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The Exploratory Learning and Teaching Newsletter of Dokkyo University Winter 2003 | No. 2 |
Welcome
to Languaging! No. 2!
Please
note
that archived issues are now available online also as PDF files. Future
issues will no longer be made available in HTML format. Feel
free to
print the entire issue or refer to the Table of Contents and
print only the page numbers of articles of interest. Let us know if
you have any questions.
| Student Features |
|
| JHS
Students Evaluate Classes Self Efficacy Positive Attitudes of Mind Why do we learn English? |
Watanabe
Hiroshi Suzuki Manami Suzuki Kaori Toda Taemi |
| Classroom Ideas | |
| The Distance Dialog |
Markus Rude |
| Book
Review |
|
| Scaffolding Language & Learning | Yamaguchi
Takashi |
| Book Review | |
| Old Hats & New Coats |
Chris Carpenter |
| Reality Check! | |
| What’s JHS and HS English Teaching all
about? Is Dokkyo University Listening? |
Sasaki Aya Tim Murphey |
| Cultural Differences | |
| The Map is not the Territory | Yamada Miyuki |
| Cultural
Puzzle |
|
| Esenapaj | Kris Bayne |
Also in this issue:
Call for Submissions TESOL Professional Development Series, Volume 4 Failure Breeds Success excerpt from Japan Echo Foreign Expert: A Poem Dokkyo Teacher Network  |
|
Languaging is a semesterly newsletter. Our goal is to encourage students and teachers to explore their learning and teaching more reflectively by writing about it and sharing their ideas in our community of learners (we are all learners, after all). We want to encourage people to learn and teach (and write) together. We believe learning and innovation happen most frequently (and most productively) when people are doing it together. We want to encourage others to innovate, to take risks, to collaborate and to write about it!
We consider teaching a form of perpetual learning. This is an “exploratory” newsletter, and we want to hear from people who are exploring, trying new things, and seeing how they work. Learning and teaching involve a lot of exploration, and we hope to encourage this as much as possible. Furthermore, when we take risks, we often make mistakes. That’s part of learning, too. Feel free to write about the mistakes you’ve made and the lessons you’ve learnt so we can all learn from them.
Languaging is a place to experiment, not just write about experiments. Think about your favorite ways of teaching and learning – fun ways to learn that could help others. Think about the data you might collect: keeping a journal, recording your changing feelings and ideas, having friends observe your classes, visiting friends classes, quizzing yourself, recording yourself, getting feedback from students on your classes, your materials, or the whole education system! If you read a good book, write about it. If you have a good idea, write about it. If you have a good conversation, write about it!
Writing style: First person narratives are fine! Student writing is great! You should write a few drafts and give it to some friends for comments. Revise it a few times, and then send it by “file attached email” to the editors (by October 30th for the next issue). Editors may ask for some adjustments or give suggestions for fine-tuning before publishing.
Length: We hope
you will contribute short
pieces for consideration. Teachers and students are busy people (or at
least
they look busy!), and they are more likely to read short pieces than
long ones
(4 pages or 2000 words maximum, although we also like paragraphs,
comments,
short anecdotes, etc.)
Get your ideas out in Languaging! Ask your students to submit their ideas, too!
Send
submissions by May 15th for Languaging #3 to the editors
at languaging@yahoo.com
The Editors of
Languaging!
November 2003 Issue
Paul Dore
Christopher Carpenter
Fumie Ida
Tim Murphey
Taemi Toda
Ruth Yates
Click here to download the PDF file for
Languaging! No. 2
Evaluate English Classes
Hiroshi Watanabe, Dokkyo University
Last summer, I had the chance to visit my old hometown Takamatsu city in Kagawa. The purpose of my trip was teaching practice. It was a big chance to listen to the raw voices of junior high school students, how they think about their English classes. For long time I have been interested in why some learners can succeed in language learning and others cannot. And when I started my research, I decided to focus my study on learner’s affective factors. I gave students a questionnaire and received thirty-six valid replies from first year students and forty replies from second year students. (Unfortunately, no third year students.)
The questionnaire consisted of four parts of questions about feelings, motivations, negative questions, and concerning English classes. I also gathered data about their performance based on classroom activities.
| "Students who got a good grade had a positive image of English use. On the other hand, students who poorly performed had a negative image not only of English learning, but also of their linguistic aptitude." |
The first part asked about their
satisfactions with their English
classes. The first year students were mostly satisfied with their
class, while the second year students were not. The second year male
students were as satisfied as the first years, but the females were
quite different. The second year girls were much less satisfied with
their classes than the first years. In this research, students’ satisfaction did not correlate with their classroom performance. However I was able to get the following results from analysis of other questions. Students who got a good grade had a positive image of English use. On the other hand, students who poorly performed had negative image not only of English learning, but also of their linguistic aptitude. Integrative and instrumental motivation were not useful categories to examine the difference between first and second year students and the difference of their classroom performance in this research. However, I was able to find |
This research also showed that the first year students were more highly motivated and had less negative attitude to English learning than second years. Students generally wanted more fun activities and to use more fun materials like cartoons, movies, songs, dramas, and to have more ALTs’ classes. The first year students especially wanted test taking practice in classes.
At first I made some hypothesizes, for example, girls are more favorable to English classes, but all of them were not supported in my research. But it was confirmed that affective factors greatly affect learners’ achievement.
The implications for teachers seem to be the following: 1) Students motivations are tied to their experiences of success (their self-efficacy, see articles by M. Suzuki and S. Suzuki which follow this one). Teachers should construct their classes in JHS so that students can feel successful early in their language learning attempts. 2) To keep students motivations strong in later years, more interactive and fun activities should be used and success experiences continued. Over training for tests is counter-productive.
Hiroshi Watanabe is submitting his senior thesis on this topic in Shimizu-sensei’s seminar.
Your belief in your abilities influences your achievement
Manami Suzuki, University of Toronto
In this article I will explain self-efficacy that refers to beliefs in one’s abilities in activities such as writing, reading or academic achievement. In other words, self-efficacy means your personal judgment of your own capabilities to perform. Self-efficacy has been studied based on the social cognitive theory by psychologists such as Bandura, Schunk or Zimmerman since 1990’s (Bandura, 1997; Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997).
