I was unsure how to word my question, but anyway... I may have the opportunity to regularly study with a native Japanese speaker, but he's not a tutor by any means. How have you guys gotten the most from people such as these? If I were to practice with him in English for 1 hour, then Japanese for another hour, how can I make sure I use my time well? What's the best way to study with someone who doesn't necessarily teach the language? I feel like casual conversation only goes so far and you quickly get to the point in situations like these where it's best to have a plan. I'm just not sure what the plan is.

And vice versa if you have ideas on how I can help him that'd be cool. I feel like it might be useful to have some sort of "homework" which will push us to study more.

TheVinster Wrote:I was unsure how to word my question, but anyway... I may have the opportunity to regularly study with a native Japanese speaker, but he's not a tutor by any means. How have you guys gotten the most from people such as these? If I were to practice with him in English for 1 hour, then Japanese for another hour, how can I make sure I use my time well? What's the best way to study with someone who doesn't necessarily teach the language? I feel like casual conversation only goes so far and you quickly get to the point in situations like these where it's best to have a plan. I'm just not sure what the plan is.

And vice versa if you have ideas on how I can help him that'd be cool. I feel like it might be useful to have some sort of "homework" which will push us to study more.

I think that it depends on your level, specific goals, and so on. I'm not saying that just to say it - but what's been valuable (and frustrating) to me about Japanese language exchange has definitely changed over the years.

I currently do language exchange once a week and get a lot of out of. I do 2 things:

1. I read one of the recent articles from NHK Easy News outloud. Then my partner reads it out loud, then we discuss. I also ask them to ask me "reading comprehension" style questions about the article.

2. I take weekly grammar lessons with JOI. I bring the lesson plan with me to language exchange, and try to make up sample sentences with my partner using the grammar point I just learned.

I find that I've done self-introduction, "why are you studying japanese?", etc. type questions so many times that I try very hard to avoid that.

In terms of other advice, I recommend having a very strong delineation between "japanese time" and "english time". In my group we use a stopwatch and do 30 minutes in each language. It will depend on your partner, but for most Japanese I know, speaking is their weakest point. I recommend actively trying to find a speed, vocabulary, level of idioms/slang, etc. that your partner can understand but will find interesting. I recommend being patient and, during the English time, trying to get them to do as much speaking as possible.

What works best for me is explaining stuff about my home to the other party in their language. It's hard as hell at first, but gets easier with time. It really helps me think on my feet. I usually let the conversation flow to the topics that interest the person I'm conversing with, and let them naturally ask me questions about where I live.

As a recent example: we just had Memorial Day, so I was asked to explain Memorial Day. So I went into its origins, its meaning to a lot of Americans, and how it marks the beginning of the summer vacation season. (And how it's a lot like Golden Week, only shorter... but traffic-wise, it can be just as bad!)

That sort of thing. You can either set aside some topics in advance to make it easier at first, or just ask each side to come to the meeting with questions. (Or just let the questions develop naturally.)

If you both live in the same area, and the other party already knows a lot about the area, then discuss your hobbies and interests, and see where it goes. Sometimes people really click, sometimes they don't, and it's not a big deal either way. Just how humans are. We relate really well with some people over others.

It's quite a long time since I did exchange, but I would very much agree with what ariariari-san says.

Make a very clear distinction between English and Japanese, with a half-way changeover point. Don't let it be vague.

With your partner help to draw her out and encourage her to talk. Ask questions to get her talking. Show that you are very patient and don't mind how slowly she goes. Give her encouraging aidzuchi. She may find a silent listener disconcerting, as that is not how Japanese people converse.

Depending on the level it can be good to find interesting pictures to discuss. Sometimes I would try explaining the plot of something I had read or seen in Japanese (this can also be something to ask your partner to do if she dries up - "What have you read in English this week?" "Oh that sounds interesting. What happened in the story?"

This is good I think as it challenges your descriptive skills and ability to explain things.

Anybody have ideas for homework I can get/give to my Japanese study partner? We won't be able to talk on Thursdays/Fridays and I would like to give them homework to study in English but not sure what's effective. For the record they have a low English level. In return I'd also like to get some homework but no idea what to request. Trying to work on my speaking/listening so it's a bit tough thinking up homework.

Hmm, here are some possible ideas:
If they have a low English level, maybe having them write a short paragraph about a topic that interests them, or something that happened recently.
For you, maybe watch a movie and write an essay, or give a speech about the movie & what you thought about it.

TheVinster Wrote:Anybody have ideas for homework I can get/give to my Japanese study partner? We won't be able to talk on Thursdays/Fridays and I would like to give them homework to study in English but not sure what's effective. For the record they have a low English level. In return I'd also like to get some homework but no idea what to request. Trying to work on my speaking/listening so it's a bit tough thinking up homework.

I have 2 language exchange partners, and here is what we do for homework.

The partner who lives in the US picks a story for PBS Newshour (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/) and we discuss it. It's great because they have videos and transcripts, and even though the content is difficult they speak slowly and minimize slang. I have to watch the video beforehand because they are always super complicated (the last one was about the Takata airbag recall).

The partner who lives in Japan talks about what is going on in her work life. There is no need for homework there because she never runs out of drama in her company

I pick NHK Easy News articles, look up all the words I don't know, read it outloud, and then we discuss. I like to mail it to them beforehand because it makes me work harder.

If I were giving homework to a beginner I would ask him to write down one thing each day he did. This could be as short as "I went to the supermarket". Then I could follow up with what he bought, etc.

Or you could ask them to describe one meal they ate each day ("for breakfast I ate cereal." "What brand of cereal?"). Or one person they met / spoke to each day.

I think the key would be something easy enough so that the difficulty didn't prevent them from following thru with the exercise.

If you are looking for listening homework I might ask your partner if they can recommend something that is the appropriate difficulty level for you that you both might enjoy (tv shows, blogs, podcasts, etc.). You might have to try a few things until you hit something that works.

Play DotA 2 with your partner