Building Relationships through Student- Centered Learning
11/14/2013Lacey Love & Yoko Tachibana
Iwata Nishi High School
Why is interest important? • Interest increases learning. Promoting interest
in the classroom increases students’ motivation to learn and the number of learning strategies they use.– Pressley et al., 1992; Sweet et al., 1997
• Using student interest makes students want to learn, and it makes them work harder to understand.
Today we’ll cover:• Kokoro and the importance of relationships• Student names and interests• Passports and Competition• English Communication Activities• Building relationships between JTEs & ALTs
Kokoro • Purpose of education in
Japan is more focused on developing student character rather than skills-based.
• Relationships can be a great way to help develop “kokoro.”
2 Ways• Today we’ll focus on
two ways to build kokoro and develop relationships. 1. Harness Interest 2. Build Comfort
Two Types of Interest • Situational interest – Interest in what’s happening now– Environmentally activated– Easily Changes
• Personal interest –What you brought to the classroom–More difficult to change
(Krapp et al., 1992, Schiefele, 1999)
Situational VS Personal• Situational interest helps to catch students’
attention, but personal interest holds their attention.
• Situational interest often leads to the development of personal interest.
(Krapp et al., 1992, Hidi and Baird, 1986; Mitchell, 1993)
Interest-BasedHigh-Tech
• Watch a One Direction music video
• Learn about 1D members
• Personality Quiz: Which member are you?
Low-Tech• Listen to a 1D song• 1D member read
and run • Crossword Puzzle
using R&R answers
Movie Trailer Lessons1. Watch in English with Japanese
subtitles. 2. Explain the plot using screen shots and
vocabulary with sound clips. 3. Watch again, in only English. 4. Play a comprehension game.
Hidden-Interest• Trick them into enjoying something they
wouldn’t normally enjoy. • Use interesting backgrounds or clip-art. • Use a common interest as a warm up or
cool-down activity.
Student Names• Students are happy when you
remember their names. • They don’t feel as anonymous. • I’ve found that they willingly
participate more. • It builds comfort.
English Names• I’ve always let students choose
a nickname for themselves. • This year, I gave them a list of
common American names. • If they wanted to, they could
choose an American name.
Benefits of Crazy Names1. They are easy to remember.2. They promote a comfortable,
relaxed atmosphere. 3. They let students adopt an
English personality.
Individual Rewards
• Each time students have to speak out loud, they can choose 2 stickers. – After summer, 1 sticker
• For each 5 stickers they get, they can choose 1 piece of candy.
Group Rewards • We usually let students work as a group or team. – The individual gets a reward, and the group also
benefits. • We usually ask easy questions. – Focus is on practice…
not perfection. • Intangible Rewards
Homeroom Rewards • At the beginning of each class, I show them a
bar graph of which HR has the most stickers. – They freak out.
13 HR 14 HR 15 HR 16 HR0
50
100
150
200
250
250
152
231209
• At the end of each term, I give the homeroom with the most stickers a “party” during lunch.
Homeroom Rewards
Benefits of Passports• Get to know students. • Students get to
practice written conversation. •Writing seems less
scary than speaking.
Benefits of Passports• There are 5 quiet minutes
at the end of every class, time to pass out candy, answer questions, or clean up. • Students give feedback
on the lesson.
To correct or not to correct…?–I never correct English in passports! –If I can understand it, then they have
succeeded.
Helpful Hints• Months of the year• Clubs • English Conversation
Ideas– Almost all students use
these at first– Some branch out into
“real” conversation– Some just continue using
the conversation starters
Happy Birthday!• Students write their birthday on the
front cover. • I usually write a birthday message. • It’s just highlighter and stickers…
Teaching the Textbook• We were worried about teaching in only
English, especially when the topics would not interest the students.
• Sometimes the lesson is about… potatoes.• So, we developed a system to help us.
E.C. UNIT EXAMPLE• We decided to use the TT lessons to help
teach the topic. • We try to build student interest and comfort
despite less-than-ideal topics.• We’ll go through an example unit.
E.C. Unit Overview1. Team-Teaching Topic Introduction2. GL: Txt Part 1: Word Study3. GL: Txt Part 1: Comprehension4. GL: Txt Part 1: Grammar & Listening5. Repeat for Parts 2-36. Review Games
E.C. Unit Example Team-Teaching Topic Introduction• Goal is to build background knowledge• Sometimes we use the same exact
information as the textbook • Sometimes we use the same topic but
make it fun
E.C. Unit Example Comprehension Practice
1. Notebook Quiz Worksheet in English (Groups of 4)
2. Notebook Quiz in Japanese
E.C. Unit ExampleGrammar, Comprehension & Listening
1. Textbook Questions 2. Workbook Questions3. Listen to CD • “Shadowing”
E.C. Unit Example1. Team-Teaching Topic Introduction2. GL: Txt Part 1: Listening and Word Study3. GL: Txt Part 1: Comprehension4. GL: Txt Part 1: Grammar and Listening5. Repeat for Parts 2-36. Review Games
Unit Questions? JTEs Don’t be afraid to ask your ALT
for help! ALTs Don’t be afraid to offer help! We’re all new to this English in
English thing! We can help each other!
JTE-ALT Relationships• Tips for the ALT –Plan ahead – Spread out your questions/favors–Practice Japanese • Ask questions!• Be brave- make mistakes!
– Enkais and Events
• Tips for the ALT – Say THANK YOU! –Offer to help grade or copy –Be available/approachable –Go with the flow–Remember that they make mistakes, too!
Building Relationships with your JTEs/ALTs