Every time I pass by a café near my house, I see, through the glass-wall, many students studying over a cup of coffee. I used not to be that type of student who can concentrate on studying in a public place like them, but I can relate to them as a coffee lover. While many of them probably drink coffee simply because they like it, some of them (like me in the past) might do so to get the effect of caffeine stimulation.

Caffeine is widely known as a substance that is contained in particular foods and drinks including chocolate, tea and coffee. It may also be added to soda and energy drinks. It acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system, thereby keeping us awake. Studies have shown that an appropriate intake of caffeine promotes learning and memory performance.

People often choose coffee as a beverage to aid concentration due to the effects of caffeine. In fact, according to Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 100ml of coffee contains 60mg of caffeine, which is the second highest proportion of caffeine among familiar drinks next to refined green tea, or gyokuro in Japanese. You may be surprised to learn that in terms of caffeine intake, just drinking a small-sized canned coffee is sometimes much more efficient than drinking an energy drink.

If you want to gain the full benefit of caffeine, be careful about the timing of drinking coffee. Some people mistakenly believe that they can get the stimulating influence of caffeine immediately after drinking coffee. Actually, it is about 30 minutes after consumption that caffeine takes effect, and some more time is needed before this effect reaches its peak levels. This means that you should start drinking coffee 30 minutes before you begin studying, or you have to overcome sleepiness without the help of caffeine for at least 30 minutes. It would also be beneficial to keep in mind that the effect of caffeine lasts for longer than 5 hours. Unless you have to finish your homework staying up late, you should not drink coffee before going to bed.

Last but not least, remember that drinking too much coffee can be harmful. Typical symptoms caused by immoderate consumption of caffeine include an increased heartrate, chilly feeling, and numbness in limbs. There is also a fatal risk due to acute caffeine poisoning in the worst case. To prevent these, it is recommended by Health Canada that healthy adults limit their caffeine intake to 400mg per day, which means they should not drink more than three mugs of coffee. 

As long as moderately consumed, coffee can be a great study companion. Keep up your good work over a cup of coffee!

References:

{Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/syokuhinseibun/1365420.htm]}

{Health Canada [https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2010/13484a-eng.php]}

Photo Credit: Chevanon Photography @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

True or False

Q1. Coffee contains the most caffeine out of all drinks.

Q2. The effect of caffeine usually lasts for no longer than 30 minutes.

Q3. Even a healthy adult should be careful not to drink too much coffee.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. False

Q2. False

Q3. True

I remember when I learned to read the Dick and Jane books back in the 1960s. The illustrations showed never-changing white skies and two kids who always happily got along and played politely with each other. Neither child was ever sad, and the parents were always cheerful and attentive. Many stories included eating ice-cream cones and riding shiny red bicycles. I found the short stories enjoyable and I felt like I was achieving something because my mom praised me after reading each one out loud. As I got a little older, I found that the stories were more interesting than my real life. Before I met my best friend in 5th grade, I spent most of my time reading alone, escaping the dreariness of my neighborhood and the dull kids around. Reading was a form of companionship for me. 

Then in the upper grades of elementary school, I got "too good" at reading. The teachers told my mother that I shouldn't take the books home from school because I was getting ahead of my classmates. My mother was told to encourage me to abandon books and play more outside, even during the icy winters in Wisconsin. 

The turning point came in sixth grade when Mr. Dean, our handsome Language Arts teacher, took 12 students out for a special class to increase our reading rather than decrease it. He challenged us to read as many books as possible, keep detailed vocabulary lists and share with the class what we were reading. And, he taught us how to read and write poetry and published our poems in a newsletter. He stretched us. He made us competitive, voracious readers. He praised us when we used our new words in conversation. And because we were reading so many books, we became aware of how many worlds of adventure were available on the printed page. This teacher had us entering different worlds joyfully, and he was excited for us, as though he was sending each of us off on a trip when we had time to read silently in class. 

My advice to students is to read to escape your reality. Read in a foreign language to escape Japan further. It is important to alternate reading and nonreading throughout the day, to maintain the architecture of the mind. When you read, you pull another reality around you like a blanket. While you're *not* reading, you inhabit "actual" reality. Too much reading weakens your relationship to the world; too little saps your imagination. You need both to inhabit reality and to flee from it.

