高等学校
平 成12年 度
教 育 研 究 員 研 究 報 告 書
外 国語(英 語)
東 京 都 教 育 委 員 会
平 成12年 度
教 育 研 究 員 名 簿(英 語)
班 研 究 主 題 学 区 所 属 校 氏 名
1 都 立 一 橋 高 等 学 校 小 林 政 彦
4 都 立 城 北 高 等 学 校 太 田 斗 志 夫
グ ル ー プ ワ ー 4 都 立 王 子 工 業 高 等 学 校 江 川 敦 子
A ク に よ る ス ピ
一 キ ン グ 指 導 5 都 立 白 鴎 高 等 学 校 吉 川 年 香
の 工 夫
5 都 立 晴 海 総 合 高 等 学 校 佐 藤 信 孝
6 都 立 水 元 高 等 学 校 永 森 比 人 美
7 都 立 日 野 台 高 等 学 校 工 藤 真 一
4 都 立 大 山 高 等 学 校 菊 地 一 彦
6 都 立 紅 葉 川 高 等 学 校 石 田 健 司
自 己 表 現 に つ
B な が る リ ー デ 7 都 立 八 王 子 北 高 等 学 校 堀 江 敏 彦
イ ン グ 指 導 の
工 夫 7 都 立 松 が 谷 高 等 学 校 糸 山 あ や 子
7 都 立 館 高 等 学 校 寺 島 雅 夫
担 当 教 育 庁 指 導 部 高 等 学 校 教 育 指 導 課 指 導 主 事 小 田 茂
【日本 語 抄 録 】
A.グ ル ー プ ワー ク に よ るス ピー キ ン グ指 導 の 工 夫
平 成11年 に 告 示 され た 高 等 学 校 学 習 指 導 要領 の外 国語 科 の 基 本 方 針 の1つ で あ る 「外 国語 に よる 実践 的 コ ミュ ニ ケー シ ョン能 力 の 育成 」 を図 る た め に は 、 生 徒 の 自己表 現 能 力 を高 め ね ば な らな い 。 そ の た め の 手段 と して 、 我 々Aグ ル ー プ は 、絵 を 使 っ て グル ー プ活 動 をす る こ とに よっ て よ り効 果 的 に生 徒 同 士 の コ ミュ ニ ケ ー シ ョンや 表 現 の 意欲 が 高 ま る の で は ない か と 考 え た。
あ る ス トー リー に 沿 っ た一 連 の絵 を7人 の教 師 が 協 同 して描 い た。そ の 共 通 の 教材 を も とに 、 生 徒 の英 語 の能 力 や 学 習 動 機 の 異 な った7校 で 、 そ れ ぞ れ に応 じた 工 夫 を しな が ら実 際 に授 業 を行 っ た。
そ の 結 果 、活 動 の 内 容 、 発 言 の頻 度 や レベ ル 、表 現 の 多 様 さ等 に お い て 学 校 間 に か な りの差 異 が み られ た が 、 共通 して 言 え る こ とは 、 通 常 の 一 斉 授 業 の形 態 よ りも生 徒 の 参加 意 識 や 理 解 度 が 高 ま り、 自己表 現や 生 徒 同 士 の コ ミュ ニ ケ ー シ ョンが 増 え た こ とで あ る。 そ して 何 よ りも
生 徒 達 が 活 動 を楽 しん で や っ て い る様 子 が 見 られ た。
グル ー プ 活 動 に よ る話 しや す い雰 囲 気 と絵 とい う扱 い や す い教 材 に加 え て 、 教 師 自 ら描 い た 絵 に よ って 生 徒 達 の好 奇 心 や 表 現 意 欲 が さ らに刺 激 され た の で は な い か と思 われ る。
今 後 とも さ らな る 工夫 と研 究 が必 要 で あ る が 、 生 徒 の 表 現 意 欲 や コ ミュニ ケー シ ョン活 動 を 高 め るた めの 一 つ の 可能 性 を示 し得 た と確 信 して い る。
B.自 己表 現 につ な が る リー デ ィン グ指 導 の 工 夫
リー デ ィ ン グ の授 業 にお い て 、 以 前 よ り 「訳 読 中 心 方 式 」 の弊 害 が指 摘 され て きた が 、 未 だ に この方 式 か ら脱 却 で き な い で い る こ とが 少 な くな い。 逐 語 的 に訳 す 作 業 を繰 り返 す の み で 、 テ キ ス ト全 体 の 内容 をつ か む とこ ろ ま で 至 って い な い。 本 来 リー デ ィ ン グ授 業 の 目的 は 、 テ キ ス トを読 ん で理 解 し、新 た な 刺 激 を得 る こ とで あ ろ う。 今 の 時 代 を 考 え て も 、イ ン ター ネ ッ ト や 電 子 メー ル が 活 用 され 、 一 定 量 の 文 章 の 内容 を素 早 く把 握 し、情 報 を 取 捨 選 択 す る能 力 が 求
め られ て い る。 当然授 業 にお い て も 、テ キ ス トの 内容 を把 握 し、 自分 は それ に ど う反 応 す るか ま で 考 え させ る必 要 が あ る の で は な い か 。 さ らにそ の反 応 を 他者 に伝 え る こ と で 、 リー デ ィ ン グ活 動 も一 連 の 自己表 現 活 動 の 一 部 と して み な す こ とが で き る。 そ こで 、 「英 文 の 大 意 を把 握 す れ ば 、 自己表 現 に っ なが る」 とい う仮 説 を た て 、 これ ま で よ り早 く大 意 を把 握 す る方 法 を研 究 した 。 従 来 の授 業 ス タイ ル で あ るボ トム ア ップ 方 式 で は 、結 果 と して テ キ ス ト全 体 を把 握 す るの に 時 間 が か か っ て しま っ て い るた め 、 よ り早 い 段 階 で大 意 把 握 を 目指 す トップ ダ ウン 方 式 を 取 り入 れ た授 業 を 導入 し、 生 徒 の読 解 力 の 向 上 を検 証 した。 末 梢 的 な 訳 に と らわ れ な くて も 大 意 把 握 が で き る こ とに 気 付 く こ とで 、生 徒 た ち の 問 か ら積 極 的 に授 業 に取 り組 む 姿 勢 が現 れ 、 テ キ ス トに 対 す る 自分 の 考 え を持 ち始 め て い る こ とが わ か っ た。 それ を英 語 で他 者 に伝 え る 点 に つ い て は 引 き続 き研 究 が 必 要 で あ る が 、 大 意 が把 握 で きれ ば リー デ ィ ン グ活 動 に お い て も 自 己表 現 へ の 積 極 的 な姿 勢 を 作 り出す こ とが 可 能 で あ る と確 認 で き た。
CONTENTS
GroupA
Prologue
1.AimofStudy
2.Hypothesis
ASTUDYONDEVISINGEFFECTIVESPEAK困GACTIVITIES THROUGHGROUPWORKUSINGPICTURES
●●o● ●●
●●● ●
・●●● ■●
3.Approach
4.ThePracticeatEachSchool 5.Questionnaire
6.Conclusion
●●●
■
■●・●
Epilogue
References ●●● ● ●■●●●●●
22335823311■1
GroupB
GETTINGTHE
I.Introduction
2.AimofStudy
3.Hypothesis
GENERALIDEAOFAPASSAGELEADSTO
●●
APOSITIVEATTITUDE
…14
...
