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An Innovative,
Integrated System of Language Education:
"Anyone" Can Learn Foreign Languages "Anywhere," "Anytime."
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Founder Nobuko Yokoyama's more than thirteen years of experience and research in language
education, is a method of teaching foreign languages by specially trained instructors who
are native speakers of the target languages. |
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| YDM is an integrated educational system, which allows
the learner not only to acquire command of the target language rapidly and effectively but
also to develop overall understanding of the culture and customs associated with the
language at the same time. |
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| YDM, though initially aimed at teaching Japanese to
foreigners, is readily adaptable to other languages as well because of its theory-based,
specially developed textbooks and supplemental materials, and has seen success in its
application to English and Chinese. |
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| With YDM, anyone over the age of six can learn
foreign languages effectively and without difficulty regardless of gender and experience. |
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| YDM requires no special language ability on the
instructor's part because his/her own first language is the only language necessary to
teach and manage students even if their first languages vary. |
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| The core of every lesson is sentence-pattern
practice in a dialogue format that emphasizes look, listen and respond. |
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| Each lesson is programmed so that the basic
sentence patterns and grammar can be systematically acquired through natural conversation
practice. |
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| Every lesson progresses through the steps from
presentation, practice, to review so that both the instructor and the students can check
their level of understanding and mastery of the material at any time. |
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| Textbooks feature many illustrations in every volume to highlight
target sentence patterns and vocabulary clearly and visually. |
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| Cultural events and customs are incorporated in the conversations and
depictions of everyday life situations by textbook characters to foster overall
understanding of the country/countries in which the target language is spoken. |
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| Illustrations and sentences are systematically laid out throughout
every volume so that affirmative form, negative form and new vocabulary, among other
things, are easily recognized. |
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| YDM is an integrated system of pedagogy, textbooks
and supplemental materials. Therefore, such study-aid as audio tapes is inseparable
from the textbooks. The learner self-trains his/her listening comprehension with the
audio cassettes under the instructor's guidance, keeping pace with his/her progress in the
textbook. |
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| For those who wish to become a YDM instructor, instructional videos,
which are useful in preparing for actual teaching and in reviewing, are available as an
option upon completing the YDM pedagogical training course and the licensure procedure. |
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| For those who wish to become a YDM instructor, the basic YDM
pedagogical training course can be completed in 8 or 16 hours. |
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| For those who wish to learn Japanese, for instance, the beginner's
level can be mastered through 300-hour YDM training. |
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