2017 retreat report teachers version final...

2017FacultyDevelopmentWorkshop/Teachers’RetreatReport1

2017FacultyDevelopmentWorkshop/Teachers’RetreatSurugadaiMemorialHall,11thJune2017

RetreatReportincludingparticipantreflections

ParticipantsElenaAndo(安藤、エレナ)AndyBarfield(バーフィールド、アンドリュー)SusanBinder(バインダー、スーザン), JeanPierreChretien(クレティエン、ジャンピエール)ThomasdeWandelaer(ドゥワンデラー、トマス)RyanHartley(ハートリー,ライアン)SatomiHatae（畑江,里美)KentHill(ヒル、ケント)ChristineHorne(ホーン、クリスティーヌ)ShioriIchimasa(野村史織)YuriKomuro(小室夕里)AllenLindskoog(リンズクーグ、アレン)AndyMartin(マーティン,アンディ)MiltonMiltiadous(ミルティアドス、ミルトン),RobMoreau(モロー・ロバート)JennyMorgan(モーガン・ジェニファー)RyotaNishi(西亮太),MikeNix(ニックス、マイケル)HatsumiSawada(澤田初美)AlexandraShaitan(シャイたン、アレキサンドラ)MinakoSunaga(須永美奈子)ColinThompson（トンプソン、コリン)PeterThornton(ソーントン、ピーター)KokiTomita(冨田浩起) JamesUnderwood(アンダーウッド、ジェームズ)TomokoYamaguchi(山口知子)WillZhanje(ジャンジェ、ウイリアム),


OverviewWestartedthedaywithparticipantsgettingtoknowotherteachersbetterandtalkingtheirgoalsfortheRetreat.Wethenhadtimetodiscusssomebroadquestionsfortheday,whichfocusedattentionontheconnectionsbetweentheoverallpurpose(s)oftheEnglishcurriculumandspecificprocesses,areasoffocus,andclasses:

•InthisEnglishcurriculumwhatarewetryingtoachievetogether?•Whatarekeyprocessesandareasoffocusacrossthecurriculum?•Howdoteachingandlearninginyourclassesconnecttocurriculumprocessesandareasoffocus?

WefollowedthisbyeachwritingtheindividualquestionsandissueswewantedtoexploreduringthedayonA3sheetsofpaperandthencirculatingtoconsiderthesequicklywithotherteachers.Thetwomaindiscussionssessionsinthemorningfocusedonspecificcourses,withparticipantsworkingingroupsofthreetofivetodiscussaparticularcoursetheytaughtonorthattheywantedtoknowmoreabout.Thecoursesdiscussedwere:IntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch,Basic/ImprovingResearchandDiscussion,BasicResearchandWriting,ImprovingResearchandWriting,Reading,EnglishA.BYouthIssues/PreparingforUniversityStudyAbroad,JoukyuuEigo,SportsClasses,SentakuEigo(ElectiveEnglish)andReadingForthefirstsessionoftheafternoonwefocusedbackoncurriculum-wideissues,workinginthreegroupson:self-assessment/evaluation,Manaba,andconnectionstoandfromReadingClassesInthefinalsession,wereviewedkeypointsfromthedayinpairsorsmallgroups,andthenpreparedindividualorcollaborativeA3posterstoshareouremerginginsightsandquestions,beforecirculatingagaintoviewanddiscusstheposterswitheachother.OursincerethanksgotoalltheparticipantsattheRetreatforcontributingtoaveryvaluableandproductivedayofdiscussionsaboutourclasses,thecurriculumandtheconnectionsbetweenthem.

Schedule 9:45-10:00Pickingupworkshopfoldersandmeetingotherteachers

10:00-10:30QuickpairsdiscussionoverallaimsofEnglishcurriculum,keyprocessandareasoffocusacrossthecurriculum,andconnectionswithindividualclasses,followedbysharingofstartingcurriculum-widequestionsandissues

10:30–11:151stgroupsession:discussionsonspecificclasses(IntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch,Basic/ImprovingResearchandDiscussion,BasicResearchandWriting,ImprovingResearchandWriting,Reading)


11:15-11:30Coffeebreak

11:30-12:302ndgroupsession:discussionsonspecificclasses(IntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch/EnglishA.BYouthIssues/PreparingforUniversityStudyAbroad,Basic/ImprovingResearchandWriting,JoukyuuEigo,SportsClasses,SentakuEigo/ElectiveEnglish,Reading)

12:30-12:45ReflectiveWriting

12:45-13:15Lunch

13:15-14:153rdgroupsession:discussionsoncurriculum-wideissues(Self-assessment/evaluation,Manaba,ConnectionstoandfromReadingClasses)

14:15–14:30CoffeeBreak

14:30-15:30Reflectingoncourse-specificandcurriculum-wideissues;makingindividual/groupposters

15:30-16:00Viewinganddiscussingposterswithteachers

ParticipantReflectionsAndyBarfieldAfterthe2016Retreat,mywrittenreflectionendedwithafocusononeofthestructuralfault-linesintheoverallEnglishcurriculumatChuoLaw:acrossallthreeareasofthecurriculum(readingcourses,listeningandspeakingcourses,researchandwritingcourses),thereisnoagreedoveralleducationalaiminterlinkingandconnecting(forstudents,aswellasteachers)thedifferentpartsofthewholeEnglishcurriculum.InmypreviousreflectionImentionedthatintheTeachers’InformationPackthatweusefortaught-in-Englishcoursestheoverallaimofthecurriculumisarticulatedashelpingstudentsto“developtheiracademicliteracyinEnglish,”withtheexplanationthat“Inthiscurriculum,academicliteracymeansbeingabletoengagewithcontent,andtouseEnglishtolearnaboutsocial,political,legalandglobalIssues.”ThereflectionthatIwrotelastyearalsoquestionedwhethertheoverallaimsoftheListeningandSpeakingandResearchandWritingcurriculastillhold,andinwhatwaysthoseoverallcurriculumaimsmightoverlapwithwhatstudentsareexpectedtodoinreadingcoursesinthefirstandsecondyears(andinthethirdyeartooiftheyareInternationalLawandBusinessmajors).Thisyearatthe2017RetreatIhadthechancetopursuesomeofthesequestionsinseveraldiscussionsabout“reading”(whatpeopledowhentheyread,differentwaysofreading,differentviewsandunderstandingsofreading,andsoon),aswellasReading,ListeningandSpeaking,andResearchandWritingcoursesatChuoLaw.AsbackgroundIfindithelpfultokeepinmindthat,ontheonehand,LawandPoliticsmajorshavetotaketwoEnglishcoursesintheirfirstandsecondyears,andthatineachyear,


oneofthesecoursesmustbeaReadingcourse.So,LawandPoliticsmajorscanopttodotwoReadingcoursesinbothyears,oroneReadingcourseandoneListeningandSpeakingcourseineitheryear,orthreeReadingcoursesandoneListeningandSpeakingovertwoyears.InternationalLawandBusinessstudents,ontheotherhand,arerequiredtodooneReadingcourse,oneListeningandSpeakingcourse,andoneResearchandWritinginbothoftheirfirsttwoyears.Althoughitisusefultorememberthatthevastmajorityofthird-yearstudentsin“joukyuueigo”classesarealsoInternationalLawandBusinessstudents,formanystudents,readingcoursesarethemainformofEnglisheducationthattheyexperienceatChuoLaw.ThereareseveralotherstructuraldifferencesintheChuoLawEnglisheducationsystem.Whereastherearearound90orsotaught-inEnglishcourses,therearesomethinglike140Readingcourses.AnotherstructuraldifferenceliesintheTOEICbandsthatareusedforplacingstudentsintoReadingclasses.OntheListeningandSpeakingside,studentsareplacedintopre-intermediate,intermediate,high,oradvancedclasses,partlyaccordingtotheirchoice(forexample,thebandsforhighandadvancedoverlaptosomeextent)andpartlybytheiryear(onlyfirst-yearstudentstakethepre-intermediateIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearchcourse;second-yearstudentsareplacedintointermediateBasicResearchandDiscussionorabove).Forfirst-andsecond-yearReadingcourses,therearethreebands,ratherthanfour:alow-level“kisoyosei”band,amiddle“Regular”band,andan“Advanced”readingBand.MoststudentsgointoRegularReadingcourses,inwhichstudentstypicallyhaveabroadrangeofproficiency,andtheclasssizeisusuallyaround40students.Althoughthereisamuchsmallernumberoflowerproficiency“kisoyosei”students,theclasssizeforthisbandcanbeasmanyas60students,whileAdvancedReadingcourseshaveamaximumclasssizeof30.So,intheirfirsttwoyears,studentsinreadingclassesaregenerallyinlargerclassesthanforListeningandSpeakingcoursesorResearchandWritingcourses.InthediscussionsofReadingclassesatthe2017RetreatIcametoappreciatebetterhowreadingteachersdistinguishbetweenclassesofdifferentproficiency,andwhy.ForreasonsofspaceI’llfocusjuston“kisoyosei”coursehere.Thesecoursesoftenseemtobebasedonaparticulartextbook,withsometeachersusingtextbookswithlisteningsections,butitseemedtomethatthereislimitedchoiceforsuchstudentsaboutwhattheyread,althoughReadingteachersingeneralappreciatethevalueandeffectivenessofextensivereadingforlow-proficiencystudents.Itisquitelikelythatsome“kisoyosei”alsotakeICRclasses,andIcouldn'thelpthinkingattheRetreatandafterwardsthattherearepotentiallyrichpossibilitieshereforconversationsinthefutureaboutsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetween“kisoyosei”classesandthepre-intermediateIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearchcourse(whichhasanemphasisonstudentsapproachingcontentthroughbothlisteningandreading).TurningtoICRforamoment,oneofthecurricularareasofdiscussionamongICRteachersisnotsomuchaboutthevalueofhavingaduallisteningandreadingfocus,buthowtoworkwiththatdualfocusindifferentways.IsitbesttostarttheSpringsemesterwithstudentsdoingout-of-classextensivereadingorlisteningtonewsstories?Howmuchemphasisdo


teachersplaceonstudentsgivingpresentationsaboutwhattheyreadorlistento?Shouldthenumberofgradedreaders(atpresent,8)thatstudentsarerequiredtoreadintheSpringsemesterbemaintainedorreduced?WhatisthebestwaytolinkintotheresearchcyclesonglobalissuesthatICRstudentsdointheautumnsemesterwhentheyusetheGlobalIssuesreaderlibrariesandGlobalIssueswebsitefortheirresearchwork?AreICRstudentsreadybytheendoftheirfirst-yearICRcourseforthekindofresearch-basedlearningthattheywilldointhesecondyearintheintermediateBasicResearchandDiscussionorhighImprovingResearchandDiscussioncoursesthattheywillbeplacediniftheydoalisteningandspeakingcourse?Lookingatthesekindsofquestionsmakesmenoticeagainthebenefitofhavinganexplicitsetofcurricularobjectivesacrossawholesetofcourses(hereICR,BRD,andIRD).Withsuchaframework,thediscussionsbetweenteacherstendtofocustowards:

• issuesofstudentdevelopmentandprogressacrosstwoyears• whatstudentsmaygoontodointheirthirdyear• connectionstotheirsenmonareasofstudy• linkingtoprojectsoutsidetheclassroom(fieldworkforexample)• preparingforstudyabroad• actualstudyabroadforstudentsthatareinterestedindoingthis,

aswellasmoreacademicliteracyquestionssuchas

• thedevelopmentofresearchprocessesandnote-takinginrelationtoreading• theongoingdevelopmentofcriticalunderstandingandthinkingthroughreading

textsindifferentways• thequestioningofdifferentpointsofviewandinterestsaboutanissue

tocertainskillsandproficiencymatterssuchas:

• thedevelopmentoffluencyandaccuracy• theimpactofreadingandlisteningfluencyonspeakingandwriting• thedevelopmentofdifferentreadingskills(readingformeaning,skimming,

scanning,readingandnote-taking)• theextensionbeyondatextitselftodiscussionandpresentation(inJapanese?in

