教員コラムBlog
- home
- 教員コラム / Blog
- Beginner年度のコラム
コラム一覧
/ Blog List（Beginnerのコラム）
-
01 .10Taking Control of TimeWhen I was younger, I didn’t think too much about time. For me, the day-to-day activities were enough, and often I found them pretty boring. I get up, have breakfast, walk to the bus stop, go to school, and then endure high school. I was a quiet student who didn’t always fit in very well, and was ready to move on from the drama of high school.Not surprisingly, when I got to college I still had drama. This time the question wasn’t so much me living with a schedule decided for me in high school, but the drama of choosing my own time. That was a difficult moment for me. I hadn’t had any previous members of my family who graduated from college, and I didn’t just want to do exactly the same thing as the person to my left or right. I wanted to understand what I wanted to do.Because I wasn’t so sure at first, I slowly decided just to set achievable goals. First it was simply to get through the day, then get through the next day, then get through week, and just keep adding to that. Eventually that led to a semester, which was the biggest hurdle I faced. After that, I had a sense that I could do it, but I knew there was more to do.In many ways, how I try to control time hasn’t changed so much since then. While it may not be from the same crazy feeling I had to just survive back then, now I have a better idea of what I can handle and what my priorities are. Focusing my time on what I can manage helped me to not lose sight of why I was doing everything in the first place. The times I felt the least in control were when I doubted myself. Even in mistakes where I chose self-doubt, I had something to learn from.Everyone’s path is not going to lead them to the same place. It can be easy just to look at the people to your left or right, and then just go along with what they’re doing. However, maybe they’re making the same uncertain choices you are. Sometimes that’s a good thing: you can have an experience that draws you closer to another, sharing in success or failure, and understanding life together. Even still, at the end of the day, when you’re alone in bed, it’ll still just be you answering the question, “how am I doing today?”Years later, as someone who is married and with young children, that hasn’t changed. The choices I make, the way I act, how I talk to strangers or loved ones - they all boil down to how I feel about my time. Does it control me, or do I control it? The best time to decide is now.Photo Credit stazknop@pexels.comQuizQ1. How would you describe the writer's feelings about high school?Q2. What helped the writer in handling time in college?Q3. What does the writer think is the benefit of making choices with others?Scroll down ? for the answersA1. He was ready to graduate.A2. Setting achievable goals.A3. You can share experiences together and better understand life.Jesse Patterson
-
11 .02Make Your Dreams Come True
On my 11th birthday, my cousin gave me a Carpenters record as a present. Of course, I didn't understand English at all at that time. However, I was fascinated by the beautiful singing voice and melody and wanted to know the meaning of the lyrics. That was my first encounter with English.
At the age of 12, I was impressed by the impressive singing voice of The Three Degrees, who were as popular as the Carpenters in Japan, and became interested in black music (soul music). However, it was a group of five black brothers called Tavares who I saw on TV the following year that caught my heart. I became a big fan of them and joined the Tavares fan club, which was backed up by a Japanese record company (Toshiba EMI) when I was in junior high school.
Perhaps because I was enthusiastic, I ended up becoming the president of the fan club when I was a high school student. At that time, I held Tavares record concerts and even went to radio stations to promote their new songs. My dream was to go to a Tavares concert and meet them in America someday, so I studied English hard to make that dream come true. Tavares eventually disappeared from the music scene in the 1980s, not releasing any more records.
When I gave up my dream of meeting them, I heard the news that Tavares was coming to Japan to give a concert! I wrote to their record company in English even though I wasn’t sure if it would reach the group. At that time, I really wanted to thank them for their music, which enriched my life and gave me a lot of happiness. It is no exaggeration to say that they helped me to become an English teacher. On the day of their concert in Osaka, my dreams finally came true. Not only was I able to hear their singing live, but I was also allowed to meet them in the dressing room. Tavares looked at me and said, "You are the one who wrote us." Yes, they had received my letter! The members were very happy, and we took pictures together. The photo is still a lifelong treasure. Through English, I was able to fulfil my dreams. I hope that all students will meet many wonderful people and have valuable experiences through English. I want you to make your dreams come true!
