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Michael Wilkins
Michael Wilkins

908 Followers

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Better Advice

·Pinned

20 Life Lessons I Learned Working in the Social Work Field.

Lots of life lessons while on the wrong path. — I was in the middle of my social work degree when it suddenly hit me hard, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I had already been working in the field for almost a decade. I started volunteering for a suicide prevention line, worked with people with disabilities in group…

Social Work

7 min read

20 Life Lessons I Learned Working in the Social Work Field.
20 Life Lessons I Learned Working in the Social Work Field.
Social Work

7 min read


Published in

Swap Language

·Pinned

Language Learning Lessons from Polyglots

How to learn a language from those that are best at it. — I’ve been a language teacher for over 20 years. I’ve taught almost every conceivable type of language class. But honestly, I’ve never been that great of a language learner myself. …

Language Learning

6 min read

Language Learning Lessons from Polyglots
Language Learning Lessons from Polyglots
Language Learning

6 min read


Feb 13

Second Language Writing is Dead

I hate to say it. We just can’t accept the truth. Second Language writing is dead. The language teaching world is all abuzz about ChatGPT. Some want to ban it, some want to contain it, and a few want to embrace it. It is not a choice. We embrace it…

ChatGPT

3 min read

Second Language Writing is Dead
Second Language Writing is Dead
ChatGPT

3 min read


Published in

Writers’ Blokke

·Mar 15, 2022

A Beginner's Guide to Freewriting.

Use THE classic writing activity boost your writing. — I’m a 20+ year veteran language teacher. Freewriting is one of the classic second language teaching techniques used to promote writing fluency. But why not for advanced fluent writers as well? We’ve all heard of it, but why don’t many of us do it? The modern idea of freewriting originated…

Writing

4 min read

A Beginner's Guide to Freewriting.
A Beginner's Guide to Freewriting.
Writing

4 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION

·Oct 13, 2021

Are Language Teachers Obsolete?

Probably, mostly. — The Dodo bird, the Woolly mammoth, the Sabre-toothed tiger, milkmen, bowling pin setters, lamplighters, and ice-cutters. Is the language teacher about to join this list? There is evidence on both sides of the ledger. Machine translation technology is improving at a scary pace, as is access to language learning materials…

Machine Translation

3 min read

Are Language Teachers Obsolete?
Are Language Teachers Obsolete?
Machine Translation

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION

·Oct 13, 2021

Pandemic Hangover

Some strange personal quirks from being cooped up for 18 months. Do you feel like you have a pandemic hangover? Everyone’s pandemic experience was and is a little different depending on where you live and your personal situation but I can’t be the only one. What the hell happened? Now…

Pandemic

3 min read

Pandemic Hangover
Pandemic Hangover
Pandemic

3 min read


Published in

A Parent Is Born

·Oct 2, 2021

Ewww, Not Spaghetti!

What to do if your child is from a different food culture? — Yada (Eww in Japanese), not spaghetti! What kind of kid doesn’t like spaghetti and meat sauce? My body is literally half pasta and half potato. This was one thing I didn’t expect as a parent. Usually, children develop food preferences similar to their parents who have been giving them their…

Children

3 min read

Ewww, Not Spaghetti!
Ewww, Not Spaghetti!
Children

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION

·Sep 26, 2021

Are you a Digital Hoarder?

27 ways to cut down on the mess — You really need that file. You know it’s there. What a mess! Reams and reams of unorganized files. Half of them with generic names. All pushed to one side so you have a little clear space to work. Then the computer starts with the spinning beach ball from hell. …

Organizing

4 min read

Are you a Digital Hoarder?
Are you a Digital Hoarder?
Organizing

4 min read


Aug 30, 2021

Is the Arrival Movie Ending Sexist?

Did I miss something? — *** Spoiler Warning. This article is full of spoilers for the movie Arrival. It is a good movie and much of its appeal is not knowing what is going on. Please watch the movie before you read. Also you won’t know what I am talking about without seeing the movie. …

Arrival

3 min read

Is the Arrival Movie Ending Sexist?
Is the Arrival Movie Ending Sexist?
Arrival

3 min read


Published in

ILLUMINATION

·Aug 27, 2021

My Ninja Olympics Embarrassment

Luckily I can’t find the pictures online — Koka Ninja Village, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The noise of the crowd around the muddy pond faded as I concentrated on my goal. I furiously clawed at the bottom of the pond with my long bamboo pole. My too-tight lime green ninja loaner suit was getting tighter as I strained to…

Ninja

5 min read

My Ninja Olympics Embarrassment
My Ninja Olympics Embarrassment
Ninja

5 min read

Michael Wilkins

Michael Wilkins

908 Followers

Originally from the West Coast of Canada. Living and teaching in Kobe, Japan since 2000.

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