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Kazuhiro Kabeya
1. I nt r oduct i on
According to the guidelinesrecommended by the CentralEducation Council (2012), educational institutes at all levels are expected to introduce active learning to develop and enhance theirstudents'ability. Active learning has been introduced into the university and college curriculums.The numberofsuch universitiesand collegeshasrapidly increased since the‘Deregulation of Standards for Establishment of Universities'in 1991,and today the majority ofuniversitiesand colleges in Japan offer programs incorporating active learning. The primary interestsofsuch universitiesand collegesare to raise the retention rate of the students by helping them adjust themselves into the study in highereducation smoothly,to dealwith the diversity among the students, orto achieve betterlearning outcomes.
Asthe numberofuniversitiesand collegesintroducing‘FirstYear Experience programs'incorporating active learning increases,awareness ofthe importance ofthe high school-university articulation isgrowing.
The practice of high school-university articulation was originally introduced in the form ofassignmentsto high schoolstudentsfrom the universities or colleges they would enter after graduating from high
How can Engl i sh Lessons be Turned i nt o Act i ve Learni ng?
― From the Perspective ofthe High School-University Articulation ―
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school.Basically,thiskind ofassignmentshad two purposes;one isto keep the studentsbusy untilthe time ofgraduation,and the otheristo prepare them forthe study atuniversitiesorcolleges.These days,other typesofpracticessuch ason-campusworkshopsand online programsare being introduced, and the focus of the practice seems to shift from
“learning assistance”to “studentcare”with an intention to improve the retention rate in the freshman year.There isyetanotheroption,catered lecturesto high schools.Thishasbeen considered asa practice to recruit students,butthe meaning ofthispractice seemsto be changing after educationalinstitutesatalllevelsstarted incorporating active learning in theircurriculums.
In thispaper,the way to turn English lessonsinto active learning as well as the role of the catered lecture in the high school-university articulation are explored by examining the resultsofa catered English lesson.
2. The Change i n t he Needs f or Cat er ed Lect ur es at Hi gh School s
English education in Japan is becoming communication focused on the surface,howeverthe reality seemsto be different.The ultimate goal ofEnglish education forthe majority ofhigh schoolsisto prepare their students for entrance examinations to national, public, or prestigious private universities. This is assumed by the comments from many university studentssaying thatthey often worked on grammarproblem setsin communication classesand the like.
The introduction of active learning seems to have an influence to change this situation. Active learning is based on the philosophy of promoting spontaneouslearning and offacilitating learning,and asyet
１７ How can English Lessonsbe Turned into Active Learning?
there isno reliable methodsforthis.Thatiswhy a lotofhigh school teachersare having a hard time introducing active learning into their curriculums. As symbolized in the prescribed textbooks, high school education isteaching-focused,thatis,high schoolteachersare good at effectively teaching subjectsfollowing the guidelines,butnotso good at inventing methods(foractive learning)from scratch.
On the other hand, at universities and colleges, measures such as offering FYE (FirstYearExperience)programs,providing academically underprepared students with developmental education, incorporating active learning in the curriculums, streaming students into several groups based on the results of placement tests, and allowing 24-hour accessto e-learning programshave been taken to dealwith the growing diversity in English proficiency and basic academic skills among students.In reality,the majority ofthe students,with the exception of English orcommunication-majorstudents,are likely to lose interestin studying English, and many universities and colleges have to provide remedialEnglish programssetting theirlevelsataround STEP 4 or3, although STEP 2 is said to be the level high school graduates are expected to reach according to the STEP criteria.
Considering thissituation and the factthathigh schoolsrequesting catered lectureswith active learning contentsare increasing,now isthe time foruniversitiesand collegesto seek a fresh developmentofthe high school-university articulation by providing needed support to high schoolsthrough catered lecturesincorporating active learning.Therefore, it is pertinent to sort out the points of active learning in English education referring to the learning assistance theoriesand the current English educationalpracticesatuniversitiesand colleges.
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3. Feat ur es of Engl i sh Lessons I ncor por at i ng Act i ve Lear ni ng
In order to develop English lessons incorporating active learning, some key definitionsofactive learning need to be inspected.