According to social cognitive theory, learners’ self-efficacy, goals, and motivations reciprocally interact with each other, and influence final academic achievement. For example, Zimmerman and Bandura (1994) conducted path analysis (1) of 95 freshman students who enrolled in the writing course at a university in the U.S. They studied relations of writing factors such as self-efficacy for writing, self-efficacy for academic achievement or goal-setting to the final writing course grades (outcome). They found that the students’ writing course grades were influenced by their own perception of their writing abilities and academic achievement.
Zimmerman (2000) claims that students with high self-efficacy can overcome negative factors in learning without being panicked or giving up study. He suggests students with self-efficacy can regulate themselves when they encounter difficulties while learning and then, as a result, they can achieve academic success. Thus, self-efficacy plays an important role in students’ academic achievement.
Then, how can we (teachers) improve our students or our own self-efficacy? Research on in social cognitive theory suggests that strategy instructions facilitate students’ self-efficacy (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997). Zimmerman and Kitsantas (1999) found that feedback on learners’ ability enhanced their learning and self-efficacy rather than feedback on learners’ efforts. It seems to be very important that teachers understand students’ abilities, and then let them realize their own capabilities in order to develop learners’ self-efficacy.
In the field of second language education there is little research on self-efficacy. I would like to study more about the self-efficacy of second language learners in the future.
[Editors note: See Watanabe’s article preceding this one, in which self-efficacy could be the reason that good students are motivated in JHS first year classes, and demotivated in later years because of the HS entrance test orientation of the classes. Also see the next piece by Suzuki Manami in which she uses a variety of ways to stimulate feelings of self-efficacy.]
Endnote
(1) Path analysis is to study interaction of each factor with regard to final outcome. (back)
Cited in this article
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (1997). Developing selfefficacious readers and writers: The role of social and self-regulatory processes. In J. T. Guthrie & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Reading engagement (pp. 34-50). Newwark, DE: Reading Association.
Zimmerman, B.J. (2000). Attainment of self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds), Self-regulation: Theory, research, and applications (pp.13-39). Orland, FL: Academic Press.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Bandura, A. (1994). Impact of self-regulatory influences on writing course attainment. American Educational Research Journal, 31 (4), 845-862.
Zimmerman, B.J., & Kitsantas, A. (1999). Acquiring writing revision skill: Shifting from process to outcome self-regulatory goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 1-10.
Positive Attitudes of Mind
Kaori Suzuki, Dokkyo University
What we feel depends on our mind. Attitudes of mind are key to whether we can look on the bright side of an event or not. Noticing the possible bright side provides us with choice and can liberate us from depression which can come from a feeling that we have no control over our lives.
Our minds are powerful. There is no limit to the amount of anxiety we can produce for ourselves. But when we turn our attitudes around, we can also produce wonderful images and messages for ourselves. When doing so, it does not mean that we deny that bad things happen and are blind to the problems around—we are not advocating unrealistic irresponsibility. But we are advocating using our minds productively to produce positive states of energy so that we can function more productively in the every day world.
I investigated these possibilities by asking a small group of students to experiment with doing daily quick-writes about their feelings for 8 days. The last four days, I also asked them to experiment each day with a new activity: with singing a happy song, telling themselves affirmations, providing “antidote affirmations” to negative statements, and remembering past positive experiences in their lives that gave them confidence.
| "Our responses become our experiences." | Because my
relationships and proximity with the four people were
different, I corresponded with three of them mostly through e-mail,
while with one I saw quite often. The one I saw made remarkable shifts
in her attitudes and came to like the activities so much that she
reported that she |
From my own personal perspective, when I sing The Five Ways to Happiness, I feel energy flow out of my deepest part of my mind as if I absorb the energy from the ground, the sky and the wind. I spontaneously feel relaxed and smile. I realize that this is the evidence that I seldom look up the sky, breathe in deep in the morning. I only hurry on my way to school. It gives me an opportunity to divert myself and feel relaxed at the beginning of the day. I am pleased with my research and what I have found and would like to end with a metaphor from Canfield and Siccone, (1993, p.52) that describes emotional contagion very well:
Imagine a clear river running into a
muddy lake. As long as the river keeps flowing, the muddy lake water
cannot flow back into the river to pollute it. But if the river were to
stop flowing, the muddy water would come in. it is the same with
energy. As long as you flow outward, you will remain unaffected by
negativity. Suppose you walk into a teacher’s lounge where people are
complaining about the bad school climate. If you let their comments
flow into you like the muddy water, it will affect you and you will get
into the same muddy water state. As long as your energy flows out,
their thinking will not pollute yours. This will keeps you positive,
balanced, and stable.
The authors also provide the following formula: E+R=O
E stands for all
the ‘events’ of our lives
R stands for our ‘response’ to these events
O stands for the ‘outcomes’ we experience”
(Canfield and Siccone, 1993, p.202)
R stands for our ‘response’ to these events
O stands for the ‘outcomes’ we experience”
(Canfield and Siccone, 1993, p.202)
What happens is not our experience in itself. What is important at this juncture is how we respond to these events, because our responses become our experiences.
Cited in this article
Canfield J. & Siccone, F. (1993). 101 ways to develop student self-esteem and responsibility. Needham Heights, MA:Pearson Allyn & Bacon
Why do we learn English?
Taemi Toda, Dokkyo University
I started learning English upon entering JHS. More than 8 years has passed since then. My majors at Dokkyo are English and Chinese. Why do we learn English? Many of us might not have considered it at all. How many of us people use English in their life?
Last year (2002), we used a textbook called “Englishes of the World” by Sanshusha in an English class. We had the opportunity to listen to Englishes from 22 different countries. Most of their first languages were not English. We found it very difficult to understand what they said. I had already noticed this difficulty through my personal experience.
