This paper reports the results of a multi-instructor evaluation of a newspaper article summary exercise conducted in the first class of the course. The evaluation points were decided among the teachers to be "elements", "structure" and "expressions". In terms of structure, the teachers' written summaries had the same information at the beginning and end, suggesting that there was a common "recommended structure" for the summary. For better summaries, it is necessary to not only list up individual points but also to construct it so that the logic is reflected in the output. This indicates the need for exercises to focus on all facets of "elements", "structure", and "expression".
The purpose of this study is to develop Can-do statements (Cds) for the workplace that enable people in workplaces to reflect dialogically their ways of communicating with foreign staff. With the Cds, we aim to contribute to create a workplace environment where foreign staff can work comfortably. We report on interactive evaluation activities conducted in actual workplaces using Cds for directive settings.
We have developed the textbook to learn the various expressions used in discussion such as expressing an opinion or rebuttal. We have also analyzed recorded discussions to verify those results. As a result, in order to deepen discussions and accumulate ideas, it is necessary for all members to understand the flow of discussions, such as advancing the discussion while confirming the pros and cons between members. In order to do so, providing not only meta instructions and phrase practice but the process of debate and conclusion is equally important. In this presentation, based on past practice and analysis, we present concrete discussion tasks to deepen discussion and accumulate ideas.
Providing Japanese language education for non-native speakers in Japan is a serious problem to solve, and Japanese society faces a teacher shortage. Discussions concerning the future direction of Japanese language teacher training tend to focus on the importance of teaching practice. However, practices of teacher training done in each institution are not disclosed in detail. Since sentence patterns are infinite, it is considered to be important to provide trainees concepts of teaching applicable to all sentence patterns. This paper reports our development of teaching materials to foster trainees' abilities to think of appropriate ways for learners to boost their communicative competence based on the process of second language acquisition.
This study analyzes discussions from the perspective of deepening a discussion and building upon ideas. The subjects were (advanced level) first year foreign students. In this practice, a variety of expressions were used to facilitate a productive discussion such as expressing an opinion, making objections, and prompting an opinion. For this study, the textbook objectives were evaluated on seven factors while analyzing the flow of discussion from the video and transcript. One of the results is that it was an important action for members to confirm each others stance to build upon ideas. For the enhancement of a discussion it is difficult to understand the appropriate flow from meta instructions and practice phrases alone. This suggests the need to provide both the process and the conclusions for this exercise.
This research analyzes the results of 8 instructors who scrutinized the rubrics used for teaching academic writing to first year college students. The instructors taught academic writing to over 2000 students in this exercise. In order to guarantee equivalent educational opportunities, the instructors coordinated together and the students wrote a 2500 character report for the final output. This research reports on sharing the process of how instructors used rubrics and the descriptions provided for consideration.By collecting the points for improvement, this can be helpful in varied practical situations for the examination and improvement of evaluation.
Japanese language teachers instructed Freshman Academic Writing courses for approximately 2000 students across academic departments. The focus of the courses was the research process and for students to choose the research topic based on their own interests, without the instructor choosing any theme. This paper illustrates the method for classifying student's topics using the library classification scheme. In particular, it discusses the formal structure achieved and the relationship between student interests and fields of study. In conclusion, it considers how Japanese language teachers can engage in creating a framework for more open Freshman Education.
The Basis : 武蔵野大学教養教育リサーチセンター紀要 = The Basis : The annual bulletin of Research Center for Liberal Education, Musashino University (5) 137-159 2015年3月1日 査読有り
In this study we examine how the difference of the way of construing the world affects on the description of picture cards for Japanese learners. The study shows that Japanese natives and English natives show different tendencies in describing in regard of which participant of events they focus on. Given that result, we insist that by taking those tendency into account we can improve the current picture cards more effective ones with which teachers can extract the target sentences more easily.
Many international students have difficulty conversing with native speakers in first meetings, so educational materials teaching conversation for mid-high level university international students, focusing on early stage relationship building, have been developed. Materials are based on conversations between newly matriculated native Japanese speaking freshmen, analyzed using conversation analysis. This paper focuses on a selection, "anxieties and frustrations". Whereas past textbooks focused on advice and consoling words for the reduction of anxiety and frustration, analysis found that the sharing of anxieties and frustrations also resulted in the building of empathy. Useful conversation strategies are presented here as a topic for instruction.
It is well known that many international students have difficulty in writing academic reports at Japanese universities. Until now, most textbooks focused on grammar and expressions at the sentence level. According to research using questionnaires for 108 international students, only 30 percent of students have practiced writing a full-length report, from the introduction to the conclusion, although 80 percent of students were given essay assignments in the first term. In order to increase academic writing skills for first-year students, we have developed a textbook which focuses on template-based writing exercises, which include: 1) writing an introduction; 2) posing a question; 3) stating a thesis; 4) providing evidence; and 5) stating a conclusion.
First-time conversations are important in establishing relationships between speakers, but foreign students find it difficult in deciding on suitable topics and proper ways to develop conversation with native Japanese whom they meet for the first time. Most conversational teaching materials only cover basic greetings and self-introduction. This study aims at the development of teaching materials focusing on the establishment of relationship in first-time conversations and an analysis of data collected from first-time conversations have revealed the process in which conversational topics develop after the exchange of basic information.
A report on materials development and implementation in training courses for Japanese language instructors in Korean middle schools. Together with the improvement of listening comprehension ability, the purpose of this study is to enable participants to construct and maintain a learning environment using educational resources available to them, even after completion of the training course. Additionally, participants should be able to apply the experiences gained through the series within their own classrooms. This paper introduces the use of the web diagram as a tool for listing and viewing all related materials that can be used in each lesson.