the writing classes,
I had students submit their work after class,
and I continued to correct and return them.
It might not have been a perfect class.
But it was 3 months of continuing to face
the "areas each individual wanted to improve."
The students' transformation and the results announcement
Three months later, the students took the Eiken test,
and all 12 of them passed on their first attempt.
Even though their levels for each grade were different,
everyone achieved results.
What made me happiest was
that after the results were announced, a student asked me,
"Can I request private tutoring for the next level?"
"My classes met their needs."
That was the moment I truly felt that.
Furthermore, at a later date,
I received a report that the student had used their Eiken achievement
to challenge university entrance exams.
Thinking that the 3-month course
became a part of that student's life
still makes me happy even now.
What I realized from this experience
Even if you are bad at English or don't have study habits,
including, of course, the fact that the students were working hard
when I wasn't watching,
results will follow.
There are only two things I valued when teaching.
✅ Understanding each individual's needs
✅ Accumulating small senses of achievement
Rather than a perfect plan,
do an amount you can continue
using a method that suits that person.
I believe this applies not only to Eiken preparation
but to all language learning.
Summary
There is something I realized as a teacher.
What people who cannot continue studying have in common
is not a weak will.
They just haven't met
the method that suits them yet.
Whether you are a mom raising children or
someone struggling with your studies,
I believe you are all the same.
I want to find the method that works for you
together with you.
That is my greatest wish right now🍊
Thank you for reading until the end.
"I want to take the Eiken, but I don't know where to start"
"I want to continue studying even while raising children"
This is an account I want those people to see.
On Instagram, I share the reality of
living in Taiwan and language learning.
→ @mikan_eigo_taiwan
I will also continue to post on note.
I would be happy if you followed me🙏