4.ExperimentsinClassandEvaluationbyStudents
5.FurtherExperimentsinClass・ ・・・ ・…
6.ConclusionsandRecomendationsforFurtherStudy
7.References...
15
16
・16
...21
・ …23
・ …24
GroupA
Astudyondevisingeffectivespeakingactivitiesthroughgroupworkusingpictures
Prologue
TheEducationDepartment'sNewCourseofStudywasannouncedin1999withthenewguidelines
stronglyemphasizingthe"developmentofpracticalcommunicativecompetence ."Atthistime,we beganreviewingtheliteraturerelatedtosecondlanguageeducation ,andthendeterminingwhich educationalapproachwasmostappropriateformetropolitanhighschools.
Asforeignlanguageteachersourgoalsarebasicallythesame;i .e.toarousethestudents'interest,and encouragethemtoexpressthemselvesinthetargetforeignlanguage .Despiteourbesteffortsand intentions,however,therealityintheclassroomisatoughandcomplicatedsituation .Althoughthereare
somehighlymotivatedstudents,weareincreasinglyfacedwithlargenumbersofunmotivatedstudents .
Inthiscontextdesigningeducationalmaterialsthatfulfiltheneedsofindividualstudentsisdifficult . Inthecourseofourresearchseminarswetriedtodevelopclassactivitiesthatcouldaccommodateall
intellectuallevels.Onesuchgroupworkactivitybasedonpicturecardsseemedtobeeffectivein achievingourgoals,andcouldbequiteaversatiletechniquethatteachersmayadaptaccordingtotheir needs.
TheadvantagesofgroupworkarewelldocumentedintheESLliterature;a)itgivesstudentsgreater opportunitiestospeak;b)itgeneratesgreaterinteraction;c)ittendstocreateacomfortableandfriendly
atmosphereintheclass;d)itgivesstudentsagoodincentivetobepositiveandcreative .Theuseof
picturesa且sohasmanyadvantagesintheclassroomcontext;theyaboundwithinformationthatiseasyto grasp;theystimulatethestudents'curiosity;andtheymakethestudentsfeellikechattingaboutwhatis goingonwhentheirclassmatesmakepicturestorypresentations.
Belowisabriefoutlineofonepossiblegroupworkactivityusingpictures .
1.Aimofstudy
Theaimofthisstudyistodemonstratethatgroupworkusingpicturesiseffectiveinencouraging
studentstoexpressthemselvesinEnglishpositively.Self‑expressionisindispensableforcommunication althoughitisn'teasyforsomestudentseveninJapanese,stilllessinEnglish .Thusinthispaper,we define"self‑expression"asallkindsofverbalactivitiesinthetargetlanguage .
Inthefollowingchapters,wewouldliketoshowhowwedesignedthelessonsinourexperiments
accordingtostudents'proficiencylevelsinEnglish .Wewillalsoshowhowthestudentsperformedthe groupwork.Consequentlywewillclarifywhatisimportanttoencouragestudentstoexpressthemselves inEnglishpositively.
2一
2.Hypotheses
Groupworkusingpictureswouldpromotethestudents'interactionandselfexpression
Thereasonsforadoptingtheformatofgroupworkusingpicturesare Itgives
①②③④
moreemotionalsecuritythaninthewholeclassactivity moreopportunitiestointeractorspeakoutamongthestudents environmentwhichismorelikelytoelicitcreativity morechancestoarouseinterestandmotivationofthestudents
Inaddition,usin9わictu「esgives
⑤considerableinformationtobeeasilyextracted Anditis
Oeasiertoguessthecontentorimaginethestory Opsychologicallyeasiertoapproachthetask
Recognizingtheadvantagesofgroupworkusingpicturesasmentionedabove,membersofourstudy groupworkedtogetherdrawingasetofpicturesdepictingastorytobeusedinacontrolledexperimentin eachschool,astheiracademiclevelsvarywidely.Thegoalofthisexperimentwastodeterminethe effectivenessandvaluesofgroupworkusingpictures.
3.Approach(commonprocedureoftheclass) Teachers
①explaintheusefulnessofgroupwork.
Oinstructtheproceduretotheclass.
03dividetheclassintoseveralgroups.(4to8membersinonegroup)
●letthestudentschoosealeader,arecorder,andpresenters‐
Aleadermusttrytoleadthediscussionandmakeastory.
Arecordermustrecordallthewordsthatallthemembersinagroup utterinEnglish.
Eachgroupmustmakeapresentationtotheclass.
⑤passoutninehand‑madecards(theyrepresenthighlightsofthestory‑thebigmatch)andsome worksheets.
Oletthestudentsguessandtalkabouteachofthecardsinagroupfreely.(lnthefirststage,theycan usebothJapaneseandEnglish.Then,arecordermustrecordallthespeechesthatthemembersofa groupmakeinEnglish.)
letthemmakeastoryinEnglish.
●leteachgroupmakeapresentationtotheclass.
⑨recordthestudents'activitieswithvideo.
Thepicturesusedinthelesson.
0
0
0
0
0
④
⑥
⑧ 0
一4一
4.Thepracticeateachschool (1)SchoolA
ThesearesomeideasthatthestudentsatSchoolAthoughtot"
●
●
●
●
●
Toconclude,theyenjoyedtalkingtooneanotherandexchang story.Theyfoun
cooperativewaythan
presentationofothergroups.
Throughthestudents'comment,Ithinkeducationisnotonlyteachingknowledgetostudentsbutalso raisingtheabilitytothinkforthemselves;encouragingtheabilitytoputtheirknowledgeintodaily practice.Self‑expressioncouldbeacluetosolvetheeducationproblems
TheywouldliketogobacktothewaytheydidthingsinElementarySchool.
Itisinterestingtotalktosomeonewhomtheyseldomtalkto.
WorkingingroupsismoreinterestingthanthetypicalJapaneseteachingmethodwhereonlythe teachersspeakwithoutstudentinput.
Theyremembergrammarandidiomswell.
Theywishtheycouldhavemoreoppo血nitiestowriteandspeakEnglishtogether.
ingtheirideasaboutthepicturesandthe ditmoreinterestingtocomposeEnglishsentencesbytheirownexpressionandina
totranslateJapaneseintoEnglishinthetextbook.Theyenjoyedwatchingthe
(2)SchoolB
Ourstudents'proficiency且evelinEnglishISnothigh.Morethan60%ofthefreshmencannoteven writethealphabetcorrectly.Theirmotivationisnothigh,either.
