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 The Exploratory Learning and Teaching Newsletter of Dokkyo University Summer 2005 | No. 5 |
Welcome
to Languaging! No. 5!
Please
note
that archived issues are now available online also as PDF files. Future
issues will no longer be made available in HTML format. Feel
free to
print the entire issue or refer to the Table of Contents and
print only the page numbers of articles of interest. Let us know if
you have any questions.
| Feature
Interview |
|
| Interactive
Writing Classes: An Interview with Ruth |
Ruth
Yates and Markus Rude |
| Language Learning Reflections |
|
| "Herstory"
of Artful Teaching First-Year Videoed Conversations ... After Ten Years! The Way I Learned English The Pleasure Principle: A Second Look at Eri's Methods |
Masumi
Nakamura Aya Sasaki Eri Ishida Mina Takahashi |
| Teachers Learning |
|
| Increasing
Teacher Learning in Primary English Education in Japan Check-out Lines and Parking Lots: Stories of Language Learning Motivational Communities in Action |
Terumi
Onishi Markus Rude and Christopher Carpenter Miho Furuyama |
| Autonomous Learning |
|
| From The
Horses' Mouths: Students Starting an English Study Group |
Paul Dore |
| Language Learning
Songs |
|
| A Song for All Languages! |
Tim
Murphey |
| Introducing | |
| New
Faces at Dokkyo University |
Akiko
Takagi, Yuka Iijima & Jody Stephenson |
| Also
in this issue... |
|
| Reader's Forum Website Recommendations Classroom Hints Funny Bones How to Contribute to Languaging! Welcome
to Languaging! No. 5!
Click
here to
download the PDF file for Please
note
that archived issues are now available online also as PDF files. Future
issues will no longer be made available in HTML format. Feel
free to
print the entire issue or refer to the Table of Contents and
print only the page numbers of articles of interest. Let us know if
you have any questions.
Languaging! No. 5 Cheers from the editors of the Summer 2005 issue! Tim Murphey Paul Dore Christopher Carpenter |
|
Interactive Writing Classes
An Interview with Ruth
Ruth Yates and Markus Rude
Dokkyo University
Seeing the way some students
open up once they are put in a
new group makes me sure some
are trapped and affected by
negative peer pressure. I want
them to have a chance to
experience something else.
This interview reveals some practical ideas about how to manage a composition class in an efficient way. Through fruitful interaction among students on three levels, students can gain learning experience while the burden on the instructor is minimized. The dialogue below was jointly written and comprised of parts of a longer interview on December 30, 2004, at a German beer hall in Ginza, Tokyo.
Markus: You read about Gabi's composition class in the last Languaging! What's similar to her class and what's different?
Ruth: I have three classes of around 50 students and they are all 2nd year science majors. Like Gabi, I have them work together in groups. However, the groups aren’t fixed for the year and they often change. Another difference is that each group, rather than each student, writes an essay. Writing an essay collectively has advantages, namely it gets them to interact with each other from the beginning [1st level of student interaction], promotes peer learning and dramatically reduces the number of essays to be marked. Compared to Gabi I spend a fraction of time marking work. I too tried peer correcting but found it didn’t work in these classes. Basically they weren’t that good at assessing and critiquing work and actually not that interested [Gabi Schmidt also pointed out this problem in Rude (2004)].
Having said that, they are interested in reading each other’s work. I know peer correcting is a skill to be developed but I chose to focus on other things.
M: Can you tell us what happens during a 90 minute class?
R: At the beginning of class, students form small groups. Three per group seems to work best, with four it is too easy for one student to sit back. Sometimes I choose the group, other times they do. I announce the topic. Students then share their ideas and come up with a plan –only one student writes the emerging essay down- this way forces them to pool resources. The level of English of these students is quite low and so they often use Japanese, but I’m not worried because they are sharing ideas and knowledge of English to produce English.
I go round and make corrections as they are working. After about 20-30 minutes each group passes their work to another group to read. They get to read about 4 pieces. They pick up ideas from each other [2nd level of student interaction] and spur each other on … sometimes it is a case of jolting another group into action. Good old peer pressure!
Then they take their own work back and continue writing. After another 20 or so minutes they pass their work around again. If there is time I’ll pick two to be read out loud. It’s a bit of listening practice thrown in! If I really want to highlight the content or a grammar point because I’m hoping it will rub off on the others then I might ask one of the writers to translate as it’s read.
M: Could you give us some examples of topics?
R: Actually this is only one third of the course although each part relies on joint writing. So here in ‘free style’ I try to find topics that are quick and might give me insight into the way they think. Nothing mind blowing, academic or rehearsed, I want it to be a personal response e.g. "How do you feel on a crowded commuter train?" (see sample essay below), or "What does the cell phone mean to you?" Plus I avoid giving lots of instructions or guidelines. I wait to see what they come up with because I want their interpretation of it. If they are stuck I will throw in a suggestion. For example, in the one about the train, I suggested thinking about the senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, now that got them talking, as for taste, well okay, it baffled them but showed understanding and tested imagination!
M: How is the correction being done?
R: During the writing cycles, I go around the groups and correct all the emerging essays. However, I only underline some of the mistakes and they work out the problem together. I’m there so they get immediate feedback. If the meaning has been obscured we talk about what are trying to say and rewrite it. In the beginning they were embarrassed when being corrected but now they’ve realized that I am looking at the mistake and not the person who made it. Plus more and more there is discussion about how to say something so they are really keen to find out who is right. I encourage them to write above a mistake rather than use an eraser, that way other groups benefit too.
M: Could you say something about grouping and about the problem of the variety of students' levels?
R: I’ve found students with the same motivation, not necessarily ability, tend to sit together, particularly the ones who want to do nothing. By sticking together I think they feel safe that other students won’t make any unwanted demands on them. However the ‘passive’ ones don’t get away with it. If I think students are going to work well, I leave them to make their own groups; otherwise, I move a few around. Sometimes I completely juggle up the class. Consequently, weaker/stronger or motivated/not motivated students work together. Juggling them up also means that they get to know each other, it appalls me that even in second year many students have never spoken to their classmates before. Seeing the way some students open up once they are put in a new group makes me sure some are trapped and affected by negative peer pressure. I want them to have a chance to experience something else.
Whatever the grouping, everybody can contribute something. I think it is important to change the groups because what they learn in one, whether about language or attitude they can take to the next [3rd level of interaction].
M: Could you say something about the workload for the instructor?
R: Well in the class it is full on because of the correcting, but beyond that, grading is minimized and so is preparation. Once I’ve thought of a topic, which I think might work, I take the response of the first class into account so the topic evolves through one class to the next. In principal I want the students to do the work. I only take essays in if I want to record a grade. Theoretically I can also work out effective groupings.