Is PowerPoint just a ‘user-friendly’ software for presenting information?  Actually, it’s much more: it’s a design tool. At a basic level, the PowerPoint software menu offers choices for putting together slides that are organized into a slideshow presentation. But understanding PowerPoint as a design tool gives you practice combining speaking, writing, images, color, and spatial organization. Designing is learning how each of these different forms of meaning come together to communicate. Perhaps the most important idea of designing is collaboration (co = ‘together’ and labor = ‘work’). Design is powerful when each part contributes to the overall meaning.  

So what are the essential parts of a PowerPoint presentation? What does each part contribute?

Message

There is no PowerPoint presentation without a message. A powerful presentation starts with an engaging topic and ideas that you want to convey. Designing a PowerPoint presentation starts with asking the question: “What’s my presentation about?” and “What’s my message, and what’s special about it?” The next step in designing the message is to gather information, develop new ideas and questions, and begin to organize that information and ideas. Some of the messages will be in spoken words, some in written words and some in images, and other visual meanings. 

Presenter 

The presenter, of course, is the central component of the presentation. There is no message without a messenger. The presenter has more work to do than just ‘talk’ to the audience: interacting is the key to real communication. Designing for the audience will include the choice of words, intonation, eye contact, and gestures, all working together. The presenter also coordinates the slides on the screen and has the power to control the focus and pace of the presentation.

Screen 

The PowerPoint screen works to display writing, images, charts, video clips, and other forms of information on the screen. This makes it very different from other kinds of face-to-face communication. Usually, the most important part of the message is what the presenter is saying. But at times the most important part of the message could be what the audience is seeing on screen and, at that time, the speaker has a supportive role. Throughout the presentation, the screen and the presenter work collaboratively.

The Audience

Designing a PowerPoint presentation means creating it for a real audience. Making a PowerPoint presentation just for yourself wouldn’t make sense, would it? It is the audience that makes designing purposeful. The audience shaped the message of the presentation. When designing your PowerPoint presentation, ask yourself these questions: “How much does this particular audience know?” “What information do I need to include and what information should I leave out?” “How can I show the audience that my message is worth their time and attention?”  And most importantly, “What design elements can I use to clearly convey my message to this audience?”

Photo Credit: Austin Distel @unsplash.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. In paragraph 1, what does the word ‘collaboration’ mean?

a. To collect information. 

b. To design a presentation. 

c. To work together.  

Q2. Which of the following is NOT essential in a presentation? 

a. Eye contact

b. Intonation 

c. A sense of humor 

Q3. According to the blog, why is consideration of the audience important? 

a. It will help you decide what to wear.

b. It will help you design an engaging presentation.

c. You will know when to stop talking.  

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. c

Q2. c 

Q3. b

Would you like to be able to write faster and more freely in a language you are learning and perhaps in your native language too? Students have often told me that they find writing to be a slow and tedious process, mainly because they worry so much about spelling and grammar rather than just getting their message across on paper. Today, therefore, I would like to introduce the concept of freewriting, an easy writing activity that can be done at home and can make writing practice fun. 

So…what exactly is freewriting? Basically, it involves grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, setting a time limit, choosing a topic of interest to you, and then writing as quickly as possible without stopping and without worrying about spelling or grammar. Let’s go through the steps one by one. 

First, after securing some paper and a writing tool, you will need to set a time limit. Most people I know who practice freewriting set a limit of 10 minutes, although some people write for 15 or 20 minutes. Next, you will need to choose a topic. Many people just choose to write about whatever is in their head at that moment, recent experiences in their lives or specific interests such as sports, books, movies, or music. However, my favorite way to practice freewriting is to link it with video material. This means watching an enjoyable YouTube, movie or TV program and then writing about it. Whatever topic you choose, freewriting is a good way to get facts, memories, and personal feelings down on paper. Last, take a minute of silence to think about what points you would like to write about and then start the timer and write, write, write very fast, without stopping. Just enjoy the process of getting words down on paper rather than on style or grammar. If you always write in the same notebook, it will act as a kind of a personal journal, and you will be able to see your progress.

Freewriting on a regular basis can help to promote writing speed, fluency, creativity, organizational skills, confidence, and overall enjoyment of writing. Although freewriters are not meant to worry about grammar, most of my students find that it naturally improves after several weeks. You can hasten this improvement by, for example, consciously practicing verb tense by writing about a past event one day and a future event another day. You can also focus on new vocabulary by making a short list of perhaps five words that you would like to use that day while writing.     

If you can spare 10 or 15 minutes each day, I highly recommend picking up a pen and trying some freewriting fun!