Photo Credit: Vannessajg@Creative Commons
Quiz
Q1. What was my first encounter with English?
a) Receiving the Carpenters' record as a birthday present from a cousin
b) Hearing the Carpenters on the radio
c) Seeing the Carpenters in concert
Q2. What did I do as the president of the Tavares Fan Club?
a) Made badges and T-shirts for other fans of Tavares
b) Recorded concerts and went to radio stations to promote Tavares' new songs
c) Followed Tavares around on tour
Q3. How did my dream come true?
a) When I met Tavares backstage when they came to perform in Osaka
b) When Tavares wrote to me, thanking me for being a fan club president
c) When Tavares performed for me at my 11th birthday party
Scroll down for the answers
A1. a
A2. b
A3. a
A1. a
A2. b
A3. a
Nobuaki Irie -
10 .25How to Learn more Vocabulary
Students often ask me how they can improve their English. My advice is almost always the same: you need to review new vocabulary a lot. Everyone knows this, but it can be difficult to get motivated to actually do it. Research shows a student needs between 3,000 and 5,000 words in order to understand an unsimplified text. Making it more difficult, it takes between 5 and 16 exposures to a word before it can be learned.
So how can you even begin to recycle so many words, that many times? Flashcards are great, and many students already use them, but it can take a long time to make good sets, and they can be lost easily.
Luckily, there is an app for you, and it is free and popular. Some students already know about Quizlet (https://quizlet.com). You can use it on your smartphone or tablet, or play it on your computer through any browser.
To get you started you can find and use any number of word-sets such as TOEIC words, for example. Even better, you can make your own flashcards, or adapt ones that have already been made.
You can choose to have the meaning of the words in English or any language you choose. You can write the definition yourself, or use ones supplied in the app. You can even add pictures to help you remember.
Once you have some flashcards, there are various ways to play. You can do the traditional flashcard way of looking at the definition and trying to recall the word; you can listen to the word and practice your spelling; you can drag and match the meaning to the word, and you can even play a game of Asteroids. Finally, you can also play live games against your friends, which is very motivating and fun.
I have used this app with many students over the past 4 years and it is always very popular, so please do check it out. It is not magic - you will still need to put in the time, but it should make it easier for you to learn new words.
Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com
Quiz
Q1. How many words does a learner need to be able to understand an authentic text?
a) Between 3,000 and 5,000 words
b) Between 4,000 and 6,000 words
c) Between 2,500 and 4,500 words
Q2. How many times do you need to review a word before you can remember it?
a) Between 12 and 18 times
b) Between 10 and 20 times
c) Between 5 and 16 times
Q3. Do you have to make your own flashcards in Quizlet?
a) You can, but you can also use sets that have been made by other people
b) You need to buy them online
c) You can borrow them from a friend or classmate
Scroll down ↓ for the answers
A1. a
A2. c
A3. a
Eric Lynch -
11 .18Dealing with Stress
I don’t really like stress. Not that I can think of anyone who does, but it is often the case that I will be happy when I’m done feeling it. At times, stress can seem to push me to try harder and to do more, but it can also leave a mess along the way. I often find that experiencing stress can become less about what is stressing me out and more about how I respond to it.
A person does not need to be taught what stress is in order to know what it feels like. For every person it can be something different. What stresses one person can be nothing to another, and what is a small problem for one can be huge for somebody else. When I am dealing with stress, I find I first need to be open with someone who knows me well enough to understand how my stress is affecting me.
That wasn’t always the case. In college, it was more difficult for me to adjust. I didn’t know too many people and college was very new for me since it wasn’t very common in my family. I was more concerned with just getting through the first semester, and, perhaps, the rest of my time at the university would follow.
Obviously, it eventually did work out, but not because I kept to myself the whole time. I had friends along the way and people I talked to who helped give a different perspective on things. I am not in contact with them so much now, but their perspective then helped me to see beyond the initial stress.
While that was years back, being able to look around me and get other perspectives is still important. It doesn’t have to be a huge number of people, but hopefully it is more than just one. Why? Because we’re all human, and sometimes the ones we lean on may need to lean on us from time to time.
Stress is something we all share and have in common. It isn’t the only thing we’ll ever feel in life, but I’m grateful to not have to be alone when I feel it. Remember to keep your head up and look around you.
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio@Pexels.com
Quiz
Q1. What is the first thing the author does when dealing with stress?
Be open with someone that knows them
Hides away from everyone
Writes down problems in a journal
Q2. When was it more difficult for the author to adjust to stress? Why?
At home because sometimes problems are difficult to share with family
When alone because there was nobody to talk to
In college because going to college wasn't common in their family
Q3. What is important about having friends when dealing with stress?
