The use of a DVD created by Doshisha
University undergraduates to increase the motivation to communicate among students of English in a Japanese high school : an action research study
著者（英） Simon Humphries
journal or
publication title
Doshisha literature
number 54‑55
page range 49‑77
year 2012‑03‑15
権利（英） English Literary Society of Doshisha University
URL http://doi.org/10.14988/pa.2017.0000014867
Undergraduates to Increase the Motivation to Communicate among Students of English in a Japanese High School:
An Action Research Study.
SIMON HUMPHRIES
Abstract
This paper presents the findings from a small-scale action research study.
The author aimed to conduct a demonstration lesson for high school students, which could show the type of learning experienced at Doshisha University. This type of class faced one central potential problem: high school students might be reluctant or might find it difficult to adapt from yakudoku to communicative-style classes. In order to create authentic material that was relevant and entertaining, the author collaborated with Doshisha University undergraduates to produce a DVD. Written feedback from the high school students indicated that watching the Doshisha University undergraduates in the DVD motivated them to try to reach the same level of spoken proficiency.
1. Introduction
This paper reports the written feedback from high school students who participated in a class designed to represent instruction at Doshisha University. The demonstration class took place at Tsu High School, a prefectural high school located in Mie Prefecture's administrative city.
[49J
2. Action Research
This paper describes a critical approach to enquiry known as action research (AR). "Unlike many research approaches where the researcher can often be a neutral outsider, in action research (AR), the researcher is investigating a problem or subject of interest in his or her own context"
(Humphries, 2008, p. 508). According to Burns (1999) the common features of AR are as follows:
1. Action Research is contextual, small scale, and localised-it identifies and investigates problems within a specific situation.
2. It is evaluative and reflective as it aims to bring about change and improvement in practice.
3. It is participatory as it provides for collaborative investigation by teams of colleagues, practitioners, and researchers.
4. Changes in practice are based on the collection of information or data, which provides the impetus for change. (p. 30)
I would redefine the third feature to include collaboration from students, because their feedback can often provide the stimulus for change (Humphries, 2008). Many action researchers follow a four-phase cycle, based on the description by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988):
1. Planning: Identify the problem or issue and develop a plan of action in order to bring about improvements in the teaching context.
2. Action: Implement the plan.
3. Observation: Systematically collect data based on the effects of the action.
4. Reflection: Describe and evaluate the effects of the action. Begin a
new cycle of change if necessary.
Burns (2010) explains that other models of AR exist and this model can appear too rigid, but it "is probably the best known ... [and] despite the criticisms, it is a useful model as it summarises very succinctly the essential phases of the AR process" (pp. 8-9). Therefore, it provides a convenient structure for describing the AR project in this paper.
3. Planning: Identifying the issue(s)
The demonstration class had two central interrelated purposes: firstly, it ought to represent the type of tuition that I do at Doshisha University, in order to give the high-school students a fair impression of what they could expect and, secondly, the class ought to inspire the students in the hope that they might be motivated to study at Doshisha University in the future.
Regarding the first purpose, at Doshisha University, I use the communicative language teaching (CLT) approach. Although it may be unlikely for the students to take my class at Doshisha University, all students enrolled in the English department must take conversation classes with native speakers who are likely to use CLT. This approach has the following basic principles:
• Learners learn a language through using it to communicate.
• Authentic and meaningful communication should be the goal of classroom activities.
• Fluency is an important dimension of communication.
• Communication involves the integration of different language skills.
• Learning is a process of creative construction and involves trial
and error. (J. Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p. 172)
Rather than learn linguistic items from a structural syllabus, students use the language in tasks, "which have meaning as their primary focus"
(Skehan, 1996, p. 20). Moreover, there should be a change from the traditional roles existing in teacher-centred classrooms. Rather than passively receiving information from the teacher or textbook, learners become active participants in the construction of knowledge through sharing personal experiences and attitudes (Kern & Warschauer, 2000; J.
Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
The implementation of CLT has been problematic in Japan. Since 1989, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has prescribed the introduction of CLT in Japanese secondary schools, which culminated in 2003 with the "Action Plan to Cultivate Japanese with English Abilities" (MEXT, 2003). However, studies have indicated that Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) tend to continue using the yakudoku (grammar-translation) tradition (O'Donnell, 2005;
Sakui, 2004; K. Sato, 2002; K. Sato & Kleinsasser, 2004; Taguchi, 2005;
Watanabe, 2004). Yakudoku classes tend to be teacher-centred, conducted in Japanese, focused on sentence-level translation into Japanese and tend not to require English utterances from the students (except for copying or repetition) (Gorsuch, 1998). Various theories exist for the prevalence of yakudoku, which cite (1) university entrance test preparation (Gorsuch, 2000; Nishino & Watanabe, 2008), (2) teachers' lack of confidence (K. Sato, 2002; Wada, 2002), (3) limited time due to extensive non-teaching duties (O'Donnell, 2005; M. Sato & Asanuma, 2000), (4) conformity to the teaching culture norm (Okano & Tsuchiya, 1999; K. Sato, 2002), (5) inadequate pre- and in-service training (Browne & Wada, 1998; Kizuka, 2006; Nagasawa, 2004), and (6) the non-communicative nature of the MEXT-mandated
textbooks (Humphries, 2011b; McGroarty & Taguchi, 2005; Rosenkjar, 2009). However, it has been widely reported that many Japanese high- school students tend to prefer passive or silent study (Brown, 2004; Cook, 2009; Taguchi, 2002). Evidence also exists that, even in the absence of pressure from entrance tests, high-school-aged students may prefer the status quo and resist teachers' attempts to make them produce English (Humphries, 2011a, 2011b).
Therefore, the central problem arose: how should I conduct a CLT- oriented class for students who may be reluctant or find it difficult to change from the regular yakudoku style?
4. Action: Interventions implemented in response to the issue(s) In response to the issues described above, I asked the students in my Skills in English (2) (SE2) class to make an English DVD. SE2 was a single- semester advanced class aimed at preparing students to study overseas.
The students in this class were ideal for this project, due to their enthusiasm, humour, and high proficiency levels (recommended TOEFL level 500+). In particular, one student had extensive experience directing and editing movies.
A student-made DVD had several potential benefits:
1. The Doshisha University students (DS) acting in the movie could provide positive role models to the high-school students.
2. Showing the DS (and the campus) in the movie enabled me to bring Doshisha University into the classroom.
3. DS-made materials facilitated a more student-centred approach:
as young Japanese, the DS may share the same interests and humour as the high-school students (HSS) in the target class.
4. DS using English authentically could enable the removal of myths
such as "only foreigners can communicate in English and that Japanese will never be fluent enough to do so" (Kusano-Hubbell, 2002, p. 86).
Before making the DVD, I orally asked the DS for their consent and then described the purpose of the project. They were told that the DVD would be used in a high-school demonstration class containing Grade 10 learners.
They could include any English content that they thought the HSS would find useful or interesting. Finally, the DS chose four areas of interest: (1) a campus tour, (2) an interview with a third year English student who had studied at Whitman College in America, (3) a debate about the use of mobile phones by primary school students, and (4) a music video based on the song You Belong With Me (Swift, 2008). Following the selection of the topics, they chose their desired groups and used three 90-minute classes to plan and record their video segments. I acted as a facilitator, but kept my advice to a minimum to allow their creativity to flourish. Instead, the student in charge of directing and editing circulated to advise the groups.
Following the creation of the first edition of the DVD, we discussed improvements with the student director and planned the handout (Appendix A). The handout gradually increases in its cognitive and productive demands of the students. For example, the first activity, Section A, has minimal linguistic demands; instead, it plays a warm-up role, because learners complete multiple-choice exercises that test their observation skills. Sections B, C and D also require no English output.