Bonwell & Eison (1991) defined active learning as something that
“involvesstudentsin doing thingsand thinking aboutthe thingsthey are doing”afterintegrating the following characteristicsofactive learning from educationalliteratures.
・Studentsare involved in more than listening.
・Lessemphasisisplaced on transmitting information and more on developing students'skills.
・Students are involved in higher-order thinking (analysis, synthesis,evaluation).
・Studentsare engaged in activities(e.g.reading,discussing,writing). ・Greateremphasisisplaced on students'exploration oftheirown
attitudesand values.
The definition by the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (2012)shedslighton the autonomy ofthe learnersin active learning and the non-traditional style of active learning. Matsushita (2015)pointsoutthatacquisition orcomprehension ofknowledge by the learnerisprerequisite forthe successofactive learning,thattraditional lecturesand active learning are compatible,and thatthe learning cycle mustbe visible to both teachersand students.
According to Mizokami(2014),the learning through traditionalstyle lecturescan be turned into active learning by integrating with activities such aswriting,speaking,and presenting.
To sum up,advance guidance including necessary inputto promote the learners' comprehension of the task, contrivances to motivate
１９ How can English Lessonsbe Turned into Active Learning?
learners,and integrating tasksforthe learnersto actually use English are the key to successofEnglish lessonsincorporating active learning.
Also, the role of the teacher as the facilitator and/or the interlocutor should notbe forgotten especially when the learners'proficiency islow.
4. A Cat er ed Engl i sh Lesson I ncor por at i ng Act i ve Lear ni ng
An English lesson incorporating the key definitionsofactive learning mentioned in the above chapterwasgiven for2 hoursata publichigh schoolin the Tohoku Districtin August2016.
The participantswere 10 high schoolstudents(3 second-yearand 7 first-yearstudents).Considering thatthey had chosen thisclassoutof16 optionsand thatthe high schoolisa high-ranked schoolin the prefecture in terms of its educational offering, it was assumed that these participants were motivated and the level of their English proficiency wasnotlow.
Aftera briefexplanation ofactive learning,the flow ofthe lesson,and the generaloutline ofeach activity,the participantswere divided into three teams.They decided the name oftheirown team and worked on 6 activitiesasa team.Foreach activity,each team gotpointsforthe speed in completing the task and forthe quality ofthe completed task.When all the activitieswere over,the winnerwasdecided by calculating the points each team gained.The following are the outlinesofthe activities.
4.1 Inputofusefulexpressions
The firstactivity wasthe inputofusefulexpressions.Forthisactivity, explanation was given in Japanese. The participants learned English expressionsto use during the lesson and pronounced them untilthey felt
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confidentoftheirpronunciation.The instructorhelped each participantif supportwasneeded.The expressionsthe participantslearned are shown in Appendix A.
4.2 Warm-up
The second activity was listening for warm-up. The activity was intended to generate a sense ofaccomplishmentand confidence in each participant,and also to promote cooperation among the team members. In this activity, the participants listened to the instructor's self- introduction in English,then worked on questionsin the worksheetasa team.They were encouraged to help each otherwithin the team and to ask questionsorrequestsupportusing expressionsthey learned in the first activity. For this activity, hidden support was given in advance because the mostpartofthe self-introduction wastaken from whatthe instructorsaid atthe beginning.The self-introduction and the questions (with answers)are shown in Appendix B.
4.3 Reading formeaning
The third activity wasto getmeaning withouttranslation.Foreach group a differentsetofshortand simple definitionsofwordswasgiven and they worked to find the rightwordsforallthe definitions.Each set had 10 definitions taken from an old picture dictionary for American publicschoolsand the initialletterofthe word foreach definition was given asa hint.The participantswere encouraged to use dictionariesor ask the instructorforadditionalhintsorsupport.The setsofdefinitions are shown in Appendix C.
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4.4 Dictation and Dialogue Puzzle
The fourth activity consisted ofdictation and a dialogue puzzle.First, the participantsworked on dictation ofa dialogue between A and B using dictation sheets for each part. Statements in the dialogue were scrambled, and the participants in each team were divided into two groups;the one to do dictation ofA'sstatementsin a dialogue,and the otherto do dictation ofB'sstatements.Aftercompleting the dictation, two groupsmerged in each team to putstatementsin the correctorder and make a fulldialogue.The dictation sheetswith answersand a full dialogue are shown in Appendix D.
