raising self-awareness and promoting understanding of others through language learning

Raising Self-awarenessand Promoting Understanding of

Others through Language Learning

Outline

Ideals and Reality Looking for reasons in language acquisition th

eories Alternative approach Application to class

Ideal

Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology compiled a report on ways to improve English teaching in Japanese schools (2001)

The action plan to cultivate English speakers in Japan (2002)

Reality

B21 聞いた内容に対して、内容や自分の考えなどについて、英語で話し合ったり意見の交換をさせたりする。(exchange ideas, opinions)

B30 身近な話題について、自分や聞き手の置かれた状況を考慮し、伝える目的を考えながら英語で情報を伝えたり、会話をさせる。 (goal-oriented speaking, interaction)

B33 ペアワークやグループワークを用いて、生徒間で実際に英語を使ったコミュニケーションを行えるようなタスク（課題）を行わせる。 (pair work, group work in English)

B47 語句や文型・文法の解説をする。 (explaining structures, vocabulary)

B48 英文和訳をさせる。 (English to Japanese translation)

(Yosida Kensaku, Sophia University)

Views on Language Acquisition

Skinner’s Model Language Learning is a habit formation. Child’s Brain is tabula rasa.

Plenty of practice and repetition will do.

Views on Language Acquisition

Chomsky’s Model Poverty of Stimulus, Degenerate Input

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

All that’s necessary is exposure to input.

Language is Constrained

S [NP John [VP knows [C that NPTom VP hates NP himself.]]

Himself cannot refer to John.

Learner Based Approach to Environment Based Approach

As we grew up to learn our mother tongue or our second language, not everything happened inside our brain.

What is happening around us, while our neurons are being connected in our black box?

Cooperative Learning and Social Theory of Vygotsky

Social interaction plays a fundamental role of human cognition.

Every child’s cultural development appears twice.

Interpsychological state (dialogue) Intrapsychological state (monologue)

Social interaction Cooperative Learning

Independence Autonomous Learning

Not mutually exclusive

Why cooperative learning

* Scaffolding of learners

*Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)

“the difference between what one can do independently and what one can do with the support of others”

“The range of skill that can be developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained alone. “

Students can learn from each other and teach each other through cooperative learning!

Traditional vs. Cooperative

teacher centered learner-centered

responsibility on responsibility shared

teachers

a nail that sticks out each student need to

gets hammed down contribute

Artificial Natural

input centered intake centered

How can we incorporate cooperative learning and promote understanding of

others? The need to show students that cooperative

learning is not just group work and playing. The need to show that others can be your

partners in ZPD and help you grow

Study Questions

Will students be able to engage in interpersonal mental plane through collaborative learning through English class?

Will they engage in negotiation of meaning which contributes to their language development?

Will they be able to engage in intrapersonal mental plane and discover who they are and their self-worth?

Conversation

T: You’ve got exam coming up soon. You’d better study hard.

S: I know. It’s almost September. January is 5 months away. But I am bored with all this studying. Why are we studying? Aren’t there better things in life? Life sucks!

Conversation

T: Really? Does life really suck?

What’s this? S: It’s a chalk, I’m not that stupid. T: Oh, sorry. What color is it then? S: Hey! I am NOT dumb! It’s white! T: OK, don’t get excited!

Conversation

Which is brighter, A or B?

Really? Are you seeing the truth?

Explanation

The trick is based on local contrast. In shadow or not, a check that is lighter than its neighboring checks is probably lighter than average, and vice versa. In the figure, the light check in shadow is surrounded by darker checks. Thus, even though the check is physically dark, it is light when compared to its neighbors. The dark checks outside the shadow, conversely, are surrounded by lighter checks, so they look dark by comparison.

Conversation T: Was that chalk really white? Gee, you guys

seem to know everything but really? Before you ask why you are studying, have you ever asked yourself why you are living in the first place? Why are you here? Who are you?

S: No. T: Do you know the answer? S: No. T: That’s the start! S: What’s the answer? T: Think for yourself.

Occasion・Mandatory English Reading Class・ Topic on euthanasia and dying with dignity・ Opportune for letting students think about what it means to live and die through exploring the

issue.

We take life for granted

Modern culture saturated with death of others ( movies, terrorism, famine, violence on TV )

faceless death Silence on one’s own death and taboos on

talking about it Being unaware of what you are living for

Knowing your self through Thanatology

Thanatos = death Not death of others but of yourself Memento Mori. Thinking about dying is thinking about living. Thinking about your life is thinking about othe

rs

Context

English Reading Class (meets four times a week)

3rd grade high school students Preparing for entrance exam (stress, anxiety,

etc.) 121 students

The Terri Schiavo CasePINELLAS PARK - Terri Schiavo suffered heart failure in 1990, when she was 26 years old, lapsing into a persistent vegetative state. For years, Michael Schiavo, her husband, fought to have the feeding tube keeping his wife alive, removed. He said his wife told him she would not want to live like this. Schiavo's parents wanted their daughter to remain alive. The battle involved the courts, the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush. Schiavo died at on March 31, 2005 at the Pinellas Park hospice where she lay for years while her husband and her parents fought over her fate in the nation's most bitter - and most heavily litigated - right-to-die dispute.

Big change in thinking about death.

What is the percentage of death in Japan?

100 percent! It could also happen to me!!

Phase 1 Pre-reading discussion (group discussion)

1. Define death in your own words

2. What are doctors’ responsibilities?

3. How do you evaluate keeping life support system on unconscious people?

4. Who should make the ultimate decision?

5. Why do some people want to be off the tubes? Raising awareness about the topic Utilizing students’ schema

Phase 2

Listening activity with pre-listening questions. Ex. 1. What is a life support system called in

Japanese? What does the author think about the machine? Students take notes in groups to compare with

each other.

Phase 3

Raising hands to indicate understanding Skimming and Scanning Activity

look for the answer while reading

Phase 5 and Phase 6

Reading the textbook in the details. After reading activity

Working in groups

Purpose: To have a deep insight into your own value and to understand the values of others

Four levels of death

Task: Think about the examples of four kinds of deaths and think about how you can help those people facing death.

①Psychological Death

②Social Death

③Cultural Death

④Physical Death

Preparation for one’s own death①To let go

②Forgiveness

③Thankfulness

④To say farewell

⑤Prepare your own funeral

Writing your own living will

Please write your own living will.

Does life still suck?

What is the most important thing for you?

Students’ answers

Family members My memory My time Friendship Love Acceptance Health Money

Are you happy now?

Thank you for listening!