They offer a different perspective on how to deal with the issue
They help you forget about your problems
They agree with everything you say
Scroll down ↓ for the answers
A1. a
A2. c
A3. a
Jesse Patterson -
10 .04Japanese AtlantisThe Ryukus are a chain of islands that stretch from Kyushu to Taiwan. They are a popular diving area and attract divers from around the world who often come to observe the hammerhead sharks that populate the clear blue waters.In 1986, while searching for dive sites in the area Japanese diver Kihachiro Aratake came across a very unusual site; the straight lines and regular angles of what appeared to be a manmade structure. The structure was massive in size and covered a wide area, yet it was 26 meters under the sea. What was this strange place and who or what had created it? Located off the coast of Yonaguni Island at the southernmost point of the Ryukyu Island chain this monolith soon became known as the Yonaguni Monument and began to attract many divers and sightseers. However, it also began to attract a lot of controversy. Was it in fact manmade or just a natural outcrop of rock?Professor Masaaki Kimura from the University of the Ryukyus and writer Graham Hancock firmly believe that the structure is man made. They claim that the monolith is too regular in shape to be of natural origin; pointing out what they allege is clear evidence of stairways, terraces and even a gateway. They argue that during the last ice age sea levels would have been much lower, at which time this would have been an ocean side settlement. Perhaps even more controversially, they believe that it points to evidence of an ancient but advanced civilization.However, there are many who oppose this theory calling it pseudoscience. Geologist Robert Schoch argues that the monolith is merely a geological outcrop. He says that the many earthquakes and strong currents in the area have resulted in the sandstone taking on these unusually symmetrical formations. Others have pointed out the similarity of other structures nearby.Earlier this year National Geographic, using advanced imaging techniques and cutting edge graphics reconstructed the monolith in 3D. For the first time this gave a clear picture of the formation that had lain submerged for thousands of years. Their conclusion was that it was more likely to be a natural structure. Usually ancient sites show some evidence of human habitation, such as tools or utensils. However, in there research they found no such evidenceNevertheless the debate continues on both sides. With some academics and writers continuing to argue that mainstream archeologists are just reluctant to accept the theory of an ancient advanced civilization. Who do you think is right?1 What is a monolith? A A large animal that is now extinct B A massive structure C An underwater dwelling2 Why do some people think it is manmade? A There is evidence of human habitation B It looks like it was purposefully made C The sea levels were lower in the past3 What is pseudoscience? A belief that is not based on the scientific method B An ancient religion C A method of fortune tellingScroll down below for answers1. B2. B3. AChris Pond
-
09 .13Women's Empowerment in India - Part 2
This is Part Two of Women’s Empowerment in India.
You can read Part one here.
In Visakhapatnam, we were introduced to very positive and active women. When we interviewed them, we tried meta-facilitation skills to find out the truth. They were eager to talk about how much effort they made to become independent. Many of them were from the poorest families and were not educated at school. Some of them could not even read or write when they first came to Mura no Mirai. They did not know how to calculate either. They never had a bank account. They never made any decisions by themselves. They did not have confidence. However, after being involved in the activity of the NPO, they learned not only how to read, write, and calculate, but also got a job at their own community bank called VVK.
Those poor women got higher self-esteem little by little though an opportunity to borrow a small amount of money from the bank. They borrowed and paid back money again and again. All the small loans were used for their living expenses and their children’s education. They sent their kids to college and finally returned their debts. Their lifestyle was very simple, and they seemed not to have many possessions. However, they looked very happy. What they were proud of was not what they had, but their children’s education and their efforts for that. They showed us their passbooks which proved completion of their repayment. They seemed to gain confidence by paying back all the money they borrowed, making decisions by themselves, and becoming independent financially and psychologically. Moreover, this confidence inspired them to learn how to read, write, and calculate, and even to manage their bank by themselves. Most of them were once just customers at the bank for their microcredit, but they became indispensable workers there. They keep challenging themselves, and their bank is growing and helping more poor women.
What is happiness for human beings? Can people feel happy when they are able to own a lot of things? When supporting people in need, giving something might be a common idea. However, through communicating with them, these Indian women made me realize what is important in life. I will never forget their happy smiles.
Photo Credit: jeswinthomas@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. Where did the writer visit in India?
Q2. How did the Indian women use the money they borrowed?
Q3. What is important for the Indian women the writer met?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. Visakhapatnam, India
A2. They used the money for living and educational expenses.