Consideringthissituation,theexperimentshouldbecarriedoutstepbystep.ThusIdesignedg lessonsintotalsothatthestudentscouldhavesufficientpractice.Theteachingplanisasfollows;
1.Wamlup‑31essons:GuessingandExplainingpictures/photos(individual→inpair) 2.Storymaking‑31essons:Discussingandmakingastorybasedonaworksheetingroups 3.Presentation&followup‑31essons:Presentingtothewholeclassafterpractice
Atthestorymakingstage,Ipreparedaworksheetwithafewofsimplewh‑questionsforeachpictures (e.g.Whoisthiswoman?Whatisshedoing?)Thesequestionshadbeenpresentedduringthewarrnup.
Afterteachers'modelperformance,eachgroupdiscussedtheiranswersmorepositivelythanIhad expected.Muchmoreinteractionoccurredinthisactivitythanusual.Somestudentsusedadictionary ontheirowninitiative.Asaresult,theycouldsuccessfullymakeastory.Ofcourse,duringtheactivity, theNativeEnglishandOtherLanguage‑SpekingAssistantsand/orAdvisors(hereinaftherreferredtoas Assistants)andlhelpedthestudentswhentheyhadsometroublewithvocabularyorgrammar.
Onthewhole,thestudentsseemedtoenjoytheactivity.Theyseemedtohavearealfeelingof accomplishment.Morethan90%ofthemansweredtheyparticipatedmorepositivelythanusualinthe questionnaire.Tomysurprise,morethanaquarterofthestudentsansweredtheycouldrememberand memorizesomeEnglishexpressionsorgrammarincludedinthetask.Thisgroupworkcreateda favorableatmosphereforthestudentstolearnandmadethemhighlymotivated.
(3)SchoolC
Forthisparticularproject,IaskedtheassistantEnglishTeacherwhoworkswithmetocreateastory basedontheninepictureswedrewup.Hethentoldhisstorytotheclass.Afterward,thestudentswere abletousehisstoryasamodeltohelpthemtocreatetheirown.Theywerealsoabletousehiswordsand
bodylanguagetoassistthem.Theenthusiasmheusedintellinghisstorystimulatedthestudents'interest.
Thepicturesalsoprovidedcluesthatthegroupswereabletousetoassistthemselvesinwritingtheir stories.Afterthegroupspresentedtheirstoriestotherestoftheclass,Ihandedoutthescriptofthe Assistant'sstoryandhadthemmemorizeandpracticetheimportantwordsandphrases.
MyAssistantandIdidnotcorrectthestudents'Englishbecausethepurposeofthisprojectwasto givethemthechancetoexperiencefunandpleasureincreatingtheirownstoriesbyusingEnglishand thenpresentingthemtotheclass.AtSchoolC,itisveryimportantforthestudentstoTeamand understandthebasicsofEnglishandtobeabletousewhattheyhavelearnedinfunandcreativeways.
(4)SchoolD
ItoldstudentsthattheyweretospeakEnglishasoftenaspossible.Infact,studentsspokeEnglish onlywhentheyaskedforhints.TheEnglishphrasestheyusedinclassweregivenbythenative
assistant‑"Howdoyousay…inEnglish?"and"Howdoyouspell…inEnglish?"
Boththeplotandsomepictureswereconfusing,sowegavethemsomehintsinEnglishandJapanese.
SomestudentsconsultedtheirdictionariestowriteanEnglishscript,butmostofthemwereatacomplete lossuntilwegavethemsomehelp.Somehituponrightwords,buttheyhaddi伍cultyinmaking
completesentences.
Ifailedtoachievethemainobjective,butstudentschattedlivelyinJapaneseasiftheywereenjoying aguessinggame.Evenlow‑motivatedonesjoinedtheactivitypositivelyandmadeagreatcontribution.
Thoughthescriptstheywroteincludedsomegrammaticalmistakesandsemanticconfusions,most studentse可oyedthemselvesandtheirpresentationsweresuccess血LOurmethodgeneratedarelaxing atmosphereandgavethemgreateropportunitiestospeak(onlyinJapanese)thaninawhole‑classlesson.
Perhapspicturesmadeagoodstartingpointforverbalinteraction.
(5)SchoolE
Inthe2timesthatIperforme
#1
#a
#3
dthispicture‑lessonatSchoolE,Ihadthefollowingresults.
Mostofthestudentsweremuchmoreactiveandmotivatedthanusual.Thisfactisechoedin theirquestionnaireresponses.
Duringthelessonthesuperiorgroupsignoredtheordernumbersonthepicturesandmadetheir ownoriginalscript.1noticedthatthesegroupsalsotendedtoargueandchatagreatdealabout theactivityintheirnativelanguage.
Thestory‑makingprocessbeganwiththestudentschattingaboutmattersbothrelatedand unrelatedtotheactivity.Theirlookingatthepicturesandchattingaboutthemseemedto functionwellasawarm‑up.Duringthistimetheyalsobecameencouragedtousethetarget
m
languageastheybegantothinkabouthowtoexplainthepicturesinEnglish ..
#41nthenextstagethestudentsbegantouseEnglishspontaneously .Theyalsobeganresearching newvocabularyintheirdictionariesandcheckingtheirexpressionswiththeirteachers .
*lnmyopinionallowingthestudentstoworkonthetaskintheirnativelanguagewasimportantto thesuccessofthisactivity.Itenabledthemtousetheirowninitiativetocreateastoryandexpress themselvesinEnglish.Ithinkthisprocessempowersthestudentsandgivesthemconfidencetoresearch atopicandthenspeakinthetargetlanguage .
(6)SchoolF
Becausethestudents'proficiencylevelinEnglishandmotivationinthisclassarenotsohigh ,Igave uptheideaofgivingthemfreetimetodiscussthestory.Itwascleazthattheywouldhavebeenataloss
astowhattodoeveniftheyhadbeengiveninstructionsandprobablywouldhavedonenothing .With
thisinmindIpreparedtheworksheetforthestudentssothattheywouldfinditeasytocomplete
hopefullywhilediscussingthequestionswitheachother .Inadditioneachstudentwasassigneda
specificquestiontoasksothattheactivitywouldgosmoothlyandeveryonewasinvolved .
Theresultwasmixed,theycompletedtheworksheetbutsomeofthemdidsounfb血iratelywithout
discussion,thoughothersdidbenefitfromthelesson'sintention .Asawholetheyseemedtoenjoythe picturesandworkedbetterthanintheusualclassroomactivityinwhichstudentsareboredandmore
reluctanttostudy.Thenextproblemishowtoencouragethemtoverballyinteractmorewitheachother evenintaskbasedactivities.
(7)SchoolG
Learninglevelofclass:Upper‑intermediateOtherfactors:Highlymotivatedbuthesitanttospeak out.Herearetwoadditionaldesignswemadetopromoteinteractionofthestudents.
①Creatingtheatmosphereofgroupcompetition.
