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November 8, 2007
Last Sunday, I went to Hamamatsu to present at their JALT chapter meeting. We had a small, but very friendly and "genki" group. Since part of the presentation was on classroom control, we talked about the best and worst teachers we had ever had. Most of the best teachers were confident people, full of energy who knew their subject matter well and drew the students into the subject. Those kinds of teachers never had any major discipline or classroom control problems. On the other hand, the worst teachers brought out the worst in their students - one person told a story about his worst teacher and he said the students were climbing out of the windows during class!
There are many tricks you can learn to settle down a noisy class or "rev up" an overly quiet class, but it all boils down to leadership. The teacher is the leader of the class and a confident teacher will inspire confidence in their students. (If you are a teacher who doesn't feel confident standing in front of your class - PRETEND you are confident. One day, you won't have to pretend any more.)
After I came back to Nagoya, I met my husband and son in Sakae and we went to a festival put on by Tokai TV. My son wanted to watch the comedians performing on the stage. Usually, I don't care for Japanese comedy, but the last skit was really funny. The scene was New York. One guy was a Japanese tourist and the other was a mugger. The mugger waved a gun and told him to hand over his wallet, but the Japanese tourist was so worried about his English and kept insisting that he couldn't speak English well. So, the mugger pulled out a textbook and they had an impromptu English lesson. I was laughing so hard and thinking this skit poses an interesting question: Which would be scarier to the average Japanese - being mugged or having the mugger make them take a surprise English lesson?
October 14, 2007
I've
been making teacher training presentations for a while now. Once in a
while you make a presentation and the energy in the room makes you remember why
you love teaching! At least that is how I felt today when I made a
presentation at the Chubu ETJ EXPO on designing cross-curricular lessons for the
EFL class. Thanks to my wonderful audience and I hope you enjoy the
downloads on my Teacher Training Page. I can't wait to make this
presentation again at the Kansai ETJ EXPO on November 11!
September 20, 2007
Fall is here, although you wouldn't know it from all of the hot and humid weather we've been having. I'm just thankful all of the typhoons have been missing Japan so far.
I just put up my fall teacher training schedule on my main Teacher Training Page. This year, in addition to the one I'll be making on teaching pre-schoolers in Nagoya for Pearson, I'll also be making two presentations on the types of lessons I use at BIG BOW English Lab. I'm very excited to have the chance to share with other teachers the wonderful things I've learned in the classroom!
At the Osaka ETJ EXPO, I'm making a presentation on how cross-curricular lessons can be used in the EFL class, despite the low level of most EFL students. At the JALT 2007 National Conference, I'll be making a presentation on using simple science experiments in the EFL class - sorry, we won't be doing the Mentos experiment because it is too messy. I hope to see you there!
September 10, 2007
In celebration of the end of summer and the fact that we had lots of leftovers from the BIG BOW homestay, I present to you a guide on how to make S'MORES.
1. Put a marshmallow on a stick and toast over a fire.
2. Toast it to a golden brown.
3. Put the toasted marshmallow on a graham cracker or plain biscuit. (Graham crackers are a little hard to find in Japan.)
4. Add a square of milk chocolate. (My son and all of the students who came to the homestay declined the chocolate because they said it was too rich.)
5. Enjoy!
August 30, 2007
I hope everyone had a nice summer! In July,
I had a wonderful opportunity to go to Nara to make a presentation for their
local JALT chapter. (Click here for photos.) Luckily, I was able to
actually get to Nara because that was the weekend a huge typhoon came to the
area and my Kintetsu train was cancelled. I was able to get on another
train, but then I almost missed my connection because the Kintetsu ticket does
not have romaji written on it and I thought 大和八木 was "Daiwa Yagi" station.
When they announced the
next station was "Yamato Yagi", I almost didn't get off the train.
Luckily, a doctor who was sitting next to me spoke fluent English and let me
know just in time! Whew!
Catriona Takeuchi was kind enough to let me stay over at her house (with her four lovely children) and the next day we hiked up a ton of stairs to see Hozanji temple. It was really a beautiful, magical place on top of this mountain.
At the end of the summer, it was time for the annual BIG BOW homestay! This year the children had a special treat after dinner: S'MORES! This is a special dessert Americans often make when they have a campfire. Take a marshmallow and pierce it with a stick. Toast it over the fire until it is golden brown. Then put it on a plain cookie or graham cracker, place a square of chocolate on top and put one more cookie on top.
May 8, 2007
How was your Golden Week? I had a great time going to Mari Nakamura's English school, English Square, in Kanazawa and teaching her students about science in English. (Click here to see photos of the lessons.) We did all kinds of science experiments about carbon dioxide and oxygen. We learned that a fire needs oxygen, so if you put a cup over a candle flame, it will go out. I showed them how to make carbon dioxide by mixing water, baking soda, and vinegar and how the carbon dioxide from that mix can also put out a candle flame because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen. For the grand finale, we went to a local park and I showed them what happens when you put Mentos candy into a bottle of diet cola. Cola is basically sugar water that has carbon dioxide pumped in and when you put Mentos candy in the bottle, all of that carbon dioxide suddenly forms bubbles and these bubbles must escape from the bottle, meaning the cola shoots out of the top of the bottle like a geyser!