I met a lady from India a few years ago at a Japanese class in my neighborhood. Our communication was mainly in English. She often talked to me with her fluent English, but I couldn’t understand her English so much. One day I was invited to her home for a curry party. She spoke Tergu or Hindi with her friends or her husband. I was the only Japanese there. The others were Indian ladies and their children. I didn’t notice the fact that she was talking to me in English for a while…
One day when she left her message on my answering machine. I listened to it carefully again and again, but I could not understand even one word. I thought it was not English. When I saw her next, I asked her if the message was in Tergu or in Hindi. The answer was… simply ENGLISH! The message was “Vijaya (her name) xxxx-xxxx (her phone number),please call me back” That’s it! ]
I had lots of trouble using English in Singapore too. Even though I asked people to repeat 3 times, I could not get what they said. They also did not get my poor English either. I could not even understand “1.3 dollars”. I gradually gave up communicating with them in English, and escaped to Chinese…
These experiences made me consider what we learn English for. If we learn English as an auxiliary and international language, that is a lingua franca, we should get used to many kinds of English, shouldn’t we?
However, how do we get used to them? I can say that in learning Chinese too. There are lots of Chinese speakers in the world. Fortunately, I have some friends from China, Taiwan or elsewhere. They are from different areas. Though they talk to me in Standard Chinese, their pronunciation and words are quite different in many cases. At first, I just did not understand, but I have gotten used to their differences little by little.
But in reality, I know it is very hard to listen to thousands of kinds of English. Native English teachers in Japan are mostly from the US, Canada, British, Irish, Australia, or New Zealand. I had not had a class to listen to many kinds of English until last year. It must have been a rare case. However, I think such classes should be increased.
I am not a native English speaker. As for me, English is a tool or lingua franca to communicate with lots of people. We do not have to be able to use many kinds of English, but it would be nice if we could understand many accents. We could communicate much more smoothly. I hope English learners can have chances to listen to many kinds of English, and became nice communicators through English. Perhaps TV or radio can help us, too!
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
A Technique for Improving Language Learners' Voices and Eye Contact
Markus Rude, Dokkyo University
Would you like your students to speak in a louder voice, to use more intonation and stress, and to have more eye contact? If the given task is to practice model dialogs, the following technique might be useful for you and your class.
Figures 1a and 1b show two typical classroom settings and students doing pairwork. There is no real need to speak in a loud voice, since the paired students sit rather close to each other. The volume of students' voices can be quite low in some of the pairs, the students of which will hardly develop tonal intonation or stress patterns.
Figures 2a and 2b show alternative groupings of students doing the same task however with a partner being some distance away. Now, there are only two alternatives for the students: to raise the voices above the background noise level or to give up. In my past experience, most students raised their voices and completed the so-called distance dialog.
In this setting, using intonation and stress is a real necessity in order to be understood by the partner, even more so, if important information is being transmitted (e. g. names or numbers); the students will put stress on that information not because it has been explained ("Put stress on important information!"), but because it is the only way to get the information across to the partner.
A useful side effect is the development of eye contact: Since it is difficult to focus on the partner's voice amidst the background noise, students will most likely use visual cues as well (e. g. the partners' moving head or lips) for the sake of better understanding.The distance dialog can nicely be combined with a light pressure technique: When every pair is standing at the beginning of the task and sits down after its completion, there is an element of competition which transforms the activity into a kind of game.
A last word of caution: it might get very loud. You might want to warn colleagues in neighboring classes before you do this in your class. However, the problem can be easily solved by adjusting the distances of students being paired (the setting shown in Fig. 2a was used in classes of up to 50 students).
Fig. 1a: Typical pairwork in a class with desks arranged in rows (back)
Fig. 1b: Typical pairwork in a class with desks arranged in a u-shape (back)
Fig. 2a: Example for distance dialogs in a class with desks arranged in rows (back)
Fig. 2b: Example for distance dialogs with desks arranged in a u-shape (back)
Call for submissions
Kazuyoshi Sato and Tim Murphey are editing a book for TESOL
Communities of Supportive Professionals
TESOL invites submission proposals for a 4th volume in the Professional Development series, tentatively titled "Communities of Supportive Professionals". We wish to invite descriptions of groups of language teaching professionals (informal and formal, institutional and non- institutional) who show exemplary ways of supporting each other and the group as a whole through particular structures and practices over time.
We are interested in descriptions of both successful and unsuccessful activities and structures with particular focus on the process of developing supportive communities. Some of the areas that might be approached are questions of changing identities, inclusion, orientations to new practices, group dynamics, communication styles, support structures, getting groups going and letting groups end smoothly, etc.
We foresee potential faculty groups as well as looser group structures submitting proposals and look favorably on multiple authors. Authors are requested to send a short two page (500 word) proposal of their idea to the editors by December 30, 2003: to both editors Tim Murphey and Kazuyoshi Sato at mits @ dokkyo .ac .jp and yoshi @ nufs .ac .jp respectively (remove spaces from addresses).
You can access the call at
http://www.tesol.org/pubs/author/books/calls/2001profdev.html.
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
Scaffolding in the language classroom
Takashi Yamaguchi, Dokkyo University
A review of Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning by Pauline Gibbons (2002, Heinemann Hall).
As with the revaluation of Vygotsky’s psychology, some recent publications of SLA (ex, Lantolf, 2000, Hall and Verplaetse, 2000) have placed much emphasis on the role of socio-cultural theory of second language acquisition. Actually, there are some concepts, like zone of proximal development, which have contributed much to SLA so far. This paper deals with one of the other important factors called scaffolding, with special reference to the recent publication of Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning (2002) by Pauline Gibbons.
What is scaffolding?
Before reviewing the book, I would like to provide a brief explanation of the term scaffolding. According to Gibbons (2002), the literal meaning of scaffolding is a framework that is put up in the process of constructing a building. As each bit of the new building is finished, the scaffolding is taken down. Although the scaffolding is temporary, it is essential for successful building. When it comes to pedagogy, scaffolding is used as a metaphor for the teachers’ supportive and assistive role helping students to carry out a task successfully. Gibbons stresses that it is only when teacher support or scaffolding is needed that learning will take place, since the learner is then likely to be working within his or her zone of proximal development.