4.5 Brainstorming and Composition
The fifth activity consisted ofbrainstorming and composition.After the instructor's brief explanation about“brainstorming,” the topic of composition wasgiven.Itwasto introduce“Nebuta Matsuri” in four sentences,and the participantsbrainstormed in each team aboutwhat information should be included in their introductory passage. The participantswere encouraged to use dictionariesorask the instructorfor hintsorsupportin organizing ideas.
4.6 Presentation
The lastactivity waspresentation.Since time wasrunning out,the introductory passageswere notpresented orally.Instead each team was asked to e-mailthe instructortheirintroductory passage,which wasto be shared with other teams by the PowerPoint projection. Unfortunately, one team failed to complete the composition, but they seemed to be inspired by the compositions of other teams. Completed introductory
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passagesare shown in Appendix E.
5. Quest i onnai r e Resul t s
Afterthe lesson a questionnaire wasconducted to getparticipants' feedback and comments on the English lesson incorporating active learning. There were four questions; (1) satisfaction level (four-point scale),(2)interestin the contents(yes/no),(3)prosand consaboutthe lesson (free description),and (4)the mostimpressive aspectofthe lesson (free description).The resultsforthe questionsare shown below.(Allfree descriptionsby the participantswere in Japanese,which were translated into English by the author.)
5.1 Satisfaction Level
This is a four-point scale question with options of“very satisfied,”
“somewhat satisfied,”“somewhat dissatisfied,”and “very dissatisfied” to choose from.To thisquestion,6 participantsanswered “very satisfied” and 4 answered“somewhat satisfied.”The result of this question tells thatthe satisfaction levelofthe participantswasextremely high.
5.2 Interestin the Contents
Thisquestion wasto ask ifthe participantswere interested in the contentsofthe activities.To thisquestion,allthe participantsanswered
“yes.” Therefore,the choice ofthe contentswasappropriate to motivate the participants.
5.3 Pros and Cons
In orderto accurately grab the characteristicsofthe English lesson
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incorporating active learning perceived by the participants,the question wasopen-ended.
5.3.1 Pros (positive comments)
Positive comments about the English lesson incorporating active learning contain the following.
茨The whole lesson wasgiven in English.
芋More English wasused than in the regularlesson,and itwasfun.
鰯The instructor taught us useful expressions to ask questions in the advance guidance.
允Ienjoyed working on gamesusing English.The instructor'sEnglish waseasy to understand.Thislesson made me love English even more. 印Ienjoyed studying English in a differentway.
咽In the end,Iwasable to understand whatIstudied today. 員Ilearned there are variouswaysto study English.
因Ienjoyed using English in the lesson.
姻I worked on the tasks actively. I was able to complete many tasks cooperating with otherteam members.
引Through working on gamesin English,Iwasable to improve listening and reading comprehension.Ireconfirmed the fun ofstudying English.
While mostcommentsreferto the fun ofstudying English in a variety of ways or using English, it is noteworthy that there were comments about the effectiveness of advance guidance, the importance of comprehension, and the effect of working in a team. These comments strengthen the appropriatenessofthe key pointsofthe English lesson incorporating active learning stated in the earlierpartofthispaper.
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5.3.2 Cons (negative comments)
Negative comments about the English lesson incorporating active learning contain the following.
茨Iwanted to know more abouthow to study English.
芋Iwanted to know how to study English.
鰯Iwasnotable to complete the task within the time limit.
允Iwasnotable to keep up with otherstudentsbecause there were words Idid notknow.
印Iwasnotable to communicate wellwith othermembersin the group.
咽Ourteam wasnotso active in the group work activities. 員My English proficiency waslow.
因Iwasnotable to complete some taskswithin the time limit.
These comments show the participants' low self-evaluation and a compelling need foreffective learning methods.However,the low self- evaluation by the participants seems to be caused by insufficient recognition of the English lesson incorporating active learning, and it canbe improved as the participants gain experience in such a lesson.
Even so, considering the results of the question 2 showing the participantswere motivated,insufficientrecognition ofthe activity could be a stumbling block forthe introduction ofactive learning in English education,and due attention and appropriate measureswillbe needed.