This Mentos and cola experiment is quite popular in America - it first became famous on Steve Spangler's science webpage. Then two guys on EepyBird.com took it to extremes and re-created the famous Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas with over 200 liters of Coke and 500 Mentos.
The children were very excited by all of these experiments and they crowded around the table to watch and guess what would happen next. They were so excited that they kept pushing and pushing the table until I was almost against the wall!
I admit that it is challenging to find a way to teach science and make the English level low enough for EFL students, but with a little effort, it can be done. These types of cross-curricular lessons are so much fun for the students and for the teacher!
February 8, 2007
Raising my son in Japan to be both bi-lingual and bi-literate has been very interesting as a result, I've become very interested in bi-lingualism and over the years have been collecting success stories. One of these success stories came from a professor at a university in Aichi-ken, who said that it is important to get your child interested in something that you can read or talk about in English. In his case, he got his son interested in English football (soccer) and they had fun watching the games in English and talking about the players. After hearing this story, I began reading a chapter or two of stories I enjoyed as a child to my son every night before bed. He especially enjoyed Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, especially all of the scenes where his younger brother Fudge, got into trouble. My son was so excited about that story that he has decided to slowly re-read it on his own! I told him if he finishes that book, I'll buy and read the sequel, Superfudge.
Last night we had a great class for our "second
ring". We made milkshakes! First, we read Making a Milkshake
from the Chatterbox
series. Then, we took turns going through the steps, in English, of making
an actual milkshake. After we drank the milkshake, we talked about how it
tasted - "It's sweet!" "It's delicious!" Then, we took a survey
about everyone's favorite milkshake flavors. (Chocolate won!) Yes, it was
a little messier than a regular lesson, but these kinds of "hands-on" lessons
are great for children because they really learn best by
doing things.
January 17, 2007
Happy New Year! I just got back a week ago
from Florida. I had a wonderful time seeing
my family and buying new materials for BIG BOW English Lab. However, I am
realizing that as the years go by, my stomach is becoming less and less
American. It seems every meal in American restaurants these days consists
of a large sandwich with lots of french fries on the side. I often had
indigestion and took 整腸剤 after every meal. Japanese food in America tends
to be overpriced, so we often visited a Chinese restaurant called "Panda
Buffet". (Why is it that the name of every Chinese restaurant in America
has the word "Panda" in it?)
During our trip, we visited the beautiful city of
Sarasota. Downtown is
a great place to walk around because
there
are lots of galleries, small shops and good restaurants. That night, they
closed down one of the streets for a festival where they promoted the local
ballet, opera and the Sarasota Circus.
(Sarasota is the hometown of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.) My
husband was videotaping one of the clown's performances and the clown asked us
where we were from. When we told him we were from Japan, he exclaimed in
Japanese, "My
wife is in Osaka now for Oshougatsu!" His name was Chuck Sidlow (He used the
kanji "茶九" for his first name while living in Japan.) and he came to Japan in
the late 80's with the Barnum and Bailey Circus and stayed in Japan for 10
years. What a small world!
Sunday I had to go to Tokyo for training for the upcoming Pearson Longman Kid's Tour. I'll be making presentations in Osaka and Nagoya in February on teaching pre-schoolers. Hope to see you there!
December 18, 2006
I
had a wonderful time on Sunday at the Maruzen World Book Fair in Sakae in
downtown Nagoya! I was invited to do activities in English with stories.
As you know, Robert Sabuda's pop-up books are very popular now in both Japan and
America, so I first I read a pop-up book called
Cookie Count. Then, I
did an activity with one of my favorite storybooks,
We're Going On a Bear
Hunt. In the story, the characters are going on an imaginary hunt for
a bear through tall grass, a river, mud, a deep forest and snowstorm.
Finally, the reach the bear's cave, think they see the bear, become frightened
and run home. First, we read the story (which is really more like a chant)
and then the children quickly made their own version of grass, mud, a forest out
of crayons and construction paper. Then, we went on our own bear hunt!
There was so much excitement in the room and I had a wonderful time!
Thanks to Kato-san, who asked me to do this! (Click
here for more photos.)
December 11, 2006
Oops! I got a little behind updating my blog. I have been very busy writing articles for The Language Teacher (which will be in the February issue) and preparing for Christmas.