This book is devoted to a way of teaching that places emphasis on teacher assistance or collaborative language learning. Besides the theoretical aspects of classroom interaction, each chapter introduces some practical methods of language teaching, such as shadow reading, jigsaw listening, minimal pair exercises, etc. Gibbons concludes that these skills should be integrated with various classroom activities in favor of a holistic approach of language learning. Therefore, this book is highly recommended in that it is quite useful for both researchers and language teachers.
Further perspectives
Although there is no denying the fact that socio-cultural theory provides significant perspectives for SLA and pedagogy, it’s quite hard to see that it has a high appraisal in Japanese education at present. This may be due to the fact that Japanese education is accustomed to a transmission way of teaching and quite challenged to change it. So in the last section, I would like to suggest for current language pedagogy in Japan based on socio-cultural perspectives.
Consider the case of Japanese students’ reticence during interaction activities, which is notorious among language teachers (Disson 1996), for example. If students are silent, language teachers struggle to get them interactive. When it comes to scaffolding or encouraging them, however, it could be quite illuminative for teachers to elicit students’ opinions. Addressing this problem, Scarcella and Oxford (1992) and Harada (2000) provide various types of scaffolding related to language classroom activities. Moreover, teachers could try to do some activities showing near peer role models performing well (Murphey, 1998), for the purpose of reducing their classroom anxiety, since teachers and students are so different in their social position.
Cited in this article
Disson, A. (1996). Pour une approach communicative dans l’enseignement du francais au Japon. Osaka: Osaka University Press
Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language Scaffolding learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Hall, J. K. and Verplaetse, L. S. (ed) (2000). Second and foreign language through classroom interaction. Mahwaah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Harada, S (2000). Go you tei sei ni o ke ru hinto no da shi ka ta. Etudes didactiques du FLE au Japon, 9: 30-38
Lantolf, J. P. (ed) (2000). Sociocultural theory and second language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Murphey, T. (1998). Motivating with near peer role models. In B. Visgatis (ed) On JALT’97: Trends and Transitions. Tokyo: JALT, 205-209
Scarcella, R. C. and Oxford, R. L. (1992). The tapestry of language learning. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
Book
Review
The Incredible Lightness Of Being (an ELT Professional)
Christopher Carpenter, Dokkyo University
A Review of Sustaining Professionalism, Volume 3 of the Professional Development in Language Education series, published by TESOL, 2003, and edited by Patricia Byrd and Gayle Nelson; Series Editor, Tim Murphey.
Did you wake up one morning only to discover, by George! you’re an old hat in the ELT biz? Are you beginning to feel the need for growth and revitalization as a professional? Or are you just getting comfortable in your new teacher’s coat, but you’re curious about possibilities and opportunities for the future? If you answered yes (or maybe) to any of the questions above, then have I got a book (and a series) for you!
Sustaining Professionalism is the third volume in a series edited by Dokkyo’s own Tim Murphey, a new faculty member in the English Department and a fantastic juggler. The series is titled Professional Development in Language Education (perhaps you’ve noticed the colorfully bound books floating around the teacher’s room). Published by TESOL, this series explores, from various perspectives, the endeavor of continued self-improvement and evolution as a professional of language education. As Murphey explains in the preface to the volume, the series recognizes “that those who contribute most to their profession and to their students’ learning see their own continual learning and development as crucial to their work” (p. v). That is to say, professional development in language education is not simply a list of workshops and conferences on our CVs, it is a state of being in which, as professionals, we are constantly reflecting and reassessing our beliefs, methods and motivations. A professional teacher is a perpetual student of learning.
Whoa! you say. Sounds heavy.
Well, maybe. But actually, the PDLE series is refreshingly down to earth, and the books are easy and enjoyable reads. The current volume turns to the “seasoned” professional in a look at the various ways that some individuals have maintained their “emotional and intellectual drive,” even after many years in the field. The fifteen chapters of Sustaining Professionalism are largely reflections written in the first-person by teachers who have, by various means, maintained an active interest and excitement in their work. Each chapter begins with a short narrative that situates these reflections within the personal life experience of the author. These are stories of people with varied interests and motivations. They are also well-established TESOL professionals who have sought out and taken advantage of opportunities when they recognized them. Byrd and Nelson identify six primary themes or “clusters of opportunities” in these stories (p. ix):
- remaining a teacher-scholar
- becoming a writer
- moving into administration
- creating teacher development programs and workshops
- getting away
- taking political action
Loosely speaking, the chapters of this volume are grouped by these “clusters,” though there is much overlap and many common threads that weave throughout the book.
Remaining a teacher-scholar (with enthusiasm)
The volume’s first four chapters are all by authors who, through various strategies, have kept growing and evolving professionally while remaining teacher-scholars. “Education,” writes Carol Clark in Chapter 1, “is one of the most rewarding professions because it requires us to continue our own growth as well as to develop that of your students” (p. 7). In this chapter, “On Remaining a Teacher: Transformations, Detours, and Affirmations,” the author alludes to many of the themes developed by others in later chapters by examining the internal motivations and rewards of pursuing professionalism in teaching and her own process of discovery as a professional. She goes on to describe three principle strategies for keeping your edge and enthusiasm in the field: building confidence, developing connections, and making a commitment. In her reflections, this EFL teacher at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, shows how the personal and the professional are always interconnected.
In Chapter 2, Andrew Cohen reminds us that the “content of scholarship [is] the essential beginning point for our journey as scholars” (p. 15). He outlines his own journey as a scholar that has achieved certain recognition by his university and the TESOL community. Cohen also acknowledges the personal and individual nature of sustaining professionalism. In Chapter 3, “Outside In, Inside out: Creating a Teaching Portfolio,” teacher trainer Rosie Tanner recounts the experience of being asked to develop a teaching portfolio after years of teaching others how to do it. “Initially,” she admits, “I found the idea that I had to prove my skills as a teacher educator preposterous” (p. 20). The task proved to be unexpectedly fulfilling, however. In Chapter 4, Ayşegül Daloğlu discusses the “Challenges and Motivations [of] Organizing a Drama Festival for High School Students,” another activity that led to a feeling of revitalization and renewed interest as old connections were revived for a professional teacher trainer who had long been away from the context of her trainees.
