効果的な英語教育のために:日本人教員とネイティブ教員の協働を目指して

English language educators pull from a wide range of experiences, theories, and pedagogies. This is true all over the world, but is particularly interesting in the case of Japan. Japanese teachers of English and native speaker teachers have quite different experiences and attitudes regarding foreign language education. Taking a social constructionist view, this paper will examine how these two groups construct English language education differently.英語教員はそれぞれが幅広く様々な教授経験、教育理論、そして教授法を持っており、それは世界中どの国の英語教員にも当てはまることである。しかし日本では、外国語教育に関して日本人教員とネイティブ教員との間に大きな違いが見られる点が、特に興味深い。本稿では社会構築主義の視点から、日本人英語教員とネイティブ教員とが英語教育を行なう上でどのように異なっているのかを考察する

A Case Study of Growth of Community Revitalization Movement in Chizu, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Kaso is the deterioration of community infrastructure resulting from the migration of young people from rural areas to urban centers. It occurred in Japan during the period of rapid economic growth after World War II. Due to the conservative nature of remaining rural residents, community revitalization is often difficult. This paper uses the theory of social norms to analyze a case of successful community revitalization resulting from community empowerment

日本の学士課程教育における効果的／非効果的アクティブ・ラーニングに関する質的分析

This paper examined effective and ineffective attempts to integrate active learning into Japanese undergraduate classes. We found that effective programs had high teacher involvement, clearly explained learning objectives, and clear lines of communication between instructors and field settings.本稿は，日本の高等教育における効果的／非効果的とされているアクティブ・ラーニングの実践を考察した。その結果，効果的だったアクティブ・ラーニングの実践では，教員がしっかりと学生活動に関与し，学習の目的を明確に説明しており，大学と活動先との間でしっかりとコミュニケーションが図られていた

A social skills approach to English language education in Japan

The primary purpose of language is to interact with other people; it is a social process. Due to long-term historical isolation, Japanese social interactions can be quite different from those of European cultures. These differences, which are usually not addressed in EFL curriculum, can create difficulties for Japanese students, both in terms of interacting with foreign faculty and in terms of having meaningful relationships with non-Japanese people. Japanese students would therefore benefit from explicit social skills training to help them thrive in non-Japanese social environments. This paper will explain how social skills approaches can be adapted into the EFL classroom and outline areas for future research

Open Voice 改訂の歩み : 英語学習者のアウトプット力増強に向けたアクティブ・ラーニングのために

An important key to success at developing communicative abilities in a second language is actively practicing the four communication skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). With this in mind, the Open Voice system was developed to support students’ active engagement with the skills of writing and speaking. This paper explains how the Open Voice system was developed and revised in order to increase English Language Learner output.外国語習得においては、読む、書く、聞く、話す、の4技能を能動的に練習することが、コミュニケーション能力を身につけるために重要な鍵となる。岡山県立大学が独自に開発した英語教材 Open Voiceは、ライティングとスピーキングのスキルを高めるため、学生が積極的に学習に取り組めるようデザインされている。小論では、 英語学習者のアウトプット力増強に向け Open Voiceがどのように改訂されてきたかを述べるとともに、アクティブ・ラーニングの要素が効果的に導入されていることを明らかにした

現在の英語カリキュラムと新入生の学習者ビリーフに基づく発展的提案

In order to provide students with good teaching, the curriculum needs to be reviewed and revised periodically. Even minor changes can be of benefit. To prepare a better curriculum for students, teachers should know students’ needs and wants. In this report, the present English curriculum at Okayama Prefectural University is described. The present curriculum aims to improve students’ four skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing in addition to increasing vocabulary and grammar knowledge. Then, the results of a survey on 2018 first-year students’ beliefs regarding learning English are reported. Students’ beliefs include attitude toward English learning, motivation, anxiety, and expectation. Last, based on the results of the survey, the strengths and weaknesses of the present curriculum are discussed.平成30年度に実施された英語カリキュラムを説明し、平成30年度入学生の入学直後の学習者ビリーフ（学習への期待、意欲、不安など）を調査した。調査の結果、3つの学部から構成される岡山県立大学は、学部ごとに、学習者ビリーフが大きく異なることが明らかになった。語学教育推進室は、全学を対象とした統一英語カリキュラムを実施しているが、学部ごとに、学生のニーズに合わせた英語カリキュラムを工夫していく必要がある

Workshops without Walls: Broadening Access to Science around the World

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astrobiology Institute (NAI) conducted two “Workshops Without Walls” during 2010 that enabled global scientific exchange—with no travel required. The second of these was on the topic “Molecular Paleontology and Resurrection: Rewinding the Tape of Life.” Scientists from diverse disciplines and locations around the world were joined through an integrated suite of collaborative technologies to exchange information on the latest developments in this area of origin of life research. Through social media outlets and popular science blogs, participation in the workshop was broadened to include educators, science writers, and members of the general public. In total, over 560 people from 31 US states and 30 other nations were registered. Among the scientific disciplines represented were geochemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and evolution, and microbial ecology. We present this workshop as a case study in how interdisciplinary collaborative research may be fostered, with substantial public engagement, without sustaining the deleterious environmental and economic impacts of travel

In the Wake of Japan’s Triple Disaster: Rebuilding Capacity through International Collaboration

Natural disasters occur when the destructive forces of natural events, such as earthquakes, flood, and volcanoes, overwhelm the capacities of communities. In the winter of 2011, Japan, a model for disaster-preparedness, was shaken by one of the largest earthquakes on record, a ten-story tsunami, and a nuclear emergency on par with Chernobyl. In the acute stages of the disaster, the Japanese government officially asked for help from a number of countries. During this time period, international collaboration played a key role in providing help to survivors in the form of medical assistance, food aid, and psychosocial support. As provision of aid evolved into capacity building, national and local Japanese government agencies, in partnership with local grassroots non-profits, assumed most responsibilities, and international organizations transitioned into new roles. This paper will present a study of the collaboration facilitated by a global non-profit humanitarian organization between international faculty and local partners in Japan