Theexperimentwasintroducedasakindof"game"toencouragestudentstospeakout.Also,700 redandwhiteplastictagswerepreparedinadvancebytheinstructor.Thenthestudentsweregiventhe followinginstructions:
TheRulesofthe"TagTakingGroupTournament"
a.EverytimeastudentspeaksonesentenceinEnglish,heorshegetsonewhitetag.(1point)
b.Wherethesentenceisalongonewithconjunctions,thestudentgetsoneredtag .(2points)
②Combininggroupworkwiththepracticeofstructuralorfunctionalitems
Ourinitialconcernwasthatitmightbedifficulttomakegroupworkameaningfulpracticeifitwas justafreeconversationwithnonewgrammaticalitemsorphrasestopractice.Inthisexperiment,we providedstudentswithsomegrammaticalitemsandsawifgroupworkcouldbeusedforthepracticeof thoseitems.
Structuralitems:complexsentence"Ithinkthat ....""Doyouthinkthat....?"
Functionalitems:givingandaskingforopinions."Whatdoyouthinkof...?"
"Iagree/don'tagreewithyou ."
Studentsreactedpositivelytotag‑taking,anditwasclearthattheatmosphereofgroupcooperation encouragedevenshystudentstospeakout.Asfortheseconddesign,studentswereoftenseentouse therecommendednewstructuralorfunctionalitemsduringthegroupdiscussioninrealcommunication, andthisshowedthattheuseofgroupworkisnotlimitedtotheteachingoforalcommunicationclass.
5.Questionnaire
Inordertoseehowstudentsfeltaboutthisgroupwork,weconductedasurveyusingaquestionnaire formwiththequestionsbelow.Intotal,414highschoolstudentsfrom7differenthighschools completedtheform.Thetypesofthehighschoolandclasstheinformantsbelongtoareasfollows:
Table1.TypeofHighSchoolandClassofInformants
School A B C D E F G Total
Typeof Ordinary Technical Ordinary Ordinary Compre一 Ordinary Ordinary
School hensive
Average Interme‐ Beginners Beginners Beginners Interme一 Beginners Interme一
Proficiency Diate diate diate
Age 16‑17 17‑18 17‑18 17‑18 15‑16 17‑18 15‑16
17‑18
Class EnglishII OCA Writing ocB EnglishI OCA EnglishI
Type Compul一 Compul一 Compul一 Elective Compul一 Elective Compul一
Sory sory sory sory sory
Writing French
Elective
Group 4‑8 4‑5 6 3‑4 6 4 5‑7
Size
Time 2‑3 91essons 41essons 21essons 11esson 11esson 11esson
Spent しessons
Group None None Some None Much None None
Work Experience
Class 40 19 22 5‑7 25 12 40
Size 6
Students 186 34 22 12 31 12 117 414
Surveyed
一8一
AsTablelshows,theconditionsunderwhichtheexperimentswereconductedwereslightlydifferent fromschooltoschool.Theresultsofthequestionnairearepresentedinthenextfourfigures.
.〜 ・rLL
QIDoyouthinkyouparticipatedintoday'sclassmoreactivelythanyouusuallydoinregularclasses?
TotalStudentsSurveyed;414 23%35%
.難 繋
42%
四a,Y』 、.
国b:Alittlemorethanusual.
,囲9・Ng・‑
Figurel.ParticipationinGroupWork:
(PercentageinTotal)
Q2TothosewhochoseaorbinQ1:
ABCDεFG
OX50%100%
Figure2.ParticipationinGroupWork (PercentageinEachSchool)
Inwhatwaydoyoufeelyouparticipatedmoreintoday'sclass?
(multiplechoicespossible)
一…一̲‑
1
a:Yes.1 iO
1
口b:Alittl
usual.・ ㎜ ・eth・n}l
m・・No.
̲一 」i
}
‑一.一一一一.̲̲一̲」 1
ABCDEFG
[図a:Graspingtheoutlineofthe
i・t。 四・
皿b:Expressingyourselfin Japanese.
l l
…口c:Understandingwhatother lmembersofyourgroupare
sayinginEnglish.[
因d:Expressingyourselfin English.
1国e:Recallingthevocabularyyou I
learnedbefore,orlearningnew words.
0%20%40%60%80%
Figure3.ParticipationinGroupWorkComparedwithRegularClasses
Q3TothosewhochosecinQ1:Whatdoyouthinkisthereasonforyournothavingbeenableto participateactivelyintoday'sclass?(multiplechoicespossible)
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
o% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Oa:Thepictureswerenot clearenoughtoguess theoutlineofthestory.
口b:Didn'tunderstandthe Englishothermembers ofyourgroupwere speaking.
Qc:Triedtosay somethingbutforsome reasoncouldn't.
囮d:Notmotivatedforthis groupwork.
25%
Figure4.NegativeFactorswhichPreventedFullParticipation
Students'commentsaboutthegroupwork"BigMatch"
*Positivecomments
....Wasfun,becausethepicturescanbeinterpretedinmanyways.Ienjoyedlisteningtothe presentationsofothergroups.Eachgrouphadadifferentstory.
....UsuallyIfeelnervouswhenMr.Brown(Assistant)callsonmeandasksmetoanswerinEnglish.
ButtodayIfeltmorerelaxedbecauseitwasasmallgroupandwithmyfriends.Ienjoyedtalkingwith myfriendsandmakingastory.Iwassu叩risedattheimaginationofmyfriends..̲
....Wasnicebecausewewereabletomakeourownoriginalstory.Ienjoyedtheprocessofmakinga storywithmyfriends.Alsothehand‑writtenpicturesbytheteacherswerecute.Ilaughed.
....WasshockedbecauseIcouldn'trecallthevocabularythatIthoughtIalreadyknew.Ithinkthisisa goodpracticeforincreasingvocabulary.
....Wasinspiredbysomeofthemembersofmygroupwhoweresogoodatspeaking.Itwasnicetobe abletohearmyfriendsspeakingEnglish.1'dliketodothiskindofgroupworkagain.
*Negativecomments:reasonsfornothavingbeenabletoparticipatefully
̲.Therewasn'tenoughtimefbrdiscussion.AlsothereweretoomanypicturesandIgotcon血sed.
....WastoodifficulttoputmyideaintoEnglishandmakesentences.
一10一
....Iwishyouhadbeenmorecarefulwhenyouorganizedgroups.
notgood,andIdidn'tfeellikespeakingout.
Theatmosphereofmygroupwas
Analysisofthequestionnaire
AsFigurelshows,77%oftheinformantsansweredtheyparticipated"actively ,"or"alittlemore thanusual."Askedthereasonfortheirevaluation,52%ofthestudentsgave"Graspingtheoutlineof
thestory".Besides,37%saidthey"expressedthemselvesinJapanese ,"and28%saidthey"expressed themselvesinEnglish"ingroupdiscussions.Consideringhowdifficultitistohavestudentsspeakout
inthewholeclasssetting,alltheseresultsmakeitclearthatwhicheverthelanguagethestudentsmight haveused,therewasmuchmoreinteractionandself‑expressionthanusual,andthisresultstrongly supportedourinitialhypothesisthatgroupworkwithusingpictureswouldbeeffectivetostimulate students'discussionandelicittheirownpointofview.Herearesomeotherpointsthatthetableand figuresaboveindicate:
*Preparednessforgroupworkisthekeytosuccessfulgroupworkactivities .Studentswhoare accustomedtogroupworkcanmakethebestuseofthegroupworkactivitytoimprovetheir
conversationalskillsandvocabulary.