English?inbothlanguages?).FromtalkingwithreadingteachersattheRetreatabout“kisoyosei,”Iwonderedwhatwiderquestionscomeupaboutthedevelopmentandprogressthat“kisoyosei”studentsmightmakehere,andhowtheseoverlapwith,oraredifferentfrom,theconcernsthatICRteachershave,forexample.Itseemsthatitmightbehelpfultotrysometimestointerlinkdiscussionsofreadingcourseslike“kisoyosei,”notjusttoquestionsofstudentmotivationandproficiencyforreadingand


translation,butalsoacrossthecurriculumtocourseslikeICRsothattheteachersofthesefoundationalEnglishcoursesstartsharinganddevelopingideastogether.Iverymuchhopethesediscussions,probablyalreadytakingplacetosomeextent“offcamera,”soonstartbecomingamoreobviousandtransparentpartofthedevelopmentofthewholeEnglishcurriculumatChuoLaw.Finally,IwouldliketosayabigthankyoutoeveryonewhotookpartinthediscussionsonlineaheadoftheRetreat,andtoalltheparticipantsontheday.Itwasareallyproductiveday,butunexpectedlytheexodusatlunchtimewasmuchhigherthaninpreviousyears!Thinkingaheadtonextyear,IwonderwhetherwehavegottothepointwhereweshouldtryadifferentformatfortheannualRetreat,perhapsstartingatsomethinglike9.30andgoingthroughto13.00orso.AshorterRetreatmightbemoremeaningfulandsatisfyingintermsofdevelopingcommunitiesofpracticeswitheachother.Thechangemightalsoallowformoreconcentrateddiscussions.Ihopewecandiscussthisinthefuturetoo.**********************SusanBinderIjoinedtheResearchandWritinggroupforthefirstroundofdiscussionandtheImprovingResearchandWritinggroupforthesecondround.IntheR&Wgroupwebeganwithfeedbackandrevisionofdrafts.Robsaidthatheusesabasicrubricforfeedbackinhisclassesandwealldothesamealongwithindividualinstructorfeedbackinconferencewithstudentsiftimeandnumberspermit.Inmyowncase,Imeetwitheachstudentwhenreturningdraftsorfinalpapersandtalkoverstrengthsandweaknesses(forthenextcycle).Elenaasksherstudentstomakeaninfographicoftheirpapers(ornotes)tocheckorganization.Asforrevision,I’vetoldstudentsthatarevisedfirstdraftisevidenceofwritingtomymindandaskedstudentstohandinboth1stdraftsandfinalpapersforcomparison.Wetalkedalotaboutdevelopingquestionsandcontentaboutanissue.Oneideaistoaskstudentstoexplainnotesandinterviewapartnerorpartnerstofindoutwhattheythinkabouttheissue(notes2).AnotherideafromMilton(Ithink)wastowritequestionsfromaparticularpointofview(eg.questionsfor/fromthepointofviewofwomen)andexpandnotesbyinterviewingawidevarietyofpeople.(Elena’sexampleonresearchingwhowasmostluckyinlovewasbrill).Anothercommentwasthatifthestudentiswritingaboutalocalissueitwouldbeusefultodevelopthatissuebyfindingoutwhat’shappeninginotherpartsoftheworld.ElenaandRobsuggestedusingquestionsbasedonLogos,EthosandPathosaswellasonBloom’staxonomy.IntheImprovingR&Wdiscussionwetalkedaboutwhatwedidinclass.Andysaidthathisstudentsdolotsofworkinclassandhehasthemworktogether.Wetalkedaboutusinglotsofexamplesinclassandofdoingdiscreetwritingactivitiesatthebeginningoftheclass.e.g.paraphrasingorquotingasource.


Wealsotalkedaboutdevelopingquestionsonanissue.Alexasksherstudentstomakeamapbeginningwiththekeyquestionandexpandingwithsecondaryquestionsandthendetailedquestionofthesecondaryquestions.Andyusesnote-takingmodelsandasksstudentstosummarizeapartner’snotes.ThiswasausefulmorningformeandIpickedupsomegreatideasthatI’dliketotryoutinmyclasses.**********************JeanPierreChretienAttheoutsetoftheretreatwewereaskedtowriteadefiningquestionfortheday.Minewas:“Arethegoalsoftheoverallcurriculumappropriate,relevantandrealisticforallofthestudentsinourprograms,giventhevarietyofexperience,preparation,backgroundandmotivationofthestudents?”WhatIwasgettingatinwritingthisquestionwastoraiseawarenessofhowequitableourgoalsareandwhetherstudentshaveequityofopportunitytosucceedandevenexcelatthegoalsoutlinedintheCommonAreasofFocus.ItriedtokeepthequestioninmindasIjoinedfourgroupsofcolleaguesindiscussion.Themostchallengingworkshopconcernedthereadingcourses,taughtbyJapanesenativespeakerswithtranslationfiguringstronglyinthemethodology.IjointhisgroupeveryyeartotrytobetterunderstandthegoalsofthereadingclassesandhowtheseclassessupportthedevelopmentofEnglishlanguageskillsforstudentsinourprograms.ItwassuggestedinourdiscussionthatthereadingclassesmightcometomoreresembletheIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch(IRC)byadoptingsharedgoalssuchasautonomyoftextchoiceandvarietyofwaystoanalyzeandshareinformationlearnedfromreading.Itmightbecalled“IntroductiontoReadingandDiscussion”toemphasizenote-makingandsharinginformation,examiningtextstructureindiscussions,provideopportunityforextensivereadingandevenincludesomeinterpretationandtranslationinwasthatresemblechallengestheymayfaceinfuturejobsandcareers.Itcontinuestobeunclearwhatgoalssupportthecommonareasoffocus,theumbrellastructurewhichguidesallcoursesthattouchuponEnglishstudy.ThislackofclarityandalignmentiscausingproblemsdownthelinewhenstudentswhohavenotbeenpreparedinICRandBRDcoursesenterelectivecourses.ThislackofclarityperpetuatesaninequityintheprograminwhichstudentswhotakethereadingclassesaredisadvantagedwhentheymoveontoothercoursesintheEnglishlanguageprogram.Commongoalsthenshouldbedevisedtoconformwiththecommonfocusoftheoverallprogramandprovideequityofopportunitytoallstudents.


Thesecondworkshopofinterestfocusedondefiningmorepracticallywhatismeantbybeingcriticalinthecontextofourclasses.Fouraspectsofbeingcriticalwereselectedanddefined:mindset,language,supportandchallenge.Briefly,weunderstandthatourstudentsdonotcometouswiththemindsetofbeingcriticalaboutanythingandwillprobablybeuncomfortablewiththenotionofchallengingideasorperceivedauthority.Theymostlylackthelanguageforbeingcriticalandneedmoresupportfromus.Toachievethegoalofraisingstudents’abilitytoexpresscriticalanalysiswillrequiresome“implicitlyexplicit”teaching.Anexampleofthistypeofexplicitbutsubtleguidancewasgiven.IalsojoinedcolleaguesinreviewingtheIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch(ICR)course.Someexpressedafondnessforthestructureofthecourse.Otherspraisedtheextensivereadingaspect.Buttherewassomedisagreementaboutthereadinessofthestudentstodoconstructivelisteningsoearlyoninthesemester.Listeningskillbuildingmaybenotwellunderstoodbyallteachersandcouldprobablybenefitfromfuturediscussionifthechanneloflisteningistobevaluedasameansofsupportingtheresearchgoalsoftheoverallprogram.Thegroupalsowassplitoverthenatureoftheresearchcyclematerialsandexpectationsoftheearlyresearchexperience.FinallyIjoinedaBasicResearchandDiscussiongrouptoseewheretheICRstudentsareheading.Therewereseveraldifferentapproachesdescribed,manyofwhichusedavarietyofinternetbasedsupportssuchasManabaandGoogleSites.WhilethisexplorationintointernetsitesisinterestingitmaybebesttosettleonacommoninternetbasedsiteforallespeciallyifthestudentsextendtheirstudyintoAdvancedcoursesorElectivecourses.AlthoughGooglelookseasiertouse,ManabaistheoneadoptedbyChuoandmaybelesssubjecttodistrustbythestudentsregardingconcernsabouthacking,virusesandprivacy.Iwonderedifthecourseswhichareonlyfocusedonresearchmightbeabletocontinuetofosteranextensivereadinghabit.Finally,Ienjoyedthedaywhichpassedquicklyandsmoothly.ThepostersandsharingofanecdotesandmethodsprovedtomethatIamamongagroupofdedicatedprofessionalseachofwhomisseekingtomakeopportunitiesforstudentstogainexperienceinEnglishanddevelopamorecriticalpointofview.Referringbacktomyinitialquestionabouttheappropriatenessandrelevanceofthecourses,Iwouldsaythatingeneralwehavecohesivegoalswithmulti-strandedapproachesnoneofwhichdeviateverymuchfromeachother,thuscreatingacomprehensibleprogramofstudyforstudentsinthefacultythathasanemphasisonresearchingtopicsofinterest,lookingforideasthatarethenreformulatedandsharedinstimulatingways.Itwouldbeapositiveadditiontobringthereadingcoursesunderthecommonareasoffocussincereadingeffectivelyandsharinginformationbi-linguallythroughinterpretationandguidedtranslationhasthepotentialtoincreaseequityofopportunityinpreparingevenmoreglobally-mindedcitizens.**********************


ThomasDeWandelaerFirstofall,IwouldliketothankChuoUniversity,Andy,Mike,Yuri,Ryota,Peter,andeverybodyinvolvedintheorganisationofthisretreat.ThiswasmyfirstChuoretreat,and,asanewteacherworkingonthetaught-in-Englishprogram,itwasextremelyhelpfulformetomeetotherteachersandbenefitfromtheirexperience.Mygoalforthedaywasverybroadandpragmatic:learningasmuchaspossibleaboutdifferentwaysofapproachingtheclassesIstartedteachingtwomonthsago(ImprovingResearchandWriting,SustainableDevelopmentandSustainableLiving,SportsSpecialClassandIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch).Inparticular,IwasinterestedinlearninghowotherteachersassessstudentsandintroducewritinggenresintheIRWclass,andaboutrealisticwaysofimplementingthecommonareasoffocusintheSportsSpecialEnglishclass.ItookpartinthreesessionsduringthedayandfeelIgainedamuchbetterunderstandingoftheseclassesthroughtheenlighteningandstimulatingconversationsIhadwithallparticipants.Firstsession:ImprovingResearchandWritingForthefirstsession,IsatwithMike,YuriandChristine.Wefirstdiscussedhowtomotivatestudentstoresearchmorethanoneresource.Asimplesolutionthatwasproposedwastoexplicitlyaskstudentstoresearchactorswhohavedifferentpointsofviewontheissuetheyareresearching.Thiscanbedoneinanindirectandengagingwaybyhavingstudentssearchquotations,slogans,campaignleafletsandposters,whichpresentstheadditionaladvantageofgatheringauthenticresourcesandmaterialsthatcanthenbeusedtoreviewcitations(quotesandparaphrases),references,andtheleafletwritinggenre.Thesecondpointdiscussedwasthechallengeofhavingstudentswithverydifferentlevelstoworktogetherasthisoftenresultsinalossofmotivationforbothlower-andhigher-levelstudents.Asimplesolutionthatcansignificantlyimproveaclassdynamicistohavestudentsworkingroupsof3ratherthaninpairs.Weconcludedthesessionbydiscussinghowtointroducewritinggenresandencouragestudentstoexperimentwiththem.Mike’sideathatstudentslearnandwritebestwhentheylearnwritinggenresinductivelyfromgoodstudents’modelsratherthanfromcomplexauthenticmaterialswascorroboratedbytheotherteachers’experiences.Itwasconcludedthatitwouldthereforebeveryusefulandproductiveforteacherstosharestudents’papersandcreateasortof“ChuoBankofResearchPapers”.Secondsession:SportsSpecialClassThesamegroupreunitedforthesecondsessionwiththeexceptionofMike,whodoesn’tteachthatclass.Wediscusseddifferentissuesandchallengesthatresultfromthehuge


rangeoflevelsandmotivationintheSportsSpecialClasses,andtriedtoofferpossiblesolutions.Concernswerefirstexpressedregardingverycapableandmotivatedstudentswhocouldmakethemostoftheirabilitiesinmoreadvancedclasses.Consideringthefactthatnotallsportsstudentsareabletobecomeprofessionalathletes,thesestudentswouldreallybenefitfrombetteracademicopportunitiesatChuoLaw.YuriexplainedindetailshowsportsstudentsareregisteredfortheseSportsSpecialClasses,andhowtheycanbeofferedalternativesiftheytakeaTOEICtestbeforethebeginningofthesemester.ItwashoweveragreedthatthischoiceofferedtostudentsisnotfacilitatedbytheirautomaticregistrationwiththeSportsSpecialClasspriortoanyplansoftakingaTOEICtest.Movingontomorepracticalissues,itwasmentionedthattherelativelylowproficiencyandmotivationlevelsintheSportsSpecialClassesmakeitunrealistictoworkwiththegraded-readerlibrarycurrentlyallocatedtotheseclasses.Outofthe100booksfromthislibrary,about25areatappropriatelevelsfortheseclassesthatrangefrom35to55students.Finally,wesharedideasofresourcesandactivitiestoengageandmotivatestudents.Amongstthem,textbooklisteningactivities,articlesfromtheBreakingNewsEnglishandNewsonJapanwebsites,andcreativecommunicativeactivities,suchaswritingstoriesbasedondrawnpicturesandfreerole-playingactivitieswherestudentsteacheachotherhowtoperformsportsactions,seemtogetthemostofourstudents. Thirdsession:ManabaForthelastsession,IsatwithKentandAlextolearnmoreabouttheonlineplatformManabaandhowitcanbeusedtoworkandcommunicateefficientlywithstudents.Inadditiontofacilitatingthecommunicationofgrades,thisplatformcanbeusedtoshareclassmaterialsandassignmentsthatstudentscanthenprintforthemselves.Itcanalsobeusedtosendnewsandupdatesabouttheclassesandtohavestudentsexchangeideasonlinethroughaforum.Oneofthemainadvantagesformeisthatitallowsstudentswhomissclassestoseewhatwasdoneinclass,andmoreimportantly,whattheirhomeworkforthefollowingweekis.IamverygratefultoKentforshowingAlexandmehowhehasbeenusingitinhisclasses,includingIRW.ThisissomethingIwanttotryexperimentingwithfromnextsemester.Afterthethirdsession,IpairedupwithRobtoreflectonwhatwehadbothlearntduringtheday.IwasparticularlyinterestedinhisreportoftheAssessmentsessionandinhisreflectionsondifferentwaysofpreventingstudentsto“dump”informationwhentheyexplainorpresenttheirresearch.Theconversationledtothepreparationofourposter,whichwassharedwiththeotherteachersintheposter-viewingsessionthatconcludedtheworkshop.Lookingbackontheday,IfeelIcameawayfromtheretreatwithagreaterunderstandingoftheprogramandofthegreatthingsthatcanbeachievedwithourstudents.IfoundanswerstothemainquestionsIwasaskingmyselfandlearntaboutmanyinterestingactivitiesand