Photo Credit: Lisa Fotios @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. According to the blog, what is the second step in the freewriting process?

a. Choosing a topic

b. Writing quickly without stopping

c. Finding a pen and paper

Q2. The word ‘grabbing’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following.

a. To look for

b. To seize suddenly or quickly

c. To write

Q3. According to the blog, what skills can freewriting help to improve? 

a. Confidence, speed and fluency

b. Enjoyment and creativity 

c. Organization, grammar and vocabulary

d. All of the above

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. a

Q2. b

Q3. d

Do you have a good sleeping habit? How many hours do you sleep every night?

A lot of people may think academic studies, jobs, and relationships are often more important than sleep. However, you shouldn’t take sleep lightly. Sleep actually has a very important role for both human bodies and minds, and even for learning. Let’s have a closer look.

First, as for bodies, lack of sleep can cause daytime drowsiness and low energy. It hurts the body’s ability to stay healthy because the immune system can be impaired by poor sleep quality. The immune system goes to work recharging itself and fighting infection while you’re in the deepest levels of sleep. If sleep time is cut short, the immune system doesn’t get the time it needs to stay healthy.

Second, lack of sleep can also affect your mood significantly. It causes irritability and anger, and you may find it difficult to cope with stress. Chronic sleepiness can put you at greater risk for depression. Depression is closely linked to sleep deprivation.

Third, sleep also plays a significant role for memory and learning. Let’s see some effects of sleep on memory and learning. Sleep has been considered very important for memory and learning, but until recently, there was no proof. A research team at Rutgers University recently discovered a type of brain activity that happens during sleep. The activity is important for memory and learning as it transfers new information from the hippocampus to the neocortex. The hippocampus is a part of the brain which plays a key role in memory and how knowledge is obtained. The neocortex stores long-term memories. As for long-term memories, it’s a type of memory which relates to memory and learning. The biggest categories of memory are “short-term memory (or working memory)” and “long-term memory,” based on the amount of time the memory is stored. As you would imagine, long-term memories are much more complex than short-term ones. We store different types of information such as procedures, life experiences and language, with separate memory systems.

Back to the study at Rutgers University, the team showed how we create long-term memories. The wave activity transfers short-term memories from the hippocampus to the neocortex. Then the neocortex turns the sharp wave ripples into long-term memories. Sleep encourages this brain activity. Therefore, the new information doesn’t have a chance to leave the hippocampus and go to the neocortex if sleep is deprived. In other words, short sleep has negative effects on memory and learning. According to current research, most undergraduates need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep, and most adults, 7 to 9 hours. So, university students need to sleep for at least 8 hours if they want a healthier body and mind, and greater chances for academic success!

Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Read the following sentences. Choose T(true) or F(false).

1. Sleep has an import role in learning.

2. A type of brain activity that is important for memory and learning happens during sleep.

3. Most university students need 6 to 7 hours of sleep.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. T

2. T

3. F

As for me, one of my favorite activities is coordinating colors.

At first, due to my interest in fashion, I used to learn “color analysis,” selecting the most suitable colors based on a person’s skin tone. At that time, I was surprised to know that a person looks more cheerful and confident when wearing appropriate types of colors. This experience increased my interest in colors and escalated my motivation to learn more about the world of colors. Not only coordinating colors for clothes, but also thinking about creating color coordination for everyday things, such as interior design, is a big part of who I am.

To be a successful learner in any field, knowing the colors that influence us to learn positively and help us to make the most use of them can be worth taking into consideration!

I would like to share some tips for you to create an environment which fosters your learning.

Blog Quiz

1. According to the blog, what is color analysis?

A.    Using color to predict your future.

B.    Choosing colors that best match your skin color.

C.    Coordinating your clothes with the seasons.

2. According to the blog, what is the benefit of the colors yellow and orange?

A.    They help to cheer you up.

B.    They make you feel more relaxed.

C.    They encourage you to work harder.

3. According to the blog, what color should you use if you want to concentrate on a difficult task?

A.    Blue.

B.    Orange or yellow.

C.    Green.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. A

3. C

It is always good to be making more friends. University is probably THE best time in your life to make lifelong friends. At university, we have constant encounters in class and on campus with many people in our peer group. The people we connect with the most we can then easily spend more time with and deepen those relationships. Many of those close friends will be people who are with you all through your life.

Meeting people at university is natural and not that different from meeting people at high school but then there was COVID-19. Suddenly we must do it all online and the rules are a bit different and a bit harder. Here are some hints to help you.  

First, turn on your camera when you can and when it is appropriate. Most importantly, pay attention to your body language on camera. Smile and make eye contact by looking into the camera. Try to have a relaxed body posture. Ask yourself, “Do I seem approachable and friendly?” Offer greetings to others and ask questions when you can. 