M: What are the students’ responses?
R: Bear in mind, the focus is always on collective writing. The first part of the course is ‘analyzing graphs and reporting factual information’- mmmh… enough said. However, I figure the students enjoy the ‘free style writing’- described here. They are very attentive and really like reading about each other's experiences. The other part of the course is constructing a story from a video, which they love even though it involves lots of speaking. I alternate these two. The level of work has definitely gone up. Nearly all the students attend the class until the very end of the school year. Let’s face it, if I were a student it would seem like an easy option to me, sharing essays. I’m not sure if they actually realize the underlying aim of promoting collective thinking and learning from one another.
M: Do you have ideas for further improving this class?
R: Ideally, I would select the best writings from all the groups, then copy and distribute them to students in other classes or better still, set up a website.
M: Thank you for this interview and for sharing your ideas with us.
| Sample collaborative essay On the train, a young woman makes up even during rush hour. She rubs foundation on her face, draws on eye brows using a small mirror of foundation case, puts eye shadow on her eye hole and the colour is very heavy. She puts mascara on her eyelashes again and again, I’m afraid that mascara sticks into her eyes when the train shakes suddenly. It is interesting to watch a beautiful woman make up. But a beautiful woman seldom makes up on the train. N.B. This essay was created by a group of three 2nd year science students at Rika University in a 60-minute class. Errors that don’t obscure the meaning are left in the original form here. |
About the writers
Ruth Yates is from North West England. She left Dokkyo at the end of March 2005 to start a new position teaching young Japanese students in the snowy alps of Switzerland. Markus Rude, a German teacher at Dokkyo, is interested in using visual representations to help students learn intonation and is researching various techniques of independent language study.
Works cited in this article
Rude, M. (2004). A Composition Class with 90 Students? やっぱり勉強になりました！(An Interview with Gabi Schmidt). Languaging! The Exploratory Learning and Teaching Newsletter of Dokkyo University, 4, 19-20.
Dore, P. (2004). Lesson Ideas: Jigsaw Video Activity. Languaging! The Exploratory Learning and Teaching Newsletter of Dokkyo University. 3, 7-10.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Reader’s Forum
Living a Dream
| READERS! Languaging! wants your feedback! Please send us your comments, reactions and reflections, however brief, positive or critical. One way is to use the form in the Languaging! Reader's Forum. Alternatively, you can send your comments by email to languaging@yahoo.com. In the subject line, write “Reader’s Forum.” Please tell us which article you are commenting on. |
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Language Learning Reflections
“Herstory” of Artful Teaching
Masumi Nakamura
Dokkyo University
In her class, we could draw
anything we wanted.
When I was a high-school student, I decided to take World History because I really liked my Japanese History class. But in my World History class, what the teacher taught us was all related to Japan, not the world itself (Japan-centic). But it was okay since I still enjoyed learning the relation of Japan and the world. Once, he started to explain to us about the Russo-Japanese war. He told us what Russia had done to Japan and how much he hated Russian people. Eventually, he explained to us all the war Japan had experienced and often he said, “We were right and they were wrong.” I could never agree with his way of thinking cause what my father told me about the war was more agreeable and made more sense to me. I know and I understand those conceptions are different and depending on the person (especially, as my teacher was an elderly man and he had so many feelings about the war). But what he did was definitely not ‘teaching’. It was ‘forcing’. He didn’t teach us to think, he forced us to believe. I truly feel that it’s one of the worst ways of teaching.
In contrast, an art teacher I met when I was eight years old was a fascinating teacher. In her class, we could draw anything we wanted. But when I went to her class for the very first time, she told me to draw the picture of the ‘air’. That was the first and the last thing she told me to draw. I didn’t know what to do. “Picture of the air?!? No way!” She told me, “take your time and keep on drawing until you think it’s perfect. You can even take this whole year to finish it up, cause I’d love to see one completed drawing rather than five incomplete drawings” So I took my days and nights to complete that drawing. It took me about three months to finish and then I showed my ‘air’ to her. After she finished gazing at every detail, she smiled at me and said, “More than well done!” I told her it was very hard for me to draw a picture of something that I could not see. Then she answered, “That’s the whole point, Masumi. When you do the action, ‘drawing,’ you may use your eyes, your imagination, your hands, etc… but the most important thing is to use your heart and soul. Don’t draw just what you see in your eyes. Try to draw what you see in your heart and soul.” Her explanation was very clear and simple, but since I wasn’t used to that way of drawing, it was very hard for me. And it took me many years of practicing until I finally understood what she meant by ‘heart and soul’.
About the writer
Masumi Nakamura is a 3rd year student at Dokkyo University.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Language Learning Reflections
First-Year Videoed English Conversations … After Ten Years!
A Student’s Personal Reflection
Aya Sasaki
Konan High School
To enjoy conversations in class,
you need to get to know your
classmates, prepare for the class
well, and believe that you will
become a better speaker.
I was hesitant to pull out the old 1996 tapes and look at them after Tim Murphey’s email asking if I still had them. There was also a bit of curiosity and nostalgia about my first year at Nanzan University. After graduating and teaching in a high school for 6 years it was like opening a time capsule and having a 10-year reunion with my freshman class. Actually, I had not watched more than a few minutes of it once when I came across the tape by accident.
Re-Viewing Me: Procedure
I wrote down some notes before I watched the whole tape, while I watched the tape, and then afterwards with deeper reflections. I wanted to think about what happened that year at first without the benefit of watching the tape. How much did my mind remember that year and how accurate was it and what would be the differences after I watched the whole tape?
While I viewed my tape I jotted down notes and quick observations, pausing the tape when necessary to write more. Then after watching the tape, I described it to several people and reflected on it several times, realizing certain things that I had never thought of. Explaining what I was doing to people made me think deeper and realize things as I was explaining my reactions. Below I will divide my observations and comments into these three time periods: before, during, and after.
Before Reviewing the Tape
What came to my mind first were the contents of some classes that were especially impressive to me. For example, they were story making using new vocabulary from our language lab class and shadowing & summarizing. I also remembered the first few classes when I was not used to being recorded and when I was not good at speaking English. Each memory was fragmentary and a little blurred. I thought I would just feel nostalgia and notice that the video has sentimental value for me.
Observations While Viewing
As I saw each conversation, I wrote short notes and immediate impressions. It was fun in that I saw old classmates again and remembered those fresh feelings of that first year in college.
After Reviewing the Tape
I am a teacher now and that affected my viewing and understanding of the tape at this point in time. It does not affect my dislike of my old fashion hair-do, or cringing at my mistakes. It does affect my understanding and appreciation for the planning of activities across the semester and term. For example, I noticed that we talked about each other a lot in the first few months, getting to know each other and feeling comfortable with each other. Probably I noticed this point because I am a teacher now and I know that building rapport with each other is very important for students to bond.