(asindicatedinFigure2SchoolEinwhichgroupworkactivityisconductedonregularbasisinclass)
*Astepbysteppreparationwithaproperamountoftimeenableseventhebeginnerslevelstudentsto fullyparticipateinthediscussion.(Figure2SchoolBwhichspentglessonsintotalforprepazation andexperiment)Bydividingthematerialintosmallsectionsandpresentingthestudentswithan amountthattheycaneasilyhandleatatime,studentscangetvocabularyandexpressionsthattheyusein groupdiscussionwhichisgenerallythoughttobethepracticeofhigherlevels.
*Theuseofthetargetlanguageincreasesasthestudents'proficiencyofthelanguageimproves . ThefrequencyoftheuseofEnglishbyparticipantsasameansofself‑expressionisrelatedtotheir proficiency.(seeFigure3SchoolG)Althoughmostofthestudentsofthe7highschoolssurveyed answeredthey"expressedthemselvesmorethantheydoinregularclasses,"Figure3showsthatstudents ofhigherproficiencytendtoexpressthemselvesinEnglishfromthestartandshowahigherfrequencyof useofthetargetlanguage,whilestudentswithrelativelylowerproficiencytendtotalkfirstinJapanese andlatertranslatetheirideasintoEnglishinthegrouppresentationstage.
*Groupworkprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstolearnnewvocabularyorexpressionsin
areal communicativesituation.(indicatedinFigure3SchoolsD ,E,andGwhichshowedhighpercentage
ine)Theresultsofourexperimentobtainedshowthatthemorethestudentsusethetargetlanguage ,the moretheyhaveachancetolearnvocabularyandstructuresfromamongthemselvesorbyconsulting
dictionaries.Thisshowsthatgroupworkiseffectivetohavethemseeforthemselvesthevalueanduse
ofwhattheyareteaming.
*Picturescanfacilitatethestudents'understandingofthematerial.AsFigure3shows,"Graspingthe outlineofthestory"scoredhighinalmosteveryhighschool.(52%)Thisindicatesthatmanystudentsfelt thattheywereabletograspthecontentbetterthroughpictures(non‑verbalaids)andgroupdiscussion stimulatedbyvisualaids.
Inaddition,whatthestudents'commentstellaboutthegroupworkusingpicturesisasfollows:
*Groupworkusingpicturescaneffectivelyinitiatethethinkingprocessofstudentsatdifferentlevelsof
proficiencyandmotivation.
*Groupworkprovidesthestudentswithanenvironmentwithinwhichtheycancommunicateeasilyand
倉eely.
*Picturescanbeinterpretedinmanyways ,andtheir"open‑endedness"providesafertilesourceof
speculation.Theyareinvaluableinevokingpersonalresponses,especiallyonanimaginativelevel.
Theyneednotbeanexpensiveready‑madeone.Eventhesimplest"handmadeaid"witha"human touch"canbeappealingtothestudents.
*Pictures(non‑verbalmaterials)areoftenmoreeasytohandleforstudentsthanverbalmaterials
especiallyatthepresentationstage.
6.Conclusion
Inthisstudy,studentswithdifferentlevelsofEnglishproficiencyandmotivationtookpart.Bybeing taughtthroughgroupworkandwithvisualaids,studentsineachtypeofclassesshowedmoreinterest duringclassandwereabletoexpressthemselvesmuchmorethanthestudentswhoweretaughtinwhole‑
classsituationswithoutvisualaids.
Thestudentsinthehigherlevelclasseswereabletocreatestoriesbyusingthepictureswithout additionalverbalorwrittenclues.Whereas,thestudentsinthelowerlevelclassesneededadditionalclues inordertocreatetheirstories.Also,thelowerlevelstudentshadtowritetheirstoriesinJapanesefirstand thentranslatethemintoEnglish.
Inconclusion,teachingmethodsthatincludegroupworkandvisualaidscreateaclassatmosphere thatallowsthestudentstolearnanduseEnglishinfunandcreativeways.Byusingtechniquesthat allowedthestudentstohelpeachotherinagroupenvironment,individualstudentswereabletofeelsafe enoughtoexpressthemselvesinEnglishwithconfidence.
7.Epilogue
Wehavetriedtoshowapossiblesolutiontotheproblemsoftoughandcomplicatededucational situationoftoday.Thescopesofourresearcharelimited,andtheresultisfarfrombeingsatisfactory.
Weshouldbemuchobligedifanyreaderwouldexpressfrankcriticismtoourstudyofgroupwork.At
一12一
leastwehavebeensincereinourclassrooms,andtheteachingexperienceshaveledustoaconclusion thatourattitudesarethemostimportantfactorinsuccessfulclassroominteraction.Teachers'action, suchasdrawingclumsypictures,wouldinducestudents'reaction.Amodestconclusionasitis,we believethemostimportant‑ifyouwantyourstudentstodevelopself‑initiatedattitudestoexpress themselvesinEnglish,youhavetodevelopyourpositiveattitudestoexpressyourself.Wehavebeen faithfultooneconviction‑everyteacherhopestoimprovethequalityofhisteaching.
REFERENCES
Brown,H.Douglas.Teachingbyprinciples:aninteractiveapproachtolanguagepedagogy:Prentice Hall,1994.
Brown,H.Douglas.Principlesoflanguagelearningandteachingthirdedition:PrenticeHall,1994.
Byrne,Donn.Teachingoralenglishnewedition:Longman,1976
Celce‑Murcia,MarianneandLoisMcintosh.Teachingenglishasasecondorforeignlanguage:Newbury House,1979.
Harmer,Jeremy.Thepracticeofenglishlanguageteachingnewedition:Longman,1991.
Littlewood,William.Communicativelanguageteaching:CambridgeLanguageTeachingLibrary,1981.
Nunan,David.DesigningTasksノ わアthecommunたo"vec1α ∬room:CambridgeLanguage「teaching Library,1989.
Richard,JackC.,andTheodoreS.Rodgers.Approachesandmethodsinlanguageteaching:Cambridge LanguageTeachingLibrary,1986.
Rivers,M.Wilga.Interactivelanguageteaching:CambridgeLanguageTeachingLibrary,1987.
Tudor,lan.Learner‑centerednessaslanguageeducation:CambridgeLanguageTeachingLibrary,1996
Brown,Raymond."Groupwork,taskdifference,andsecondlanguageacquisition."Appliedlinguistics 12(1)(1991):1‑12.
Doughty,Catherine,andPica,Teresa."'lnformationgap'tasks:Dotheyfacilitatesecondlanguage acquisition?"TESOLQuarterly20(2)(]986):305‑325.
Long,MichaelH.,andPorter,Patricia.'℃roupwork,interlanguageta且k,andsecondlanguage acquisition."TESOLQuarterly19(2)(1991):207‑228.