Becoming a writer (or materials designer)
Chapters 5, 6, and 7 all illustrate the renewal that can come of writing and/or publishing in the field. Jane Averill gives us tips on “Writing for Grant Dollar$” (Chapter 5) as she recounts her own experiences hunting cash in the administrative side of ESL education. John Murphy, director of an MA TESOL program in Atlanta, recalls “The Roller Coaster Ride of Editing a Book” (Chapter 6) and the deep satisfaction that came of such a ride. In Chapter 7, Linda Grant writes of the pivotal moment in her career when she decided to become a textbook writer. She recalls the feelings of restlessness that led to her decision. “Though I still love the classroom, the daily routine is taking its toll. The itch is back.” (p. 52). It was time to change tracks in her career. Among other textbooks and materials for ELT, Linda Grant became the author of Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication (Heinle & Heinle).
Moving into administration
The next two chapters talk about joining the “enemy camp” and becoming an administrator. Siti Hamin Stapa recalls “Going for the Gold” in Chapter 8, and in Chapter 9, Rossyln Smith does the same. Both of these authors seek to broaden our horizons and realize the potential of such work to be challenging and yet rewarding. They both give practical advice for those who might consider such an opportunity in the future. In “A Far Cry From the Classroom,” (Chapter 9), administrative work takes a whole new skill set allowing the individual to explore new roles and grow in different directions while remaining in the TESOL field. For Smith, administration came with some revelations. “For years I have heard faculty members mutter about ‘the administration’ and at times joined in, setting up what I now believe to be a mostly false adversarial relationship between faculty and administrators” (p. 66). Her journey gave her a new perspective on the vision and diplomacy required to run programs and start new ones.
Creating teacher development programs and workshops
Chapters 10 and 11 reflect on the learning experience of designing programs for teacher development. Elana Spector-Cohen, Carol Wexler, and Sara Kol write of the experience of “Taking the Bull by the Horns: Designing a Teacher-Initiated Professional Development Program” (Chapter 10). “In the beginning,” they recall, “we had no idea where this teacher-training program would take us” (p. 78). Their program was to be an in-service program for themselves and other language teachers in their department. As a collaborative and systematized endeavor to sustain professionalism, the lessons and achievements made by the organizers were all the more gratifying. It wasn’t easy, though, and Briony Beaven concurs as she recounts her own experience “Training Teachers to be Teacher Trainers” in Chapter 9. These teacher trainers were also participating in a workshop series for in-service development for themselves and their colleagues. The authors of both chapters give extensive tips for setting up similar professional development programs.
Taking opportunities to “get away”
The next three chapters are about stepping back and getting away from your normal routine. The authors discuss various ways they have been able to do this, giving advice and encouragement to other teachers who have the chance to do the same. Sharon Seymour found that “Sabbatical Projects Can Make a Difference” (Chapter 10). Ironically, Seymour got away by staying on campus to do research for curriculum revision of her ESL program at City College in San Francisco. Chapter 13 by Susan Conrad is titled “Moving Into the Unknown: When Leaving a Secure Position Sustains Your Professionalism.” Her experience illustrates again the personal dimensions of professionalism, and the value of reassessing your own needs and motivations when making career decisions. In Chapter 14, Gayle Nelson entreats us to “Just Do It!” as she reflects on a Fulbright Fellowship sabbatical in Mexico. Again, the personal and the professional were entwined in her experience. “After six years, I needed to go abroad to rediscover my multifaceted self and to return to my professional roots” (p. 106). And she did go abroad – with her high school aged son – and had an year-long experience that still sustains her professionally.
Taking political action
The volume closes with an illustration of how professionalism is not only connected to the personal, but also the political. George Braine describes “Starting a TESOL Caucus for Nonnative Speakers of English” (Chapter 15). Braine, a nonnative speaker of English from Sri Lanka, had a political awakening that was very much tied to his professional experience: “In the Middle East, where I taught in the early 1980s, I first became aware of the low status of nonnative-English-speaking teachers because teachers from Britain, some with a mere 3- or 6-month teacher certificate, were paid higher salaries and enjoyed better perks than well-qualified teachers from the Indian subcontinent. But the native-nonnative distinction hit me with full force only when I arrived in the United States …” (p. 114). Braine’s story is inspiring and empowering for teachers who see the social and political ramifications of education and strive for change within the context of professionalism.
Conclusion
I first picked up this book because, well, I’m nosey and always snooping in the materials teachers will leave lying around in the teacher’s room (beware!), but also because I spied on the cover the names of two of my former professors from Georgia State University, Pat Byrd and Gayle Nelson. Without this connection, I may have never have opened the book. After all, the title sounds a bit dry no matter how gay the book cover appears. I was surprised and happy to find such an accessible collection of anecdotes by so many respected figures in the field. Even though I am a relative newcomer to language teaching, the chapters gave me an insight into the personal dimensions of the authors’ experiences that I could easily relate to. Moreover, the stories illuminated possibilities for the future and how to recognize opportunities when they arise. Thus, I recommend this book to “old hats” and “new coats,” alike.
***
Volume 1 of the PDLE series, Becoming
Contributing Professionals, looks
at the many ways new teachers can engage with the professional
community, commit to continued development, and contribute to the
field. Volume 2, Extending Professional Contributions, focuses on the
challenges experienced teachers face and the various forms of
collaboration and support that can develop within communities and
institutions. TESOL is inviting proposal submissions for the fourth
volume in the series, tentatively titled Communities of Supportive
Professionals. See the call on page 14. | Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
Businesses and Society Learn from Mistakes
From Japan Echo: An Interactive Journal of Informed Opinion*
September 4, 2001
People in Japanese business circles these days are looking on the old proverb, "Failure is the mother of success," with renewed appreciation. Examples of companies putting into practice the idea of learning from mistakes are too numerous to mention. Following the lead of the private sector, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has begun work creating a database of failures that have occurred in cutting-edge research and development. The objective is to create a new field of study that can help prevent mistakes from reoccurring and allow technological lessons to be gleaned from them. A book titled Shippaigaku no Susume (Invitation to the Science of Failure), by Yotaro Hatamura, a professor at Kogakuin University, was published last fall and has become this movement's bible.