Interestingly, I discovered how the whole year was planned, which made me become curious about the syllabus of the year. As I mentioned, we introduced each other a lot for the first few months. We made stories with new vocabulary and told them to classmates before the exams so that we could acquire new words more easily. We practiced shadowing and summarizing with different topics in order to practice shadowing and summarizing many times. For instance, we talked about “senseless acts of kindness,” “stereotypes,” “our three role models,” and so on and every time we did shadowing and summarizing. From the middle to the end of the school year, I was shadowing and summarizing spontaneously and using fillers and rejoinders very naturally.
Next, I noticed how some activities repeated with different content. At first shadowing and summarizing and using rejoinders were taught individually and then practiced and then all put together and how they made the conversations more natural later on. My first impression of shadowing was that it was very unnatural and that it interrupted my partner. In the video, I even talked to myself, “Oh, I have to shadow!” Later I noticed that with partial shadowing, I was shadowing more naturally and it was helping my partner speak more. It looked like I was more engaged in the conversation without caring about being recorded.
I found that I was seeing myself in the video from the point of view of a teacher and my personal self. Looking at myself from a teacher’s point of view, I was very surprised to see myself speaking English in the first few classes. I am not a returnee and did not go to any private language school before entering Nanzan University. However, in a class with good activities and a comfortable environment, a student can learn to speak English. The thought inspires me to try videoing in my classes in the future.
I also recognize that I was very nervous when my partner was a returnee the first time on video. I felt insecure and guilty when the returnee could not understand what I said or when I could not understand what s/he said. But later in the year, I looked comfortable talking to a returnee, and didn’t hesitate to ask questions when I could not understand something.
I was still critical of myself and it was not totally comfortable to see me making mistakes in English. I was a little shocked to notice that I sometimes still make the same mistakes now as I did in the video. I know that I can learn from mistakes and that being conscious of my own mistakes can cultivate English skills, but still I felt embarrassed. I should try to be more objective on that point and be positive about mistakes.
In Conclusion
The video records both students’ development in English and our precious memories in college. It can bring you back to the good ole’ college days, and you will also notice how you improved your English conversation skills little by little. You might also realize many elements that supported you, that is, the class environment, your teacher, your classmates, and yourself. Being a teacher myself, I learned many strategies that I would like to use in my own classes. In fact I found that I am using some activities I did in the first year of college, such as shadowing and making a story with new words. Thanks to the video, I became aware of the source of these activities. My honest advice to students’ videoing now is, “Enjoy each videoing class.” To enjoy conversations in class, you need to get to know your classmates, prepare for the class well, and believe that you will become a better speaker. If you don’t believe me, keep the video and watch it after ten years. Then you will know what I mean!
About the writer
Aya Sasaki graduated from Nanzan University in 2000 and began teaching English at Konan High School, in Nagoya. From July 2005 she will take 21 months off to pursue an MA degree at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.
| Website
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| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Language Learning Reflections
The Way I learned English
Eri Ishida
Dokkyo University
My way of studying English has
always been enjoyable for me. I
feel like having fun rather than
studying.
When I was young, I did not like the way of studying English at school because everything we did in class seemed like it was just for passing an examination. And I couldn’t see any point in studying English just for a test, so I studied English in my own way.
I preferred to become able to communicate with people using English than to become able to pass a test. So my way of studying English has been focused on communication rather than grammar. First of all, I thought I needed to improve my listening skill more than anything. If I couldn’t understand what people were saying, I wouldn’t be able to communicate with them. But I didn’t know where to start, so I bought some textbooks for radio English programs such as “Kiso Eigo” “Eikaiwa Nyumon” and “Eikaiwa”, and recorded those shows and listened to them everyday. I recorded them so that I could listen to them over and over. And I also watched some English programs on TV such as “Tossano Hitokoto”, “Hajimeyou Eikaiwa” and “Business Eikaiwa”. Although I did not buy the textbooks for them, I made my own texts by writing down the important points into a notebook. I listened to the radio English programs and watched TV English programs every single day.
Then I found another way of studying English, which was watching American TV dramas or movies. At the time when I was in high school, every day I could get to see a half-an-hour American TV program such as “Full House”, “Growing Pains”, “Boy Meets World” and so on. I recorded them. And first I watched it in English trying to catch some words and figuring out the story. Then second time I watched it in Japanese so that I could understand what it was all about, and then again I watched it in English for one last time. I went through this whole process on each show. At first it was really difficult to understand what was happening in the show, and I had to use my imagination to find out what was going on. I think this imagination skill is necessary when we have a conversation using a language other than our mother tongue, too. I remember I often got bored and fell asleep during the show when I first watched it in English. But as I kept doing this process every day, I could get used to watching those shows in English, and become able to catch more and more words with less concentration. This little progress made it even fun to keep doing this work.
I listened to the radio English programs, watched TV English programs and a half-an-hour American TV show every day for my English study. That wasn’t all I did to learn English. I also listened to AFN (American Forces Network) radio at least once a day whenever I had some free time. I couldn’t understand it at all at first, but I thought it was a good exercise for me to get used to the normal speed of English, so I kept listening. And gradually I became able to catch some words and figure it out bit by bit. I have been keeping listening to AFN even now, and today I can understand it mostly.
There are some other ways for me to study English which I still do today. Listening to English music that I like is one of them. As I listen to music, I try to catch the words of the song without looking at the lyrics, and sing along. It is really difficult to catch the words in a song. But I can get great pleasure when I am successful in catching the words. And another way is writing e-mails to my American friends. I went to Oregon when I was a junior at my high school, and stayed with my host family for one school year. So I have a lot of American friends there. And I exchange e-mails with some of them now. We e-mail each other almost every day. It really helps me not to forget English words that I have learned and I can even learn new words from their e-mails. And on weekends I talk to them on line. Actually we send instant messages to each other, so it is not a real talk, but I have to read it quickly and think what I am going to say in English as quickly as I can. So my brain is working almost the same way as when I am having a real conversation. The only differences are I am writing instead of speaking, and reading instead of listening.
As you see, I haven’t really studied grammar by myself. That is why I am not good at writing. So I have started a new way of studying English. As I mentioned before, I do not like to study grammar, so I do not make myself just do it since I don’t think I can keep doing what I don’t like. And I think the continuation of work is very important in language study. What I do for the grammar study is reading an English novel. It doesn’t have to be a difficult book. If it was, I would give up reading soon. I can find lots of expressions and new words in a book that I do not know. And I believe I can get some ideas of grammar as I read it.