Keep the conversation going 

Once you have made a connection in class with others you can make friends outside of class. Privately offer YOUR contact information to others you want to be friends with so you can talk outside of class. Don’t be too disappointed if someone doesn’t follow up. They are probably just busy, and your effort is still appreciated. If someone offers you their contact information, try to follow up soon even if it is just to say it was nice talking to them. 

Don’t give up 

Blog Quiz

1. According to the blog, why is it more difficult to make friends now?

A.    Because the social rules in university are different from high school.

B.    Because Coronavirus means we must interact online.

C.    Because people don't try to make friends anymore.

2. According to the blog, what does 'invite dialog' mean?

A.    Share information about yourself, ask questions and make comments.

B.    Organize a party.

C.    Arrange an online study group.

3. According to the blog, how can you keep a conversation going?

A.    Go to the pub.

B.    Ask for someone's phone number.

C.    Privately offer your own contact details.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. A

3. C

One of the most valuable experiences in my life was going back to school to complete a master’s degree when I was 30 years old. I must admit it was neither easy nor without sacrifice for me and my family. However, this experience was extremely valuable as it taught me three important things.

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”

First, I learned the difficulty and importance of taking those first steps. For me, the hardest step was leaving my full-time teaching position to become a full-time student at Okayama University. I strongly felt that to become a better teacher, I had to focus on my own education first. This decision was not easy for my family financially, but all four of us managed to survive on our savings and my wife’s salary during those years. This motivated me to become the best student I could because failure was not an option.

“In Rome do as the Romans do”

Second, I gained a better understanding of students by becoming one myself. As a teacher, I had forgotten how hard it was to be a student. Most, if not all, of my teachers scheduled important tests and reports during the last two weeks of each semester. This led to busy and stressful times where I couldn’t produce my best work as a student. It was a very valuable experience that taught me to have some empathy. Today, as a teacher, I am careful to spread out homework and tests across the whole semester for my students.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”

Third, I learned that education is a good investment, especially if you take full advantage of it. I valued my opportunity at Okayama University and took as many extra classes as I could. In addition to my master’s degree, I was able to get teaching licenses for both junior and high school English. Completing four years of university credits within a two-year time frame wasn’t easy but the knowledge and experience I gained were very well worth the extra effort.

Finally, education is a lifelong process and my own is far from being over. There is still figuratively one last mountain for me to climb - the Ph.D (or doctoral degree). From April 2020, I have started my Ph.D. at Kyoto University. Although this will not be an easy climb, I feel relieved in knowing how to take those first steps, learn from fellow students, and value everything it will bring.

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. How did the author survive after he became a full-time student at Okayama University?

A.   By starting a full-time teaching position.

B.    On savings and his wife’s salary.

C.    By becoming a better teacher.

2. What does “Education is the passport to the future” mean?

A.    A passport allows you to travel in the future.

B.    Investing money helps you in the future.

C.    Education can provide better future opportunities for people.

3. What is the author’s current goal?

A.     Getting a master’s degree.

B.     Getting a doctoral degree.

C.     Finding a full-time teaching position.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. C

3. B

Do you like playing musical instruments? I do. I used to play the piano when I was little although I was not a good player. I also tried playing the guitar in college when I enjoyed listening to Avril Lavigine. I wanted to sing while playing the guitar like her. However, it was so difficult to press guitar strings with my little hands. So, I have given up the guitar and just enjoyed singing at karaoke.

Recently, however, I have started playing a new musical instrument, the ukulele. Unlike the guitar, the ukulele is smaller, cheaper and has fewer strings. This time, I felt like I could play some chords. At first, I tried to learn how to play the ukulele by reading a practice book for beginners. On the first day, I was already able to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” On the second day, I was able to play “Happy Birthday to You.” Wow. I was impressed. On the third day, I was bored. These are adorable and nice songs. What was wrong with me? I simply did not enjoy singing the songs.

I changed my approach to practicing the ukulele, and this new way worked well for me. I used Youtube videos. Visual demonstrations and step-by-step instructions were much more helpful for me than just following my practice book. I can even use Youtube videos to tune my ukulele! What attracted me more was that Youtube provides many videos for learning how to play famous pop music. At first, I hesitated to practice those tunes, remembering my failure in playing the guitar, but I tried. It was free anyway.

