Key Elements of Online Teaching: The first step in learning to use the online teaching approach

This article reports an online classroom research carried out during the influence of a highly transmissible infectious epidemic. Google Classroom (hereafter GC) was adopted for the entire 2020 academic year and instructors were informed of this new approach to teaching two weeks prior to the beginning of the first semester in April. Teachers had to conduct their GC while facing and experiencing the constraints and limitations brought by COVID-19. To understand the studentsʼ experience and thoughts towards online classroom, this article analyzes the questionnaire students did at the end of the term. The analysis will touch upon such issues as the effectiveness of teaching, the nature of online teaching, and the problem of motivating both students and teachers. As will be shown, the ʻ5 minutes Quick Taskʼ worked well with online classroom and it was found that the teacherʼs positive attitude and stance was an effective means for encouraging students to work in the classroom

Clues to nurture Japanese students’ communicative competence: A Case Study on an Overseas Homestay Program

This article reports on a study that investigated the process and effects of pre- and post-assignments of an overseas homestay program. These assignments were designed to promote the Japanese students’ collaborative competence which enables them to be more proactive and successful when engaging with their host families. The analysis of the assignments that were set before and after the trip, and a careful observation of the participants experiences while abroad, unveil what Japanese language learners need in order to acquire and develop their communicative competence within a global context

Quick Task Effect: focus on students’ perceptions

This article is based on an intervention study conducted at a first-year university English class. The class used a fluency training activity, Quick Task, which is a brief task requiring students to talk and write about an assigned topic, making them think, explain and comment spontaneously. The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which this task was effective in making English less stressful and more enjoyable for the students. To help achieve this purpose, a quantitative research, comparing the results of pre- and post- course questionnaires, was conducted. The results showed that students gained a higher level of confidence and acquired a positive attitude towards learning English. The teacher also gained insights into what students thought and was encouraged to further develop this project. Practitioner research was found to be valuable

English Education in Asia: Through the experience of overseas students

This article reports on how English is currently taught and learned in several Asian countries. 10 high school students from different Asian countries filled in a questionnaire about their experience of learning English. As we shall see, there were similarities and differences concerning the studentsʼ language learning contexts. Despite the differences, the students all regarded English as a useful tool for communication. Their responses demonstrate that English is a lingua franca

An Effective Use of Online Task in Face-to-face Teaching of English

This paper is based on a presentation I gave at the 2023 JACET International Conference. Highlighting the social importance of fostering IT literacy and English communicative competence, the study explores a hybrid teaching model in first-year university English classes. Central to the research is the integration of online tasks during face-to-face sessions. This hybrid approach actively engages students, allowing tailored instruction to individual needs. The study examines the potential of finely tuned face-to-face teaching. The paper also reflects on the JACET conference, gathering valuable advice I received from the participants. Positive feedback on the presentation I received suggests the feasibility of creating a class that gives individual attention to students and uses online tasks effectively. Furthermore, the classroom tasks I implemented reflect a trend observed at the conference, where publishers develop similar online tasks as supplementary materials. The paper details an innovative approach in English language education, a hybrid class that incorporates online tasks. Insights from JACET underscore the potential and hint at promising future possibilities in shaping English language education during the post-COVID era

‘Quick Speech and Write’as an Effective Pedagogical Strategy for Developing Fluency

This case study examines the pedagogical effectiveness of incorporating speaking and writing fluency activities into an EFL class for first-year students at a Japanese university. The author chose to focus on the fluency skills of speaking and writing, as this aspect of learning English is often perceived to be as difficult to teach as it is to acquire. ‘Quick Speech and Write’ is an activity that only takes about 15-minutes of class time, with little need for preparation and administration. Despite its simple nature, the gains by students are manifold. Although increasing speaking and writing speed is an obvious aim of the activity, making significant gains in this regard is difficult without extensive efforts by students in doing several ‘Quick Speech and Write’ activities a semester. However, even with just five of these quick activities a semester, noticeable improvements in communicative skills were seen and active speaking and listening skills such as gestures and nodding were observed. More importantly, students have reported feeling less anxious and more proactive about speaking and writing by the end of the semester. This case study presents the pedagogical aims of the instructor and summarizes comments by students that list the perceived benefits of doing the activity as evidence of the effectiveness of this approach. Data collected from 196 students in eight classes on some ‘Quick Speech and Write’ activities are used in this study. The case study concludes with a summary of the gains observed and a discussion on the implications of incorporating writing fluency activities into university English classes. Using a combination of observational and enquiry type methods, data was gathered to investigate to what extent this strategy had fostered participants’ abilities to be fluent and promoted their motivation, or positivity toward continuous, self-directed English learning

A case study on a hybrid class

This article reports on a case study of teaching hybrid classes at a Japanese university, using online tasks in a face-to-face classroom. This research was carried out during the second semester in the academic year of 2022, when the impact of a highly transmissible infectious epidemic was still pervasive. The hybrid class was set, drawing on the instructorʼs knowledge gained from teaching online classes over the past few years. To see whether this hybrid teaching method meets the requirement set by the university, and also to understand the studentsʼ experience and thoughts towards this method, this article analyzes the results of a questionnaire the university provided at the end of the second term. This analysis will reflect upon such issues as the effectiveness of hybrid classes and the use of technology. As will be shown, it was found that this hybrid style English class fulfilled the institutional requirements for compulsory courses. Moreover, it could be said that hybrid teaching - using computers and online tasks in a face-to-face classroom - is an effective means for encouraging students to work in the classroom

Effects of Tokishakuyakusan on Regeneration of Murine Olfactory Neurons In Vivo and In Vitro

金沢医科大学博士（医学）2019thesi