The Power of Project Based Learniing in a Japanese EFL Classroom

Project-based learning (PBL) should be considered when instructors are looking for ways to teach strategies that are critical for success in the 21st century. With PBL students advance their own learning through inquiry, as well as work collaboratively to research and create projects that express their knowledge. This article reports on a small-scale qualitative research study to determine student\u27s knowledge of, beliefs about and preference for PBL. Data was collected through pre- and post-project questionnaires. Results shouwed that students had had no actual experience with and very limited knowledge of PBL. After completing "The Phone Booth Project" students\u27 comments reflected a positive attitude towards this approach. This study concludes that students would be open to and benefit from implementing PBL into their instruction

Student Attitudes Towards Vocabulary Learning: An Online System

Vocabulary is, of course, essential for language learning. Finding an effective and efficient approach for students to acquire vocabulary in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context is challenging. Finding a good balance for all components of a communication class can be difficult. This paper reports on a class vocabulary study component that was changed from a paper-based vocabulary text to an onlline vocabulary learning system. A student questionnaire results are considered and student attitudes towards this change are discussed. The results showed that overall the students held positive attitudes towards the change. Finally, a representative selection of student opinions taken after the continued use of the online system are given. Students comments show a continued belief that the system is beneficial to them

Investigating Improvements in Listening Using Levelled Shadowing Materials

The improvement of listening comprehension skills is often a challenging task for language teachers and learners. Over the years many methods have been developed to help learners and instructors alike. Recently, in Japan especially, shadowing is generally accepted as an effective and efficient means for developing learners’ listening skills. Many studies have reported learners’ listening competence advancing after being given short-term shadowing training. However, an exact method for implementing shadowing is still yet to be determined. Therefore, this study was conducted to further explore effective procedures to implement shadowing. Shadowing often uses "easy" material the learner can mimic repeatedly, but a study conducted at Akita University indicated using a combination of two levels of materials was more effective than just using materials of a similar difficulty level for students of the same intermediate level (Hamada, 2012). This study further explores those results, using a variation on the training materials. The purpose of the study was to determine if alternating two levels of materials showed similar improvement for students of varying levels. The results show that a combination of two different difficulties of materials improved learners of varying levels of proficiency listening comprehension skills

Student Attitudes Towards Vocabulary Learning: An Online System

Vocabulary is, of course, essential for language learning. Finding an effective and efficient approach for students to acquire vocabulary in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context is challenging. Finding a good balance for all components of a communication class can be difficult. This paper reports on a class vocabulary study component that was changed from a paper-based vocabulary text to an onlline vocabulary learning system. A student questionnaire results are considered and student attitudes towards this change are discussed. The results showed that overall the students held positive attitudes towards the change. Finally, a representative selection of student opinions taken after the continued use of the online system are given. Students comments show a continued belief that the system is beneficial to them

Investigating Improvements in Listening Using Levelled Shadowing Materials

The improvement of listening comprehension skills is often a challenging task for language teachers and learners. Over the years many methods have been developed to help learners and instructors alike. Recently, in Japan especially, shadowing is generally accepted as an effective and efficient means for developing learners’ listening skills. Many studies have reported learners’ listening competence advancing after being given short-term shadowing training. However, an exact method for implementing shadowing is still yet to be determined. Therefore, this study was conducted to further explore effective procedures to implement shadowing. Shadowing often uses "easy" material the learner can mimic repeatedly, but a study conducted at Akita University indicated using a combination of two levels of materials was more effective than just using materials of a similar difficulty level for students of the same intermediate level (Hamada, 2012). This study further explores those results, using a variation on the training materials. The purpose of the study was to determine if alternating two levels of materials showed similar improvement for students of varying levels. The results show that a combination of two different difficulties of materials improved learners of varying levels of proficiency listening comprehension skills