GroupB
Gettingthegeneralideaofapassageleadstoapositiveattitude
1.Introduction
Theobjectivesofthefc)reignlanguagecourseinTheCourseqゾStuめ ノノorUpperSecondary/
Schoolsin1999are:
(1)Todevelopstudents'abilitiesforcommunicativeactivities.
(2)Toimprovestudents'practicalcommunicativeabilitiestounderstandinformationortheother
party'sintentionandtoexpresstheirownopinions.
Uptonow,theseobjectiveshavebeenfororalcommunicationcourses,andmostoftheListening andSpeakingclasseshavebeenbasedonthem.They,however,arenotonlyforsuchcommunicative ones.TheCourseofStudyalsosaysthattheobjectivesofReadingcoursesare:
(1)Tofurtherimprovestudents'abilitiestounderstandsomeinformationortheauthor'sintention.
(2)Todevelopstudents'positiveattitudeforcommunicativeactivities,takingadvantageofthe improvementof(1).
Thatistosay,Readingactivitiesareregardednotonlyasmerereadingactivitiesbutalso communicativeones.OurReadingclassesmustbecommunicative.Furthermore,inthepresent society,wheretheInternetandE‑mailsarerapidlyspreading,theabilitytoreadalargeamountof informationwithaconsiderablespeedandtograspitsmainideaisbecomingmoreandmore
important.Then,whatiscommunicationbyreadingactivities?Whenwereadsomething ,wetryto
understandthecontents.Understandingwhatthepassagesorinformationsaysproduceourownideas andopinions,wetellotherswhatwethinkaboutthem,andacommunicationisformedand
completed.Accordingly,bringingthefocusintoReadingcourses,wehavedecidedtostudythe teachingmethodsofReadingclassesthatleadstudentstoimprovecommunicativeabilities.
Communicativeactivities
Readingactivities
一
r
‑
ド 、
Wereadapassage orinformation.and,
weunderstandits contentsandthe author'sintentions.
㌧ ノ
⇒
ノ「 、
Wehavenew opinionsand commentstomake aboutthem.
㌧ ノ
Stimulus
L
Response
J
Weintroduceour opinionsand commentstoother people.
1
⇒
Expression
1 =tiW ritingactivities
■
.̲ノ
Asshownintheillustrationabove,stimulusprovidedbyapassageandunderstandingitproduces response(=ourownideasandopinions).Bytellingotherpeoplesuchresponse,communicationis
一14一
formed.Fromthecommunicativepointofview,notonlyReadingcoursesbutalsoWritingcourses
arealsoimportant,becauseinWritingcoursesweoftenmakestudentswriteabouttheirideasor ロに
opinions.Sothesetwocoursesshouldbetiedtogether.Asillustratedabove,Readingcoursescanbe definedasasubjecttomakestudentsunderstandwhatapassagesaysandtomakethemproducetheir ownideasandopinions.
2.AimofStudy
Inmostofourclasses,however,wehavejustbeentranslatingthesentencesofapassageoneby one.Thestudentscannotalwaysunderstandwhatthepassagesays,sotheysometimesmakequite strangeJapanesesentences.Mostofteachersmusthavehadanexperiencelikethis:Whenateacher
trans且atesthesentence,.MYfatherdiedwhenIwasonlysevenyearsold."as"父 が 死 ん だ の は 私 が
ま だ7歳 の 時 だ っ た",studentsasksomequestionssuchas:
Isthetranslation"私 が ま だ7歳 の 時 、 父 が 死 ん だ"right?
Don'twehavetotranslatetheword"my"?
Whichisabettertranslation/ortheword"only';"ほ ん の"or"ま だ"〜
Asthestudentsonlysticktoverydetailedpoints,theydon'ttrytounderstandthecontentofthe
passage.Itisasiftheycannotseetheforestfortrees.Inordertounderstandwhatthepassagesays andwhatthewriterwantstosay,itmustbenecessarytogetthegeneralideasofthepassagebefore stickingtosomedetailedpoints.Wethinkofthisattitudeasanimportantelementtodevelopstudents' communicativeabilities.
Therearetwowaystoprocesstext:top‑downprocessingandbottomupprocessing.Top‑down
processingis"waysofreadingtextswhichattendtoglobalmeaningandareactivatedlargelyby existingknowledgeoftheworldratherthanthespecificlinguisticsfeaturesofthetext"(Wallace l992,p.147).Bottom‑upprocessingIS"waysofreadingtextswhichattendto且inguisticformsatthe levelofwordsorsentences"(Wallace1992,p.145).Ourtraditionalwayofteachingcanbeclassified asthebottom‑upprocessing.
Inbottom‑upprocessing,theunderstandingofthestudentsis:word‑phrase‑clause‑sentence‑
paragraph‑text.Atthefirststageofreading,studentsconcentratetheirattentiononlearningnew wordsandphrases.Iftherearesomewordsandphrasesthattheydon'tknow,theylookupthe meaningintheirdictionaries.Thestudents'purposeofthereadingactivitiesistochoosetheright Japanesemeaningfrommanymeanings.Suchactivitiesarerepeated.Ittakesalotoftimeto understandwhatthepassagesays.ManyofthestudentsareinterestedinjustoneJapanesemeaningas arightanswer.
Ontheotherhand,intop‑downprocessing,wemakestudentsreadthewholepassageandgetthe
genera目deasfirst.Astheyunderstandthegenera目deas,theycanguesssomedifficultwordsor
3.Hypothesis
Understandingtheoutlineleadsstudentstoexpresstheiropinions.
4.ExperimentsinClassandEvaluationbyStudents
Weproposeamodelteachingplanandmaterialaccordingtotheobjectivesabove.
(1)Class:
(2)Material (3)AimofThisPeriod
OITohavethestudentsunderstandtheoutlineofthetext.
②Tohavethestudentssummarizethetext.
③Tohavethestudentsexpresswhattheythinkandhowtheyfeelaboutthetext.
●Tofamiliarizethemwithnewwordsandphrases.
(4)Procedure:
QlWarmup
②Readingthetextrepeated且y(morethanfivetimes) 03Vocabularypresentation
●True‑FalseQuestions O5Wh‑Questions
OSummarizingthetextinEnglish
⑦ExpressingtheiropinionsinEng且ish
●Explainingthegrammaticalpoints
⑨ThemodelJapanesetranslationofthetext
ReadingClass ReadingClass CompositionClass CompositionClass OxfordUniversityPress
78studentsatHighSchoolA 40studentsatHighSchoolB 39studentsatHighSchoolC 40studentsatHighSchoolD /ldva〃cedsteps'ounderstanding;Story9
Handout
TextReading
AfamouswriterwhowasvisitingJapanwasinvitedtogivealectureatauniversityto alargegroupofstudents.AsmostofthemcouldnotunderstandspokenEnglish,hehadto
一16一
曜
haveaninterpreter.
Duringhislecturehetoldanamusingstorywhichwentonforratheralongtime .At lasthestoppedtoallowtheinterpretertotranslateitintoJapanese,andwasverysurprised whenthemandidthisinafewseconds ,afterwhichallthestudentslaughedloudly
Afterthelecture,thewriterthankedtheinterpreterforhisgoodworkandthensaidto him,'Nowpleasetellmehowyoutranslatedthatlongstoryofmineintosuchashort
Japaneseone.'