5.4 MostImpressive Aspectofthe Lesson
The participants' comments on the most impressive aspect of the lesson contain the following.
茨In Activity 2,Ilearned some expressionsusefulin conversation.
芋The lesson was different from the regular class where we work on
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workbooksorEnglish problems.Iwasinterested in the contents. 鰯In every activity,Ihad to think hard.
允Working on questionsaboutMr.Kabeya'sself-introduction wasfun.
印Itwasgood to know thatIcould learn English in a differentway. 咽Iwasconvinced thatactive communication with people around me is
important.
員Looking at other groups' presentations, I learned a task can be approached in differentways.
因You neverlearn anything unlessyou enjoy whatyou work on.
姻Reading formeaning wasfun.
引I enjoyed studying English through game-like activities. The instructor'spronunciation wasexcellent.
These comments show the participants' perception that this untraditional way of learning is fun, that interaction and cooperation with other people are important in active learning, and that intellectualization isneeded to complete the active learning tasks.
6. Concl usi on
In this paper, some key points for turning an English lesson into active learning were specified. They contain “advance guidance,”
“learner motivation,”and “integration of tasks.”Paying attention to these points,a catered English lesson incorporating active learning was designed,and implemented ata publichigh school.In spite ofthe fact thatitwaslimited to a smallnumberofhigh schoolstudents,the catered lesson proved to be successful. Although the posteriori survey results implied that insufficient recognition of active learning could be an obstacle, the potentiality of the English lesson incorporating active
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learning discussed in thispapercould surpasssuch a concern.There is high expectation thata lotmore effortwillbe made to incorporate active learning into English education taking Japanese mentality into account.
Ref er ences
AsahiPress(1999).The SoundsofNew York.AsahiPress.
Bonwell,C.C.,& Eison,J.E.(1991).Active Learning:Creating Excitement in the Classroom.ASHE-ERIC HigherEducation ReportNo.1.
Central Education Council (2012).“Aratana Miraio Kizukutameno Daigakukyoikuno Shitsutekitenkanni Mukete －ShogaiManabi- tsuzuke, Shutaitekini Kangaeru Chikarao Ikuseisuru Daigakue－”
(Toshin).(written in Japanese).
Matsushita,K.(2015).“Deep Active Learning-eno Izanai”in Deep Active Learning: Daigakujugyo-o Shinkasaseru Tameni. (Matsushita, K., Kyoto University Centerforthe Promotion ofExcellence in Higher Education Eds.).pp.1-27.Keiso Shobo.
Mizokami, S. (2014). Active Learning-to Kyoju Gakushu Paradigm-no Tenkan.Toshindo.
Acknowl edgement
Iwould like to expressmy appreciation to my colleague Jocelyn Abe forsharing the idea of“Dialogue Puzzle” with me.
Appendix A
ListofUsefulExpressions
・Can you say itagain?
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・Could you repeatit?
・Can you give me a hint?
・Could you give me some clues?
・Whatdoes… mean?
・Whatisthe meaning of…?
・How do you say … in English?
・Can you give me the English for…?
・How do you spellthisword?
・What'sthe spelling forthisword?
・Could you speak more slowly?
・You're speaking a bittoo fast,Mr...
・We can'thearyou here in the back.
・We're having trouble hearing you in the back.
・Could you write a bitbigger/neater?
・I'm having trouble making outwhatyou wrote on the board.
Appendix B
Self-introduction
My name isKazuhiro Kabeya.Iam teaching English atHakodate University.Thisismy fourth yearin Hakodate.Iused to teach English at a junior college in Fukushima City, but after the earthquake the situation haschanged greatly,and Ihad to find a teaching position at somewhere else.
Iwasborn and broughtup in a town called Funehiki,which isnow the centralpartofTamura City in Fukushima Prefecture.Ihave a house in Koriyama City in the same Prefecture,butIam living in Hakodate away from my family.We have a son,and he isworking in Sendai.We have a
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turtle.We used to have a petdog,butitdied three yearsago.
When Ihave time,Iwork outto stay in shape and watch DVDsto keep my English from getting rusty.Asa whole,Iam enjoying living in Hakodate.
Questions １．When did Istartteaching in Hakodate?
You started teaching in Hakodate fouryearsago./in 2012.