Sections Band Dare pre-task activities. Before watching the relevant DVD segment, such pre-task activities have several cognitive goals: (1) introduce new language, (2) increase the chances of restructuring in the learner's underlying language system, (3) mobilise inactive language, (4) recycle language, (5) ease the processing load, and (6) push learners to
interpret tasks in more demanding ways (Humphries & Takeuchi, 2004;
Skehan, 1998). These pre-task activities asked the HSS to match words to their definitions in English. For these activities, the DS had chosen words that they thought the HSS might not understand, in order to help their comprehension of the DVD. Section C tests their understanding of the interview using true/false statements. In contrast, the final sections (Section E and Section F) increase the students' English output. These sections ask the HSS to write English sentences that summarise the content of the DVD and express their opinions.
5, Observation: systematic data collection
As described in Section 2, the observation phase of AR refers to the systematic collection of data. This study employed qualitative methods of enquiry, which involves humanistic, holistic and naturalistic approaches (Creswell, 1998; Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; K. Richards, 2003). I used two methods for collecting the data. Firstly, I kept a research diary to collect my post-class reflections and note observations while students were on- task. Secondly, on the final page of the handout, I included the open- response question: "What did you think about this class?" The HSS wrote their answers in Japanese, which were then translated into English by an independent bilingual Japanese national. I then categorised the data using inductive open-coding through the constant comparison memo-writing approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Table 1 shows the categories that arose.
Table 1. Categories arising from student comments Category
Difficult but motivating
Feeling the language's depth
Doshisha's positive image
Different from high school
Appreciation of CLT strategies
The DVD's appeal
Do not forget the teacher
Data sample
I found lots of new words and phrases I didn't know in the class, so I'd like to study harder I thought English is deep, so I'd like to learn more about it
My image of classes at university was that they are serious and hard, but ifthey are held with a lively atmosphere like this class, I think I will enjoy the classes very much
The class at university was more wide arranged and fun than at high school
Because we made groups and exchanged our opinions, I felt we all joined the class together, not individually like each student and the teacher
The story in the music video was fun and the music was by my favourite singer: Taylor Swift. So I was happy
I wanted to know more about the research the teacher is doing
The next section discusses and illustrates these categories with extracts from the 25 HSS who participated in the demonstration class. The students completed the question anonymously and they are labelled A-y'
6. Reflection: Evaluation of the effects of the action As outlined in Table 1, seven categories arose from the data: (1) difficult but motivating, (2) feeling the language's depth, (3) Doshisha's positive image, (4) different from high school, (5) appreciation ofCLT strategies, (6) the DVD's appeal, and (7) do not forget the teacher.
6.1 Difficult but motivating
Many students described the challenging nature of the class, and two general tendencies emerged. Firstly, they qualified their difficulties by indicating their enjoyment: "it was a little difficult, but fun" (Student H).
Many students highlighted the difficult vocabulary, probably from the pre- task activities Band D. For example, "the vocabulary was difficult, but the DVD was fun and easy to understand" (Student E) and "there were some difficult activities like guessing the meaning of the word, but it was good that I was able to enjoy it" (Student R). Student M noted that although he or she "struggled with the questions, because they were difficult", this student said: "I improved my vocabulary level", which could indicate the achievement of the pre-task aim to build their vocabulary before listening to the extended discourse.
Secondly, the challenge faced by the new vocabulary seemed to motivate many of these learners to study harder in the future. Student Ns comment, "I had thought I was good at English, but found lots of new words and phrases I didn't know in the class, so I'd like to study harder", indicates that this learner had developed an increased awareness regarding the challenge of learning a language.
Many other students discussed their motivation to study harder without mentioning the difficult content. For example, Student I said
"through this class, I didn't feel that I was poor at English and I felt motivated to be able to communicate". Other students shared this communication goal; for example, "I don't know how I will use English in the future, but I'd like to be able to speak it after this class" (Student J).
Other students had more concrete goals and objectives: "I hope I'll get ajob in which I can communicate with foreigners while using English in the future. I'd like to study every day during three years and connect myself to people in the world" (Student L) and "after I use English a lot, I'd like to
speak to the teacher" (Student M). Moreover, Student Y seemed to change his or her general attitude to English "I started to like English better".
Two students considered how their levels of satisfaction could be increased through (1) greater knowledge of English-"I enjoyed the class.