ideasthatIintendtouseinmyclassesinthenear-future.IwasalsohappytogetfeedbackonmyworkandtoseethatIwasgoingintherightdirectionwithmystudents.Insum,itwasaveryproductive,enjoyableandstimulatingworkshop,andIamlookingforwardtomoreopportunitieslikethisinthefuture.**********************RyanHartleyBeginningThedaybeganwithatwo-turndiscussionwithcolleagueswedonotusuallyseeorspeakto.Thiswasfollowedbyaposterpresentationofkeyquestions/objectiveswewouldliketoanswerthroughouttheday.Wethenbrokeintoclassthemeddiscussiongroups.Discussiongroup1MychosenfirstdiscussiongroupwasfocusedonICR(IntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch).AllteachersagreedthatthekeyelementthatworkswiththecourseisthestructureandstagedprogressionofICR.Onemembernotedthesimilaritywithdebatetypeclasses,whichprovidethesamefunction.Wethenmovedontodiscussdifferentusesofthebooklibraries.Theonememberpointedoutthatthereareextrabooksinthelibrary.Anothermembernotedthewaitingintheapplicationoflisteningsuntillaterinthesemestersoastogetthestudentsusedtoreading.Wethenmovedtodiscussthepresentation/discussionofbooks.Allagreedthatthegoalistomoveawayfromstraightcopyinganddevelopapassionforreading.Onememberuses3Dpyramidsratherthanposters,andanotherusespredictivequestionformulationpriortopresentationssoastocreateagoodQ/A.Anothermemberiskeenonvocabularydevelopmentandusesonline4000speedreadingexercises.Discussiongroup2ThefollowinggroupwasamixedgroupincludingdiscussingPUSA,EnglishA/B,andazemiclass.ThenewPUSAcoursewasoutlinedusingthesyllabusandresourcesusedforthecourse.ThenwemovedtodiscussEnglishA/BthatisofssimilarinternationalisedorientationbutofamorebeginnerlevelthanPUSA.Inthesecoursesvolunteeringorstudyingabroadisencouraged,andthereissomeoverlapwithsomeoftheissuesinPUSA;largelyaroundstudyschedulingandlifegoalsvs.studygoals.VariousadditionalwebsitesforpotentialuseinPUSAweresuggestedthatworkinEnglishA/B,includingcoursera,edX,iversity,andtheBritishlibraryresources.Thenwemovedtodiscussazemiclassinvolvingsimilarly'getoutoftheclassroom'objectives.ThisclassinvolvedthevisitingofsitessuchastheimmigrantdetentioncentresandPhilippineswomen'scentres.Thechallengesandvalueofattemptingsuchactivitieswerediscussed.Afterlunch,Ileftanddidnotstayfortheafternoonsession.***********


SatomiHatae2017ChuoLawFacultyWorkshop/RetreatwasaninvaluableopportunityandIamtrulygratefultotheFacultyforofferingit.Ijoinedthreesessionsandcametolearnaboutotherteachers’methods,activities,toolsandconcerns.Thankstothesessionsandconversationinbetween,Igainedvarioushelpfulideasforteaching,whichwilladdnewfocalpointstomyclasses.TheclassesIteachatLawFacultyarebothRegularReading,astandardreadingcoursetaughtinJapanese,sotospeak.Students’expectationsinsuchclasses,withfortystudentsineachclass,cannotbutbedifferentfromthoseinclassesfocusedondiscussionorwriting.Ordinarily,Iaimforstudents’improvementinreadingskillsandvocabulary,mainlythroughparsing,skimmingandsummarizing.QuestionsIbroughttotheworkshopwere:(1)howateachercanencouragestudentstoactivatetheirreadingprocesses;and(2)howateachercanhelpstudentsseereadingasafoundationforexpression,incontrasttocomprehension,especiallyinwriting.Thus,IdecidedtojoinsessionsforResearchandWritingaswellasoneforReading.Session1:BasicResearchandWritingOneofthetopicswetookupinthissessionwascorrection/feedback.Iunderstoodthatgrammarmadeanissue.Somestudentswanttheirteachertocorrecteverysinglegrammaticalerror.HereresearchbyTruscottwasintroducedthatclaimsthebenefitoferrorcorrectioninwritingisnegligible.Itwasagreedthatattentionshouldbepaidonraisingstudents’awareness,whichisbetterachievedbyfocusingononetypeoferroratatime.Wealsotalkedaboutnotetaking,anareawherestudentsingeneralstruggle.Thesituationmaynotbeeasilyremediedbutshowingstudentsgoodexamplesseemstohelp.Elenaintroduceduseof‘infographics’assophisticatednotesforstudentstodevelopparagraphsfrom.Othertopicswecoveredincludehelpingstudentstofindgoodresearchtopic,touseasurveyinandoutoftheclass,andtoviewglobalissuesasrelevanttothemselves.Session2:BasicResearchandWriting+ImprovingResearchandWritingThetopicsdiscussedwerewidelyrangedandincludednotetaking,peerreview,citation,summarizing/paraphrasing,andvisualdatainwriting.Susandescribedatwo-stagedactivityinwhichstudentsfirstusetheirnotesforgivingareporttotheirpartnersandthenthey,inturn,explainwhattheyunderstandfromtheirpartner’sreporttoadifferentstudent.Inthisway,studentsarepromptedtolistencarefullyandattentivelyaswellasexplainingideasintheirownwords.Usingmodelsisagainsuggestedasbeneficial.AndyM.showedsomegoodnotesmadebyhisformerstudents.Healsoshowedastudent’sresearchpaperasanexampleofabalanced


useofvisualdata.Hepointedouttheimportanceofstressingthatvisualdataandquotationsmustbeusedsensibly.IhadaglimpseofAndy’sseriesofhandouts.Theyaredesignedtoensurethatstudentsunderstandwhatisexpectedofthemandtoguidethemthroughthestepsforcreatinggoodresearchpapers.Session3:ReadingDiscussionstartedwithhowreadingforinformation(gatheringfacts/data)andreadingforideas(understandingwriters’opinion)couldbedifferent.Ryota-san,whoteachesRegularReading,introducedagroupactivityfocusedonnotetaking,andexplainedhowhemonitoredstudents’work.Hepointedoutthatstudentstendedtoignoredifficultpassagesevenwhentheywereimportantandshouldbeincludedinnotes.J-Pdescribedavisualapproachtotextanalysis,inwhichstudentsusemanydifferentcolours.Forexample,markingopinionpartsandfactpartswithdifferentcoloursclarifieshowthetextunderconsiderationisorganised.Session4:ReviewInthislastsession,IworkedwithMikeandRyota-san.OurconcernswerehowstudentsseetheirEnglishlearningprocess,howitaffectstheirchoiceofclasses,andhowwhattheylearnfromdifferentclassescanbeconnected.Throughdiscussion,‘criticality’surfacedasthekey.MiketalkedofastudentwhowasfairlygoodasforEnglishskillsbutcouldnotorwouldnotseethatshewasadheringtoherpreconceptionsinaddressingherresearchproject.Itseemsthat‘criticality’iscrucialwithinandbeyondthescopeofourworkshopforEnglishteachingandlearning.**********************KentHillThisyear’sretreatmarksmyseventhconsecutiveyearandaswithpreviousyearsitwasawelcomeopportunitytoexchangeideaswithcolleaguesonteachingourclasses.Thisyearseemedtohaveanespeciallygoodturnoutofteachersandthedaystartedoffonahighnotebymeetingandspeakingwithteacherswehadn’tmetbeforeandwritingquestionsonA3paperaboutourteachingenvironments.Iwrote“Towhatdegreeshouldteachersnotmakethecontenteasybuteasiertounderstand?”ItseemstomethatIamoftenbeingaskedbystudentstoexplainthings(again)andexplainingtheminaneasierwaymaybeausefulwaytoputteachingmethodologytheoryintopractice.Itmightalsobepossibletoaddstudent/teacherinteractiontotheCAFs.IwasspeakingwithYuriatthistimeandherquestiondealtwithfeedbacktostudentsandhowtohelpthemrevise.Afterthisinitialwarm-upactivity,Iparticipatedinthreesessionsaswellasmakingposters.


TheFirstSession:BasicResearchandWritingSusan,Milton,Rob,Elena,SatomiandIparticipatedinthissession.Topicsincludedteacherfeedbackagaininthesenseofeitherbeingcontent-orgrammar-based.Wealsodiscussedproblem-solvingandcritical-thinkingskillswithpossibleteachingapproachesincludingtaxonomies(e.g.,ethos,pathos,andlogos)oronlineresourcessuchasinfo-graphics.Ipointedoutthatweshouldn’tbetoocriticalofstudents’choiceoftopics.Whenonestudentchose“tattoos”asatopicforpoliticalissues,IwasalittleuncertainifitwasappropriatebutafterlearningfromthestudentthatthemayorofOsakahadhadallemployeescheckedtoseeiftheyhadatattooIlearneditwasaquitegoodtopicchoice,especiallyasitappearstattoosmayalsobeacontentiousissuewithOlympicathletesin2020.TheSecondSession:BasicResearchandDiscussionThissessionconsistedofme,Milton,J.P.,andJames.MiltonsharedhowheusedhisblogtogeneratediscussionamongsthisBRDstudents,whichgavemetheideaofusingtheForumfunctiononManabatodosomethingsimilarsostudentscanshareandseewhattheothersaredoing.Miltalsopointedouthowhestructuresmind-mappingwitha“whyIchosemytopic,myopinion,whatIhopetolearnandwhatIhopetoteach”structurewhichIplantoincorporateintomycurrentbackground,problem,solution,andopinion/resultstructure.Familiartopicssuchaspeer-orself-evaluationandquoting,paraphrasingandreferencingwerealsodiscussed.Ipointedoutthatsincemostreferencesarenowwebsitesthatreferencinghasgottenmucheasier.TheThirdSession:ManabaThethirdsessionwascomprisedofAlex,ThomasandI.WelookedatseveralofthefunctionsonManabafrombeingabletouploadresourcesforstudentstodownloadandprint,tousingassignmentsforgradingandforstudentstouploadphotosoftheirpostersaswellastheirPowerPointslides,tofunctionssuchasNews(whichactslikeablackboardandsendsmessagesaboutnextweek’sclasstostudents’Chuoemailaddresses)andForum(foronlinediscussion).MakingPostersTomokoandImadeapostertogether.TheposterfocusedonthecentralityofBRD/BRWcourseswithICRandIRD/IRWcoursesbuildingonthem.WelookedatthesecoursesinthecontextoftheGlobalIssueReadersandtheGlobalIssueResourceswebsiteaswellasassessmentrubrics(i.e.,cleargoals,peer-editing,self-evaluationandself-reflection)andManaba.Allinall,theretreatsucceededagaininhelpingeveryonetoconnectwithwhatthey’redoingintheirclassroomsbysharingideassothatwecanimproveourteachingmethodologiesanddevelopasteachers.Ilookforwardtotheretreatnextyear.**********************