I practiced playing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. It sounds difficult, doesn’t it? Relax. The video I used was for beginners. For a week or so, my clumsy fingers were a lot slower than my singing, which annoyed me a little, but I was very pleased and satisfied when my fingers caught up with my singing speed. It felt so good. After all, I was able to sing while playing an instrument. Of course, I cannot play the ukulele as professionally as Jake Shimabukuro or Grace Vanderwaal, but I am quite satisfied.

What’s better, I got another benefit from practicing the ukulele on Youtube. I learned some new English words and expressions because I kept watching the same video in English and singing the same song over and over again. You may be able to pick up vocabulary in a foreign language as a by-product of practicing a musical instrument. The approach is extremely simple. Watch Youtube and practice. You may be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. How did the author practice playing the ukulele?

A.   She used a practice book.

B.    She used Youtube videos.

C.    She used a practice book and Youtube videos.

D.  She used songs played by Jake Shimabukuro and Grace Vanderwaal.

2. What does the passage indicate about Jake Shimabukuro and Grace Vanderwaal?

A.  They are professional guitarists.

B.   They are professional singers.

C.    They play the ukulele as skillfully as the author.

D.  They play the ukulele very well.

3. What are the “two birds” in this passage?

A.  the ukulele and English skills

B.    the ukulele and guitar skills

C.    the ukulele and Youtube

D.  the ukulele and karaoke

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. C

2. D

3. A

Who does not like a good movie?

“How do you watch movies?” That would have been a silly question 40 years ago. Of course, you go to the movie theater, buy popcorn, and sit down with other moviegoers to enjoy a film as a crowd. With the advent of the Laserdisc and the VHS (and Beta) videotape, people could enjoy a movie of their choice in the comfort of their home. From there, starting in the 1990s, more digital media appeared and the DVD dominated the market for years.

Then came Netflix. Netflix started as being an online rental provider, where customers went to Netflix’s online site and ordered DVDs that were mailed to the customers. As customers received DVDs in the mail, they returned the movies they finished watching and Netflix would send the next disc on their queue. From about five years ago, the business model has changed to the online streaming of movies. Now customers can watch movies anywhere, on a number of devices.

Many people prefer the convenience of watching any movie on demand. I prefer going to a rental shop and bringing home a physical disc and watching it instead of some streaming service. I feel the benefits of the ‘brick and mortar store’ (meaning physically there as opposed to all online) outweigh the inconveniences of the trip there and possible late fees if you do not return the disc in time.

I enjoy browsing the many videos of the store. There are many movies that I do not know about and I would never meet if those gems did not catch my eye while I was strolling down the aisles. I can talk to the staff and hear what they recommend or what is the latest movie news. Most importantly for me is the picture quality is better than what is sent over the internet. For people who consider themselves cinephiles (devoted movie watchers or knowledgeable about the cinema), they may enjoy the bonus content that is on the disc or the better sound played from the disc media.

Unfortunately, most consumers do not share my love for the rental experience.

According to the Digital Entertainment group, starting from three years ago, 2017 saw a significant drop in all forms of consumer spending on physical media. Income from subscription streaming services like Netflix or Hulu has almost doubled DVD/Blu-ray sales.

However, if you are thinking about improving your English, using a streaming service will help you to improve your listening skills at an attainable price. I do not want to change sides in my argument, but this is a blog, not an academic paper.

The more you practice something, the better you will be at it. The more you practice listening to English with the programs you enjoy, the more you will be able to recognize the nuances of English speakers. You will hear how speakers use ‘connected speech’ or speak quickly and smash words together. (for example, ‘wanna’ instead of saying ‘want to’) The more you meet speakers (characters in the show/movie) speaking that way, along with different accents and speaking with different emotions and situations, you will become a better listener. Not only that, as you become a better listener, please try to watch the show again with English subtitles. That could help reinforce your listening comprehension and may increase your reading speed.

I hope you will be able to enjoy English with your next movie or TV show streamed to your home or after you go to your local video rental shop. After that, come to the BBP and share with the staff your movie experience and which movies you recommend.

Photo Credit: JESHOOTS.com@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. What was NETFLIX's first way of business?

A.   Selling movies from stores

B.    Sending movies in the mail

C.    Online streaming of movies

2. What is one benefit of going to a store to rent a movie?

A.  There are late fees.

B.   We can see movies that we did not know about before.

C.    You need a DVD player to watch movies.

3. What are some benefits of watching English movies/shows?

A.  You can practice listening to different types of speakers/accents.

B.    You can practice speed reading using English sub-titles.

C.    You can practice speaking with the BBP staff about the movie/show.

D.  All of the above.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. B

3. D