Back again!!

Well, the English only classes have finished and the students are settling back into doing some engineering. This morning we went to Stewarts Coffee Factory and the Greenman Beer Factory (don't worry, they didnt' have anything to drink!).

Both of the factories were really informative and gave the students a look at some local talent.

Tomorrow, we're going to be going out onto Logan Park and playing some cricket. The students have already said that they find cricket boring, but nobody has actually played it - I hope that they change their attitude from tomorrow.

There is a video conference with KTC this Friday from 1-3ish, so there is no class in the morning. It is going to be open day at KTC, so any prospective students and parents will be having a look at how classes are taught here at the Poly. The students in KTC will also be asking questions to the students here. This is a very interactive time for both KTC and OP. I hope that it goes well.

The students are also doing well with their English. The TOEIC average score for the test last Friday was 561. This is the highest so far and still with 4 more tests to go!!

I'm also going to be planning a trip to Cadbury's factory in the next week, so I'll keep you posted about this.

The Reality

At this time a lot of the students are thinking about returning to Japan. For a lot of them this can be quite a difficult and challenging time. This is because when the students first come here they have expectations of being able to speak English fluently when they leave. For many, this is quite unrealistic and I think that students are now starting to realise this. The students also base their English ability on the TOEIC test. Again, students have expectations of getting very high marks at the end of the year. Although, last Friday's test had the best average for the class so far (561) it also emphasised that what students expected their scores to be by the end of the programme is beginning to fade into an unrealistic goal. Consequently, some of the students will be feeling down. However, this is part of the process that the students go through into trying to (unconsciously) readjust or reacculturate themselves back into their Japanese culture.
I intend to have individual interviews with all of the students over the next week as well as discuss some of these issues in class on a more general basis. If your student is feeling a bit disparate at this time, then the reason above may be why. It would really good if you have any concerns about your student to inform Anna, Keiko, Yoko, or Yvonne. I will also try my best to address these issues.
Talk to you soon, Michael

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hi everybody. I hope that you had a good break and spent some quality time with your family. It's always a busy time over the Xmas break, but I hope that you are rested and ready for the new year.

The students are coming to class from 9-11 Monday to Friday. All of the students have said how they have enjoyed their experiences of a New Zealand Xmas and New Year, so thank you for looking after them and giving them some "kiwi" culture.

Hopefully, if the weather is fine we will do some outdoor activities. First on the agenda is a trip to Moeraki Boulders next Monday (18th January). Low tide is about 12:35pm, so it means that a good time to leave would be about 11:00. I have booked a mini-van to take all of the students out and Keiko and Yoko will also come out for support. The students will also be provided with lunch. We hope to be back at about 4ish (depending on the weather). I will tell the students to bring some waterproof clothing and other necessities in class, but it would also be good if you discuss this with them as well - another chance for a good conversation!

The students are also starting to plan their homestay graduation presentation, which will take place on the 10th of March (Wednesday) from 7-9. This time and date are only tentative at the moment because I have to wait until everybody comes back to work to confirm the place, etc. However, I will let you know as soon as I know.

Lastly, the students are going to be doing a TOEIC test this Friday from 9-11. Some of the students get a bit nervous about this practise test, so reassurance would be a help.

That's all for now. Please feel free to post any comments, ideas about what you think might be a good activity for the students to do.

Talk to you soon,

Michael

Photos from the Photo Competition

Okay, I decided to put all of the photos up onto the blog, so that you can judge if you want to. The only thing is, is that you will have to explain the photos to me. You can choose only two photos - one from the "People" category, and one from the "Nature" category. I think that you can see which category is which. Remember that the competition ends tomorrow at 5pm. I have also decided to have the prizegiving at the student's end of year party in Great Taste on Wednesday, so I can announce the winners later that afternoon.

Photographic Competition

The students were asked to take one photo under the category "nature" and one photo under the category "people." These photos are in the L block lobby and will be voted on over the week. The closing day for the votes is this Friday (11th Dec.).

Put a tick beside the photo that you think is the best. The votes will be tallied this Friday and the winners will be announced next week on Monday the 14th December. There are three prizes for each category.

If you are passing the L block area then go into the main reception area and you can see them there and vote.

I will put the winning photos on the blog next Monday.

http://mrstoutsblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/toyo-gakuen-university-homestay-english.html

You might find this interesting - especially if you are interested in making Japanese food.

TOEIC, Bridges, Photographs, Christmas, holidays

Hi everyone,

Well, it's been another long spell without writing anything. A lot has happened, so I'll just go through a few of them. Firstly, the students are all doing well with the TOEIC tests. They are actually sitting another practise test today from 9-11. If you want to know more about this test then look at the link on the side of this blog. This year I'm giving the students about 13 tests. These tests usually happen at the end of the week. I also do a resit on Wednesdays. The average is going up all the time, so I'm very pleased with the results.