ChristineHorneItwaswarmandsunnywhenweallmetatChuoSurugadaiKinenkanfortheannualTeachers'Retreat.Thedaybeganwithanopportunitytochatwithteacherswehadn'tmet,orseenforsometime.TodayImetandhadaquickintroductorydiscussionwithTomoko,anewteacherworkingonMondays.ThentherewasalittletimetocatchupwithSusanBinder,whoIhadn’tseensincelasttimewemetataretreat.Duringthistime,Mikeofficiallyopenedthemeeting,andwelcomednewteachers.HealsowelcomedKoki,ateacherwhohopestobeginworkingatChuointhenearfuture.Wewereallaskedtowritesomequestionsforpossiblediscussionatsometimeduringtheday.Thereweremanyinterestingquestions,however,asIonlytookpartinthemorningsession,Iamnotsureiftherewastimetohavethemanswered.Wedividedupintoclassrelatedgroups-IjoinedtheIRWgroupwhichincludedYuri,Mike,Thomasandme.Therewereseveraloverlappingdiscussionsrelatedtoskillgaps,motivation,andstudentwillingnesstointeractwithothers.Wealsodiscussedhowtomotivatestudentstoresearchseveraldifferentopinions,beforeformingtheirown.Manystudentsitseems,arecontenttoreadoneopinionandbesatisfied,withoutquestioningthevalueofthatopinion.Itprovessomewhatdifficulttointerestthemincomparingandcontrastingbeforepassingjudgment.Mikekindlyshowedussomeresearchnotes,wherestudentsdidsomemind-mappingandwrotesimplequestionsbeforebeginningtheirresearchplan.HealsoencouragedtheuseofquotationswhichIbelieve,wouldprovequiteaforcefulwaytointroducetheirresearchtopicfordiscussion.YuriandThomashavebothbeentryingtotrainstudentstoparaphrase,followbasicreportwritingpatternsetc,throughtheuseofsimpleworksheets.Hopefullythepracticewillhelpstudentsretaintheknowledgeevenafteraparticularclass/coursehasended-thefactis,thatmanytrasholdnotesetcattheendofacourse,withoutrealisingthatmaterialshouldandwouldbeusefulinfutureclasses.Theyenteranew,perhapshigherlevelclassbelieving,sadly,theyhaveneverlearnedthebasicskillswhichweretaughtinpreviousclasses.Atabout11:00amwehadashortcoffeebreakandchattedwithteachersnotinourgroups.Soonwemovedintonewgroupsforasecondclassrelateddiscussion-IjoinedtheSpecialSportsClassdiscussion,andgroupmembersagainwereYuri,ThomasandKoki.Weallfacesimilarproblemsinthesportsclasses!!Therearetoomanystudents,toomanylevelsandtoolittlemotivation.Lackofmotivationisnotalwaysthefaultofthestudents.Thesystem,unfortunately,lumpsthemallintogether,totallydisregardingtheirEnglishskills.Thereseemtobecommunicationgaps-studentsaretoobusywithsportstrainingandactivitiestotakeTOEICtests,whichrestrictstheirentryintomanyclasses.Coachesandmanagersoftenencouragesportsstudentstotaketheeasiestclasses,ratherthanpushing


themtochallengethemselves.Yuri,thankfully,istryingtofindsomesolutiontothisproblemforthefuture.Thomashasstartedaninterestingactivityforsportsstudentswheretheymakea“manga”aboutthemselves.Iamsurethestudentsenjoythis,anditwillbeinterestingtoseeiftheyaremotivatedtoimprovetheirEnglishskillsusingthismethod.Koki,showedussomeinterestingvideoofsportsstudentstryingtoexplaintheirsportinEnglish.Itlookedlikefun,butmightbealittletootimeconsumingwithclassesof35plusstudents.WealsodiscussedsomeproblemsfacingsportsstudentswithhighlevelEnglishskills.Itseemsthattheyarebeingtoldto“help”lowerlevelstudentsbydoingtheirhomeworketc….weallfindthistobeunacceptable,however,wearenotsurewehaveanycontroloversuchactivities.Thediscussiontimepassedquickly,andsoonwebrokeforlunch.Ienjoyedashortdiscussionduringthebreak,withSusan,James,Alex,WillandKent.Ourbentosweregood,andIenjoyedourdiscussions.UnfortunatelyattheendofthelunchbreakIhadtoleave.Hopefullythosewhostayed,spentavaluableafternoongettingnewandbetterideastoimprovetheirclasses.ThereweremanymoreteachersIwouldhavelikedtohavediscussionswith-perhapsnextyear.Thankyouforaninterestingday.**********************AllenLindskoogMyobjectivesfortheChuoretreatasinpreviousyearsistobeinspiredandreinvigoratedforthe2ndhalfofthefirstsemesterandtoincorporatenewideasandactivitiestokeepthestudentsbothengagedandchallengedforthelatterhalfofthesemesterandintothe2ndsemester.Furthermore,Iwashopingthatthesenewideasandactivitieswouldalsobroadenanddeepentheirexperiencewiththecontentandresearch.Forexample,forthecoursesIteach,ImprovingResearchandDiscussion,BasicResearchandWritingandtheInternationalPoliticalIssuesandCampaignandtheJoukyuuEigoclassInternationalBusinessIssuesandCampaignclassesIrealizedthatitisveryimportanttohavethestudentstocomeupwithexploratoryquestionsinwhichstudentsaskoneanotherquestionsabouttheirtopicsinadvanceofpreparation.Thiscangetthemtobegintothinkaboutnotonlyanswerstothequestions,butalsothiswouldleadintothenextnewideawhichistocomeupwithresearchquestionsinordertohelpthemfindqualityresourcesduringtheresearchportionoftheircycle.Forsomestudentstheclassesarenewandnothavingageneralmapordirectioninwhichtogowiththeirresearchcanattimesfeeldauntingwithsomuchresearchmaterialtosiftthrough.Bycomingupwithresearchquestionsthiscanfocustheirresearch,whichinturnwillalsohelpwhentakingnotesastheywillhavechosenmorespecificinformationontheirtopicandmainpoints.One


commonfeedbacknoteIgivestudentsisto“writemoredetailednotesinordertohelpyouunderstandyourtopiconadeeperlevel”.Myhopeisthatbyincorporatingexploratoryandresearchquestionsthiswillleadtomoredetailednotetaking.Inaddition,Ialsowanttocontinuetoemphasizediscussionquestionsduringpairwork,sostudentscanhaveamoreindepthandmeaningfulexchangeonthetopicstheyareresearching.Thesequestionscancomeinavarietyofformsincludingcomprehensionquestions,researchquestionsanddiscussionquestions.Byaskingthestudentstocomeupwiththesequestions,theynotonlythinkinamorecriticalwayabouttheirtopic,buttheyarealsoengagingothersinthediscussiononthetopicandpossiblygainingapointofvieworperspectivenotthoughtaboutduringtheirinitialresearch.Throughthesediscussions,thiscanalsohelpstudentsdevelopandformopinionsonthetopicstheyareresearchingandbecomemorecriticalintheirthinkinganddepthofthetopics.Furthermore,byposingthesequestionstoanumberoftheirpeersintheclassroom,thiswillalsogivethemawiderangeofviewpointsandeitherstrengthentheiropinionsorcausethemtothinkdifferentlyabouttheirapproachtothematerial.Anadditionalideathatcameupduringtheretreatwastothinkaboutmixinguphowstudentspresent.ForallofmytimeatChuo,Ihadstudentsdoindividualpresentations.AndalthoughIthinkthisisnecessaryduringthefirstorsecondcycleofthefirstsemester,itmightbeinterestingforthemtopresentinpairs,butfromdifferentpointsofview.Thiswillnotonlymakeitinterestinganddifferentforthembutalsowillteachstudentshowtohaveanopinion,expressitandbackitupwithresearchincludingfacts,figuresandreasons.Andfinally,therewereafewadditionalideasthatIthoughtwouldbeveryusefultoaddtoeachofthecoursespreparationportionofthecycle.Researchandchoosevideosbasedonthetopicthateachstudenthaschosenandhavethemrespondtothosevideos.Thiswouldbedonepriortodoingresearch.Theycouldactuallyusethevideoasoneoftheirresourcesaswell.Also,whilebrainstorming,ratherthanbrainstormwithwords,brainstormwithimagesand/orphotos.Andonthetopicofvisuals,fortheBRWcourse,havethestudentsincorporatevisualsintotheiressays.Andofcourse,theywouldhavetodescribethevisualandhowitpertainstothetopic.**********************AndyMartinIparticipatedintwosessions,theBasicResearchandDiscussiongroupandtheResearchandWritingGroup.DuringtheBasicResearchandDiscussionsession,participantsdiscussedthekindoftopicsthatstudentsareencouragedtoresearchandpresenton.Willshowedsomematerialsfromthefirstcycleofresearchproducedbyhisstudents.ThesematerialswerebasedonresearchonlocalissuesconnectedwiththeirhometownregionsandasIrecall,tooktheformof


postersthatIthinkwereplacedonwallsenablingstudentstocirculateandlistentoexplanationsandtoaskquestionsaboutthecontents.Afollowupcyclehasstudentsresearch,presentanddiscussonmoregeneralissues.Theissueoftowhatextentguidanceincludinglistsoftopicsthatstudentscouldfreelychoosefromwasdiscussed.TheuseofcontrolledresearchresourcesincludingtheChuoonlineresearchresourceswasdiscussedandtheusefulnessoftheseonlineresourceswasagreedon.Otherissuesdiscussedincludedhelpingstudentstodevelopnote-takingskillstoenablethemtoproducenotestopresentfromratherthanstudentssimplywritingandthenreadingoutascript.IbelievethistobeaconcernforallofusinvolvedinPresentationandDiscussionclassesandalsoResearchandWritingclasses.Alsoinmyexperience,itcantakeawhileforstudentstobecomeawareoftheimportanceofspeakingfromnotesanddevelopproficiencyinspeaking,orratherteachingtheirtopicwhileemphasizingmainpointsandrepeatingmainpoints.Ialsoencouragethelistenertolistenactivelyandwhennecessaryaskthespeakertorepeatsomethingtheycouldn’tcatchorunderstand,orexplainsomelanguageorconceptthatwasnotclear.IthinkeveryonewhoteachestheseclassessharessimilarconcernsandhasdevelopedwaystobuildtheseskillsInmycaseImostlyonlyhavethestudentsinpairstakingturnstoworkthroughpresentingtheirtopic,thentestingwhattheytaught,thenfinallydiscussingwitheachother.Whentheyhavebothfinished,theyexchangeevaluationpapersandwriteevaluationsonhowwelltheythoughttheirpartnerhadpresentedandhowtheirpartnermightimprovetheirpresentationnexttime.BythetimetheyhavemasteredthepreparationofnotesandincreasinglyalsopreparationofPowerPointPrints,thisprettymuchtakesuptheentireclass.ThosewhohaveseentheframeworksIusetoguidestudentsthroughapresentationcyclecanseethateverythingisdesignedtoenablethestudentstoworkthrough3-5weeksofTeach-TestandDiscusscyclesusingformattedA3papersforeachweek’snotes,listener’snotesselfevaluation,peerevaluations,andasectionforthemtowritereflectionsontheirprogress.Alsotheyhaveachecklistofalltheworktheyhavedonethatbecomesthefirstpageonthefrontofthefolioofworkthattheyhandinforassessment;withalsoaspacetowritethegradetheythinktheyshouldgetwiththereasonswhytheyshouldgetthisgrade.Attheendofacycletheyhandintheentirepackagewithasummaryofeachweek’spresentationonthebackofthe‘folder.’ThisisfortheirconvenienceandI’lladmit,alsominebecauseI’matChuoonSaturdayforthefinalfourofmyotherfifteenclassesthatIteachfromMondaytoFriday.SohavingclearlyformattedmaterialsthattheyhandinalongwithprintedoutPowerpointslides,makesiteasierformetoevaluatetheworkproducedbythreeresearch,presentationanddiscussionclasseswithanaverageof24studentsineachclass.WhynotusenotebooksforR&D?WhydoIthinkit’seasiertoformatpapersintoframeworks?ReasonsincludethatwhenIusednotebooksinthepastIsuspectedsomeofthesecondyearswere‘recycling’lastyear’smaterials.Alsoitwasoftendifficulttodeterminewherenotesbeganandended.AlsoIoftenfoundthatsomestudentshad


omittedcomprehensionanddiscussionquestions.Ialsothoughtthattheformattedpapersthatformakindofnotebookwouldbeeasiertodealwith,butinpractice,whentheyincludePowerPointPrintsandresources,theyareaboutthesamesizeandweightorevenbulkierthananA4-40pagenotebook.**********************RobMoreauThisyear’sChuoretreat,wasasalways,agoodopportunitytoshareideasandtothinkaboutsomeideasfortheclassroom.Session#1:DiscussingBRW(withMilton,Susan,Elena)Inthissession,westartedwithaninterestingdiscussionaboutusinginfographicsasscaffoldingtowritingatext.Elenaexplainedhowstudentscouldanalyzehowinformationwasgroupedontheinfographicimagesandusethisasanoutlineforwritingatext.Studentscouldalsode-constructtheirownwritingandcreateinfographicsasafunwayofexploringorganizationintheirownwriting.Also,indiscussinginternetresources,thewebsite,http://www.nippon.com/en/wasintroducedasagoodsourceforarticlesinvariouslanguages. WealsolookedatasurveyideathatElenaintroducedthatcouldbeusedinbothdiscussionandwritingclasses.Studentsintervieweachotheronanissueandcreategraphsbasedontheinformationtheyobtained.Afterward,studentscanpresentorwriteaboutthegraphstheycreatedandshareinsightsonwhatthenumbersmeantothem. Attheendofourtalkwesharedthoughtsontheimportanceofhavingstudentsconnectpersonallywiththeirresearch.Forexample,byexplainingwhythetopicisimportantforuniversitystudentstolearnaboutorhowtheirthinkingaboutthetopichaschangedthroughtheresearchtheyhavedone.Session#2:DiscussingSentakuEigo(Ryota,Colin,Jenny)Oneofthemaintopicsthatwediscussedwashowtoavoid“info-dump”stylepresentations,thatis,presentationswherestudentssimplyrepeatastreamofinformationtotheirlistenerswithoutidentifyingthesignificanceofcertainpointsoverothers.Wediscussedtheimportanceofmakingoutlines,andprintingoutslidesinordertoorganizeideasmoreclearlybeforespeaking.Wealsotalkedabouthowstudentscancreatehandoutswithmoredetailedinformation,sotheycankeeptheirslidessimpleandeasytofollow.Connectedtotheideaofavoidinginfo-dumpsandpromotingadeeperunderstandingofwhatstudentsareresearching,webrieflydiscussedtheroleofcriticalthinkinginstudentdiscussionsandreflectioninshowingwhatstudentsunderstandanddon’tunderstandabouttheirtopics.


