Answer: Listen to the target language. LISTEN MORE, and LISTEN as much as possible (at least 20 minutes a day). Please find some time when you can to relax, and LISTEN!

It’s important to choose a listening material that is a little difficult for you, but NOT too much. You must comprehend the content, otherwise, you are wasting time by hearing sound that is incomprehensible.

Listen to some material. Listen a second time, repeat each sentence (or chunk) out loud straight after hearing it. When you finish, please read a transcript and confirm the content. It’s also a good idea to record your voice to review afterwards.

*While shadowing, you can look at the transcript but try without it the second time.

Listen to and write down the sentences that you found tricky when shadowing. Check what you have written by using the transcript, and read it out loud.

Once you are confident,  write/speak the summary of the content in the target language. Or/And write/speak your opinions on the content. People often prefer to write down first, then speak it.

It is good to have a tutor who can give feedback, preferably on the spot.

This is classroom or pair work dictation. Listen to some material once. Listen again and note down keywords. With your study partners, reconstruct the content by discussing grammar,  vocabulary and content.

These methods are for practising your skills and it is presupposed that you have studied grammar and vocabulary beforehand. The importance of learning grammar must be emphasised, for you who aspire to acquire the language beyond basic daily conversation level.

It is a good thing to have a native speaker as a tutor if the students’ mother tongue is also used for grammar explanation (to the extent that depends on the students’ proficiency level). Tutors do not have to be native speakers, but to have someone who understands cultural aspects of the language, is important.

*If you are an advanced learner, compose different genre writings and practise your skills with different native speakers. They could be your colleagues, friends and online language partners.

Lastly, my videos are made by categorising their levels principally by looking at components of grammar (not so much vocabulary). They are not exercises for JLPT listening tests, but for the learners to listen and learn the respective grammar for each N level and achieve proficiency….to turn on your “Japanese language brain”!

Notes: Dr.Taura is a renowned scholar and introduces these key training methods that are based on scientific research for acquiring a second language. His book refers to target language as English, and here I summarised his ideas that I thought would be useful for learning Japanese.

田浦 秀幸  科学的トレーニングで英語力は伸ばせる！ マイナビ新書

Shiota, K. (2012). The effectiveness of shadowing on students’ psychology in language learning. Accents Asia, 5(1), pp. 71-83. The Effectiveness of Shadowing on Students’ Psychology in Language Learning, Sophia University

Second Language Word Learning through Repetition and Imitation: Functional Networks as a Function of Learning Phase and Language Distance https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5625023/

Stephen D Krashen. Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning, University of Southern California.http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/sl_acquisition_and_learning.pdf