DIARY of M&M

A Message To the Second Year Students from M&M

2005-08-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Through English Teaching Methodologies Ⅱ and Ⅲ, I have learned many things. I am going to tell you, the second year students, about these courses.First, we studied second language acquisition theory in English Teaching Methodologies Ⅱ. We used the text book "Second Language Acquisition." This text is written in English, so it is difficult to understand whole substances perfectly. Actually, so did I. I think, however, the important thing is to try to know, and try to understand. To do this, all you have to do is to read again and again until you see the point. Reading is very important. However, You don't have to translate that into Japanese. This is not so important.Secondly, we have communicated with each other and teachers outside this class through "our blogs." I didn't know what the blog was before. However, thanks to this course, I did know that. It was very useful for us to communicate with other people. Because there are rarely such a opportunity, we tend to adhere to our own opinions. So, that is so important. However it is also important to have own opinions.Good luck, you guys!!!! Enjoy studying and teaching(。・_・。)ノ☆

My Reflection of Our team,Team Y's Lesson

2005-07-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of Team Y. We taught "This is~. He/She is ~." and "Nice to meet you." in the class. This is my reflection of that.
-Introduction
I think it was good that we introduced ourselves useing "This is~. She is.~" as a introduction to the class. However we should have emphasized the difference of he and she. The student looked confuse.
-Short play 1
We should have said in Japanese, too. That may have been a little difficult for him to understand the meaning. I realized that Japanese was also important.
-Words practice
I should have said the meaning in Japanese after saying "What does it mean?" At first, I assumed that the student was able to understand the meaning of that, but actually he was not, I thought. Also, I shouldn't have asked the meaning of "Australia" to him. That's because the word is uesd as a loanword in Japanese. So, that was a failure.
-Short play 2
I think it was good that we were able to use a backward build-up drill in repeating. It is a drill that the teacher starts with the end of the sentence and makes the students repeat and adds a few more words little by little.
-Group work
This may have made the students confuse. The way to do that was a littje difficult, I felt. We should have thought over the content of that.

I was able to recognize the difficult of teaching English increasingly.
Finally, thank you, Mr. Naim and thank you for your help during the class, Taku!!

My Reflection on KMKM's Lesson

2005-07-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

☆At the biginning of the class, it was good that they showed the goal of the class. Students are able to understand what to do the day. Also, the pictures were very cute, and the map of Japan made the student understand easier.
☆At the time of practicing the numbers, I felt that the speed of pointing numbers was a little bit fast for the student to read. In the biginning, they should have done more slowly, and done much more. But it was good to call on the student individually and to make him or her say.
☆I was sorry that he was not told the teachers' ages. And, "My phone number is ~." was a little bit difficult for him to say. However, it was great that he was able to say the numbers in English and understand surely.
☆The group work was very very very good!!!!!!!
=Good Points=
1, Handout~ pretty, easy to understand and easy to see.
2, Contents~ It was a very good idea using cartoon characters like Doraemon and Shin-chan. The students can learn English enjoying the class.
3, Way~ I felt that It was like a "Readers' theater." It will motivate the students.
☆Listening test was the first attempt, it was good. Also, as checking answers, it was good that the teacher asked the students whether there are other answers or not. It is very important.

Comments on Team A's lessons

2005-06-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

⇒At first, at the time of self-introduction, they should use pictures or something which represent their hometown such as Fukushima, Aomori and Iwate. And it might have done better for the student to understand if substituted the pictures which mean "the morning" or "the evening" for the words "A.M." or "P.M."
⇒Also, they should speak more loudly and more clearly, then it will be easier for the student to understand.
⇒And at the time of practicing the words, they should teach them as the form "a(n) + ______." "Eraser" should be "an eraser", but some people said "a eraser." So, I thought it was important to teach like that.
♪I thought it was very good to confirm to the student whether he could understand or not. This is very important, I think.
♪Also, it was a good way to make the student repeat individually. They could introduce "Tips for Choral Pronunciation" we had learned before into the class very well. Furthermore, I thought that the "pair work" was a very good idea, but I wish they had made someone demonstrate their conversation.
⇒Finally, there was a handout they worked so hard on, so they should teach how to pronounce the new words and should practice them. I felt he had trouble with the pronunciation of "eraser."

Comments on DHC2's lesson

2005-06-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

★It was very good that all of the member spoke in a loud voice. Because they spoke loudly and clearly, the student could listen whole words clearly, and it was easier for her to understand, I thought. Also, they could introduce Team Teaching into the class very well.
★When they introduced the sentences or words, they did using the pictures or the tools. It was very good! That's because it is important to rely on visual aid to memorize as well as to listen to the teacher speaking.
★It was good to do two patterns,"Yes, I do." or "No, I don't." when the student practiced the new material section. It is good to use the comparison to understand easier. Furthermore, It was very very very good that they used not "book", "pen" and "the piano" but "a book", "a pen" and "the piano". Some junior high school students are confused how to use the article, so it is a good way to teach words in a set.
▲Finally, "Karuta game" was a very good idea, however I was a little confused. They should explain how to do in detail. It might have done better if there was not only "Yes, I do." but also "No, I don't" as replies.

My Reflection on Team T's Lesson

2005-06-06T02:41:00.000-07:00

I think it might be difficult for Team T to teach English to the person who has just started to study English. However they did a good job of teaching, I think.
I thought it was good that they taught English using Japanese occasionally. Indeed, it is important to teach English in only English, however their way of teaching was so good. Also, it was good that they repeated the sentences or words again and again. Furthermore, it was good that they spoke in a loud voice and briskly when they explained. However, if they had spoken more slowly and clearly in doing short plays, it could have been a little bit easier for the student to listen to.
Finally, what I was most impressed with Team T's lesson was their ability of practicing of Tips for Choral Pronunciation. I think they could adopt them very well.