ColinandItriedanideaintheclassroomthatweintroducedtothegroup.Thatis,havingstudentslistentoeachother,summarizewhattheirpartnersaid,andfinallywriteashortcritiqueontheirpartner’sresearch,note-taking,etc.WithregardstothereadingcomponentofSentakuEigo,Ryotasaidthatheencouragesthestudentstodiscusswhattheydon’tunderstand.Thisleadtoadiscussionoftryingtodevelopownershipofthetopicthestudentsareresearch.Forexample,byhavingthestudentsimaginethattheythemselveswereaffectedbythetopic.Howwouldtheytalkaboutitinthatcase?Session#3:DiscussingAssessmentandSelf-evaluation(Allan,James,Koki)Inthissession,wediscussedvariousrubricandchecklistideas.Jamesshowedhisrubricforsharingnotebooks.Kokiintroducedtheideaofusinggoogleformstosetupasheetthatstudentscouldusetoevaluateeachother.Ihaveusedasimilarforminanotherschoolquitesuccessfully.Kokidiscussedhowthissystemseemstogivethestudentsagreaterdegreeofanonymityandthusallowsthemtodoamoreobjectiveevaluation.Thesystemofmakingtheformseemseasyenough.Ateachercanmakeoneform,copyituntilthereisoneformforeachstudentintheclassandthenaddthestudentnameslater.Session#4:Sharingsession(withThomas)Thomasintroducedasystemoftalkingaboutandwritingpersonalstoriesusingakindofcomic-bookstructure.Studentsfirstdrawsimplepicturestotelltheirstoriesandcanwriteaboutthestoriesusingthespaceundereachpicture.Aftersharingourideasandwhatwediscussedintheprevioussessions,wecreatedapostertoshareourthoughtswiththeotherteachers.**********************JennyMorganThisyear’sChuofacultyretreatwasagreatopportunitytoseeoldandnewfaces.IfirstcaughtupwithAlexSandShiori.ItwasgoodtotalkwithAlexaswearebothteachingsomenewcourses;ShiorisharedhowsherunshercontentclassesinglobalhealthwhichisatopicmyJoukyuuEigostudentssometimesconnectwithduringtheirresearchonvariousNGOs.JoukyuuEigoclassesIjoinedAllen,AlexandAndyBtotalkthroughissuesinourvariouscontent-basedresearchclasses.Wediscusseddifferentwaysweusetoguidestudentstoarriveattheirresearchquestions:Startingwithstudentsbrainstormingontoamind-mapintheirnotebook“WhatdoIknowalreadyonthisissue/topic?”beforetheytackletheInternet.Thisbrainstormingoftenhelpsthemfindtheirstartingquestions.IwasinterestedinAlex’sflowchartimageofhowshegetsstudentstomovefromtheirinitialtopic[e.g.thedeathpenalty]→Maketheirresearchquestions[Shouldgovernmentsbeusingthedeathpenaltyasacrimedeterrent?]


→Eachquestionthengenerates3-4mainpoints,forandagainst.→Studentsareencouragedtousevarioussources,notjustreadingloadsoftextontheInternet.E.g.TEDtalks,YouTubeclipsandlocalstoriesfromtheChuoGlobalIssuesResourceswebsite,listeningsources,newspapers,etc.Allofushaveourstudentswriteregularreflectionstohelpthemexploretheirresearchmoredeeply,andsetnewgoalsforthecomingweek.Duringpeer-share,thelisteningpartnerasksquestionsabout“whatdoIwanttolearnmoreaboutwithregardtothespeaker’stopic?”Then,studentswritetheirownreflectionsandsummaryofnotestakenwhilelistening.I’vebeenusingColinandJames’reallyusefulboardimagetohelpmy1styearstudentsunderstandhowtosetouttheirnotebooksforsummarynote-takingandreflectionsafterthey’velistenedtotheirpartnerpresenttheirhomeworkresearch.SentakuEigodiscussionIjoinedPeter,Ryota,ColinandRobMtodiscussissuesour1stand2ndyearElectiveEnglishcourses.AsI’mfillinginforPeterforthespringsemester,Ihadmanyquestionstoaskthemoreexperiencedteachers.Mymaingoalforthesessionwastocheckinabout:theclass’sprogressasawhole,solvesomeissuesaboutacoupleofstudentsIwasworriedabout,thecontentfocusI’vechosenforspringsyllabus,andtheflowofCycles1and2sofar.EventhoughSentakustudentshaveagenerallyhighproficiencyinEnglish,I’vefoundtherearedefinitelygapsinacademicliteracyskillssuchasnote-takingforresearchandpeer-sharediscussion.AftercheckinglearnernotebooksinWeeks1-3,I’vefoundweneededtospendclass-timeondevelopingsomebase-lineresearchskillsandclarifyexpectationsforout-of-classwork.Fromtalkingwiththe2ndyearteachers,RobandRyota,itseemsperfectlyacceptable,ifnotessential,tospendsomeofourclasstimeondevelopingorreviewingfundamentalskills,alongsidethefocusoncontent.WhiletheseSentakustudentsarealsoattendingICRandBRDclasses,etc,I’vefounditusefultotransparentlyrefertoandconsolidatetheskillscoveredinthoseEnglishclasses,andhavestudentsapplytheminafocusedmannerintheSentakuclass.Researchskillswe’vecoveredinSentakuclasshavebeen:mind-mapping,brainstorming,paraphrasing,usingvisualtoolsintheirnote-taking,searchingimagesontheInternet,usingkeywordsearchstringstosearchforinformation,images,slogans,andquotes(thanksAndyB);summarisingnotestakenwhilelisteningtopartnerpresenttheirhomeworkresearch;reflectionwritingwithprompts.IwasinterestedinthetopiccyclesRobusesinthe2ndyearclassestofindconnectionswithwhatI’mcoveringwiththe1styeargroup(identitiesandimmigration,ethnicminoritiesinJapanandabroad;globalisationandmegacitiesandtheirissues).Rob’sclasscovershealth,internationaltreatieswithJapan,indigenousrights,historicalissues,etc.Hopefully,studentswillbeabletomakeconnectionswith1stand2ndyearresearchtopicsandhaveasenseofcontinuity.Later,Italkedone-to-onewithPetertohearwhathehasdoneinthepastinCycle2.Wehavejuststartedthenewissueof‘globalisation’,andIwanttobesuretoconnectthisratherbroadtopicwithCycle1’sfocusonidentitiesandethnicminoritycommunitiesinsideand


outsideofJapan.IhopetheissuesofglobalurbanidentitiesandmigrantrightsinglobalcitiesandmegacitieswillofferanengagingconnectionbetweenCycles1and2.Allofussharedtheconcernofhowwecanbestmoveourstudentsfromdoingasimple‘researchdump’ofcopiousinformationintotheirnotebooksandthenintopeer-sharediscussions.Instead,howtohelpthembemorecritical/judiciousabouttheinformationtheychoosetofocuson,writedown,andthenshareinclass.BothRobandColinremindedmethattherearemanyStudentSamplesof‘refiningyournote-taking’ontheChuowebsite-thisisamosteffectivewayto‘teach’mystudentswhattheyshouldbeaimingforinrefiningtheirnotes.Robhasstudentsaskthemselves“whatissignificantaboutthispieceofinformationI’mwritingdown,andtellingyou?”Again,peer-sharereflectionsandpromptsareusefultohelpstudentsnarrowtheirresearcheachweek:“whatwereyourfindingsthisweek?”,“whatwassurprising,interestingthisweek?”,“whatareyournextresearchgoals?”I’verecentlystartedusingSusan’sResearchJournalQuestionSets(fromlastyear’sretreat?)whichhasgivenbothmy1styearand3rdyearclasseslotsofoptionsandsupporttofullyutilisethepeer-sharetime,andthenwritemorethoughtfulreflections.Assessment/evaluationgroupAfterlunch,IparticipatedinthisdiscussiongroupwithTomoko,Allen,KōkiandMike.Westartedbytryingtoclarifywhateachofusmeantby‘assessment’-isitself-evaluation,orlearnerreflection;doesitinformthestudent’sfinalgrade,andhowmuch?Weagreedthatit’svaluabletohavestudentsunderstandthatthepurposeofself-evaluation/self-assessment/reflectionsistobetterunderstandtheirlearningprocessesandsetnewgoals,moreaboutfurikaeri,nothansei.Mikesharedaverythorough-lookingfour-pageStudentSelf-AssessmentSheetheusesinhisIRDclasses.Wetalkedaboutwaystoreducethehugeamountoftimeweallseemtospendongivingstudentsindividualfeedbackalongwiththescore-grade-noeasysolutions.Certainly,Ifindhavingstudentscarryoutself-evaluation/self-assessment/reflectionshelpssharethatresponsibilityandmaybereducethetime-load.WealsodiscussedabouthowwecanencouragemoreEnglishuseinclasses;MikegetshislearnerstorecognisewhenandwhytheyswitchtoJapanese,andthenbacktoEnglish.AllenandMiketoldusaboutthekindofquestion-promptsforlearnerself-evaluation-reflectionsthathavebeenuseful:

o Whathaveyoulearnedfromyourresearchandother’sresearchinthiscycle?o Howhasyourthinkingdeveloped?o Whatareyouinterestedinlearninganddevelopinginthenextcycle?o WhatareyourgoalsfordevelopingyouruseofEnglishinthisclass?Whatdoyou

thinkwouldbeagood/usefulbalanceofJapaneseandEnglishtoachievethesegoals?

o Whatareyourgoalsforthenextcycle?Whatactionscanyoutaketoachieveyourgoals?Howcanyoucollaboratewithyourpartnerstoachieveyourgoals?

Dependingontheclasslevel,Alleninstructs:

o Pleasewriteaminimumof____wordstodescribeyourgoal(s).


Tomokosharedasimpleandeffectivepresentationskillsrubricwhichherstudentsusetogivepeerevaluationbasedone.g.“SKILLS:posture,voice,gestures,eyecontact;CONTENT/STRUCTURE:goodpoints,badpoints”.ThisissomethingIcanapplyinmycommunicationEnglishclasses.Kōkimentionedthatheuses‘googleforms’torecordassessmentsforhisELFpresentationclasses.IcertainlytookawayagreatdealofideastothinkaboutfromtheRetreatthisyear.ThanksagaintotheChuoretreatteamfortheopportunitytomeetwithandexchangeideaswithotherteachers.Asusual,itwasaveryworthwhiledayandIlookforwardtoimplementingsomeoftheideasandmaterialsthatpeoplesogenerouslyshared.**********************MikeNixWestartedthisyear’sRetreatwithsomebroadquestionsaboutwhatwefeelwearetryingtoachieveintheEnglishcurriculum,whatweseeaskeyprocessesandareasoffocusacrossthecurriculumandhowourownclassesconnectwiththesecurriculumprocessesandareas.Ifeltthesewerereallyusefulquestionsnotjusttofocususonwhatwethinkaboutthecurriculumbutalsotodirectourattentiontopartsofthecurriculumweeachknowabitlessabout.Inmycase,thisisprincipallythereadingsectionofthecurriculum.AndalthoughIdidn’tjoinanyofthesessionsonReadingclasses,itwasgreatthatlotsoftaught-in-Englishprogrammeteachersdidandtherewassuchastrongsenseofconnectionswiththoseclassesbeingexploredthroughouttheday.OneveryinterestingpointfromtheReadingclassdiscussionswassharedbyRyotainourpostermakingsessionattheendoftheday.ThisrelatedverymuchtomyownindividualquestionfortheRetreataboutwhatwemeanbycriticality/criticalliteracyandhowwehelpstudentstodevelopthat.RyotapointedoutthatstudentsmayseereadingforresearchinListeningandSpeakingandResearchandWritingclassesasaprocessofextractinginformationwithoutpayingcriticalattentiontothepurposesoftextsortheperspectivesfromwhichtheyarewritten.Thismademenoticethatweoftenrefertotextsintheseclassesas‘sourcesofinformation’and,indeed,thatwemayencouragestudentsto‘scan’and‘skim’articlestofindusefulinformation,ratherthanreadinothermore‘careful’ways.Thismaymeanstudentsreportaparticularperspectiveonanissueasthewaythingsareortreatinformationfromanarticlewritten20or30yearsagoascontemporary.(Ithinkthisistheothersideof,orevenperhapstherootof,the‘informationdump’approachtoexplainingresearchthatRob,JennyandsomeotherteacherstalkedaboutattheRetreat).However,RyotasuggestedthatifthegoalforreadinginaReadingclassesisdevelopinga‘fullunderstandingofthetext’thiscaninvolveconsidering,forexample,theauthorofthetextandtheirintentions,andthegenreofthetextanditscharacteristicpurposes,potentiallygivingstudentsamorecriticalunderstandingofwhattheyarereading.Manystudentsinmyclassesdoprettygoodresearch,intermsofinformation-gathering,butI’vebeenwonderingwhytheyoftenseemreluctanttoconsidertheauthorship,intentions,