My way of studying English has been always enjoyable for me. I do not like studying, so I have never forced myself to study English. All I have done for learning English does not seem like studying for me. I have never felt I am studying while I am doing all the work I introduced. I feel like having fun rather than studying. And I think that it is an important point of my English study. If I could not enjoy what I am doing, that would not be a good way of studying English for me. I think continuing to study is very important in a language learning process. And to continue to study, it is necessary that the work I do should be enjoyable.
About the writer
Eri Ishida is a third year student in the Department of English at Dokkyo University.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Language Learning Reflections
The Pleasure Principle
A Second Look at Eri’s Learning Methods
Mina Takahashi
Dokkyo University
“
To
learn well, I believe ”
passion is essential.
passion is essential.
Parallel lives
While reading Eri Ishida’s language learning history, I recognized we lived parallel lives in many ways. I was in Oregon for a month as a freshman in high school, and then as a sophomore I went to high school in Oregon for one school year. We both studied hard outside of high school using our private time and studying. Eri mentioned that she’s still communicating with friends, and does instant messaging with them. Like her, I also exchange e-mails with my host family, quite often, chatting with them for an hour when we happened to be on the Internet at the same time.
Finally, Eri mentions that she didn’t like studying at high school, but she found other ways of learning English and she focused more on listening than grammar. I also listen to music in English that I like, and try to memorize new words from songs. CDs are good materials for language learning.
Eri’s strategies and why they work: Passion Action and Vision
To learn well, I believe passion is essential. Eri’s passion seems to help her analyze her defects and take action. First of all, she wanted to improve her listening skill. So she specified what she needed to do. Usually with goals, the size has to be not too big, not too small, and not too general. I think she makes her goals the right size and specific. I can imagine that she has a vision of herself as an effective user of English that guides her to become one. She watched English TV programs and she listened to radio programs every day and produced her own materials to help herself learn. She went on to dramas and movies, watching them first in English, then in Japanese for full understanding, and then a third time in English. Eri is someone who intuitively knows what she needs (lots of meaningful repetition) and scaffolds her learning well.
Self-Directed learner
Eri is very much a self directed, or autonomous, learner. This means that she can make a decision about that what she needs to do and what she wants to do by herself, and in her own way. She mentions that she didn’t like the ways of studying at school. At Japanese junior high school, and high school, we just study grammar and don’t communicate in English in class with a teacher or any other students. But we are not totally controlled by the Education System and she has found ways that suit her. I think that is very significant thing. The actual ways she chooses are not as important as the fact that she chooses them and is motivated by them. When you decide how you study, you can use your visions of success and then develop your passion and take the actions you need to take.
The Pleasure Principle
Some people work on the principle of “no pain, no gain.” Others work with the pleasure principle of “If I am not enjoying it, I will not do it for long.” Eri is a good example of the latter. Maybe teachers won’t like it if you don’t do well on tests, but I think the way you learn has to be decided by yourself. Sometimes though to complete a task, it will not be pleasurable, but if you think about the results of your hard work, maybe the pleasure will be much greater and well worth a little pain and effort.
I wonder how many other students are like Eri and I. Are you?
About the writer
Mina Takahashi is also a 3rd year student in Dokkyo’s English Department.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Teachers Learning
Increasing Teacher Learning
in English Primary Education
Terumi Onishi
Dokkyo University
“
He
did not mind that
he did not ”
know [the answer], but showed
eagerness to know ... he showed
[the students] that is OK not to know
something and to be eager to know.
know [the answer], but showed
eagerness to know ... he showed
[the students] that is OK not to know
something and to be eager to know.
I am participating in the Soka City Elementary School Volunteer Group (see Languaging! 4), a teaching program in area primary schools. I have done this for two years. She places third and fourth year students and a few grad students like myself in nearby primary schools to teach English. We are called GETs (Guest English Teachers). I am visiting three schools weekly for the next 6 weeks, videoing the classes, giving copies of the videotapes to the teachers, and encouraging them to learn with their students. This is also for my MA research.
A principle idea of my thesis is that primary teachers can learn English with their students and be good role models as learners (Murphey, 2003; Murphey & Asaoka, 2004). One episode already happened in my first class on Monday May 30th that leads me to believe that this is possible. The teacher had taught P.E. at a junior high school for several years, so I asked him, “How do you say Physical Education in Japanese?” He didn’t know the answer. All the students looked at him, some students said to him, “Teacher, doesn’t know that!” （「先生、知らないんだ！」） He replied, “That’s alright.”（「いいんだよ。」） I kept giving him some hints in English with gestures while he was thinking, he tried to find the answer by himself in that situation and accepted that. He did not mind that he did not know, but showed eagerness to know. His attitude and behavior was a good model for his students. He showed them that is OK not to know something and to be eager to know.
To create an environment in which students teach each other and teachers, all people who belong to a school should share a concrete goal and work together. Specifically, utilizing a “Phrase of the Week” helps people to work and learn together. I teach a simple conversational exchange (such as, “What’s up?” “I’m super happy and wonderful!”) for students to practice for a week. I give it to teachers on a poster. After a week, I ask them through questionnaires how much they liked and used the phrase with different people.
One day I tried to talk to students using “What’s up?” Some students replied “I’m super happy and wonderful!” and others replied, “I’m fine,” “I’m great,” “I’m so-so,” “I’m happy,” and so on! This means that students understood how to use “What’s up?” and gave appropriate answers. It was really amazing for me, because I usually only reply, “I’m fine,” like a machine. They are teaching me, too!
Finally, let me tell you about a myth of ALT’s (assistant language teacher, native speakers). I have worked with several ALTs and found most of them believe that if they speak Japanese, it helps students to learn English or enjoy the class. So they sometimes speak Japanese a lot in the English classroom. It seems just like a Japanese class. It’s difficult for me to get rid of their myth, because they believe it strongly (just like Japanese English teachers who are convinced they cannot use English in class because students do not understand it). Now I’m tired of asking them not to speak Japanese and I speak English instead of ALTs, because students can almost understand what I say in English. It’s strange in classes, to hear the native speaker speaking Japanese and the Japanese teacher speaking English!
About the writer
Terumi Onishi is a graduate student in the Department of English at Dokkyo University.
Works cited in this article
Murphey, T. (2003). NNS primary school teachers learning English with their students. TESOL Matters 13 (4) 1, 6. Accessed at: http://www.tesol.org/pubs/articles/2003/tm13-4-02.html
Murphey, T. & Asaoka, C., (2004). Teachers Learning with Their Students. Teachers Learning with Children, JALT SIG Newsletter 8 (4) pp.21-26.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Teachers Learning
Check-out Lines and Parking Lots
Stories of Language Learning
Markus Rude and Christopher Carpenter
Date: Wed, 10 May 2005
From: Markus Rude
Subject: learning Japanese in the checkout line
To: Christopher Carpenter
Hi Chris,
I had a nice additional learning experience today (besides our spontaneous, in-the-hall, Japanese learning session). I went to buy some water at the market. In the checkout line, the cashier said something to me like: "Kesu” – naninaninani - “deshou ka." I echoed her, with a rising, question intonation, "kesu? …" looking at her, waiting for a repetition of her utterance. She looked back at me, obviously not understanding what I wanted, at first, then - finally - repeating: "Keesu ni teepu wo” – naninani - “yoroshi deshouka?"