If I could understand English better, I would be able to enjoy it more"
(Student D), and (2) greater use ofthe language-"although I need courage to communicate with foreigners, I found out in this class that it was fun to try it ... Through talking with foreigners, I thought it seemed to be fun to get to know the world I don't know" (Student X).
6.2 Feeling the language's depth
Some students seemed to show increased sensitivity to some intangible language learning concepts. Two students referred to the depth of the language. "Through this class, I could feel more interested in English. I thought English is deep, so I'd like to learn more about it" (Student N) and
"I realised there were many words I didn't know in the handout even though I have learned a lot at school, so it became a good chance to think of learning English deeply" (Student P). Moreover, Student M showed an awareness of feeling the language to compensate for his or her lack of linguistic knowledge: "I had felt I wasn't good at English, but I enjoyed the class, because I could feel English a lot in the class". Further down the comment sheet, this student defined his or her concept: "through using English like this, I can feel people's feelings and what they want to tell with their facial expressions and expressions even if I don't understand English well" (Student M).
6.3 Doshisha's positive image
Two positive themes emerged from the students' comments in relation to Doshisha University. Firstly, many students thought that the university
seemed appealing; for example: "It had the attraction of Doshisha University and 1 long to go to university" (Student 1). Moreover, the campus impressed Student A: "Through watching how the campus was like, 1 thought Doshisha was very beautiful". Following this class, a recurring theme among the HSS was the changing of their perceptions, which included their viewpoints of university study. The following comment represents this tendency: "my image of classes at university was that they are serious and hard, but if they are held with a lively atmosphere like this class, I think I will enjoy the classes very much" (Student L).
Secondly, many of the HSS comments indicated the positive impression fostered by the DS in the DVD. Student B noticed their enthusiasm: "it was interesting to see the campus life and the students looked happy on the screen". A large number of HSS indicated their surprise at the high proficiency levels of the DS and expressed their desire to reach the same level. For example, Student R was able to dismiss a misconception about Japanese speaking ability:
I was a little surprised at the good English pronunciation of people in the DVD. 1 thought that even Japanese can pronounce like native speakers, so I'd like to try hard to pronounce well in the English classes from now on.
Other students said, "1 thought the Doshisha students were excellent when 1 saw them speaking English fluently. 1 hope to speak English naturally too" (Student T) and "1 thought it would be cool ifI could speak English like the people in the DVD. 1 hope to be able to communicate in English"
(Student S). Some HSS admitted that they felt envious of the DS: "after watching how the university was and the students who were speaking English fluently, 1 started to envy them" (Student Q). Moreover, after
watching the DS communicating in English, Student U claimed to feel a rekindled love of the language: "I envied the good pronunciation of the students in the DVD. I thought again that English is nice".
However, one HSS felt frustration that his or her hard work in regular classes had not facilitated practical communicative proficiency.
Watching the successful DS exacerbated this irritation, but also provided a future goal:
Even if I study grammar hard in my English classes, work on the English textbook and memorise vocabularies, it was difficult to use it practically. I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't make myself understood well. I was frustrated. Also listening to English was difficult to understand, so I was irritated. It was the feeling I can't feel in ordinary English classes. I think foreign languages become meaningful when using them practically. I strongly feel that I want to talk with different people about different things after this class. I'd like to have different kinds of knowledge about English and be able to speak fluently like the people in the DVD.
(Student K)
Many other students mentioned the difference between this demonstration class and their regular high-school classes, which are discussed in the next subsection.
6.4 Different from high school
In addition to developing awareness about Doshisha University, the HSS noted that they had experienced a different learning style from their regular classes. Student W commented "it was my first time to keep listening to only English for one and a half hours". Moreover, Student A
explained that it was the first time that a DVD had been used in an English class: "we don't have any classes using DVD in Tsu High School, so it was fun". The set-up of the equipment seemed to support Student N.s observation, because it was prepared temporarily for the demonstration class, and the classroom lacked the space and adequate curtains for the use of audio-visual equipment. Moreover, Student P noted that he or she enjoyed the change from a teacher-led class: "1 enjoyed it very much. It was good to learn English watching a DVD, not only listening to the teacher".