contexts,interests,etcofthetextstheyread.Ryota’spointmademethinkthismaybetodowiththewaythatstudentsthinkdifferentlyaboutthepurposesofreadinginReadingandresearch-basedclasses,andthatencouragingstudentstomakeconnectionsbetweenwaysofreadingindifferentpartsofthecurriculummightbeveryuseful.This,andotherdiscussionstoo,duringthedaymademefeelitwouldbereallyhelpfultoknowmoreabouthowstudentsviewtheEnglishcurriculumintermsofthesamekindsofbroadquestionsweaskedourselvesasteachers,particularlywhatstudentsseeaskeyareasandprocessesrunningthroughthecurriculumandif/howtheyseetheirEnglishindividualclassesfittingintoabiggerpicturecurriculumpicture,thebroaderdevelopmentoftheirEnglish,andtheirunderstandingoflegal,politicalandglobalissues.InthediscussiononImprovingResearchandWriting,Christine,Thomas,YuriandItriedtomakesenseofwhysomestudentscomeinto2ndyearwritingclasseswithnoapparentcapacityfor,orevenawarenessof,practicessuchasnote-taking,paraphrasing,quotingandreferencing,eventhoughtheyshouldhavelearnttheseinthefirstyearBasicResearchandWritingclass(aswellasintheirfirstyearListeningandSpeakingclassfornote-taking).Incontrast,manystudentsdo,inmyexperience,nowcomeinto2ndyearResearchandWritingclasseswithgoodsenseofatleastsomeofthesepractices,especiallynote-takingcreatingagapinstudents’capabilitieswhichcanbehardtomanage.Asimilar,butsometimesevenstarker,gaphasbeenreportedbysometeachersfortheirjoukyuueigoclasses.Thisyear’sRetreatmademethinkmorethatthisgapmay,tosomeextentatleast,betodowithhowstudentsperceiveordon’tperceiveanEnglishcurriculumandmademewonderwhythatisandhowtogettheless‘connective’studentstostartmakingconnectionsforthemselvesmore.Inthewritingclassdiscussion,wealsotalkedaboutmorepractical,immediatewaysofdealingwiththegapbetweensomestudents,particularlyhowtopairorgroupstudentswithverydifferentlevelsofabilityorenthusiasm.Toavoidhavingclassesdividedintopairsofmoreandlesscapablestudents,Ithinkweagreeditissometimesusefultohavestudentsworkingroupsofthreewheretwostudentswhoareparticipatingactivelycanhopefullyactasrolemodels,orenergizers,foralessactiveorengagedstudent.Ihavealsofounditusefultobothputstudentsintorandompairsineachclasssotheyhavetoworkwithlotsofdifferentstudentsoverthesemester,butalsotochooseapartnerthemselvesonceineachclasssotheycanworkwithsomeonetheyfeeliscompatible.InthediscussiononIntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch,wetalkedaboutdifferentkindsofpresentationsforthatclass.ThisyearIhavebeenputtingmuchmoreemphasisonthelisteningandnote-takingthanontheextensivereading,withstudentsdoingmini-presentationstoonepartnereachweekontheirlisteningtonewsstories/globalissues.IdecidedIdidn’twanttodopresentationsonbooksthisyear,asIfoundinthepasttheytendedtobeverylinearsummariesofthestorywithoutamainfocusorpointtomake,andIwashopingtogetsomeideasaboutwhatkindsoflistening-basedpresentationsotherteachersaredoing.Asitturnedout,theotherteacherswithICRclasses,Tomoko,RyanandHatsumi,arealldoingpresentationsonthegradedreadersandhavefoundwaysofextendingthosebeyondjustaretellingofthestorytoincludeexplanationof,forinstance,thecharacters,writers’life,(social)themesinthebook,andexpressionsstudentsliked.As


analternativetoorthodoxposterpresentations,someonereportedthatJeanPierre’sstudentsmake3Dposters,whichIimaginetobepyramidswiththreeorfoursurfacesforinformationandwhichsoundveryinteresting.Thisdiscussionmademefeelitisusefultodosomekindofpresentationtoasmallgroupofotherstudentsagainthisyearinmyclass,butonanissuefromthestudents’listeningwork.AsintheotherICRsessionsthisyear,Ithinkourscontributedtoaninterestingdiscussionaboutdifferentwaystoorganizethiscoursearoundthereadingandlisteningelements.Wealsohadaninterestingdiscussioninthissessionaboutclassesinwhichstudentsarethinkingabout,planningoractuallycarryingoutout-of-class‘realworld’activities,withRyanexplainingtheverywellthought-outPreparationforUniversityStudyAbroadcourse,Elenatalkingabouther‘gapyearproject’intheYouthIssuesclass(inwhichstudentsresearchandplanwhattheywoulddoinayearofffromuniversity),andmementioningmyseminarclassondiversityandequalityinJapaninwhichIencouragestudentstogetinvolvedwithorganisationsworkinginthisarea.Ifeelitisreallydifficulttorunprogramsliketheseinwhichsubstantialnumbersofstudentsactuallygoontoundertaketheactivitiestheyresearchandplan,butthatthisisareallyimportantareatotalkaboutmoreandtrytodevelopnotjustintheEnglishprogrammebutintheLawFacultymorebroadly.Anotherdiscussionthatwasveryusefulforme,inthesessiononAssessment/Evaluationwasaboutwaystogivefeedbacktostudentsabouttheirworkwithoutthistakingtoomuchtime.Icurrentlygivequitedetailedwrittenfeedbacktostudents(inresponsetotheirownself-assessments)buthavefoundthatthistakesabouttwentyminutesperstudent,whichIfeelistoolong(ruinsmylifeforaweekatgradingtime)!Otherteachersremindedmeofarangeofotherwaysofgivingeffectivefeedback,andnotjustattheassessmentstageofthesemester,including:moreverbalfeedbackinindividualconferenceswithstudentseachweek;verbalfeedbacktotheclassafteracycle,pickingupcommonkeypointsfortheclass,perhapswithaquickPowerPointpresentationtohighlightkeypointsandshareexamplesofstudents’work;usingchecklistsandrubricstogivestudentsfeedbackandsuggestionsratherthanwritingelaboratefeedbackforeachindividual.Itwasreassuringthatweagreeditisbothbeneficialforstudentstogetfeedbackfromteachersontheirworkandthatthiscanbeeffectiveevenifitisdoneinlesstime-consumingways.Ialreadyknewalotofthisthisreally,butitwasgreattohavesupportforbreakingoutofmyownassessmentandfeedbackrutabit.Thanksforthehelpwiththat!Andthankstoeverybodywhoparticipatedinthisyear’sRetreat–andwhocontributedtotheonlinesharingbeforetheRetreattoo–forallthereallyuseful,stimulatinginputtoourdiscussions.Itwasanothergreatopportunitynotonlytoraisequestionsandshareideasandapproachesforclasseswitheveryone,butalsotoberemindedofsomeofthethingsIalreadyknewIcouldorshouldbedoinginmyclassesbutthathavesomehowslippedoutofview!**********************


HatsumiSawadaThisyear’sTeachers'Retreat,theannualworkshopforteachersoftheTaught-in-Englishcourses,gavemeanotherpreciousopportunitytolearnfrommyco-workers.Thefollowingarebriefdescriptionoftheideastheysharedwithmeandmyexperienceattheworkshop.LocalissuesasthefirstresearchtopicWilltoldusthatthefirstresearchtopicheassignedtohisBRDclasswaslocalissuesintheirhometowns.Insteadofdoingresearchonglobalissues,hisstudentsstartedfromsomethingsmaller.Heshowedussomepostersmadebyhisstudents,whichincluded"TheAgingSocietyofOisoCity"and"TheKodairaCity'sRoadPlan."Inthesecondcycle,hisclassworkedonsocialissuesofnationalimportance.TheywillbestartingtheirresearchonglobalissuesintheirthirdcycleintheFallsemester.Hisapproachofstartingfromlocaltopicscanbeareasonableoption,anditisworthconsidering.Itmaybroadentherangeofourchoices.Checkingandevaluatingstudents’note-takingItcanbehardforteacherstochecktheirstudents'note-taking.Eachstudenthasadifferentstyleofnote-taking,soitcanbetroublesomeandtime-consumingtofollowanddeciphertheirnotes.AndyM.andJamesgavemesomehintsaboutthisproblem.AndyM.toldmethathisstudentsarenotrequiredtosubmittheirnotebooks,buttoturninabooklet,oracollectionofworksheetshemadefortheclass.Ashehimselfmadethebooklet,ofcourseheknowsitlikethebackofhishand.Itismucheasierandtime-savingtocheckit,ratherthananotebook.Thebookletallowshimtopaymoreattentiontothecontentofstudents'writing.Ontheotherhand,Jamesusesarubrictoevaluatestudents'note-taking.Heshowedusaparticularrubrichemadeforlisteningnote-taking,whichcontainedfourevaluationcriteria:completeness,evidenceoflisteningstrategyuse,summary,andreflection.UsingGoogleFormforpeerevaluationOneofthecommonproblemswehaveaboutpeerreviewingisthatstudentstendtobetoonicetoeachotherandmarkveryleniently.Thishappenswhentheyevaluateeachother’sperformancesface-to-faceoronpaperbasis.Kokisharedusagoodideatosolvethisproblem.Inhisclass,studentsevaluatetheirpeers’presentationthroughGoogleForm.Accordingtohim,studentscanbe“brutal”whentheymarkonlineusingtheirsmartphones.Thismaybebecausestudentsfeellikeanonymousreviewerswhentheysendtheiranswersbyclickingitemsonamultiple-choicefeedbackform.PUSAWhenIsatwithRyan,hetoldusabouthisPUSA(PreparationforUniversityStudyAbroad)class.AlthoughthecourseisnotdirectlyrelatedtotheclassesIaminchargeof,itwashelpfulformetolearnthatclassesofthiskindareofferedatChuo.


Infact,aweekaftertheRetreat,oneofmystudentsfromourBRDclasstoldmethathewasthinkingaboutstudyinginAustralia.Heisafreshmannowandwantstogoabroadinhissenioryear.IadvisedhimtovisittheResourceCenterasafirststep,butalsorealizedtheneedtolearnmoreaboutthePUSAclassesandthelikewhichareofferedatChuoforstudentslikehim.FormyownprogressasanESLlearnerLastbutnotleast,theannualRetreatworkshopalwaysgivesmeapreciousopportunitytoovercomemypersonalproblemasanESLlearner.Iadmitthatthismaysoundridiculous,consideringmyhavingbeenteachingEnglishforyears,butIstillcannotgetridofthefeelingofunease,nervousnessandlackofconfidencewhenIamwithL1speakers.Honestlyspeaking,itisinasenseadreadfulexperiencetobesurroundedbytwentynativeEnglishspeakers,nomatterhownicepeopletheyare.Ontheotherhand,however,theworkshopisalsoabigdayformethatcomesaroundonceayear.Itisalmostlikeanannualtesttogaugemyprogress. Besides,atthisyear'sworkshop,IwasstimulatedandinspiredbythepresenceofotherJapaneseteachers,especiallyKoki,anewteacherwhoisinterestedinworkingintheprogramme.HetoldmethathehadspentonlytenmonthsinCalifornia,whichisasurprisinglyshortperiodoftimeconsideringhisfluencyandconfidence.HealsotalkedabouttherigorouslanguagetraininghehadatSokaUniversity,hisalmamater.Althoughhelookedyoungerthanme,IthoughtIshouldtakealeaffromhimandpracticeharder.TheannualTeachers'RetreatworkshophasneverfailedtoenlightenandmotivatedmesinceIattendeditforthefirsttimesomeyearsago.IwouldliketoappreciatetheenormoushelpgiventousbyAndy,Mike,Komuro-sensei,Ichimasa-sensei,Nishi-sensei,andotherfacultymembersofChuoLawEnglishdepartment.**********************AlexShaitanThisyearIparticipatedinseveralquitedifferentsessions.ThefirstsessionItookpartinwaswithAllen,Susan,SatomiandAndyMartinandconcernedImprovingResearchandWritingCourse.AndyMartinsharedhis12-yearteachingexperienceofteachingavarietyofcoursesatChuoUniversity.ThemostimportantissueraisedbyAndyconcernedteachinginstructions.Inparticular,itwasrevealedthatprovidingstudentswithguidanceonnotetakingprovedtobesuccessful.Allenpointedoutthatteachingstudentshowtosummarizeandparaphraseisparamountinteachingwritingcourses.Andynotedthataskingstudentstosummarizeapassageina100-wordparagraphminimizesthepotentialofplagiarism.Ithasbeenagreedbyalldiscussantsthatprovidingstudentswithsometraininginparaphrasingandsummarizingisaneffectivepedagogicaltechnique.Also,Susansharedherteachingapproachtominimizeplagiarismbyusingthe‘BreakingNewsEnglish’shorttexts.


