こんにちは！
日本語の勉強（べんきょう）にやくだつウェブサイトをのせました。
ぜひ、みてくださいね！
ほかにも いいウェブサイトがあったら、ぜひ紹介（しょうかい）してください。
I have linked to several websites which are useful for learning Japanese.
Please take a look!
If you know any good websites other than these, please let me know.
2008年11月5日水曜日
2008年11月3日月曜日
Everyone needs encouragement to overcome difficulties
Konnichiwa!
I have seen many of you have written comments to blogs of students from other universities and at the same time, many of you have already received comments from students from other universities. I am glad that you guys enjoy getting to know each other and nurturing friendship in the community of this project. That is the main purpose of this project! Let's make friends in other part of the world by writing about yourself and visiting their blogs, using our common language, Japanese.
Here, let me discuss with you what we should write as a comment on articles in someone's blog. The other day, I found a student in our class left a comment to a student from other university, which I think is not very appropriate, at least at this moment. In the comment the student pointed out every single mistake in the person's article and kindly warned her to check her Japanese before she posts it. This student might have done that from kindness, to improve the person's Japanese. But I think we should ask ourselves before posting our comment how the blog's writer will feel when s/he reads the comment. The student who wrote that comment might say "I would appreciate if someone correct my Japanese." However, remember our main purpose for writing blogs in this project is to "make friends." Have your relationship with the writer grown enough to assume that s/he won't mind your correction in the public space? Maybe we should ask ourselves before posting a comment to someone's blog, "do I myself want to receive such a comment? Isn't what I am writing going to embarrass the writer?
Recently during the blog activiy, I reminded you to show to your classmate your article before posting it, in order for you to realize any mistakes or any unclear parts to others in what you have written. This is becuase it is quite often difficult, if by ourselves, to realize what is not clear to others and how to improve it to make our thoughts understood well by others. That is why I think "peer-editing" is necessary. This process should be done before the article is posted. Once it is posted, I think we should exchange our idea mainly on the content, not on mistakes.
We have just started learning this language. We need encouragement from others to move on. We need positive interaction among each other. I think we should keep that in mind when we do this activity. I am waiting for your comment on this issue.
I have seen many of you have written comments to blogs of students from other universities and at the same time, many of you have already received comments from students from other universities. I am glad that you guys enjoy getting to know each other and nurturing friendship in the community of this project. That is the main purpose of this project! Let's make friends in other part of the world by writing about yourself and visiting their blogs, using our common language, Japanese.
Here, let me discuss with you what we should write as a comment on articles in someone's blog. The other day, I found a student in our class left a comment to a student from other university, which I think is not very appropriate, at least at this moment. In the comment the student pointed out every single mistake in the person's article and kindly warned her to check her Japanese before she posts it. This student might have done that from kindness, to improve the person's Japanese. But I think we should ask ourselves before posting our comment how the blog's writer will feel when s/he reads the comment. The student who wrote that comment might say "I would appreciate if someone correct my Japanese." However, remember our main purpose for writing blogs in this project is to "make friends." Have your relationship with the writer grown enough to assume that s/he won't mind your correction in the public space? Maybe we should ask ourselves before posting a comment to someone's blog, "do I myself want to receive such a comment? Isn't what I am writing going to embarrass the writer?
Recently during the blog activiy, I reminded you to show to your classmate your article before posting it, in order for you to realize any mistakes or any unclear parts to others in what you have written. This is becuase it is quite often difficult, if by ourselves, to realize what is not clear to others and how to improve it to make our thoughts understood well by others. That is why I think "peer-editing" is necessary. This process should be done before the article is posted. Once it is posted, I think we should exchange our idea mainly on the content, not on mistakes.
We have just started learning this language. We need encouragement from others to move on. We need positive interaction among each other. I think we should keep that in mind when we do this activity. I am waiting for your comment on this issue.
コースへのコメント、ありがとうございます
Konnichiwa, minasan!
Today I'd like to summarize your comments on the course that you have written on the last day.
1) General Comments for the Class
Most of you said you enojoyed the class in a relax mood and that you were interested in learning Japanese. As a teacher, I am very happy to hear such a positive comment! Some of you wrote you worried at the beginning whether you could follow the class. In my opinion, all of you (honto desu) did a good job. Maybe it is good to have a little bit of worry when you learn something becuase that makes the person hardworking.
Some of you wrote the lesson was sometimes too dry or boring, and requested me to make it more lively. I guess one of the reasons is that we spent a bit too much time for pattern practice based on the textbook. In the next semester, I will do my best to provide you with more materials from other books and media to make classroom activities more fun. In addition, I expect you to raise more questions for our discussion. You know I LOVE students to ask questions in the class, right? That is one of the things that you can contribute to make the class lively. You can ask not only about the language but about culture, etc. And maybe I should not be the only one to try to answer to your questions. For example, I am not an "authority" of Japanese culture (just being Japanese will not authorize me to discuss it dominantly.) Actually I often wonder what is "Japanese culture", and often feel annoyed when I hear people, especially Japanese people, talk about Japanese culture holistically in a manner of "I know better than you because I am Japanese." I guess what you perceive as "Japanese culture" should be also considered a reality of Japanese culture. That's why I welcome your opinion to share idea and mak our understanding of those issues deeper.