Now I understood: since they don't pack the bulky water cases (keesu) into plastic bags, they put a sticker (teepu) on it to show this case has been paid for. And, since we’re in Japan, the cashier asks whether this is OK.
I said "Daijoubu desu," still wondering, what the 'naninani' meant. I decided not to give up but echoed once more: "Keesu ni teepu wo NANINANI wo suru?" looking at her. After 4 seconds (already much faster than the first time) she responded: "haru." I was happy, since I learned a new verb, "haru" (which must mean "to put" or "to attach"!). Being still in a good mood, I tried to reassemble the sentence, said it first mentally and then out loud to her: "Keesu ni teepu wo haru yoroshi deshouka?" She looked at me, maybe even smiled a bit, but she obviously affirmed my effort.
I left the checkout counter, happy to have learned a new sentence, hearing behind me her giggling with her colleague - so they had had their fun, too.
Let's go on with our Japanese adventure!
Markus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 May 2005
From: Christopher Carpenter
Subject: Re: learning Japanese in the checkout line
To: Markus Rude
Hi Markus
It was a pleasure to read your email before heading off to class this morning. Danke sehen. Here’s one for you:
On New Year’s Day, in the morning, we were on a road trip up the coast and had stopped at a convenience store for some essentials (coffee, onigiri, squid sticks …). When I finished shopping, I went to stand outside and wait for Mayumi. Up walked an old man (a sailor, by the looks of him) who, at seeing me, stopped and gave a peculiar grin. Up he stepped, grabbed me vigorously by the shoulders, looked deep into my eyes, and asked, “Kenkou desu ka?”
Naturally, I was a little taken back, having so rarely experienced such enthusiasm from strangers (especially this early in the morning). And I had no idea what he was saying to me. Seeing my hesitation, he repeated his query: “Kenkou desu ka? KENKOU desu ka?!?”
“Kenkou?” I said, sheepishly.
“Hai! Kenkou!” he bellowed, and smiling, he pounded two clenched fists into my chest. I was mystified, but knew the appropriate response immediately.
“Kenkou!” I said, and pounded him back.
He was pleased, and walked off. I stood staring … grateful to be standing. And when Mayumi reappeared, and when she explained to me that “kenkou” means health and vitality, then of course, it all made sense. In its way.
But the funny part of the story is that I completely forgot about this episode until just yesterday. A student of mine, Kenichi, was explaining that the first kanji in his name (健一) means “health.” It all came back to me in a flash, and I found myself again echoing the old salt: “Kenkou desu ka?!?”
Kenichi looked more than a little bewildered.
See you next week!
Christopher
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Teachers Learning
Motivational Communities in Action
Miho Furuyama
“
It is really
interesting to know ”
what students are thinking about
the lesson and English. Their
comments motivate me to make
English lessons much better.
Their fresh impression on
language learning refreshes me.
what students are thinking about
the lesson and English. Their
comments motivate me to make
English lessons much better.
Their fresh impression on
language learning refreshes me.
I am a public junior high school teacher of English in Saitama prefecture. I took a two year leave of absence and entered the graduate school of Dokkyo University two years ago. I got MA this March and got back to my job in April.
I have enjoyed my job since I became a teacher. However, I have been teaching for so many years that I just wanted to study for myself as an English learner rather than as a teacher. I had fun with studying here in Dokkyo very much and studied hard, maybe hardest in my life. My major was English language teaching, but I did not want to focus only on it, therefore I took any classes that I was interested in, such as Japanese language teaching, and international relations. It was not easy to study in my age, but working is much harder and it sometimes requires what I do not want to do. During the two years I was able to study what I wanted to and to spend every time for myself. In addition, I took pleasure in feeling the change of the seasons by seeing flowers and trees, which I could not afford to do in my busy life. I had such a wonderful time that I did not want to get back to my job when I finished the course.
When I got back to teaching, I was nervous because I was afraid that it would be impossible for me to keep up with teachers’ busy lives, so I tried hard and I was really excited, rightly or wrongly. It was childlike excitement at the night before school trip day. The first month, April was over in such excitement. But I enjoyed myself teaching English to my students very much. I was also having fun with communicating with children in daily activities. I feel everything fresh. It might mean that these two years have a good effect on my feeling. However, I am not sure how I can put my study to good account.
My study was about students’ motivation to learn English, that is about how teachers can help students motivate themselves, and the results of the study showed teachers’ communication style influences students’ international posture, which in turn, influences their motivation and willingness to communicate in English. In my study, the teacher style concerns 1) Developing learning strategies, 2) Using authentic English, 3) Pushing students to use English, 4) Talking about the world, 5) Creating relaxed classroom atmosphere, and 6) Teaching aids and activities. Developing learning strategies concerns teachers’ verbal and non-verbal feedback and information to help students develop learning strategies. Using authentic English concerns giving students exposure to English by using authentic materials, and giving opportunities to listen to native speakers’ English using pair, group, and individual activities. Pushing students to use English concerns a teaching strategy for how to promote students’ use of English. It also includes teachers’ behaviour as a role model of an English speaker and learner. Talking about the world concerns linking Japan with the world by talking about world cultures and the people engaged in international activities, or by comparing Japanese with other languages and cultures. Creating relaxed classroom atmosphere is of universal importance in all subjects and it is more important in the language classroom, since language learning is a face-threatening subject. Teaching aids and activities influence students’ first interest and awareness. Therefore, teachers’ various ideas are required such as making materials and texts relevant to students’ everyday lives and using lots of photos, pictures, and videos. I would like to keep them in mind in every class, but it would not have an immediate effect and I believe continual efforts would influence students’ attitudes and interest little by little. Especially for the first grade students, who learn English as one of the school subjects for the first time, even a few words which teachers say to the students will influence them.
- “I didn’t understand what the teacher said in English at the beginning, but picture cards made it easier.”
- “Pronunciation and intonation are difficult, but I think English and Japanese are similar in that we can communicate our feelings through a tone of voice.”
- “I was not able to say at first, but the more I repeated, the more I learned to say the greeting expressions.”
- “Through the game, I was able to talk with my classmates in English, whom I had never talked before.”