Industry Learns from Errors
Last summer an event held by Yamaha Motor Co. called First Yamaha Challenge Exhibition attracted considerable attention. On display were products whose development fell through or that otherwise never made it to market. Among them was a 100-million-yen (833,000 U.S. dollars at 120 yen to the dollar) super car that was developed in 1992. Although the bubble economy of the late 1980s had already ended, the company worked on the car with the expectation that there would still be demand for it. This turned out to be wishful thinking, however, and the car was never sold. A representative of Yamaha Motor explained that the purpose of the exhibition was to "encourage the spirit of learning from past failures and applying that knowledge to future challenges."
There are many other examples of businesses putting this idea into practice. At Toyota Motor Corp., inspectors monitor production every day. When they come across an error they team up with the workers involved to thoroughly investigate why it happened, and the information that is obtained becomes part of the company's know-how. This process has polished Toyota's production methods.
Electric appliance maker Toshiba Corp. makes an effort to learn from others' mistakes. In summer 2000 a food-poisoning incident came to light involving dairy products manufactured by a major food company, which was apparently caused by insufficient quality control at its plants. Following this incident, Toshiba undertook a companywide inspection to make sure that all of its plants had copies of company manuals on the work floor and that the workers were following the procedures properly. Although the two companies' products are completely different, Toshiba judged that, as a fellow manufacturer, there was a lesson to be learned from the food maker's experience.
Government Creates Failure Database
The Japanese government has also begun taking an academic approach to the study of failures. During fiscal 2001 (April 2001 to March 2002) the Education Ministry plans to start creating a database of past defeats in advanced research. The ministry intends to launch a research project that will build on this database to give birth to a new field.
Following a criticality accident in September 1999 at a uranium-processing plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, and consecutive rocket launch failures in 1998 and 1999, the ministry in summer 2000 organized a council with the purpose of researching such failures and putting to use the knowledge gained. Professor Hatamura, who had long advocated creating such a field of study, is a member of the council.
The council found that the majority of setbacks suffered in the world of science and technology have similar causes regardless of the field. It reached the conclusion that if the process, background, and other aspects of certain representative failures were analyzed from various perspectives and probed for the subtly intertwined causes, a database might be created that could be used to prevent repeating mistakes and lead to new developments.
Beginning in fiscal 2001 the first batch of data will be collected on past errors made in four areas, including machines and materials. With cooperation from the corporate, academic, and research fields, the Education Ministry will compile a database of the causes and contents of errors and the responses of those involved. The database will continue to be enriched in subsequent years.
In his book Professor Hatamura says, "Failures will cause us momentary anguish, but they always provide substantial hints that aid future development. I would hope that we will never lose sight of the fact that mistakes at the start of true creation are inevitable." A good example of this philosophy is the research by Professor Hideki Shirakawa, one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2000. Professor Shirakawa's discovery would not have taken place had he overlooked the unexpected result of a botched experiment.
Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network.
*The bimonthly journal Japan Echo features translations of essays, interviews, and discussions by noted commentators on topics of interest in Japan today. It is published by Japan Echo Inc., all rights reserved. -- Ed.
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
What’s JHS and HS English Teaching all about?
Aya Sasaki
Assignment to “Teaching Methods” students: A Japanese high school teacher with 4 years experience wrote the message below to a foreigner who was asked to train JHS teachers. Please write the writer’s main points and whether or not you agree based on your experience. What is her advice to the teacher trainer? Do you agree. What do you think the background is that she refers to below twice (see **).
Hi Bill,
May 18, 2003
It was nice to see you last week. I enjoyed talking with you I just remembered something which might help your teaching JHS teachers. As I told you before, teaching English as a JHS teacher and a HS teacher are very different. So I think you should know your students well in teaching JHS teachers. (When a company produces a product, they research the customers well beforehand, right?)
I am not sure how much you know about the differences, and I thought it would be helpful for you. I hope I am not meddling in your business too much. First of all, in JH, "communication" is more emphasized and students are taught mainly listening and speaking. More pair works and group activities are done in JHS than HS and more than when I was a JHS student. That means JHS students are not taught much reading, writing, and grammar. You might want to ask your students (JHS teachers) to bring their textbook. I was surprised at the large amount of pictures and the small amount of English sentences. By the way my understanding of "communication" is not just speaking and listening but it includes writing and reading.
The Japanese Ministry of Education has been criticized a lot for not enabling students to speak English although people learn English for a long time. Therefore the Ministry puts pressure on JHS and HSs to teach communication to the students more.
However, the entrance examinations of university haven't changed - the knowledge of grammar, reading and writing skill are required to get high points in the university exams. So in HS, we teach mainly (or only) grammar, reading, and writing. HSs are in a difficult situation - which is, between JHS and University. 1st graders in HS don't have much grammatical skill, but we have to give them the knowledge they need to send them to university. I believe all four skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) are very important as well as grammar. None of them should be disregarded. But for many reasons (I won't talk about the reasons here since it is a long story, which includes Japanese early history and cultural background**) English Education in Japan is not balanced well - inclined to only one side.
As a HS teacher, my ideal and final goal is to let the HS students have both communicative skill and grammatical knowledge to be able to get into university and to be able to use it in the real world. At first I wanted to go back to graduate school but I thought there are many things to change I can do in HS, and also I am busy and hectic enough to juggle tons of works at school. I was often disappointed how other co-workers are neither idealistic nor motivated, even though I try something new and different in class, they just say "it was great." Only a few of them said, "I want to try the idea too." Well, I know it is tough to change things. It is scary and challenging.
