＜2010/06＞

■　Golden Week Special Class Report

　From May 3rd to 5th, Special Classes were held for SNG students

　Every Golden Week, at Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute, special classes offer students experiences unobtainable in regular courses. This year, the choices included a conversation class focused on giving directions which made use of a large classroom set up with a map of 3-D cardboard structures, a Japanese folktales and folklore class, a tea ceremony class instructed by the Head of the Educational Department, a kanji class personally taught by the principal, and more, with over 60 students participating in total. This time, the report will cover the direction-giving class. Not a situation you would normally see in a classroom, a large-scale three-dimensional map had been built, and the students exclaimed in surprise when they saw it.

　To begin with, the usual partitions had been removed and the desks put away to create one large classroom, the floor of which was covered in streets, railroad tracks, buildings, and other locations delineated by masking tape to imitate a huge, blank map. Using cardboard, the students worked together to build restaurants, cafes, hospitals, Tokyo Tower, and other structures. When they were mostly done, referencing the rough sketch they’d prepared, they took up positions in pairs on the blank map.

　But before that, they reviewed directional vocabulary. Following the teachers’ voices, the students loudly recited them. “Forward! Back! To the side! Next to you! Near you! Diagonally! Right! Left! In front of you! Over there! Keep going forward! Go backwards! Turn (right or left)! Cross (the tracks, the intersection)! “ etc. The three teachers drew laughter with their comical movements.　

　Once they’d checked the vocabulary, the pairs guided each other, one person consulting the rough sketch and calling out directions while the other carried their cardboard structure to the indicated location. “Go straight. Turn right at the first intersection. Then turn left at the dead end and cross the railroad tracks. Um, put the hospital between the supermarket and the sushi shop. No, not there! Next to that… Yeah, there, that’s it.” Amidst laughter, the blank map was gradually filled in. It seemed like a lot of fun.

　When the 3-D map was finally complete, it was time to give directions. The pairs switched places, the student who placed the structure now giving directions to their partner.

　Task 1: To a restaurant
　Task 2: To the library
　Task 3: To the department store

　And more. The students passed around the instruction sheet from one to another, choosing tasks to give directions for. Students frantically figured out how they could correctly guide their partners. After ten minutes, they had to demonstrate their directions.

　“Pass the first intersection. Turn left at the second one. No, wait! Sorry, go back…” Of course there weren’t only mistakes; some students gave great directions. This time there were students from beginner to advanced, so of course the intermediate and advanced students did well. For the beginner students, there was a lot of new vocabulary and grammar and it was pretty difficult, but they all tried their best in their pairs.

　Finally, having arrived at their last destination, a restaurant, they practiced conversation. They started with the following conversation, before continuing to order.

　“Good afternoon. How can I help you?” “A table for ___, please.” “Smoking or non-smoking?” “_____, please.”

　The special class wrapped up with role-playing, the pairs thinking carefully about their scripts and then presenting them. One pair amused everyone with their acting skills, and made light of the laughter they received. The teachers realized they could probably improve their own acting abilities.

　The class started at 9:30, but before everyone knew it, it was already 12:40. The students that gave up some of their vacation to participate in the special class all said they had a great time. We’re glad that they enjoyed this opportunity.

making the buildings	tracks and streets of tape	a completed map

practicing directions	“Turn right.”	“Huh? A dead end?”

more conversation practice	ordering at the “restaurant”	three students checking their instructions

teacher playing shopkeeper	students expand the conversation	a short comedy skit?

■　Alumni Q&A Session Concerning Higher Education

　A month before the EJU, 20 students prepare by participating.

　Of the students who graduated last year, those who have continued on to or passed the entrance exams for university were invited to speak with current students aiming to pass the EJU. Students returned from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Toyohashi University of Technology, Waseda University, Keio University, Rikkyo University, Meiji University, and Chuo University to give advice to the current students.

　“You should prepare by planning out a study schedule,” “The first thing about the EJU is mathematics,” “You also need to pass the entrance exam for your school and do well on TOEFL,” “As for TOEFL, the best way to study is…” “When you think about the tuition for a public university…” This was the type of advice given by the alumni.

　This was the second time the Q&A session was organized. Half a year ago, before the alumni took their EJU, the first session was held, consisting of ten-minute speeches followed by a Q&A period. The alumni of that time received a barrage of questions, some in their native languages, and answered according to their individual experiences. They then all asked the students to pass on the information when they were in their place.

　It’s a great thing that, with their own experiences, those students have now stepped into the role of the alumni. We want to thank them for actively participating. And those students who listened to the advice from their predecessors, who will continue on to institutes of higher education next year, will keep the advice they received close to heart.

the representative for the alumni	gathered students listen carefully	almost all hope to continue on to institutes of higher education

never absent or late in two years, a former Asahi scholar	ending with individual consultations	enthusiastically asking questions

exchanging e-mail addresses	The dignity of an alumnus?	current and former students

Contact us...

SHINJUKU JAPANESE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE 2-9-7 Takadanobaba Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, 169-0075. Japan Tel : 81-3-5273-0044 Fax : 81-3-5273-0018