２．Why did Imove to Hakodate?
You moved to Hakodate because the situation changed after the earthquake.
３．Where wasIborn?
You were born in Funehiki/Fukushima prefecture. ４．Whatpetsdo Ihave now?
You have a turtle.
５．Whatdo Ido in my free time?
You work outorwatch DVDs.
Appendix C
Reading formeaning (List1) １．absent ：away,notpresent
２．accident：something harmfulorunlucky thathappens ３．bake ：cook food in an oven
４．bean ：a smooth,somewhatflatseed used asa vegetable
５．bicycle ：a vehicle with two wheels,one behind the other,and moved by pushing two pedals
６．cloud ：a white orgray massin the sky,made up oftiny dropsof
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water
７．dam ：a wallbuiltto hold back water
８．dream ：omething thought,felt,orseen during sleep ９．erase ：rub outorscrape away
１０．field ：land used to raise cropsoranimals
Reading formeaning (List2) １．acorn ：the nutofan oak tree
２．alligator：a large crawling animalthatlivesin riversand swamps ３．ball ：anything round
４．beetle ：an insectthathastwo hard,shiny casesto coveritswings when folded
５．catch ：take and hold something thatismoving ６．cousin ：the son ordaughterofyouruncle oraunt ７．deer ：a swiftanimalthathasantlers
８．eat ：chew and swallow food orhave a meal ９．face ：the frontpartofthe head
１０．fin ：one ofthe partsofa fish with which itswimsand balances itself
Reading formeaning (List3)
１．ankle ：the partofthe leg between the footand the calf ２．a u to g ra p h ：a person'sname written by himself
３．beach ：an almostflatplace atthe edge ofa lake orocean,covered with sand orstones
４．bend ：curve,be crooked
５．chain ：metalringsjoined together
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６．crayon ：a stick or pencil of colored chalk or wax for drawing or writing
７．dentist ：a doctor whose work is to care for teeth, filling them, cleaning them, making them straight, and sometimes pulling them
８．elbow ：the jointin the middle ofthe arm
９．factory ：a building orgroup ofbuildingswhere thingsare made, usually by machines
１０．finish ：bring to an end
Appendix D
PartA (Assistant'sstatements)
１．Certainly.Do you have any particularfood in mind?
２．Yes,sir.Walking distance.
３．We have a few quite nice onesin the neighborhood.Would you like me to make a reservation foryou?
４．Hello.May Ihelp you?
５．You're welcome.Have a nice day.
６．Well,we have a very nice place around the cornerhere－the Carnegie Deliislovely.It'son the 54th and 7th Avenue.
PartB (Guest'sstatements) １．Isthatnearby?
２．Isee.Also,could you recommend a couple ofJapanese restaurantsin the area?
３．Notreally.Justsomething notexpensive.
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４．No.Ithink today I'llgo to the deliyou mentioned.Thank you very much.
５．Yes.Could you help me find a good restaurantin the neighborhood?
FullDialogue
A：Hello.May Ihelp you?
B：Yes.Could you help me find a good restaurantin the neighborhood?
A：Certainly.Do you have any particularfood in mind?
B：Notreally.Justsomething notexpensive.
A：Well,we have a very nice place around the cornerhere － the Carnegie Deliislovely.It'son the 54th and 7th Avenue.
B：Isthatnearby?
A：Yes,sir.Walking distance.
B：Isee.Also,could you recommend a couple ofJapanese restaurantsin the area?
A：We have a few quite nice onesin the neighborhood.Would you like me to make a reservation foryou?
B：No.Ithink today I'llgo to the deliyou mentioned.Thank you very much.
A：You're welcome.Have a nice day.
(The dialogue wascited from “The SoundsofNew York”by AsahiPress.)
Appendix E
Introductory passage of“Nebuta Matsuri” by the team of4 first-year students
・Typicalsummerfestivalin Aomori.
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・Saying “Lassela” and walking on road with festivalcar.
・Origin isremove calamity.
Introductory passage of“Nebuta Matsuri” by the team of3 second-year students
・Itisa famousand big festivalin Aomoriprefecture from August1 to 7.
・Big and traditionalfloatstravelaround Aomoricity.
・Participantswho jump and say shoutare called Haneto.
・Thisfestivalcame from China.