Junior high school grammar

2005-05-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

As a student, be Verb and Auxiliary were easiest for me. That's because there are only three changes, is, am, and are, in be Verb. It was easy for me to memorize. Also, it is easy to change into interrogative sentence and negative sentence. And this can be said about Auxiliary, too.
On the other hand, Relative Pronounts was difficult for me to understand. What is Relative Pronounts? What is antecedent? I couldn't understand what these words mean. Furthermore, there are many grammatical rules to learn. Can we use that instead of which? When should we use whom? I was very confused.
As a teacher, what I have confidence in teaching is 3 Person Present Singular Verb. When I worked in cram school, I found how to teach. Some students think it is difficult to memorize. However, once they have found the rule, it will be easy for them to understand. There are only a few rules. On the other hand, Relative Pronounts and Participle will be difficult for me to teach. That's because they are quite different from Japanese grammar. In Japanese, a word is modified by the front words. But in English, a word is modified by following words using Relative Pronounts and Adjectival Modifying Clauses. Therefore, I think it will be difficult.

Reflection on Sniffle's Lesson

2005-05-24T02:14:00.000-07:00

First of all, their lesson was very good. I thought it was good to make chart, paper coins and paper hamburgers. Students can understand easily. And they can enjoy the class learning vocaburaly. Furthermore, what I was most impressed was they made large and small colas for comparison. I t is very important. Students can surely understand the real meaning of the word by comparing. However I think it is better to put the paper coins or paper hamburgers on blackboard. It will become easier for students to see.
And their pronunciation were so good. I felt /th/ and /r/ were perfect. But I think it would become better if they said some numbers slowly. Some numbers mean the ones which are difficult to pronounce like "thirteen."
Last of all, I thought it was so good that they said "Yes." or "Good." after the students answered

May 12 ～About the lesson～

2005-05-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

I agree with the the way to teach vocabulary talking about pictures or charts. In the last class (we were taught Spanish), using charts made input comprehensible. If there were only sentences or words, perhaps we would have been bored. I think the teachers should write things which attract students on the blackboard. So, talking about pictures or charts is very helpful. Also, it is easier for teachers to teach vocabulary through input. And, I think it is also good way to teach using total physical response. The lesson Mr. Hall taught us vocabulary in Spanish we touching our own bodies, was very fun. To move is important. Students will never come to sleep or be bored, and they will be able to enjoy. Therefore they can learn vocabulary easier, and they can learn them by binding.
However I don't agree with the way to teach using students as example. Some students don't like to appear in front of other students. Especially, Japanese tend to hate it. So do I. If the teacher knows everything (their character, favorite things, something hateful etc.) about his or her students, it might be good way to teach vocabulary using students as example. But I think it is difficult to know such things. Thus, I don't agree with that.

My first Spanish class

2005-04-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

1, I think I could understand all of them. I think the figure of the family line made input comprehensible. We could see easily and clearly who is his mother, father, wife, grandfather, grandmother, and so on. Also, it was a familiar examples for us. If the theme was about politics or something difficult for us, we could not understand what he was talking about.
2, I found that mi means my, quien means what, tu means your, si means yes and no means no.
3, I really enjoyed the class. I have thought that it was difficult to learn a foreign language. When I was in the first year in this university, I took a French class. The class of the latter half of the year was pain for me. I think it was a GTM. I came not to be interested in French. However, I thought it was interesting to learn Spanish in this class. Spanish or French doesn't matter. What I am trying to say is what the method to teach is. For beginning foreigner language students, to have a interesting to the language is important, I think. I could have it as a beginning foreigner language student.

April 27

2005-04-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

In Japan, there are many good things or good points that even Japanese people don't know, I think.

One of my dream is to live in other country, especially the United States. I like movies, music and NBA. I like things about U.S. Why? I didn't think deeply until I read some comments from people who live there. However, I came to think about it in a serious way.
I 'v been to America 6 years ago. It was a school program. The student from U.S. stayed my home for two weeks, and then I stayed her home in U.S. for 20 days. Then, I really came to be interested in the United States. Everything that took my eyes was so wonderful, great and beautiful! That's because those are not in Japan. Suddenly, I came to think Japan is nothing of any value.
I was stupid. I was wrong. Really wrong.
In Japan, there are many good things or good points that even Japanese people don't know, I think. There are certainly something good we can't find.

I decided. I decided to know more about my country, JAPAN. After that, I would like to know about other countries. By getting more information about Japan, I will be able to know about other countries, I think. My dream is so vague, there is no plan. STILL NOW. From now on, I am going to learn many things, and then I am going to come true my dream.

In America, there are many good things or good points that even American people don't know, I think.

I like Japan quite same as America.

Questions to current teachers

2005-04-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

1, What is your best method to teach English to L２ learners?
2, Have you ever thought that was not a good method to teach English? If you have, tell me what , please.

My ideal teacher

2005-04-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

1, My favorite English teacher was Mr. Koiwa. He is a junior high school teacher. I was thought English for three years.
2, He is the greatest teacher that I have met. He was liked by almost every students. At least, all my friends liked him. He taught English to us politely. His pronunciation was not so good( I'm sorry), but his enthusiasm to English was greatest of the world.
3, As a teacher, my greatest strength will be to be a parson who is in the same situation with the students.
4, As a teacher, my greatest weakness will be hot temper, I think.

April 16

2005-04-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is m&m. I'm going to introduce myself.
I am Japanese. I study English. My dream is to live in U.S.
My hobbies are listening music and watching movies. I like HipHop and Rock music.
Today, I came back to my hometown. I like this town so much.