A3. Becoming independent, getting confidence, making decisions, (children’s) education
Kahori Kobayashi -
09 .06Women's Empowerment in India - Part 1
Empowered women in India taught me what happiness means. I visited some women in the southern part of India with an NPO called “Mura no Mirai (Future of Villages)” in February 2018. I was interested in world cooperation, but not sure about how to find out the real needs of people in developing countries. The NPO has been active in several countries and successful in supporting underprivileged people. They gave me a chance to learn about the precious things in life from the Indian women in the slum.
Mura no Mirai offers a special way to communicate called meta-facilitation, which means to ask only fact-questions when trying to find someone’s needs. From his experiences in world cooperation, Mr. Wada from the organization found that when answering fact-questions, people gradually recognize what they really need and start to think about what they should do for their future. This NGO never gives money or things, but through meta-facilitation, they help people in need empower themselves and become independent financially and psychologically. Their goal is not to do everything for the people, but to guide them to stand up and walk by themselves at their pace. When I attended their seminar about meta-facilitation, I became very much interested in communicating with people using the method.
One of their great projects was to support poor women in Visakhapatnam, India. They asked fact-questions to find their needs and succeeded in leading them to manage their own community bank for small loans by themselves. I read their reports and books about their activities, but I could not believe what they have done and really wanted to see and listen to the local women’s groups. I joined their study tour to visit them in India.
Photo Credit: Still@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What is Mura no Mirai?
Q2. What is the communication method used by Mura no Mirai?
Q3. What project was the writer particularly interested in?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. An NPO that helps underprivileged people
A2. meta-facilitation
A3. The writer was impressed by the women who managed a community bank for small loans.
Kahori Kobayashi -
08 .16Pontocho Kyoto - Where does the name come from?
Whenever I have visitors from abroad and we are in Kyoto, I invariably take them to Pontocho in the evening. I love that this alley is narrow enough to easily cross from side to side. The proximity of the facades lining the street lets me inspect the displays and menus of every restaurant on my left and right. By now I have done this tens of times, and even though not much changes, I do not tire of it. I find it a great place to spend time with a friend.
Since I have been going to Pontocho for over 10 years, I have gradually learned some of its history, not all of which I believe.
The history of Pontocho that I find hardest to accept concerns the supposed origin of its name. If you google “Pontocho history”, Wikipedia and most travel websites will tell you that “Ponto” is thought to be derived from a Portuguese word, most likely “bridge” but perhaps “destination” or even “dot”. While this could be true, it seems unlikely.
To begin with, when Japanese borrows words from abroad it is usually for something that originally did not exist in Japan, like computers or pumpkins, but Japanese has long had its own words for “bridges”, “destinations”, and “dots”. Why the need for a foreign alternative, especially during that era? The timing is important.
When Pontocho was created in 1670, Japan was already 31 years into what would become its 214-year stretch of self-isolation. Would a culture that is in the midst of turning inward really choose a foreign word for a new street? Also, how many Kyoto denizens from the 17th century knew Portuguese well enough to linguistically borrow from it?
Finally, there is the kanji itself, 先斗町, which using my Heisig language book translates to something like “The town (町) before (先) the Big Dipper (斗) ”, which seems to have little to do with a bridge, although I guess “destination” would still be valid.
Even if we eliminate its supposed Portuguese origin, Pontocho is still a charming name. Using the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) as a proxy for North, a translation for Pontocho could be “The town just before the North end”. As Pontocho does lie at the Northern terminus to the 15-kilometer-long Takasegawa Canal, this is in fact true.
Photo Credit: satoshi-hirayama @pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What does the author find hard to accept?
Q2. Why does he find this hard to accept?
Q3. Why is it appropriate for Pontocho to have a character for “North” in its name?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
Q1. That the name “Pontocho” was derived from Portuguese.
Q2. Because of Japan’s isolation at that time, the likely small number of Portuguese speakers, and the lack of a need to borrow a word.
Q3. Because it is at the Northern end of a famous canal.
Robert Perkins -
08 .02Fluff Spinning in Circles
What do you usually do before you go to bed? Googling a video of spinning Pomeranians on the smartphone is my routine. I am utterly aware of the negative impact of staring at an electronic screen on the quality of my sleep, but I cannot help it. A random Pomeranian spinning in circles makes me so happy I feel like I can fall asleep in a better mood. I wish I could live with one, but unfortunately, pets are not allowed in my apartment building.
Pomeranians are so fluffy and adorable I could watch them spinning all day, not that I do. Do they not get dizzy? Do they like the dizziness? When they spin, they look happy and excited, but have you ever wondered why they spin in circles? A friend of mine, who is a veterinarian and a Pomeranian owner, gave me some answers.