Shespends15minutesforreadingandsummarizingasanin-classactivitytherebyenablingstudentstodevelopacompetencyinsummarizingtheinformation.AnotherideasharedbySusanwastochooseaquote/sloganandparaphraseand/orelaborateonit.Also,Ilikedtheideaofthe(Who,what,when,where,why,RESULT)astudent-reporterusestotellhis/herpeersaboutthearticletheyreadastheirhomeworkassignment.Asfarasmycontributiontothediscussionisconcerned,Italkedaboutencouragingmystudentsinbothclasses(ImprovingResearchandWritingandJoukyuuEigo)tousevideoresourcesfortheirresearch.Inparticular,ItalkedaboutthedeploymentofTedTalkandYoutube(interviewswithprofessionals,expertsand/oradocumentary)andhowmystudentsfoundthesaidvideoresourcesusefulandmotivating.Ofcourse,allstudentswereaskedtomaketwopagesofnotesandsharetheirresearchwiththeirpeersduringthein-classdiscussions.Ialsosharedwitheveryonean‘innovation’inmyteachingofJoukyuuEigotoencouragestudents’self-evaluationandreflectingontheirownperformanceintheclass.Toensurestudents’privacy,Iaskedmythirdandfourth-yearstudentsiftheywereinterestedinusingtheirownsmartphonestovideorecordtheirpresentations.Whileafewthird-yearstudentsgotinterestedintheidea,allfourth-yearstudentsexpressedaninterestinbeingvideo-recordedastheyallwantedtoseehowtheygaveapresentationinEnglish.Theirreflectionpapersrevealedinterestingresults.AsecondgroupdiscussionItookpartinwaswithKentHillandThomasaboutthedeploymentoftheManabaplatforminone’steaching.KentkindlyagreedtoshowushowhehasusedManabainhisteaching.SinceneitherThomasnorIusedManaba,itwasagoodlearningexperience.Forexample,encouragingstudentstowritereflectionpapersandsharethoseonForumplatformsisanotherwayofmotivatingstudentsanddevelopingtheirpeer-reviewskills.Thomasalsoraisedanissueofworkingonquotations.Forexample,heaskshisstudentstolocateavarietyofleafletsonlineandusethoseintheclasstoprovidestudentswithsometraininginparaphrasing,interpretation,anddevelopingcriticalthinkingskills.Havingattendedthisyearteachers’retreatprovidedmewithachancetoshareandexplorenewteachingstrategieswithmycolleagues.Whilethiswasmythirdtimetoattendtheevent,IthoughtitwasaworthwhilefacultyretreatorganizedandstructuredtoinspireasharedsenseofreflectiononteachingdifferentacademiccoursesattheChuoUniversity,LawDepartment,Taught-in-EnglishProgramme.**********************PeterThorntonWelcomeandThemesfortheDayWestartedthedaybyraisingideasaboutwhatwewouldliketothinkaboutoverthecourseoftheday,focusingonbroadissuesrelevanttoseveralorallclassesinthecurriculum.We


eachwroteoneortwoquestionsonasheetofA3andwalkedaroundtheroomcomparingourinterests.Theaimwastokeepthesebroadquestionsinmindthroughthedayasawaytofindlinksbetweendifferentclasses,andtherebybeabletothinkaboutthecurriculumasawholeaswellasspecificclasses.Iwrotedowntwoquestions:(1)HowdowehelpstudentstomakeconnectionsbetweentheirsenmonandEnglishclasses?and(2)Howshouldwedealwith“fakenews”?We’veoftentalkedabouttheformerquestionatpreviousRetreats,withthegeneralconsensusbeing,Ithink,thatdevelopingstrongerlinkstosenmonclasseshelpsmotivatestudentsintheirresearchforEnglishclasses.ThistimeIhadachancetotalkaboutthisissueforafewminuteswithKentandElena,althoughwedidn’tcomeupwithanyconcretesolutionsonthespot.Thelatterquestionisonethathasbeguntoconcernmereallyoverthelastyearorso.Forexample,anumberofstudentsinoneofmyclasseslastsemesterdidtheirresearchciting—unknowingly,Ithink—articlesfromrightwingwebsitesaboutalltheevilscommittedbyimmigrants.Itwasquitedisturbing.I’mwonderingifotherteachershavecomeacrosssimilarsituations.1stSession:10:30~11:15.ReadingclassesForthefirstsessionIwaspartofagroupdiscussingReadingclasses,withRyotaandMinako.Wedecidedwewouldfirstdescribewhateachofusdoinourclasses.RyotateachesbothAdvancedandRegularReadingclasses.Ryotaexplainedthathehashisstudentsgetintogroupsof5andreadanassignedarticleoressaytogether.Eachweek,onememberofeachgroupisresponsibleformakingaresumebasedonthegroup’swork.Hetalkedaboutthebenefitsofhavingstudentshelpeachotherinclasstodevelopabetterunderstandingoftheassignedtext.Onedifficulty,however,ischoosingreadingmaterialsthatare,firstofall,challengingforstudentsintermsofEnglishlevel,andsecond,interestingforaclassof40lawfacultystudents.Hetoldusthatfiguringoutwhatstudentsareinterestedinissometimeshit-and-miss.Minakoexplainedthatshehasstudentsgenerallyworkinpairsratherthangroups.ManyofherreadingmaterialsaretakenfrompastTOEICtests,butshealsousesarticlesfromtheNewYorkTimesandtheJapanTimes.Shefeelsit’squiteimportantthatallstudentsbuyatleastonecopyofanewspaper,andnotrelysimplyononlinesources.Shebelievesthis“investment”(purchasingaprinteditionofapaper)canhelpstudentstoseetheimportanceofworkingwithreliableandresponsiblenewsoutlets.Furthermore,havingaprintcopyencouragesstudentstoexploreotherarticlesbesidesthoseusedforclass.Iwasparticularlyinterestedinherideasaboutgettingstudentstogathernewsfromreliablenewsoutlets,sincethatisanissueI’vebeenconcernedaboutinmyListeningandSpeakingclasses,asIalreadymentioned.InmyRegularReadingclasslastyear,Ialsohadstudentsworkingingroups.Iwouldsetacommonumbrellatopic(suchasmigration)fortheclass,andthenprovidereadingmaterials(usually6or7articles)relatedtothattopic(forexample,readingsonmigrationnetworks,ethniccommunitiesandeconomies,globaldiasporas,etc.)forstudentstochoosefrom.


Studentswouldformgroupsof3or4toreadanarticleoftheirchoicetogetheroveraperiodof3weeks;inthefourthweek,theywouldmakenewgroupsandexplainwhattheyhadreadtotheirnewgroup.Finally,theywouldlookforcommonthemesordifferencesbetweenthereadings,andthenwriteashortpaperbasedontheirfindings.ThethreeofusallfeltthatlettingstudentsworkingroupsorpairswasimportanttohelpthemstaymotivatedabouttheirEnglishstudies.Encouragingstudentstodiscusswhattheyreadwithotherstudentsallowsthemtodevelopnotjustreadingskills,butalsogenuineinterestinthereadingtopics.2ndSession:11:30~12:30.ElectiveEnglishForthesecondsessionIjoinedJenny,Ryota,Rob,andColintodiscussElectiveEnglish.WefirstaskedColinandRob,whoareteachingthe2ndyearresearchclasstogether,howtheyhavebeendividingtheirroles.ColinexplainedthathehadrequestedthathebegivenasecondaryrolewithRobtakingthelead,asthiswasoriginallyRob’sclass.RobtoldusthatithasbeenfantastictohaveColinjoinhimwithhelpingstudentswiththeirresearch—hefeelsit’sbeentremendouslybeneficialforthestudentstohaveanotherteachersitwiththemandadvisethemontheresearcheachweek.Turningtobroaderissues,wehadadiscussionabouthowtohelpstudentsbetterorganizeandfocustheirresearch.RobandJennywereconcernedthatsomeofthemostmotivatedstudentscanbegintofeellostwiththeoverwhelmingamountofinformationavailabletothem.ThisisespeciallytruewithElectiveEnglishstudents,whoseEnglishproficiencyallowsthemtoexploreamuchwiderrangeofEnglishsourcesthanconventionalLawFacultystudents.Wediscussedtheimportanceofhelpingsuchstudentstozero-inonaspecificaspectofaresearchtopic,ratherthanjustcontinuouslycollectinginformation.Also,wethoughtthatoftenstudentsneedtipsonhowtoformanappropriateresearchquestionandonhowtodevelopmeaningfulconnectionsbetweentheinformationtheyfindindifferentarticlesandsourcesofinformation.Weconcludedthathavingstudentswriteweeklycriticalreflectionsontheirresearchcanalsohelpthemtodevelopgreatercoherenceandfocusintheirresearchprojects.**********************KokiTomitaFirstandforemost,IwouldliketoshowmybiggestgratitudetoAndy,BandMikeforgivingmetheopportunitytoparticipateintheworkshop,andalsoalloftheteacherswhowelcomedmeandsharedyourteachingexperienceandknowledgeofworkingatChuo,theFacultyofLaw.Iwouldliketostartbymentioningtheoverallimpressionoftheworkshopfromtheperspectiveofanewteacher.Overall,theRetreatwasverybeneficialforme,mentallygettingmyselfpreparedbeforeteachingcoursesatChuo.Forme,Ialwayswanttogeta


hunchofstudents’level,classsize,andexpectationsofstudentsinadvance.Inthissense,theworkshopprovidedmewithrichinformationandclearedtheclouds.TheRetreatalsoallowedmetounderstandwhatshouldbeprioritizedintheprogramme(note-taking,learnerautonomy,andacademicliteracy).Fromanadministrativeperspective(becauseIaminterestedinfacultydevelopmentingeneral),Istronglysuggestthatotheruniversitiesalsoshouldholdthistypeoffacultydevelopmentintermsofsupportingnewteachers.IwouldliketomentionthatoneofthebenefitsattendingtheRetreatwasthepracticalityofit.Anumberofusefulteachingtechniquesweresharedintheworkshop,andtheywerealltailoredtoteachingcoursesintheprogramme.BecausetheRetreatismadeofcollectiveopinionssharedbyteacherswhohavevarietiesofteachingbackgrounds,Ibelievethattheworkshopisagreatopportunityforustoimproveourselvesasateacher.Forthefirstroundofthemorninggroupdiscussions,Iteamedupwiththreeteachers.Mybiggestquestionforthegroupwasthe“cycle”systemusedintheBRDcourses.Theteachersbriefedthattheyusuallysetonecycleforfourtofiveweeksbasedonthestudents’comprehensionandsatisfactionleveloftheirtopicandwork.Willnormallybreaksdownonesemesterintothreecycles.Inthefirstroundofthesequence,hisstudentsstartresearchingissueshappeningintheirhometownandeventuallysegueintoaglobalissuethattheyareinterestedin.Theproofthesequenceisthatstudentsarealreadyfamiliarwiththeissueshappeningintheirlocalareas,butnotfamiliarwithotherstudents’problems.Therefore,thegapinknowledgeenablesthemtobefullyengagedintheresearchprocesstofulfillotherstudents’willingnesstoknowunfamiliarlocalissuesinJapan.However,apossibleshortcomingisthatthefurtherthestudents’localareasareawayfrombigcities,themorethestudentssufferfindingresourceswritteninEnglish.Intherecapdiscussion,oneteacheradvisedusthatwecouldturnthesequencetheotherwayaround.Hedidasimilartypeofsequencing,andstudentsfacedrelativelythesameissue—notfoundEnglishresourcesandheavilyreliedontranslationmachines.Inthereverseway,studentscanbuilduptheirnote-takingandacademicliteracybythetimetheyreachthelastcycleThroughdiscussionsintheRetreat,Ilearnedthatstudentshaveanumberofopportunitiestoreflectontheirprocessoflanguagelearningintheprogramme.Then,Iwasabitpuzzledwiththesituationwhereweexpectourstudentstoreflectdespitenotteachingthelanguageortechniquesoftenusedinreflection.Ibelievethatreflectionisaskill,andstudentsshouldreceiveacertainamountofinputtoconductbetterreflection.IntheRetreat,oneteachermentionedthatsomeofhisstudentsfallintosurfacelevelreflection(ex:“Ienjoyedtoday’slesson.”“Imademanymistakes.”).However,inordertogetthemwriteaqualityreflection,Ibelievethatweneedtotakelessontimetoteachhowtoconductacriticalreflectiononlanguagelearning.Forthisissue,Andy,Bintroducedusareflectiontechniquethatheusesinhiscourses.Itstartswithshowingsamplesofqualityreflectionthathehascollectedovertheyearsofteaching.Next,heaskshisstudentstoextracttheessenceofqualityreflectionsamplesanduseitforareflection.Thissupporthelpsteacherstosetabenchmarkofeffectiveandineffectivefeedbackandexpectourstudentstomeetthestandard.**********************