These are students’ comments. I often have them write about the lesson, such as how they felt, what they did and learned, what they did not understand, and anything in the end of each lesson. It is really interesting to know what students are thinking about the lesson and English. Their comments motivate me to make English lessons much better. Their fresh impression on language learning refreshes me. I would like to make efforts into my work with keeping in mind what I studied and learned for the two years so that my students’ interest on English will last and they can motivate themselves.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Autonomous Learning
From the Horses’s Mouths
Students’ reasons for starting an English study group
Paul Doré
Tama University
“
... when we use
English in these ”
situations, English becomes not
the object of study, but a tool for us.
situations, English becomes not
the object of study, but a tool for us.
In this article, you, the reader, are invited to enter into a dialogue with the authors and the students of the article. After reading the article, just write your questions or comments in the section provided and drop it into Dokkyo mail box # 535, or email them to Paul Doré (pdore@hotmail.com). In the next issue of ‘Languaging, the original student’s comment, your question and their response will be printed. Interesting, huh?
The theme: Learner Autonomy
A group of students wanting me to be a support teacher for a new English study group they were forming approached me recently. Although I didn’t hesitate to accept at all, at the same time the question, ‘What kind and how much “support” will be required? did cross my mind. Everybody, teachers and students alike, have very busy schedules and time management becomes difficult. Anyway, I decided to take the plunge and see how things would evolve.
About the study group
The group chose the name of BAL => ‘Break A Leg’ (an original way to say ‘Gambatte’, ne?). The students are Information Management Sciences majors. The 18 members meet twice a month for a 90 minute study session. Of course, attendance is subject to people’s availability.
Why did they form a study group?
Although there are several other extracurricular opportunities at Tama University for English study, BAL came about because the students found themselves wanting more direct input into the content of their study and more involvement in the organizing and delivery of the content. BAL students organize and schedule lessons, create activities and take turns in teaching each other.
The BAL lessons so far:
Lesson 1 – ‘Famous speeches’: Charlie Chaplin, Martin Luther King.
Lesson 2 – The Sound of Music: Info-gap listening activities for the ‘Do-rei-mi’ song and a dictation exercise of a 3 minute section of the movie. In this, for me at least, there was a very, very interesting section of the activity where students on their 3rd listening of the DVD could check their English dictation of the English sound track against the Japanese translation in subtitles at the same time as listening to the English audio track again. It was interesting for me because it required the students to carry out 3 functions simultaneously. At least two of which, I would argue are activities going on for any second language leaner when they are communicating in their second language.
Lesson 3 – TOEIC test-taking strategies: Two students gave a TOEIC study lesson to their peers in preparation for an upcoming June test.
What is expected from the support teacher?
I meet with the lessons organizers (usually 2 for each lesson) and answer their questions about anything to do with their lesson plan. (I.e. activities, aims, etc…) The students also asked me if I could do one lesson for them on pronunciation. What I think I am observing here is the students changing from playing a passive role, in which they receive English as the subject of study, to becoming autonomous learners actively and creatively broadening (meta-cognitively) their perspectives of language study and in the process simultaneously using English as the medium to improve their English.
Why did they join?
To find out the students’ reasons for joining and expectations of BAL were answered 4 questions (see below). At the time of printing, the BAL group had had only 3 meetings so the formation of opinions and the realization of expectations might still be in the early stages. The students will be given the same questions again, plus questions submitted by readers to be answered and put in the next issue. It will be interesting to see what opinions they form, and see how fully the autonomous style of study meets their expectations.
The questions
Question: Why did you join BAL's activities?
- “I was going to join the study abroad program so I wanted to practice speaking English.”
- “I wanted the chance to speak English more.”
- “I wanted to put myself in the circumstances where I have to use English.”
- “Because I thought I want to take enjoyment of learning English.”
- “One of my friends invited to me to ESS [English Speaking Shower, another extra-curricular program at Tama. – Ed.]. I was not so interested in English itself at that time. But I felt the inviting atmosphere at ESS. So I determined to join ESS.”
Question: What benefits have you received from joining BAL's activities so far, or what benefits do you think you'll get in the future?
- “I made a lot of friends who are in different years.”
- “… talking about how we will manage the study meetings with teachers in English is really good practice, because when we use English in these situations, English becomes not the object of study, but a tool for us.”
- “I'll get a positive attitude and confidence of talking in English face to face.”
- “I think I can get chance that I study English pleasantly and it will increase that chance of communicate in English in the future.”
- “ESS/BAL activities also gave me many chances to experience variety of communication by using English. These chances have got me more motivated to study English.”
Question: What do you want to do after BAL?
- “I want to communicate in English naturally.”
- “I want to join other English activities outside the university.”
Question: How is studying in BAL different from other English study you do?
- “Planning English activities by ourselves is really fun! It is a little bit different to use English outside of the class, because so far we usually speak English inside a classroom. So it is a big difference for me.”
So, there it is. The answers are interesting for me in that I believe they are supportive of language teaching research on collaborative autonomy (Murphey, 2000), Near-Peer Role Modelling (Murphey 1998) Cross age tutoring (Murphey & Doré, 2003) and for teachers they may even contain ideas for class or curriculum planning. So, what questions came to mind? As a teacher, did they bring up any memories of past students or teaching experiences? As a student, what comments, responses or questions do you have for the author, teachers or students?
I look forward to your comments and questions and the exchange that will follow.
About the writer
Paul is a professor at Tama University and a co-editor of Languaging!
Works cited in this article
Murphey, T. (1998). Motivating with Near Peer Role Models, On JALT '97: Trends & Transitions 1998.
Murphey, T. (November, 2000). Encouraging Critical Collaborative Autonomy, JALT Journal 22 (2), 228-244.
Murphey, T. & Doré, P. (2003). ‘Cross Age Tutoring in University?’ Languaging! The Exploratory Learning and Teaching Newsletter of Dokkyo University, 1, 27-28.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Language Learning Materials
A Song for All Languages!
Tim Murphey
The Twelve Days of Christmas has always been one of my favorites, however I regretted that it didn't contain more useful language for my EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students. The message was not exactly transformational either. So, a few years ago, I wrote other words to the melody for positive use in my English classes (Murphey 1993, 1995). I even rewrote it in Japanese (with some friendly help) for my own learning (Murphey 1995b).
Five Ways to Happiness!