I
had a wonderful time at the JALT national convention in Kitakyushu at the
beginning of January. I made a presentation on teaching grammar to
children, based on a technique I developed called
Grammar Triggers. Also,
I gave a short demonstration on how cross-curricular lessons can be used to
teach something as basic as colors. Every time I attend a JALT national
convention, I'm always impressed at the professionalism and dedication of all of
the teachers.
One thing was very unique at the Pearson Longman booth at JALT this year - we had flowers! Marc Helgesen, a famous teacher and someone who I admire very much, is very interested in using all of the senses for language learning. He insisted that the smell of beautiful flowers would add to the experience of the booth. I admit, it did look and smell very nice.
I have been very busy, but made sure to take time
to see the autumn leaves in Kuragarikeikoku. I'm originally
from Florida, where we only have two seasons - warm and hot - so I really
appreciate the celebration of each season in Japan. My parents also
enjoyed the autumn leaves this year when they took a trip to Pennsylvania in
October. A few years ago, I was watching a television program about the
American northeast and they said that it is the only place in the world with
beautiful autumn leaves. I had to laugh because that reminds me of my
students in Japan who often tell me that Japan is the only place in the world
with beautiful autumn leaves!
October 25, 2006
Thanks to everyone who came to my presentation at the YWCA on Sunday. During my presentation, I had a lot of questions about homework and getting the parents involved. Since I have opened BIG BOW English Lab, I have really come to completely understand how important parent involvement is to a child's success with learning English. First of all, parents who have a positive attitude toward English naturally have children who have a positive attitude about English. These children are not shy about speaking and feel free to try out their English at home. When parents are involved, their children regularly do homework and listen to their English CDs. Finally, when our school has "Open House" days and the parents are invited into the class to observe, the parents are more familiar with the material and can understand what is going on in class.
Even if parents can't speak English (and many of my students' parents cannot), they can still have a positive attitude and look at their child's English classes as an opportunity to learn together. This is something I deal with in my own life since my Japanese is in the intermediate range, despite years of taking Japanese classes. Often, I'll look over my son's kanji tests and I'll think, "Oh yeah, I do remember learning this kanji." Then, we'll talk about the meaning of the kanji. Sometimes, I'll say something in Japanese and he'll smile and say, "No, mama," and then tell me the correct way. Of course, it is a little embarrassing to hear him correct my mistakes! However, it does make it easier when I have to correct his English or spelling. We are learning together!
October 16, 2006
Halloween
is almost here! When I was a child, Halloween was one of my favorite
holidays. Why? FREE CANDY, of course! After my brother and I
went trick or treating in the neighborhood, we'd dump all of the candy on the
table. My mother would throw away all of the apples and homemade cookies
because all American mothers are worried about strange people putting poison in
Halloween treats. What was left over was divided into three piles.
The first pile was the top quality candy, usually miniature candy bars.
The second pile was the so-so candy, usually lollipops or Tootsie Rolls.
The third pile was the candy I hated. It is interesting that most of the
candy I didn't like was traditional Halloween candy such as
candy corn or
marshmallow peanuts. I would always try to trade all of the candy I
didn't like with my brother, but unfortunately, he didn't like that kind of
candy either.
When it was time to go to bed, my mother would tell us not to sneak candy to eat in our bedrooms. Of course, we didn't listen and did it anyway. Many children in America would go to school on November 1st with a stomachache from eating too much candy on Halloween night!
September 21, 2006
Well, it has been almost been half a year since I opened up BIG BOW English Lab and I must say that I have never been so excited about teaching! The children are very happy to learn about science, math, history, geography, etc. in English. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity two years ago to meet the ESL teachers at the AYM conference from Europe that told me about using cross-curricular lessons.
We had a funny situation a few weeks ago. I made a lesson for my Friday night returnees class on the solar system. I finished making this lesson on Thursday morning, only to wake up on Friday morning and find out that Pluto was no longer a planet! I didn't have time to make a new lesson, but it worked out well because we had a nice discussion on whether or not Pluto should be a planet. (My students, by the way, were very pro-Pluto.) The next week, we made a model of the solar system out of construction paper and the students insisted on including Pluto.
Of
course, one is never too old to learn new things or do something for the first
time! Even though I have lived in Nagoya for almost 14 years, I never had
the chance to wear a kimono. Last Friday, through the Cross Cultural
Exchange Association (CCEA), I had the opportunity to wear a beautiful shibori
kimono. I had always heard that kimono
were so tiring and difficult to wear, but it was a lot more comfortable than I
thought it would be, of course, once I got used to walking, sitting and standing
in a completely different way! Noriko Kato, who loaned the kimono and
helped to dress me in it, was also the subject of a documentary made by one of
the CCEA members, Jennifer Oldenburg. In the documentary, Noriko told
about how kimono has been a big part of her life, introduced us to many
interesting kimono patterns and explained about how one dressed in a twelve
layer kimono. I think it is wonderful that someone like Noriko can explain
about the beauty of kimono in English to people from all over the world!
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