JamesUnderwoodThefirstbreakoutmeeting-IntroductiontoCommunicationandResearch.Colin,JP,Ryan,Shiori,Tomoko(andmyself):Itwasinterestingthatoverthecourseofthissessionthereseemedtobeaperceivedtradeoffbetweenthereadingandlisteningpartofthecourse,withsometeachersfocusingmoreononeskillthantheother.Anotherthingthatwasinterestingwasthatmanyoftheteachersweregivingtheirstudentsmanychancestopracticetheirpresentation,whichwassomethingIhadthoughtofbutnotdoneduetotimeconstraintsandpreferringtohavethepresentationsdoneoveroneclassperiodinsteadoftwo.PerhapsnextsemesterornextyearIwilltrythisforthefirstpresentationasitseemstobebeneficialtoraisingthestudentsconfidenceinEnglish.Itwasalsointerestingtoseehowthelisteningpartofthecoursewasapproachedwithsometeachersdecidingtoallowthestudentstolistentothingsotherthanthenewssitessuggested,e.gTEDtalks.JPstartedusoffbysharingwhathewasdoingonthecourse.Forhim,thereadingpartofthecoursetookpriority.Hestartedthecoursebygivingthestudentsashortreadingandlisteningdiagnosticandencouragedthemtoreadatalevelthattheyfeltcomfortable.AshefeltthattheclasslibrarywaslimitedinselectionofthehigherlevelsheoftensenthisstudentstotheHillTopLibrarysothattheycouldborrowbooksofsuchlevel.Ifthestudentschosetodothishewouldgivethemmoretimetoreadtheirbook.Inclasshefocusedonbuildingupfluencyandcommunicativecompetencewiththestudentshavingampletimetopresentusingtheirnotebookasaminiposterinsmallgroups,gatherpeerfeedbackandthenrepeatthisasmanytimesasneeded.Healsoencouragedhisstudentstofindsolutionstobreakdownsincommunicationiftheyoccurred,teachingthemtoaskforclarificationorcomprehensionquestions.ColinfollowedonfromthisandexplainedhowheencouragedhisstudentstoletgooftheirfearofnotbeingabletospeakperfectEnglish.InhisdescriptionofhisactivitiesitagainseemedthatlikeJPhewasfocusingonfluencybygivingthestudentsmanychancestosharetheirnotes.Healsofocusedalotonthereadingprogramandheldthestudentstoalotmoreaccountabilityforthereadingprogramme,gettingthemtotakeextensivenotes.Whileforthepresentationshealsoencouragedpeerfeedbackandgottheaudiencetoreportonwhattheyfoundinterestingaboutthepresentationandwhatthepresentercoulddotoimprove.IthensharedhowIhadmadechangestomycourseandhadstartedtofocusongettingthestudentstopresentontheirlisteningskilldevelopmentinthefirstpresentation,whichincludedalanguagehistoryelementwheretheyreportedonwhattheyhaddonepreviously.IalsoreportedonhowthestudentsinmycoursewerelisteningtothegradednewswebsitesalongwiththerebrandedCNNstudentnews(CNN10),andwereinstructedtolistentothreeeasybroadcastsfromeitherVOAorBreakingNewsEnglishandweresupplementingthisbylisteningtotwodifficultstoriesfromCNN10.TomokothenaddedhowshewasencouragingherstudentstolistentoTEDtalksasitfollowedonherexperienceofteachingtheInternationalBaccalaureateprogramwherethe


studentswereencouragedtolistentoextractswhichweremorecontentfocused.Shealsogotthestudentstopresentingroups,whichwerechangedmanytimes.ShereportedhowthestudentsfoundTEDtalksinterestingandenjoyedlisteningtoandtakingnotesonthemostpopularTEDtalksplaylist.Ryanthenaddedhowhestagedthereadingandlisteningelementsandchosetoletthestudentsreadthenonfictionbooksinthegradedreaderlibraryonlyafterlettingthemreadthefictionbooksacoupleoftimes.Shioriaddedhowshestagedwhatthestudentswereexpectedtodoandusedvarioustechniquestobuildupthestudents’fluencyandconfidence.Shealsomentionedhowshegotthestudentstoconsolidatewhattheyhadlearnedinthelisteningtothenewspartoftheprogrammebygettingthemtopresentingroupsamocknewsbroadcastwitheachstudenttakingvariousrolesinthis.LikeColin,JP,andTomokoshealsoletthempresentthismanytimes.Thesecondbreakoutmeeting-BasicResearchandDiscussion1)JP,Kent,Will,Milton(andmyself)MiltonstartedthesessionoffbyreportingonhowhehadhadsuccesswithusinghisownwebsitecreatedwithGooglesitestoprovideabackchannelthatthestudentscouldusetointeractwitheachotheroutsideoftheclassroom.Forthisthestudentswereexpectedtouploadvariousphotosoftheirworkandcommentonotherstudents’postingsandattheendofthesemestertheyweregradedontheirinteractionsaspartoftheirassessment.Althoughhedidprovidesomeguidanceinsettingitupandsometimescommentedonthestudents’progress,hestressedthattheemphasiswasonthestudentstopostandcomment.KentthenreportedonhowhewasusingManabatoachievethesame,andaddedhowhewasgettingthestudentstodownloadhisprintsanduploadpresentationsandreports.ThiswassomethingthateveryonefoundinterestingasitshowedhowManabacouldbeusedtokeeparecordofthestudentsworkandnotonlythatbutcommentonothers.Willthenexplainedhowheheldthepresentationsovertwoweekstogivethemmanychancestohearmanydifferentpresentationsandpractice.Hethenaddedhowhesetupthefocusofthepresentationsthatmovedfromlocaltoregionalissues,andstartedoffresearchingtheissueinJapanese,bothofwhichgavevariousopportunitiesforscaffolding.2)Rob/Koki/HatsumiInthisbreakoutsessionweexaminedgradingandassessment.Robfirstdetailedhowheevaluatedthestudentsbasedontheirqualityofnotesthroughusingachecklistandalsohowheallowedforthestudents’selfevaluationoftheireffortswhichaidedhimwhenhewasmakingthesamedecisionovergrades.


Kokithenreportedonhowheusedagoogleformtoevaluatepresentation.AlthoughtheGoogleformhehadusedlookedquitefamiliartosomethingthatIhadusedtocollectpeerevaluation,itwasinterestingthathehadfoundthatthestudentstendedtobemorehonestwiththefeedbacktheygavewithananonymousonlineform.ItwasalsointerestingthatatthestartofthesemesterhestartedoffwithfairlybasiccriteriathatthestudentsrespondedtousingaLikertScaleandslowlybuiltthisupoverthesemester. **********************TomokoYamaguchiChuoRetreatforteachersisagreatopportunityformetomeetcolleaguesandtoshareourideasforteachingandinteractingwithstudents.IattendedthreegroupsintheRetreat:BasicICR,EnglishA/B,andAssessment.Throughtheactivitiesanddiscussion,IlearnedmanythingsbuthereItrytofocusonthreepointsthatIwasmostinterestedin.FirstIgottoknowtwowebsitesthatareusefulforclasses.Oneis“visualnotetaking”,whichshowthewaytomakeclearoutlinebytakingnotes.Itshowsavarietyofconcreteexamplessothatstudentscanchoosetheirownstylethatiseasytouse.Italsointroducesthesoftwaretomakeoutlinessoitisalsoavailableonlinetopurchaseiftheywant.Iintroducedthe“visualnotetaking”toICRandIRDclassesandtheyenjoyedexploringtheexamplesandIhopetheycanutilizethisinformationfortheirpresentation.TheotheristhefollowingintroducedbyJames;http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/publications/4000-BNC-SRs-for-ESL-Learners.pdfForbeginners,readingeightbooksinasemestermightbeatoughassignment,soIintroduceabout200-250wordspassagemostlyaboutfactsinclassandhavethestudentssummarizeormakemapping/outlining/listingofthecontents.IfIusethewebsitesabove,Icaneasilyfindtheappropriatematerialsforclass.Thewebsitesalsoprovidesomefollow-upquestionstoleadbettercomprehensionforstudents.IamalsointerestedinthewaytointroducetheresearchtopicbothinEnglishandJapanese.Sinceweteach“taught-in-English”program,ItriedmybesttouseonlyEnglishinclass.Yetespeciallyforbeginners,theycannotexpresstheiropinioninEnglisheasily.Inaddition,topromotetheirideasonatopic,theycannotfigureouthowtheycanstarttheirresearch.Inthatcase,whentheysharetheirideasabouttheirresearch,friendscangivesomeadviceinJapaneseortheycantalkaboutthetopicandexplorewhichwayisinterestingandmeaningfultodoresearch.Atthefirstorsecondclassforeachcycle,itmaybeeffectiveforstudentstouseJapanesetomakeagoodfoundationofresearch.Thereshouldbesomeadvancedstudentswhocanleadthelowerlevelstudentstoimprovetheirabilitytoexpresstheirideas.Throughresearch,thosestudentscanimprovetheirvocabularyforexpressingtheiropinions.


Last,providingtheopportunitytoreflectthemselvesaftereachresearchcycleseemstobeagreatideatoencouragestudentsforlearningEnglish.Settingaconcretegoalitselfisagoodwaytopromotestudentsbutresettingagoalinshorttermisevenbetter.Ifstudentssettheirgoalsatthebeginningofthesemester,theytrytheirbesttoaccomplishit.However,iftheyreview,say,every4or5weeks,theycanrevisetheirgoalseachtime.Inaddition,theymaybeabletosetmoreconcretegoalsbecausetheyknowtheirabilitybetteraftertheyactuallytrysomething.Iftheysetgoalstoohighortooambiguous,theycanreviseorchangeit.Imadeanopportunityforstudentstoreflectwhattheyhavedonesincethebeginningofthesemesterandtoldthemtomakeaconcretegoal.Itisalsogoodforteacherstoseehowfartheyimprovetheirabilitiesinlistening,reading,etc.AsIreviewed,IhavelearnedalotatRetreatandwouldliketousesometechniquesorinformationinclass.IcouldnotattendtheReadinggroupthistimesohopefullynextyearIwouldliketojointhegroupofReadingtosharesomeideaswithteachers.IreallyappreciatethisworkshopandIhaveneverattendedthiskindofworkshopinotheruniversities.ThisistheprogramChuofacultiescanbeproudof!**********************WillZhanjeMiltsharedabouthowtoengagestudentsduringpresentationsinaqualitativeway.Hegaveusafewoptionsonhowtoorganizethegroups.Inaddition,heshowedushowtorunaforumforstudentsusingGooglesites.Thethreadscanbesetupinminutesandarequiteeasyforstudentstouse.Itprovidedanotherwayforstudentstoengagewitheachother.Hisstudentsseemedtobequiteresponsivetothemedium.KentwalkedusthroughhowwecanuseManaba.Fromgettingsetuptogiving&checkingassignmentsthroughthesystem.Healsoexplainedsomeofthelimitations.Ididn'trealizejusthoweasyitwastouse.ThelasttimeIcheckeditseemedtobeonlyinJapanese.AndyMartinhadaseriesofhandoutstomanagestudents'learningcycles.Thesewereinlieuofusingnotebooks.Thestrictlystructuredsheetsseemedtogivestudentsaclearsenseoftheexpectationsandthedirectionofthecycles.However,theteacherreportedthathestillhadproblemswithsomestudentsfailingtokeeppaceandcompleteassignments.Hatsumispokeofbeingoverwhelmedbythesizeofherclass.Shefoundthediscussiontimesquitestressfulbecauseoftheamountofnoisethestudentsgenerated.Shewouldliketohaveaclassthathastwentystudentsorless.Wediscussedwaysinwhichshecouldmanagetheclassandthenoisegenerated.Myinputwaswaystolearnthestudents'namesusingpostcardsearlyinthesemester.Regardingthenoise,Isuggestedopeningthewindowsormovingtoalargerroom.


Alternatively,shecouldsplittheclassintohalves.One-halfcoulddoaspeakingactivitywhiletheothercoulddoanotheractivity.IalsosuggestedthatEnglishCentralwasagoodsourceofoveralllisteningandretellingpractice.Inaddition,itexposesthestudentstonewvocabularyandnaturalexpressions.Irecommendedthatthestudentskeeparunninglistofnewvocabularythattheywouldliketoremember.Thisvocabularycouldberecycledinquickpeertopeertestingorstudentscouldreviewattheirleisure.**********************

2017 retreat report teachers version final...

Documents