English: When You Want to be Happy (Tim Murphey)
When you want to be happy, there’s (#) thing you can do…
(#: one, two, three, four, five)
1. Smile from ear to ear.
2. Breathe in deep.
3. Look up at the sky.
4. Sing a melody.
5. Dare to show your love.
(Tune: “The 12 Days of Christmas”)
日本語: 幸せになりたい時は (Sanae Takenaka, MakikoTakemura, Atsuko Suga)
幸せになりたい時は・・・
1. 思いっきり笑おう
2. 深呼吸して 思いっきり笑おう
3. 空を見て 深呼吸して 思いっきり笑おう
4. 歌を歌って 空を見て 深呼吸して 思いっきり笑おう
5. 愛をしめそう 歌を歌って 空を見て 深呼吸して 思いっきり笑おう
French: Pour être heureux (Christine Vendredi-Auzanneau)
Pour être heureux, il y a (#) chose(s) à faire …
(# : une, deux, trois, quatre, cinq)
1. Faites un sourire éclatant.
2. Respirez à fond (et).
3. Regardez le ciel.
4. Chantez une chanson.
5. Osez montrer votre amour.
German: Willst du 'gluecklich 'sein (Markus Rude)
Willst du 'gluecklich sein, brauchst du eines nur zu tun,
1. lach von Ohr zu Ohr.
Willst du 'gluecklich sein, kannst du (#) Dinge tun,
(#: zwei, drei, vier, fuenf)
2. atme tief ein, lach von Ohr zu Ohr...
3. schau zum Himmel auf, atme tief ein, lach von Ohr zu Ohr
4. sing ein Lied, schau zum Himmel auf, atme tief ein, lach von Ohr zu Ohr
5. zeig dass du liebst, sing ein Lied, schau zum Himmel auf, atme tief ein,lach von Ohr zu Ohr
The 12 lines of the Christmas version used to really tax my students (and me), and but after I adapted it and started calling it the Five Ways to Happiness (Materials Development Lesson #1: KISS – Keep It Short & Simple) and it worked wonderfully. It has also become a tool to show how one can control one’s emotional state by changing their physiology.
Some of my seminar students have used it for their senior thesis and investigated its use with JHS students and others. For example, there is firm research which shows that smiling (and laughing) moves facial muscles which send messages to the brain which releases endorphins (chemicals) in our bodies which kill pain. People who smile actually make themselves feel better because they have a better chemical balance in their bodies with less pain. Lots of research also shows that if you don’t breathe . . . you can’t live. Better than that, when you breathe deeply, you get more oxygen to the brain and think more clearly. Looking up is where you go to dream, visualize, and create your mission. Singing does much the same as smiling and breathing, and “daring to show your love” is just good emotional intelligence.
Finally, I tell my students that the opposite of the posture of the first three is a recipe for depression. In fact, people can change from a depressed state by looking up, breathing deeply, and smiling. (Try it yourself. Go ahead, no one is looking. Try it!) Finally, that same posture of depression is also the posture of test-taking and for some people studying. Tell your students they will do better on tests if they pause a few times while taking it and look up and smile and take a deep breath (they will also probably drive the teacher crazy with curiosity about what is on the ceiling!)
In the next Languaging we hope to bring it to you in Spanish, Chinese, and maybe Irish (the other Dokkyo Languages).
Works cited in this article
Murphey, T. (1993). Twelve Ways to Blissness, Anchor Point, P. 18-19, Dec.
Murphey, T. (1995a). Twelve Ways to Blissness, Modern English Teacher 4 (1) 42-43
Murphey, T. (1995b). Twelve Ways to Blissness (in Japanese), The Language Teacher (JALT) 19 (9) 54-55.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Humor Dose
from Thomas Kerrer
Try teaching one of these old pun-filled dingers to one of your classes. Students trying to decipher these jokes should look for homonyms and homophones of words (or phrases) that give different meaning to the stories and thus the humor. Figured them out? Try them on one of your friends!
Knotty!
A piece of string walks out of a bar and meets a friend in the street. The friend says, "I'm going to have a few drinks at that bar over there."
Says the one piece of string to the other, "Be careful, the bartender there isn't very fond of pieces of string like us."
Undeterred, the other piece of string walks into the bar, dangles itself over a stool at the bar, and says, "I’ll have a pint of lager, mate!"
The bartender looks suspiciously at his new guest and asks, "Listen, slim, you don't happen to be a piece of string, do you?"
It answers, "No, I'm a frayed knot."
Schooling Sensei
or
Another Reason Teachers May Want to Learn
Their Student's Names
It was the final examination for an introductory English course at a prestigious university much like our own. Like many such freshman courses, it was designed to weed out new students, having over 700 students in the class! The examination was two hours long, and exam booklets were provided. The professor was very strict and told the class that any exam not on his desk in exactly two hours would not be accepted and the student would fail. A half hour into the exam, a student came rushing in and asked the professor for an exam booklet.
"You're not going to have time to finish this," the professor stated sarcastically as he handed the student a booklet.
"I'll do my best," replied the student. She then took a seat and began writing. After two hours, the professor called for the exams, and the students filed up and handed them in ... all except the late student, who continued writing. A half hour later, the late student came up to the professor who was sitting at his desk preparing for his next class. She attempted to put her exam on the stack of exam booklets already there.
"No you don't. I'm not going to accept that. It's late."
The student looked incredulous and angry. "Do you know WHO I am?"
"No, as a matter of fact I don't," replied the professor with an air of sarcasm in his voice.
"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" the student asked again.
"No, and I don't care." replied the professor with an air of superiority.
"Good," replied the student, who quickly lifted half of the stack of completed exams, stuffed hers in the middle, and walked out of the room.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Introducing
New Faces at Dokkyo University
In this section of the newsletter we would like to let new (and old) teachers introduce themselves to the faculty and let us know a bit about them. The more we know about each other the easier it is to collaborate and create a supportive community that works well together. (That is one huge advantage of our big common room on the first floor, too! We get to see so many interesting people!) In this issue of Languaging! we are happy to have Akiko Takagi, Jody Stevenson, and Yuka Iijima introducing themselves (after only minimal arm twisting). And we are waiting for yours for the next time. Write us something and send a picture.
And now let us welcome ... !
Akiko
TakagiHello, everyone!
I started to teach the General English curriculum here at Dokkyo University in April. I am getting used to the new working environment and enjoy teaching students from all three departments. I teach listening, reading, and writing classes in Dokkyo and CALL and presentation classes at the Takasaki City University of Economics. Teaching 12 such very different classes takes a lot of preparation, but at the same time it is fun and I learn a lot.
The freshmen writing class is one of the classes I like the most because the classroom atmosphere is very comfortable. The classroom setting itself is special. The classroom is just the right size and the desks can be arranged in a hexagonal pattern. In every class, five students sit around one desk and enjoy communicating with different classmates. When I first met the students, I noticed that some of them seemed to think that writing in English is difficult and painful. They likely felt so because they have not had enough experience writing paragraphs and because their high school composition classes focused more on grammar exercises. I try to encourage them to write in a relaxed atmosphere and sometimes play background music. I give the students a choice of topics to write about and use peer review. Although I have taught only a few classes, I can tell that the students already have begun to enjoy writing. I am excited about how much progress they will make this year.