Ididn'ttellthestoryatall,'theinterpreteransweredwithasmile.
Ijustsaid,"Thehonourablelecturerhasjusttoldafunnystory .Youwillalllaugh, please."
T‐FQuestions
1.ThefamouswriterspokeJapanesewell.
2.Hetoldthestudentsalongfunnystory.
3.Theinterpretertookratheralongtimetotellthestory.
4.Theinterpretertoldthestudentsadifferentfunnystory .
S.Thestudentsdidnotunderstandthelecturer'sfunnystoryatall.
6.Thestudentslaughedbecausetheinterpretertoldthemto.
(((((( ))))))
WH‐Questions
1.Whatdidthewriterdointhisstory?
2.Whydidtheneedaninterpreter?
3.Whatdidtheinterpreterdoafterhisspeech?
4.Whywasthewritersurprisedthen?
S.Whatdidthestudentsdo?
6.Whatdidthewritersaytotheinterpreter?
7.Andwhatdidtheinterpreteranswer?
SUMMARYinEnglish
YourOpinioninEnglish:Youcanuseyourdictionary
Words&Phrases l.invite 2.lecture 3.interpreter 4.amusingstory
S.goon 6.allow^‑to...
7.translate 8.loudly 9.honourable lO.funnystory
推 測 の 意 味(Guessthemeanings)舌 辛書 の 意 味(Writethe(:areameanings)
(5)Detailsofprocedure
Here,wew川showthedetailsoftheteachingprocedureabove.
①Warmup
TheaimofthisstageistoencouragestudentstoreadthetextwritteninEnglish.Inthe textbook,everystoryhasadrawingconcerningthecontentofit.So,firsttheyseethedrawingand thentrytopredictthecontentofStory9.
②Readingthetextrepeatedly(morethanfivetimes)
Theaimofthisstageistograsptheoutlineofthetext.Forthispurpose,studentshavetoread thetextmanytimes,atleastfivetimes.Itisnotnecessaryforthemtounderstandthetext accurately,butimportanttohavethemmakepredictions.
③Vocabularypresentation
Theaimofthisstageistohavestudentsguessthemeaningsofnewvocabularywithout consultingdictionaries.First,studentsguessthemeaningoftengivenwordsbyreadingrepeatedly.
Thentheteachershowsthestudentstheappropriatemeanings.Theychecktheirpredictionabilities.
Intop‑downprocessing,asshowninthepreviouschapter,thisstageshouldbethelastone.
Howevertheirpredictionabilitieshasnotbeenenoughyet,sowehavetogivethemthisatanearly stageassomecluestogettheoutline.[tdependsonstudents'levelthatwhichwordsaregivenor howmanywordsaregiven.
●True‑FalseQuestions
Theaimofthisstageistohavestudentsgetsomecluestounderstandthecontentofthetext.
Theteachergivesanexplanationastheneedarises.
5Wh‑Questions
Theaimofthisstageistohavestudentsfindsomecluestograspthecontentofthetextmore
preciselyandpracticewritinganswersinEnglish.Itispermittedtoanswerinonewordorafew wordssoastohavestudentsusetheEnglishlanguagemoreeasily.Theteacheradviseshowto
‑18一
answerastheneedarises.
OSummarizingthetextinEnglish
T'heaimofthisstageistograsptheoutlineofthetextexactlybyusingtheT‑Fquestions,the Wh‑questionsandtheiranswers,andsoon.Grammaticalerrorswillbeoverlookedtosomeextent.
⑦ExpressingtheiropinionsinEnglish
Theaimofthisstageistohavestudentsimprovetheirattitudetoexpresstheiropinionsand commentsaboutthetext,sogrammaticalmistakesandunusualexpressionsareoverlooked.Itis alsoallowedtoexpressinonesentenceorafewsentencessoastobefamiliarwithexpressingtheir ownopinionsinEnglishmoreeasily.
●Explainingofthegrammaticalpoints
Theteacherexplains'Relativepronouns'anda'Passivesentence'.
⑨Themode1Japanesetranslationofthetext
TheteacherhandsoutthemodelJapanesetranslationofthetextattheendofclass.
(6)ExamplesofStudents'Answers
①Students'Summaries(Therearesomegrammaticalmistakesbuttheyarenotcorrected.) STUDENTA:AfamouswritervisitedJapantogivealectureatuniversity.Andhehadtohavean interpreter.Duringhislecturehetoldanamusingstoryforalongtime.Howevertheinterpreter didn'ttrans且ate,butmostofstudentslaughedloudly.Thewritersurprised.Theinterpretersaid
"Youwillalllaugh
,please."
STUDENT、8:AfamouswritergivealectureinJapanandtoldanamusingstoryfbralongtime.
Theinterpretertranslatedhisstoryafterhisspeechinafewseconds.Becausehesaidstudents that"Thehonourablelecturerhasjusttoldfunnystory.Youwillalllaugh,please.
②Students'Opinions(Therearesomegrammatica且mistakesbuttheyarenotcorrected.) 1.Ithoughtthisinterpreteriscunning.
2.Ithinktheinterpreterwasclever.
3.Thisstoryisveryuseless.
4.Ithinkthisinterpreterwasn'tuseful.
S.Theinterpreterisveryimpolite.Heisn'tarightinterpreter.
6.Ithinkthatthisstoryisinteresting.
7.Iwonderiftheinterpreterunderstoodhisstoryatall.
8.Ithinkthatthisinterpreterisirresponsibleman.
9.Ithinkthewriterismiserable.Becausestudentswasnotunderstandhisstory,andthe
(7)EvaluationbyStudents
Q1.Canyouexplainthecontentofthetext?
.口YES%1 QNO%
Q2.Isiteasiertogettheoutlineofthetextthanbefore?
「白YES‑一 露.
ロNO%
Q3.Doyouhaveyourownopinionaboutthetext?
OYESx
口NO%1
‑....一一一一」
Q4.Doyouthinkthisprocedureinclassisuseful?
一 一 一一一一一]
DYES%I I口NO%、
Lr..一.一一一一一」
Q5.Doyouthinkyoucanreadthetextbetterthanusual?
團YES%1 口NO%,
Q6.Isiteasiertogettheoutlinewhenyousummarizethetextforyourself?
国YES%1 口NO%.
Q7.Howmanywordscouldyouguessright?
1to3WORDS96 口4to6WORDS%
●7to10WORDS96
Q8.Doyouneeddetailedandgrammaticalexplanationsofthetext?
OYES96 口NO%
Q9.DoyouneedtheJapanesetranslationwhichishandedoutattheendoftheclass?
OYES%
口NO%
‑20一 ,・凝 。 一 ,14・8
.榔::::㌧ ・…………こ=:=:……ミ…………………… "79.̀'.