In regular high-school classes, the teachers tend to follow the textbook (Browne & Wada, 1998). It is probably the same in Tsu High School, because Student H appreciated the change of written materials; "The class using the handouts was new and good". This student also noted the increased variety of activities: "the class at university was more wide arranged and fun than at high school" (Student H). Student U agreed, but from the perspective ofthe number of activities: "it was a short time, but it had a lot of things covered in the 90 minutes".
6.5 Appreciation of CLT strategies
Although CLT is widely misunderstood (Holliday, 1994; Thompson, 1996) and the HSS would be unlikely to know the principles of this approach, some of them appreciated the meaning-oriented and groupworkJlearner- centred strategies.
In particular, many students focused on the keyword strategies employed to help them understand the gist ofthe texts without translating.
Their interest in the keyword strategy seemed to balance any frustration felt from so much new vocabulary; for example, "there were some difficult words to match, but matching words using the keywords was fun" (Student H) and "I was happy when I found the keywords and I could answer the questions with them" (Student C). Moreover, two students indicated that
this strategy helped them to understand the text. Student I wrote: "It was good that I could guess the English sentences with the words that I knew and read English and understand it", and this opinion was shared by Student W: "I found myself happy to understand what the teacher and students in the video were saying by picking up words I could understand".
Students had various reasons for preferring a move away from teacher-centred tuition. Student P felt pleased by the different form of input: "I enjoyed it very much. It was good to learn English watching a DVD, not only listening to the teacher". Other students favoured the increased participation and the chance to express their opinions. Student I wrote: "we could ask questions in the class and everyone could join the class, so it was easy to join it" and Student V concurred: "because we made groups and exchanged our opinions, I felt we all joined the class together, not individually like each student and the teacher". In a similar vein, Student X noticed the opportunity to use authentic language: "It became a precious time to feel real English and have a chance to speak English".
6.6 The DVD's appeal
Many of the HSS indicated their enjoyment of the DVD; for example, "it was fun to watch many videos" (Student C) and "the DVD made by the Doshisha students was amusing" (Student T). Most of the students' comments focused on the entertainment value of the music video; for example, "I enjoyed the DVD and especially the music video was fun"
(Student H) and "I laughed a lot at the music video. I enjoyed the line 'it's over' the best. The man's acting was great" (Student V). During the music video, I observed the reactions ofthe HSS and many were indeed laughing and smiling while they watched the performances by the DS. Moreover, two students revealed that they were fans of the artist who performs the
original song: "1 like Taylor Swift, so the music video was very fun" (Student F) and "the story in the music video was fun and the music was by my favourite singer, Taylor Swift, so I was happy" (Student I).
Other HSS noted their interest in the debate and the interview.
Student A commented on the relevance of the debate topic: "two students did a debate about whether primary school students need mobile phones.
This topic is a social issue so it was easy to understand". The Japanese media, education boards, and municipal and national governments have discussed mobile phone use in schools (Johnston, 2009); therefore, the students' awareness of the issues seemed to aid their comprehension.
Student A also noted the relevance of the interview with the Japanese returnee from an American university: "I'm planning to study in America in the future, so it was useful to hear the interview of the student who actually went there". Moreover, Student P wrote, "it was interesting to hear the interview with the exchange student. I wondered what the foreign universities are like" and Student J focused on the cultural aspects: "1 found that there are differences between Japanese culture and foreign culture".
6.7 Do not forget the teacher
Although this AR focused on the creation and evaluation of the materials, in particular, the DVD created by the DS, some of the comments by the HSS indicated the importance that they attached to the teacher. Most of the students' comments referred to the positive aspects of the teacher's role. Student 0 explained the teacher's affective influence for helping the students relax in this different type of class: "1 was nervous at first, but the teacher was friendly and the class was very fun". Other students described how the teacher helped to negate the difficulties they faced from the complex new language. Two students focused on motivational aspects: "the
64
handout and the questions were very difficult and I couldn't understand them well, but I was interested in what the teacher was talking about and the DVD" (Student L) and "The teacher's talk was good, so even if I don't understand English well, I enjoyed the class" (Student I). In addition, the teacher seemed to facilitate the students' understanding: "I didn't understand the meanings of difficult words, but I could understand mostly what the teacher was talking about. It was fun" (Student T) and "because the teacher spoke slowly and easily for us to understand, it was very easy to pick up English" (Student Y).