My research focuses on the question of how to motivate students and encourage them to be autonomous learners. I would like to develop a learner-centered class and support learners by assuming the role of a facilitator who is sensitive to the students' individual differences.
Since April, when I am not teaching, I tend to spend most of time preparing my classes in my office or at a café on my way to school. However, I hope to exchange ideas with many teachers and students about both teaching and research. So, please feel free to talk to me if you see me anywhere!
Yuka
Iijima Dear Colleagues,
Hajimemashite! I am Yuka Iijima, a new member of the English Department at Dokkyo University. I am mainly teaching interdepartmental English courses (Zenkari Eigo). It is truly exciting to be part of this inspiring community of language teachers and learners who are eager to share their thoughts and experiences.
As this is my first writing to Languaging!, I would like to briefly introduce myself. My current teaching and research interests include critical reading and thinking skills, curriculum development, second language acquisition, and teacher training. Though I am very much involved in English education in Japan now, my teaching career started as a teacher of Japanese in the United States. Regardless of what language I teach, I hope to help students become aware of the vast diversity of beliefs, cultures and values on our planet. I also hope to assist students in the development of their thinking and communication skills so they can make connections between the opinions of others and their own thoughts and experiences. Teaching is a humbling experience to me, and I am looking forward to further exploring the art of foreign language teaching and learning through interactions with Dokkyo students and colleagues. Finally, I would like to thank the editors of Languaging! for their hard work to initiate stimulating dialogs among the community members on and beyond Dokkyo campus.
Thank you, and doozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Yuka Iijima
Jody
StephensonOriginally from Sydney, Australia, I’ve been living in Japan for almost nine years. As a child, I grew up in a very multicultural neighborhood and developed a fascination for languages. I started learning Indonesian in junior high school and became interested in Asia around that time. I ended up majoring in Indonesian and Japanese at university. I always thought I would end up living in Indonesia (great food, good coffee, beautiful beaches!), but in my fourth year of uni, I was given the opportunity to come to Japan to study, and I’ve basically been here ever since.
I think that my teaching career is probably similar to that of many other teachers in Japan. I taught in elementary and junior high schools for three years on the JET program, after which I taught at a private girls school, while finishing off my MA. Before coming to Dokkyo I taught at Tokyo Denki University, where about 90% of the students are male and all students are science and engineering majors. Needless to say, the atmosphere in the classes here at Dokkyo is very different! Although I am not teaching English majors (I teach students from the French, German and Law departments), many of the students seem very serious about improving their English, and that is inspiring for me.
This year I am teaching reading (211/212), listening (241) and speaking classes in the Zenkari English program. Currently, I’m focusing on teaching strategies and finding ways of encouraging students to listen to or read authentic texts outside of class. I have also been asking students to reflect on each lesson and to write about what they learned, what was useful, and what was difficult or not useful. I am constantly surprised at how every student takes something different away from each lesson. Reading through the reflections has become a part of my lesson preparation, because it helps me to review and reflect on what we did in the previous week and to plan for the next lesson.
I’m really happy to be here at Dokkyo, because it seems like a place where exciting things are happening. I think Languaging! is a great forum for exchanging ideas, and I look forward to reading future issues and finding out more about what people are doing in their classrooms and in their research. Even more so, I look forward to getting to know you all in person. Please feel free to say hi anytime. If I seem a bit shy or distracted, please forgive me, I am still getting used to things. I won’t bite, I promise!
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
Picture This!
Hot Tip for Teachers
Did you know that you could check out a digital camera (from the building 5, 2nd floor Joho desk), take a picture of your class, paste it into a word file and make copies for your students? The camera works with simple floppy disks! I am a low tech guy and even I could do it!
Then you could do all kinds of activities with the pictures in pair work in any language. I use them mainly at the beginning of the year for the purpose of students learning each other’s names and bonding into a well performing group. Students label all their classmates with their names and can quickly memorize them. They paste the pictures into their action log or textbook. But this could be done at any time.
You could also do classroom activities with them. Pairs could ask things like: Who are the two people in stripes? The one in plaid? Who is kneeling on one knee? Who is the person with a ball on their head? Who is wearing white? Who has 10 above their head? Who is the person in the back row, third from the right? Who is behind Satoko?
I do this for every class and it works wonderfully! A nice cheap gift! The juggling balls are optional! Try it.
| Languaging!
No. 5 |
Dokkyo
University |
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS!
Share your learning and teaching explorations!
 You are getting happy ... you are feeling inspired ... you are going to write something for the next issue of Languaging! |
Languaging! is a semesterly newsletter. Our goal is to encourage students and teachers to explore their learning and teaching more reflectively by writing about it and sharing their ideas in our community of learners (we are all learners, after all). We want to encourage people to learn and teach (and write) together. We believe learning and innovation happen most frequently (and most productively) when people are doing it together. We want to encourage others to innovate, to take risks, to collaborate and to write about it!
We consider teaching a form of perpetual learning. This is an “exploratory” newsletter, and we want to hear from people who are exploring, trying new things, and seeing how they work. Learning and teaching involve a lot of exploration, and we hope to encourage this as much as possible. Furthermore, when we take risks, we often make mistakes. That’s part of learning, too. Feel free to write about the mistakes you’ve made and the lessons you’ve learnt so we can all learn from them.
Languaging! is a place to experiment, not just write about experiments. Think about your favorite ways of teaching and learning – fun ways to learn that could help others. Think about the data you might collect: keeping a journal, recording your changing feelings and ideas, having friends observe your classes, visiting friends classes, quizzing yourself, recording yourself, getting feedback from students on your classes, your materials, or the whole education system! If you read a good book, write about it. If you have a good idea, write about it. If you have a good conversation, write about it!
Writing style: First person narratives are fine! Student writing is great! You should write a few drafts and give it to some friends for comments. Revise it a few times, and then send it by “file attached email” to the editors (by May 15th for the next issue). Editors may ask for some adjustments or give suggestions for fine-tuning before publishing.
Length: We hope you will contribute short pieces for consideration. Teachers and students are busy people (or at least they look busy!), and they are more likely to read short pieces than long ones (4 pages or 2000 words maximum, although we also like paragraphs, comments, short anecdotes, etc.)
Format: Please send your contributions as simple Word or Text files (.doc or .txt). Word files should use normal margin parameters and a common font (New Times Roman, Arial, etc.) in 12 pt. pica, single-spaced. Use only simple highlighting devices (bold, italic, and underlining). You may include tables and illustrations embedded in your document, but illustrations should also be sent as separate jpeg files.
Get your ideas out in Languaging! Ask your students to submit their ideas, too!
Send submissions for Languaging! No. 6 by October 30th to the editors at
Languaging!