、、、、二=・==iiiミiiミ'"=・'
㌔・ 、・ :…:…;・iil20.5
幽騰 :…1;……・1・妻…………::,
'…………灘 織7=・ 欝43
.3
48■17幽
35
;;::
Q10.Pleasewritedownyouropinionaboutthiswayofteaching.
It'smoreinterestingthanusual.(fivestudents) It'smoredifficultthanusual.(twostudents)
Ithinkthatreadingabilitywillbeimproved.(twostudents) 1'mafraidthatIcannotgetgoodmarksatanexamination.
Itishelpfulsoastogetabilityofreadingatextbymyself.(twostudents) Alldependonastudent'sincentivetoread.
IthinkIwillgetusedtoreadingalongtext.
Icangetthewholeunderstandingofthetextmoreeasilythanusual.
ANALYSISOFTHERESEARCH:Theresultsaysthatmostofthestudentsateveryschoolcouldcatch theoutlineofthetextmoreeasilythanbefore.Wealsofindoutthattheyhadgoodimpressionsof thisclassandenjoyedreadingthetext.Andmoreover,someofthemmanagedtosummarizeit,and triedtobuilduptheirownopinions,buttheothersfounditdifficult,especiallyforthemtowrite downtheiropinionsinEnglish.Aboutonlyhalfofthemcoulddothat.Anywayitisclearthatmost studentscouldgetamorepositiveattitudethanbefore.Also,itistruethatalmostallthestudents requestedtheJapanesetranslationofit,andhalfofthemexpectedourdetailedexplanationson grammaticalpoints,usageinwords,andsoon.Iftheydidn'tgettheexplanationaboutit,theywere afraidthattheycouldn'tgetagoodscoreonatest.Thismakesitdifficultforustogivelessonsin completetop‑downprocessing.
5.FurtherExperimentsinClass
(1)AimofLesson:TohavestudentsunderstandapassageasawholewithouttranslatingintoJapanese.
(2)LearnerCharacteristics:inafull‑timehighschool22and26thirdgraderswhojoined extracurricularclassesduringthesummervacation
(3)Focus:Tohavestudentsunderstandthepassagesofthetextasawholebyusing"top‑downprocessing".
Andtocomparetheresultofthisexperimentalclasswiththatofthecustomaryclass.
(4)Material:
Mr.WilliamswenttoIndiaforafewmonths,andhegrewamoustacheandabeardthere.
ThenhecamebacktoEngland,andheandhiswifehadaholidayinahotelbythesea.
Afterthefirstday,hiswifesaidtohim,'Idon'tlikeyourbeard,Ted.'Heshaveditoff,but hedidnotshavehismoustache.
Thenthenextmorninghesaidtohimself,'Now,Idon'tlikemymoustache,'heshavedthat offtoo.
Thenheandhiswifewentdowntobreakfast,andallofthepeopleattheothertables
①GroupA(22students)
1.Teacherspassoutthispassageinadvanceandmakethempreparelessonsfortheclass, forexample,likelookingupthedifficultwordsindictionaries,ortryingtotranslateinto Japanese.
2.Duringtheclass,teachersmakesomestudentstranslateeachsentenceintoJapanese.If necessary,teachersmakesomeexplanationstoenabletomakestudentstranslatefluently.Thisis atypicalEnglishclassinJapan.
②Gr・upB(26students)
1.Studentsmakenopreparationfortheclass.
2.Teacherspassoutthepaperofthepassageandahandoutasfollowedinthebeginningof theclass,andmakestudentsreadinashorttimetounderstandasawhole.Teachersadvisenot totranslateeachsentenceintoJapanesebuttounderstandwhatthepassagetellsasawhole.
Hnndout
時間 と場所の流れ を書 き出そ う
例 、 昨 日の 夜
次 の 日 の 朝 そ の 晩 0
④
登場 人物 を書 き出そ う 0
0
② イ ギ リ ス に 戻 る 0
パ ラ グ ラ フ と1大 意 を 把 握 し よ う
Mr.Williamswent…..(
Afterthefirst・ ・・….
Thenheandhis・ 一.(
③休暇 で海 へ
⑥(朝 食 の 場)
一22一
(5)EvaluationbyStudents
(A)Weaskallthestudentstoanswerthequestions.
1.Canyouexplainaboutthispassageproperly?
GroupAYes・ ・・…45%No・ ・・…55%
GroupBYes・ ・・…61%No・ ・・…39%
2,Therearetwodifficultwords,"moustache"and"beard"inthepassage.Canyouguess themeaningsofthesewords?IngroupA,didyoulookupthemeaningofthem?
GroupA
GroupB
且ookedupinad且ct且onary Guessedthemeaning
68%
Didnothing Guessedthemeaning
Couldnotguessit
3%
29%
30%
70%
(B)Comments
TheresultabovesaysthatmorestudentsingroupBcouldexplainthepassagebetter thangroupAcould.Actually,whenweaskedthemtoexplaintheoutlineofthispassage, groupBstudentscoulddobetter.Whatismoreimportant,manyofthosewho,70%ofthe students,answered"Couldnotguessit"inGroupBmadethemeaningsofthetwowords
"moustache"and"beard"for"wig"
,"lashes"or"moles".Theyarewhatwehaveonourfaces andwhatmaychangeourlooks.Theverypointofthispassageiswhatchangesourlooks.
Theytriedandmanagedtoguessthemeaningsofthesetwowordsandtheycouldnearlyget therightanswers.So,thesemistakesseemtoberatherbetter.
6.ConclusionsandRecommendationsforFurtherStudy
Asaresultofhavingmadeuseofthe"top‑down"processing,students'attitudetowardreading becamepositive.Atfirsttheywereatalosswhattodobuttheygotusedtotheproceduresby
degrees.Theycametobeabletoreadapassageasawhole,getthegeneralidea,andguessthe meaningsofsomedifficultsentencesandwords.Moststudentsthoughtofthisprocedureasrather interesting.Aboveall,eventhosewhoarenotgoodatEnglisharedelightedwhentheycanunderstand thepassage,sincesomedifficultwordsorgrammaticalitemsdonotalwayskeepthemawayfrom
understanding.The"top‑down"processingishelpfultosuchstudents.Aftertheseactivities,students begantoexpresstheirownideasandopinions'inJapanese'.Thepositiveattitudesstudentsshowed weregreaterthanwehadexpected.
Thoughstudentsunderstoodthepassageandhadtheirownopinions,thatdidnotleadthemto
alsotendtosticktoverydetailedpoints,suchasspellingandgrammar,astheydidinReading.We needtostudynewmethodsinWritinginwhichstudentscanwritetheiropinionspositively,andenjoy expressingthemselves.Thiswillbeafurtherstudy.
7.References
Grabe,William.1991."Currentdevelopmentinsecondlanguagereadingresearch."
TESOLQuarterly25,3:375‑406
Grellet,Francoise.1981.Developingreadingskills.CambridgeUniversityPress.
Hill,L.A.1980.Advancedstepstounderstanding.OxfordUniversityPress.
Hill,L.A.1980.Introductorystoriesforreproduction.OxfordUniversityPress.
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