Here are some possible reasons why Pomeranians spin in circles: Pomeranians are happy and excited to see you. Spinning in circles is one of the ways for Pomeranians to show their affection. Pomeranians are said to be lapdogs and want to be with their companions, therefore, they also spin in circles to get your attention. In addition, Pomeranians engage in this activity for the joy and pleasure that spinning brings. Human toddlers also enjoy the experience of spinning in circles. It is not unusual to see them keep spinning in circles for a long time. However, Pomeranians can be alert when they spin as well. They are checking their surroundings before they become vulnerable. For example, they spin before going to sleep and potty. They make sure that no predators are around or close. Finally, if you have a Pomeranian, there is one thing that you might want to keep in mind. Pomeranians spinning in circles can be a sign of their discomfort or issues. They might be suffering from a compulsive disorder. In this case, their spinning is like a human child biting their nails or other animals pacing repetitively from stress. Please do not worry too much because they are likely to show more signs such as twitching and a loss of appetite if they are sick.
I guess I was not wrong about Pomeranians looking happy and excited when they spin in circles, but I did not know the same behavior can mean other things. Whatever the reasons why they spin, fluff spinning in circles helps me ease my tension and fatigue before bed.
Photo Credit: Kateryna Babaieva from pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What is “fluff” in the title?
Q2. Does the author watch videos of Pomeranians spinning in circles all day?
Q3. Why do Pomeranians spin in circles?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz Answers
A1. A Pomeranian.
A2. No.
A3. Because they are happy and excited; they enjoy the feeling of spinning; they also check their surroundings by spinning; they might be sick.
Sachiko Aoki -
07 .05Binge Watching, a.k.a. Stop Living in the Past!
I’ll admit it. The older I get, the older I feel, and the less I feel “in touch” with what’s cool. You see, when I was your age, today’s internet did not exist. You know what else didn’t exist? Streaming. Netflix. Binge watching.*
Having a favorite TV show meant watching it every week on the same day, at the same time, on the same channel. That has changed, though. Now if I want to watch Game of Thrones, for example, I can sit down at 6:00pm and watch episode after episode until either I fall asleep, or I finish watching five whole seasons.
I had never tried doing such a thing before. I didn’t understand the appeal of speeding through multiple episodes in one sitting. I mean, when you talk to friends about the show, you can only ask, “How far have you gotten into the show? Oh, so you don’t know what happens to… oh, never mind...” Then the conversation is over. When I was younger, we could simply ask, “Did you see the Simpsons last night?” and then have a conversation about the whole show. Then repeat again six days later.
Instead of boring you with how boring I have become, let me introduce a show to you that I recently binge-watched. It’s called Cobra Kai, and it is available on Netflix. It is based on a 1984 movie that was a childhood favorite of mine: The Karate Kid (ベストキッド in Japan).
In the original movie, a teenage boy named Daniel moves to California with his mother and tries to fit in with others, but instead gets bullied. He learns karate, and eventually beats his enemies.
Cobra Kai has the same main characters in it, but 35 years later. Daniel is now 50 years old, a successful businessman, and has a wife and two teenage children. Johnny (his enemy) has just lost his job and has to figure out what to do with his life. I will not spoil anything except to say that both men take up karate again, and their rivalry starts over... but not in the way you would expect.
There are so many twists and turns, unexpected new (and old) characters, and it is highly entertaining. As an old guy myself, I can relate to Daniel the father, the husband, the career man. For young people, I think the appeal will be connecting with the high school students that take over as sub-characters.
You might want to take up karate after watching Cobra Kai, or like me, you might really get into binge-watching other shows. What are you waiting for? Go watch the first three seasons of Cobra Kai! Season 4 is currently being produced!
* Binge watching means watching multiple episodes of a TV show (often drama or comedy) one after another, and quickly finishing an entire season (or series).
Photo Credit: Cottonbro@pixels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What did not exist when the writer was young?
a. TV shows
b. Netflix
c. The Karate Kid
Q2. What is the name of the TV show the writer wants to introduce?
a. Game of Thrones
b. The Karate Kid
c. Cobra Kai
Q3. What does the writer think will be interesting to young viewers of the show?
a. The main characters, Daniel & Johnny
b. The sub-characters, high school students
c. The skill of the karate fights in the show
Scroll down for the answers.
Quiz Answers
A1.b
A2.c
A3.b
Trevor Raichura