However, although the class began with a five-minute self-introduction presentation followed by a five-minute session for the HSS to ask questions, two students indicated their disappointment that they did not learn more about the teacher. Student U wrote: "I wanted the teacher to introduce himself more" and Student B lamented "I wanted to know more about the research the teacher is doing". I had made a conscious decision to transfer the focus from myself to the DS and the university; therefore, I mentioned my research field briefly before the class began when I showed the students some brochures from Doshisha University. In future demonstration classes, it might be better to describe my research interests and the types of classes that I offer in the university.
6.8 Summary
To summarise, I return to the original problem posed in Section 3. I wanted to create a class (1) representing the type of tuition that I use in Doshisha University and (2) motivating the HSS to consider studying in this institution in the future, without alienating them by the change to CLT.
The students' comments indicated that, although the class style differed from their high-school experience and their university expectations, and although they found the class challenging, they appreciated the CLT
strategies, felt motivated to study harder, enjoyed the DVD and developed a positive image of Doshisha University.
7. Conclusion
This was a small-scale study based on one 90-minute demonstration class containing 25 Grade 10 HSS. Therefore, it is not possible to replicate these findings or generalise them to the wider population. Moreover, AR studies usually describe changes within contexts where the teacher-researcher has worked and developed a thorough understanding of the research problem. However, in this study, although I had developed a good understanding of problems the high school context (Humphries, 2008, 2011a, 2011b; Humphries & Takeuchi, 2004) and although I taught the DS, I only taught one class at Tsu High School. More visits to the school and more data-collection methods would give me a deeper understanding ofthe context. Nevertheless, I hope that the methods and findings presented in this journal will resonate with other teacher-researchers. Two tentative implications are discussed below.
Many ofthe HSS expressed their admiration or envy ofthe DS and a desire to reach the same level of proficiency. The DS seem to have provided positive role models, which may be in contrast to regular high-school teachers using yakudoku who mainly speak Japanese (see Section 3). A powerful motivator for language learners can be the projection ofthe "ideal self" as a proficient language user (Dornyei, 2009). The DS seemed to provide plausible and personalised models of ideal selves for the HSS who attended the class with the desire to enter university. In effect, the DS could become "a bridge of self-representations" (Yashima, 2009, p. 153).
The findings showed that the DS in this study produced materials that, although difficult, motivated the HSS. This indicates a potential for bridging eLT's sociocultural gap in English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
contexts. CLT tends to suit the English as a Second Language (ESL) context, where students attend classes in the target language country, and the teachers can facilitate their integration into the target society (Ellis, 1996).Alternatively, in the EFL context, as the sole supplier of sociolinguistic information, the teacher may feel pressure to describe contexts and concepts that are not only alien to the students, but alien to the teacher too (Burnaby & Sun, 1989; Humphries, 2011b; Leng, 1997; Li, 1998). Unlike the majority of CLT materials, which often originate from and transmit values from British,Australasian and North American (BANA) researchers and publishers (Holliday, 1994), materials produced domestically have more potential to capture the interests and needs of the learners. At present, it is not clear if the MEXT-mandated secondary school textbooks generate interest for students, but, as indicated in Section 3, they fail to match the government's communicative goals.
With minimal training, the DS showed high levels of skill and creativity. However, we need further research regarding the potential for locally produced CLT materials. Therefore, the next AR cycle could include the creation of a course in materials evaluation, design and development at Doshisha University for potential English teachers.
