Engoo Tutor's Blog

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Conversation Topic: Spring, Allergies and Cherry Blossoms

For many of us and our students, spring is in the air! How does this affect our students? What questions...

How to Avoid Answering Sensitive Questions [Updated]

Share These "Cold" Idioms with Students This Winter

"Cheese!" 9 Picture-Based Idioms to Share with Students

Free-Talk Idea: Movie Vocabulary (with Quiz + Discussion Questions)

Smart Expressions for Voicing an Opinion

Have you ever noticed that some students always use the phrase “I think …”? Or maybe you’ve noticed a student...

"Safety Country"? "Hand Phone"? "Fighting"? — Funny Phrases Our Students Use and Why

“Japan is a safety country!” If you’ve taught English to Japanese students, you’ve probably heard “safety” used this way. But...

Important Things to Know Before Teaching Japanese Students 🇯🇵

Japan takes the word, “non-confrontational,” to a new level. At my university in the US, I sometimes attended lectures in...

Why Our Students Lack Confidence

You may have noticed that many of our new students aren’t total beginners. They know vocabulary and grammar — just...

How We've Grown Through Online Tutoring

When we interview tutors for this blog, many of them mention how they've grown personally and professionally. As the saying...

Backchaining — How to Get Difficult Words to "Roll off Your Tongue"

Have you ever started singing a song and gotten stuck after the first few lines? Or maybe you can remember...

How to Get Tired, Distracted Kids to Cooperate

“Taka-san … Taaakaaaa-san … TAKA-SAN!” “Oh, sorry!” your 8-year-old student says, snapping to attention. You sigh. This is the third...

Don't Know the Answer to a Student's Question? Try These Strategies.

Your student asks a question. You don’t know the answer or can’t answer right away. Do you: Secretly look up...