The students have also been building their balsa wood bridges. They then broke them last week. I have a video of it, but unfortunately when I tried to put it up on the blog it didn't go up. (Perhaps it was too big!) If you would like to see it then I can give it to your student.

The students are also getting good at using the Smartboard. The students take it in turns to do a 5-10 minute grammar or vocabularly class and teach it to the rest of the students.

The students have finished taking their photographs for the photographic competition. The categories were nature and people. They will be judged next week. All of the photos are hanging up in the classroom.

I am going to be teaching the students a little about Christmas. I have already told them about the Santa Parade, but would appreciate it if you could also encourage your student to go and see it.

Well, that's all for now. Remember that the classes go through to the 11th of December, but I will be here until the 18th of December, so I am trying to encourage the students to come in and practise their conversations, even though all of the engineering classes have finished. So...the week from the 14th to the 18th December is not compulsory for the students to come, but I will be informally coordinating activities in the morning for anybody that comes along. I have told the students of these arrangements.

Also, I haven't really had any feedback from you as homestay parents about anything, so am assuming that things are going smoothly. Remember that if you would like me to go over some English, or bring a matter up for the students to discuss in class, then please contact me - if not through this blog, then mpryde@tekotago.ac.nz

Talk to you soon,

Michael

Birthday Photos

Photos of Steven's son, Mathew's birthday - with Toshi and Ryuichiro.

Impressive!

I've been very impressed by the way that the students have been voluntarily coming into the classroom and diligently studying. Usually, the students do the reading box. The students are really progressing quickly through this first box and will soon be starting on the second box. It's great to see that the students are self-motivated and seem to know how to study. This is what I have been trying to teach them since they have come onto the programme and am very satisfied to see that they see the benefit in studying in order to improve their English skills. It seems that my role is now just one of monitoring and stimulating them to look for other sources to learn from.
Next term (that's this Monday) I will carry on with the students teaching a grammar or vocabulary lesson for about five to ten minutes using the Smartboard. The students learn a lot of the language associated with management of the classroom. It also gives the students the power to organise the class the way that they want. They can make the activity as easy or as hard as they would like, but need to always think of the most efficient way to teach the lesson, i.e., writing things up on the board before the lesson, making instructions clear and easy for the class to follow, thinking about how best to explain the activity so that all levels of English learners can understand, predicting possible problems that may arise, giving time limits, etc, etc. I really think that this makes the students think deeply about their activity.
I also plan to give another TOEIC test in the next couple of weeks, and if the weather is fine, plan an outing to Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens.

Video and ice-creams on Thursday (8th Oct)

Keiko is organising a DVD and ice-cream time for the students on Thursday. Apparently, the students have been told about this, but it would be good if you could also remind them. It might be a good way for your student to spend time with others.

Students in the classroom

There are always about three or four students that come in during the morning (about 8:30-12) to study. If your student isn't doing anything, then perhaps you could suggest that since the classroom is open, they could come down and chat with me or their friends. I will also mark their journals if they have been writing them.

This might be a good opportunity for the students.

Kendo

I went to Logan Park gymnasium and saw Shunsuke and Soma participating in the Kendo tournament between Invercargill and Otago. It was really great to see the students mixing like this. (Shunsuke also has a very loud 'kiai'.)

Glow worm caves

Here are some photos taken at the entrance to the glow worm caves.
It's getting a bit dark, so they are little difficult to see.

Google translate

の作成は、学習者中心のアプローチ学生は、前のクラスで何かを見る。。。論文を書く学生は選択。SRAの読書室のあるトピックについての短いプレゼンテーションを行う学習戦略上のディスカッションはどのように聞いて活動を選択する方法から書籍を選択するしました。 1つの英語の文法、語彙、および1つの喜びのために、学生は英語で物事を説明するために、日本の文化知識を利用し、学生を取得いくつかの語彙や文法を教えること。会話のIRFのに使用します。限定的に使用教材の上にいくつか表示しています私は自分のクラスではありませんし、アイデアが、学生は自分の独自の学習のための責任を負うようにします。私が言っていると思う、あなたは人に魚を与えることができますし、それら日の食べ物を与えるが、もし彼らは生涯食べ物を持ってどのように魚し、それらを教える場合、私は学生しても大丈夫かもしれない英語を教えるおそらく1つの状況が、の場合どのようにして、生徒たち全体の生活のために学習される自分自身を教えることを教える多くの場面のように（または何かで）。

This is the Learner-Centred approach post that I translated using Google Translate on the right hand side of my blog. I did this because I wanted the students to know what approach I am trying to foster in class, as well as inform the staff at KTC.

TESOL Interaction