If you haven't seen a class in JHS or HS, you are really welcome to come to my high school. Actually my high school does a workshop called "Let's experience a lecture in University" for 2nd grade students, and [a professor] was invited to my high school last year. (I was a coordinator of the class.)... Also I know some professors are supposed to observe 4th year students' teaching practice, but I think they should see "real" class, not the class for "observing" and "formal and their Sunday best." You can ask Mr. Murphey or other teachers about that.
That's why I answered "no comparison" to your question last time. I don't really know what JHS teachers want to learn in graduate school. I have a favor or request to JHS teachers, though - I would like them to teach students not only speaking and listening, but also a certain amount of grammar, reading and writing skills. I know the reasons why they cannot teach them much grammar in JHS, but it's going to be much longer story**, so you can ask your JHS teachers.
The system in JHS and HS really depends on each school, but basically that's what I experienced and felt after four years of teaching in a public high school. I feel like studying in graduate school or taking a course in the community college at the university - if my time allows. I like my job at my HS and I would like to change a lot of things. But I also realize my limitation. However hard I have tried, it is not possible to change someone else completely. Everyone is doing the best they can, it seems.
Sorry it became such a long email. I hope you could understand the situation a little better.
Aya Sasaki
Used with permission granted to Tim
Murphey for educational purposes.It was nice to see you last week. I enjoyed talking with you I just remembered something which might help your teaching JHS teachers. As I told you before, teaching English as a JHS teacher and a HS teacher are very different. So I think you should know your students well in teaching JHS teachers. (When a company produces a product, they research the customers well beforehand, right?)
I am not sure how much you know about the differences, and I thought it would be helpful for you. I hope I am not meddling in your business too much. First of all, in JH, "communication" is more emphasized and students are taught mainly listening and speaking. More pair works and group activities are done in JHS than HS and more than when I was a JHS student. That means JHS students are not taught much reading, writing, and grammar. You might want to ask your students (JHS teachers) to bring their textbook. I was surprised at the large amount of pictures and the small amount of English sentences. By the way my understanding of "communication" is not just speaking and listening but it includes writing and reading.
The Japanese Ministry of Education has been criticized a lot for not enabling students to speak English although people learn English for a long time. Therefore the Ministry puts pressure on JHS and HSs to teach communication to the students more.
However, the entrance examinations of university haven't changed - the knowledge of grammar, reading and writing skill are required to get high points in the university exams. So in HS, we teach mainly (or only) grammar, reading, and writing. HSs are in a difficult situation - which is, between JHS and University. 1st graders in HS don't have much grammatical skill, but we have to give them the knowledge they need to send them to university. I believe all four skills (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) are very important as well as grammar. None of them should be disregarded. But for many reasons (I won't talk about the reasons here since it is a long story, which includes Japanese early history and cultural background**) English Education in Japan is not balanced well - inclined to only one side.
As a HS teacher, my ideal and final goal is to let the HS students have both communicative skill and grammatical knowledge to be able to get into university and to be able to use it in the real world. At first I wanted to go back to graduate school but I thought there are many things to change I can do in HS, and also I am busy and hectic enough to juggle tons of works at school. I was often disappointed how other co-workers are neither idealistic nor motivated, even though I try something new and different in class, they just say "it was great." Only a few of them said, "I want to try the idea too." Well, I know it is tough to change things. It is scary and challenging.
If you haven't seen a class in JHS or HS, you are really welcome to come to my high school. Actually my high school does a workshop called "Let's experience a lecture in University" for 2nd grade students, and [a professor] was invited to my high school last year. (I was a coordinator of the class.)... Also I know some professors are supposed to observe 4th year students' teaching practice, but I think they should see "real" class, not the class for "observing" and "formal and their Sunday best." You can ask Mr. Murphey or other teachers about that.
That's why I answered "no comparison" to your question last time. I don't really know what JHS teachers want to learn in graduate school. I have a favor or request to JHS teachers, though - I would like them to teach students not only speaking and listening, but also a certain amount of grammar, reading and writing skills. I know the reasons why they cannot teach them much grammar in JHS, but it's going to be much longer story**, so you can ask your JHS teachers.
The system in JHS and HS really depends on each school, but basically that's what I experienced and felt after four years of teaching in a public high school. I feel like studying in graduate school or taking a course in the community college at the university - if my time allows. I like my job at my HS and I would like to change a lot of things. But I also realize my limitation. However hard I have tried, it is not possible to change someone else completely. Everyone is doing the best they can, it seems.
Sorry it became such a long email. I hope you could understand the situation a little better.
Aya Sasaki
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
Is Dokkyo University Listening?
Tim Murphey
In the July 12, 2002, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) press release entitled Developing a strategic plan to cultivate "Japanese With English Abilities" - Plan to improve English and Japanese abilities, the second of six strategies was improving entrance exams as below:
| (2) Improving entrance examinations,
etc [High school entrance examinations]: Promoting the use of the results of external examinations in entrance examinations [University entrance examinations]: (1) Introduction of a listening test into the University Entrance Central Examination (implementation targeted for the fiscal year 2006). (2) Improving/enhancing the foreign language examinations of individual universities. (3) Promoting the use of the results of external examinations in entrance examinations [Corporate recruitment tests]: Urge corporations to attach importance to individuals with English abilities. MEXT will attach importance to English abilities when recruiting, promoting, etc., its employees. [Emphasis mine. Retrieved Oct 16, 2003 from http://www.mext.go.jp/english/news/2002/07/020901.htm] |
The truth is that we have known for a long time that listening exams are better measures of linguistic competence than discrete point grammar and vocabulary questions. Students and cram-schools know that it is relatively easy for them to cram in the grammar and vocabulary for short term tests and then to forget it all later. Listening also has grammar and vocabulary and represents more long-term retention and thus is a more holistic test. Is Dokkyo planning to include a listening test? Are we really a leader in foreign language education? Don’t we want to have a strong impact upon high school education and other universities as a good role model? Do we not want to meet international expectations of assessment literacy (TESOL, 2000: Murphey & Sato, 2003)?
MEXT is also recommending using the results of external tests. What might this mean? My guess is that they know very well that rotating groups of professors, who do not want to make tests, make poor tests. Not being professional test makers in the first place does not help. Thus, MEXT is hinting, rather strongly, that universities should stop making their unprofessional tests and use professional testing services that would provide more accurate scores and measures and change the way high school teachers teach.