2) Popular Activities
No. 1 Blogging
No. 2 Drama, interviews, roleplays, movie watching, etc.
Yes, blogging is your most favorite activity and we will continue blogging in the next semester.
Many of you said you liked interviews because you could learn a lot of expressions and structures when you were preparing it. The same thing can be said about dramas, and in addition it seems fun to act with friends.
3) Unpopular Activities
No. 1 Listening Test
No. 2 Pairwork
No. 3 Kanji
Regarding the listening test, one of the students wrote:
"I really do not know how to improve it (my listening skill ), because reading and listening are so different. .... Even if I do badly in a listening test, it doesn't really reflect my listening ability. In actual life, we can request people to repeat again if we don't understand."
I agree that in actual communication with someone, we can ask him/her to repeat if you don't understand what was said. Maybe asking in a proper manner when you don't understan is more important skill that you need to acquire. However, there are occasions where you need to understand one-way communication, such as news from TV, radio, announcements at public places... Regarding how to improve listening skills, I think it is important that on top of knowing vocabs, expressions and how they are pronounced, you aquire the skill to guess overall content from key words and expressions which mark the flow of conversation. Therefore, not only just listen to CD of the textbook and watching movies, participating in conversation activities inside and ouside class is also important because you will learn how oral communication is constructed by participants.
As for kanji, one of the students suggested we use a website in order to learn kanji in more fun way. I think it is good idea because using web materials, students can learn kanji at her/his pace and can focus on the knowledge or skills that s/he needs. This is important because the level of kanji ability is different between Chinese educated students and those who are not, and even among the Chinese educated ones. Thank you for the suggestion. I'd like to make use of web-based materials in learning kanji from the next semester onwards.
*********************************************************
There are many requests from you that I should consider seriously (some, I am not sure I can realize before you graduate, like , organizing a trip to Japan). Anyway, thank you so much!
Today I'd like to summarize your comments on the course that you have written on the last day.
1) General Comments for the Class
Most of you said you enojoyed the class in a relax mood and that you were interested in learning Japanese. As a teacher, I am very happy to hear such a positive comment! Some of you wrote you worried at the beginning whether you could follow the class. In my opinion, all of you (honto desu) did a good job. Maybe it is good to have a little bit of worry when you learn something becuase that makes the person hardworking.
Some of you wrote the lesson was sometimes too dry or boring, and requested me to make it more lively. I guess one of the reasons is that we spent a bit too much time for pattern practice based on the textbook. In the next semester, I will do my best to provide you with more materials from other books and media to make classroom activities more fun. In addition, I expect you to raise more questions for our discussion. You know I LOVE students to ask questions in the class, right? That is one of the things that you can contribute to make the class lively. You can ask not only about the language but about culture, etc. And maybe I should not be the only one to try to answer to your questions. For example, I am not an "authority" of Japanese culture (just being Japanese will not authorize me to discuss it dominantly.) Actually I often wonder what is "Japanese culture", and often feel annoyed when I hear people, especially Japanese people, talk about Japanese culture holistically in a manner of "I know better than you because I am Japanese." I guess what you perceive as "Japanese culture" should be also considered a reality of Japanese culture. That's why I welcome your opinion to share idea and mak our understanding of those issues deeper.
2) Popular Activities
No. 1 Blogging
No. 2 Drama, interviews, roleplays, movie watching, etc.
Yes, blogging is your most favorite activity and we will continue blogging in the next semester.
Many of you said you liked interviews because you could learn a lot of expressions and structures when you were preparing it. The same thing can be said about dramas, and in addition it seems fun to act with friends.
3) Unpopular Activities
No. 1 Listening Test
No. 2 Pairwork
No. 3 Kanji
Regarding the listening test, one of the students wrote:
"I really do not know how to improve it (my listening skill ), because reading and listening are so different. .... Even if I do badly in a listening test, it doesn't really reflect my listening ability. In actual life, we can request people to repeat again if we don't understand."
I agree that in actual communication with someone, we can ask him/her to repeat if you don't understand what was said. Maybe asking in a proper manner when you don't understan is more important skill that you need to acquire. However, there are occasions where you need to understand one-way communication, such as news from TV, radio, announcements at public places... Regarding how to improve listening skills, I think it is important that on top of knowing vocabs, expressions and how they are pronounced, you aquire the skill to guess overall content from key words and expressions which mark the flow of conversation. Therefore, not only just listen to CD of the textbook and watching movies, participating in conversation activities inside and ouside class is also important because you will learn how oral communication is constructed by participants.
As for kanji, one of the students suggested we use a website in order to learn kanji in more fun way. I think it is good idea because using web materials, students can learn kanji at her/his pace and can focus on the knowledge or skills that s/he needs. This is important because the level of kanji ability is different between Chinese educated students and those who are not, and even among the Chinese educated ones. Thank you for the suggestion. I'd like to make use of web-based materials in learning kanji from the next semester onwards.
*********************************************************
There are many requests from you that I should consider seriously (some, I am not sure I can realize before you graduate, like , organizing a trip to Japan). Anyway, thank you so much!
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