Telephonic Hi-jinks
Of course, it's not all socialising and gallivanting around exotic locales out here - oh no. We're expected to do the odd bit of teaching too. So, in the interest of adding a little variation to the likes of "...and then we went for a few drinks and got really drunk in [insert name of Japanese city here], great, yeah," I thought I'd share some of my teaching experience with you.
Given that my 'job', such as it is, essentially revolves around devising classroom activities while sticking broadly to a series of lesson topics outlined by the textbook, I'm allowed a pretty free reign is terms of instructing the students what to do. For instance, my senior high students (age range 14-18ish) have this week been practicing telephone conversations. Personally, I think this is one of my niftier ideas and may serve to inspire others...possibly.
Anyway, in all classes, I'm teamed with a fellow Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) and we teach the class together. Their role can be limited to providing interpretations of my instructions when required, or be employed more constructively by allowing me to carry out two activities at the same time. To wit...
I prepare a sheet on which an example telephone conversation is printed on one side and a dialogue with bits missing for students to fill in on the other. So far, so unimaginative. I then hand out a second sheet on which is printed a blanked-out dialogue explaining how to make a voicemail answering message and how to leave one. I then play a pre-prepared tape to the class of me speaking: "Hello, you're through to Callum. I'm not in at the moment, but if you leave a message I'll get back to you". Recorded into a computer beforehand, I filter it to sound crackly and add a long 'beeep' at the end for added pizazz.
Then, leaving the students to practice the conversation dialogue while being supervised by the JTE, I set the tape recorder up in the corridor outside, call out the students two at a time and record them performing the dialogue outlined on the voicemail sheet. When all the students are done (or as many as possible within the lesson's 50 minute time limit), I set up the tape recorder in the classroom, and in the lesson's last five minutes, play back all the messages to the hopelessly embarrassed assembled students.
The great thing about this approach is that with students as shy and reticent as mine, it enables them to sort of speak to the rest of the class in absentia - without the pressure of 20 pairs of eyes on them while they're doing it. They can afford to concentrate a bit more on their pronunciation while speaking, and critically examine it themselves when they hear it back, assuming they're not giggling too much at the time.
For my next trick, the idea is to get the students to use the conversation dialogue sheets they spent the above lesson practicing, in a more instinctive way. Thus, assuming all the JTEs okay it, my plan for next lesson's warm-up activity is to get the JTEs to bring their keitai (mobiles) to the lesson. With my ketai number programmed into theirs, I will proceed to pass my keitai around the classroom. With my back to the class, I then use the teacher's keitai to call mine - whichever student happens to be holding it, has to answer and use it as a prop (I'll have hung up by this point) while we perform the dialogue that they (ought to) have practiced. We'll have to wait and see how successful this is...
So, a rather sober posting, but a necessary change of pace. Still, all being well I'm off to Hiroshima tomorrow with good buddy Mark (erstwhile housemate, university chum and now fellow JET in Toyama ken) where things of much interest will doubtless occur. Looks like I might also be taking my first trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) which is veh exciting...
Given that my 'job', such as it is, essentially revolves around devising classroom activities while sticking broadly to a series of lesson topics outlined by the textbook, I'm allowed a pretty free reign is terms of instructing the students what to do. For instance, my senior high students (age range 14-18ish) have this week been practicing telephone conversations. Personally, I think this is one of my niftier ideas and may serve to inspire others...possibly.
Anyway, in all classes, I'm teamed with a fellow Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) and we teach the class together. Their role can be limited to providing interpretations of my instructions when required, or be employed more constructively by allowing me to carry out two activities at the same time. To wit...
I prepare a sheet on which an example telephone conversation is printed on one side and a dialogue with bits missing for students to fill in on the other. So far, so unimaginative. I then hand out a second sheet on which is printed a blanked-out dialogue explaining how to make a voicemail answering message and how to leave one. I then play a pre-prepared tape to the class of me speaking: "Hello, you're through to Callum. I'm not in at the moment, but if you leave a message I'll get back to you". Recorded into a computer beforehand, I filter it to sound crackly and add a long 'beeep' at the end for added pizazz.
Then, leaving the students to practice the conversation dialogue while being supervised by the JTE, I set the tape recorder up in the corridor outside, call out the students two at a time and record them performing the dialogue outlined on the voicemail sheet. When all the students are done (or as many as possible within the lesson's 50 minute time limit), I set up the tape recorder in the classroom, and in the lesson's last five minutes, play back all the messages to the hopelessly embarrassed assembled students.
The great thing about this approach is that with students as shy and reticent as mine, it enables them to sort of speak to the rest of the class in absentia - without the pressure of 20 pairs of eyes on them while they're doing it. They can afford to concentrate a bit more on their pronunciation while speaking, and critically examine it themselves when they hear it back, assuming they're not giggling too much at the time.
For my next trick, the idea is to get the students to use the conversation dialogue sheets they spent the above lesson practicing, in a more instinctive way. Thus, assuming all the JTEs okay it, my plan for next lesson's warm-up activity is to get the JTEs to bring their keitai (mobiles) to the lesson. With my ketai number programmed into theirs, I will proceed to pass my keitai around the classroom. With my back to the class, I then use the teacher's keitai to call mine - whichever student happens to be holding it, has to answer and use it as a prop (I'll have hung up by this point) while we perform the dialogue that they (ought to) have practiced. We'll have to wait and see how successful this is...
So, a rather sober posting, but a necessary change of pace. Still, all being well I'm off to Hiroshima tomorrow with good buddy Mark (erstwhile housemate, university chum and now fellow JET in Toyama ken) where things of much interest will doubtless occur. Looks like I might also be taking my first trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) which is veh exciting...
posted by Callum | 9:27 AM
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