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Michael McDonald from Hosei University, and the referees from Doshisha University for their insightful comments on my earlier drafts. Any errors that remain are my own. Secondly, thank you to my Skills in English (2) class students. Their hard work, talent and enthusiasm led to the creation of the DVD. In particular, one student, Keisuke Masai, deserves special mention for directing, editing, and burning the DVD. One day, he will take Hollywood by storm. I would also like to thank Mie Yamazaki for joining
the Skills in English (2) class and describing her motivating experience in America for the DVD. Moreover, gratitude is due to Tsu High School and the 25 students from the demonstration class for their enthusiastic participation and thoughtful feedback. Finally, thank you to my wife Yuka for translating the students' feedback and for patiently waiting when I disappear into my research bubble.
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Appendix: Handout
Tsu High School Demonstration Class Simon Humphries, Doshisha University
PART 1: ON CAMPUS
Section A: Watch Part 1 ofthe DVD and answer the following questions:
1. Number the locations in the order that they appear in the DVD.
cafeteria ___ library ___ main gate
baseball field
2. What is the name of Part 1?
a. Magical Mystery Tour b. Hogwarts Tour c. JTVTour d. Doshisha Tour
3. In the library, what is the title of the green book? (The title is written in white letters)
a. Fine Day b. Fine Particles c. Fine Tuning d. Fine Ally
4. What sport did they play in the gym?
a. Tennis b. Basketball c. Fencing d. Badminton
5. Where is the swimming pool?
a. Indoors b. Outdoors
PART 2: INTERVIEW Section B
Before watching the interview, match the following words to the correct definitions:
1. Liberal arts
2. Melting pot & salad bowl 3. Point of view
4. Dorm 5. Enthusiastic 6. Opportunity
74
Definitions:
a. Having or showing enjoyment, interest or approval b. An opinion.
c. Academic subjects such as literature and social sciences, which are different from professional and technical subjects.
d. Short for dormitory: place for university students to live (usually on-campus)
e. A chance that makes something good possible
f. A metaphor (usually used in America) to describe the mixing together of people from different countries to make a new culture.
Section C
Watch the interview and answer true or false to the following statements:
1. Miss Yamazaki studied for two years at Whitman College in Washington State, USA. TruelFalse
2. Whitman is in a small town near Seattle. TruelFalse 3. The classes contain 20-30 students. TruelFalse
4. The students do not have a good relationship with the professors, because they cannot remember their names. TruelFalse
5. Miss Yamazaki wanted to learn English, but she didn't want to meet people from different cultures and races. TruelFalse 6. Miss Yamazaki wanted to change her point of view. TruelFalse 7. Miss Yamazaki lived in a dorm so she had the chance to meet
many people. TruelFalse
8. The students at Whitman didn't inspire Miss Yamazaki, because they lacked enthusiasm for studying and playing. TruelFalse 9. Miss Yamazaki felt that she didn't change during her time in
America. TruelFalse
10. When she first arrived in America, Miss Yamazaki found it very difficult to communicate in English. TruelFalse
11. Miss Yamazaki enjoyed Whitman College, because she could spend time with many Japanese friends. TruelFalse
12. Miss Yamazaki advised students not to study abroad, because it was difficult to find natto restaurants. TruelFalse
PART 3: DEBATE Section D
Before watching the DVD, match the following words to their definitions.
1. Radiation 2. Track (someone) 3. Block
4. Technology 5. Essential 6. Influence 7. Physically 8. Bullying 9. Lazy 10. Grasp
Definitions:
a. follow someone's whereabouts (so that the person can be found) b. the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes
c. the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or subatomic particles
d. the use of strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker
e. unwilling to work or use energy
f. to stop the movement or flow of something g. absolutely necessary
h. the effect on someone or something
1. understand
j. related to the body (not the mind)
Section E
Mter watching the DVD, answer the following questions:
1. What were the main reasons for the use of mobile phones by children?
2. What were the main reasons against the use of mobile phones by children?
3. On what topic did both debaters share the same opinion?
4. What do you think? Should children use mobile phones? Why?
PART 4: MUSIC VIDEO SectionF
1. What is the story in this video?
2. What advice do you think the music video is trying to give?
Comment
What did you think about this class? (It is OK to write in Japanese)
