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Getting Involved In JALT:
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What makes a great teacher great?
The good news is that it's something we can all learn. We can make ourselves better teachers.
Click here for more information
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Turning passive students into active learners
Do you feel exhausted after some classes? You may be taking TOO MUCH responsibility for what happens in the classroom, and allowing the students to be too passive. "Learners retain more of what they are taught when they are actively involved in their own learning."
CLICK HERE to read a short article from Ken Wilson about how to encourage students to be more actively engaged in their learning.
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Babies who hear two languages regularly when they are in their mother's womb are more open to being bilingual
The researchers also believe that the babies are able to discriminate between the two languages, providing a mechanism from the first moments of life that helps ensure they do not confuse the two languages.
CLICK HERE to read the full article
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Fun and highly motivating ideas for teaching writing in the classroom
From the British Council
CLICK HERE to read the article
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70 to 80 percent of third-year junior high school students failed to attain level 3 of the EIKEN Test in all areas except writing, a government survey has revealed.
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Japan’s efforts to increase the number of Japanese university students studying abroad have hit a snag, with successful applicants to a public-private scholarship program falling below the quota recently.
The government believes the number of applicants to the program, launched in 2014 and providing up to 5.6 million yen ($46,230) to those studying abroad, has remained low recently because many students appear hesitant to apply, thinking they lack special skills.
The program is financed by corporate donations. It also covers those who work overseas as interns and volunteers. The scheme was introduced to help the government meet its goal of doubling the number of Japanese studying abroad to 120,000 by 2020.
Successful applicants will receive 100,000 yen to 200,000 yen per month depending on areas where they study for up to two years, plus a maximum 600,000 yen in subsidies for school expenses and 200,000 yen for travel fees. They do not need to repay the money. The education ministry said it focuses more on a student's attitude or willingness than their language skills or academic achievements when choosing applicants.
CLICK HERE to read the full article
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Japanese Universities
In 2014 the average yearly tuition for private universities was ¥864,384. The average “entry fee” (nyūgakukin) was ¥261,089. Adding other expenses, it costs a student ¥1.43 million to attend a private university during freshman year, and that doesn’t include living costs.
CLICK HERE to read the full article
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Behind Japanese parochialism
Fascinating and informative article from the Japan Times (Nov 17, 2015).
“Why do so few Japanese know English?” The answer is simple: They don’t need it. Everything is translated and most don’t interact with outsiders. So, mastering a complex foreign language wouldn’t be more useful to them than Japanese is to a Kansas farmer.
Good point! Why learn a language if you don't need it? But, it makes an interesting challenge for us as teachers.
CLICK HERE to read the full article
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Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today
Why are so many children diagnosed with ADHD? A short summary of this article is, "In order for children to learn, they need to be able to pay attention. In order to pay attention, we need to let them move."
From The Washington Post
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A great TED talk for teachers:
"Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.” The speaker wants teachers to believe in their students and connect with them on a real, human, personal level.
LISTEN to the whole talk. (7 minutes)
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People who are fluent in two languages feel their personality shifting as they switch between languages.
Researchers have confirmed this: Between 2001 and 2003, linguists Jean-Marc Dewaele and Aneta Pavlenko asked over a thousand bilinguals whether they “feel like a different person" when they speak different langauges. Nearly two-thirds said they did.
For instance, when Japanese women were asked to complete certain sentences, their answers differed depending on the language in which the questions was asked:
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Is handwriting on the way out?
"The teaching of handwriting [is] essential for effective learning. It helps us retain information. It helps us develop other skills such as reading, it's been found to support retention of concepts in mathematics . . ."
"Handwriting in preschool changes the brain in a way that mimics what a literate individual looks like."
Finland and many American states have now dropped handwriting from the curriculum, but many psychologists believe cursive writing still has an important role to play in cognitive development.
READ MORE ... and see a sample of J.F. Kennedy's handwriting (it's very difficult to read!)
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Universities told to close Social sciences and humanities faculties
September 14, 2015 (Times Higher Education, UK)
Many social sciences and humanities faculties in Japan are to close after universities were ordered to “serve areas that better meet society’s needs”.
Of the 60 national universities that offer courses in these disciplines, 26 have confirmed that they will either close or scale back their relevant faculties at the behest of Japan’s government.
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Japanese University Reforms and the Illusion of International Competitiveness
"It is true that as a result of globalization a degree of “real” competition does now exist in terms of competition for students, teachers, researchers, and funding—chiefly among countries and institutions that use English as the language of instruction. In terms of our comparison between Japan and Britain, it is clear that British universities, particularly its world-class universities, are on the frontlines of this kind of competition."
"In non-English-speaking countries, though, competition has not yet led to the formation of a “real” market in which students and faculty move across international borders. Universities are not competing with each other for the best talent."
"Outside the English-speaking world (and particularly in non-Western countries) the results of [university] rankings do not have any substantial influence on the domestic market for university education."
"International competition among universities is and is not a relevant problem for Japanese universities."
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Japan to adopt computer-based testing for college entrance exams
Japan to adopt computer-based testing for college entrance exams
August 28, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)
Japan will adopt computer-based testing (CBT) for new standardized college entrance examinations to be introduced from the 2020 academic year.
"Regarding individual entrance exams conducted by universities and colleges, the midterm report proposes accepting or rejecting applicants by comprehensively evaluating their individuality and cooperativeness based on interviews, papers and volunteer and club activities while in high school."
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Children who commit suicide tend to do so when they’re due to go back to school after a long vacation.
According to a government survey, children who commit suicide tend to do so when they're due to go back to school after a long vacation.
The Cabinet Office also said "children who commit suicide between the ages of 10 to 15 tend to show no previous warning signs compared with those in other age groups."
The Japan Times
August 19, 2015
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Extensive Reading: How easy is easy?
SlideShare
by Marcos Benevides
April 24, 2015
Extensive Reading:
This short slideshare beautifully illustrates the 95% to 98% known-word threshold which research suggests is required for fluent reading with comprehension. It is also a good follow up to Rob Waring's presentation.
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University teachers in Japan work under the shadow of a falling ax
The Japan Times
by Daniel Brooks
March 22, 2015
"Originally temporary contracts were intended for jobs that are themselves temporary... But in today’s job market, it is common practice for universities to employ people on temporary contracts when the jobs they are employed to do are not temporary, simply to avoid the extra responsibility and commitment that comes with giving someone a permanent contract."
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70% of 3rd-year high school students’ English at ‘middle school level’
The Japan News
by The Yomiuri Shimbun
March 17, 2015
The education ministry surveyed third-year high school students by examining four English language skills of listening, writing, speaking and reading, and revealed Tuesday that even in their strongest subject — reading — about 73 percent hovered at the middle school level. About 87 percent failed to reach the goal of high school graduate level in writing and speaking. The government has been setting a target for high school graduates of Grade 2 or Grade Pre-2 on the Eiken, a domestic English-language proficiency test.
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