Most high school teachers now do not worry about teaching listening, much less speaking. They are not concerned with English for real use, with creating “Japanese with English abilities” because most university entrance exams do not test this. High school teachers teach to the exams. Period. The culprit in this is the university entrance exams. Who makes the exams?
If we do not have the know-how to change our exams to promote the real use of English, which honestly most universities do not have, then we should use external exams. MEXT has finally recognized this and now they are communicating this to the academic community. But is Dokkyo listening? Or have we not listened for so long that we have lost our ears?
***
P.S. I am new to
Dokkyo since April 2003 and my Japanese is pretty poor
so I may not have heard of some changes happening here. If there are
changes going on, then we should let the public know. Please write
something for the next Languaging! Deadline May 1st submission. TESOL Member Resolution on English Entrance Exams at Schools and Universities available on line at http://www.tesol.org/assoc/abm-resolutions/2000-entrance.html
Cited in this article
Murphey, T.. & Sato, K. (2003). Deconstructing the making of Japanese university entrance exams. In C. A. Coombe & N. J. Hubley (Eds.), Assessment practices (pp. 41-48). Alexandria, VA: TESOL.
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
The Map is Not the Territory
Everybody is doing the best they can within their map
Miyuki Yamada
Introduction
My family has had so many international guests since I entered the university. In the year 2001, when I came back home after 8-month world tour, my family called our home “International House” because we had a lot of guests from all over the world such as the Netherlands, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada etc. It might sound interesting and actually it was but sometimes we had very difficult time as well. I found more clear reasons and recognized more about uniqueness of Japanese culture through the experience. I would like to share my observation and this might be a good example of “The Map is not the Territory.”
I can divide my international guests into two groups, “knowing Japanese” and “Outsiders”. The group of “knowing Japanese” is usually ryugakusei or international students who have known Japanese culture and adjust to Japanese customs. The group of “Outsiders” indicates foreigners who are not much aware of cultural difference (usually short time travelers). As you guess, they are more likely caused troubles with us.
It is often said that Japanese people do not tell their opinions and they prefer to show indirect negative signs rather than directly saying “No” because this is our way to show politeness to other people but it is hard for my guests to learn. Here are some examples of my Dutch guest Lotte. (The problems are caused by not only cultural difference but also one’s personality.)
Example 1, Shower Time
Europeans and Americans take a shower in the morning while Japanese usually do in the evening. When she was at my place, she of course kept her custom.
My mother’s map (Japanese): I want Lotte to take a shower in the evening because she gets sweaty and dusty after whole day sightseeing under the humid weather. It is also rude not take a bath at somebody’s home because Futon (mattress) is especially for the guests. She can take a shower both in the evening and morning if she wants. I don’t mind. Lotte’s map (Outsider): Taking shower wakes me up. That’s why I take a shower in the morning. I don’t want to take a shower in the evening. (Miyuki’s guess: water is more precious in Europe so she might have thought taking shower both in the evening and morning is waste of water.”) Miyuki’s map (in-between): I know Europeans take a shower in the morning. I understand people want to keep their custom. Lotte’s word “I don’t want” lost my courage to explain what my mother thinks. Therefore, I cannot say, “You have to take a shower”. I also know her personality – she is not the person who appreciates someone’s advice.
My Canadian teacher said to me… “You should have said to her, you are sweaty and dusty, take a shower!” But even now, I doubt if I can tell someone like that.
Example 2, Clothes
Lotte always wore a tank top during her stay here. It was summer time and very hot every day. My family’s map: It is really embarrassing to see she wears a tank top and a shorts as she is a big (fat) girl and looks like walking with underwear. Strong sunshine is bad for her skin She should wear a T-shirt or jacket when she goes out. Lotte’s map: I am ok with a tank top because Japan is so hot. I wore sunscreen so sunburn is no problem. Miyuki’s map: I know wearing tops is normal for Europeans and Americans. I got used to seeing them so I don’t feel very strange to see her with a tank top. It is also difficult for me to criticize someone’s clothes. Also my place is the last stop in her travel, she might get shocked nobody told her that she wore wrong clothes for 3 weeks, which might make her uncomfortable. She would probably think Japan is very conservative country. So I was not able to explain.
Conclusion
You might think these are tiny things but compiling these things sometimes make Japanese family burst into anger. (It sometimes happens to longer stayed international students and their host families too.) We had only hosted her for 3 nights and just waited for her leaving. But there must have been better ways to solve the problems rather than to bear her behaviors. When you write maps as I did above, you might see clear reasons and find how you explain the cultural difference. Culturally, it is pretty hard for Japanese to tell how they feel but if you don’t, your guests also lose a chance to learn.
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
and Other Student-Researcher Studies in ‘Culture’
Kristofer Bayne, International Christian University
[Editorial warning – reading this article will need some “tolerance of ambiguity” at first , and some detective work. But we think it well worth your while to figure it out.]
Introduction
Readings and analysis of such ‘societies’ such as the Nacirema (Miner; also see “Miner’s ‘Body Ritual…’”; Nacirema Web; “Magical Mass”; Dufty) or examples of cultural artifacts as the rac of the Asu (Hughes) can be very useful as awareness-raising activities for college age students. They can quite cleverly lead learners to face their ethnocentricity and subjectivity in a way that is engaging and even entertaining, but ultimately enlightening. A further interesting activity is to have students act as ‘amateur anthropologists’ and write a report on an aspect of a ‘society’ or ‘artifact’ in a similar, totally objective fashion to the Nacirema or Asu articles. This task was undertaken by a group of students at Dokkyo University, a four-year university in Saitama, Japan. Excerpts of and commentary on these reports are reproduced below.
General Background
The reports centred around specifically Asian cultures. Four identified were the Esenapaj, the Oykot, the Rotatimi, and the Napaj (see Table 1). Besides location, the cultures described share similarities. Longevity is common (Iwamoto; Toda), according to several researchers the cultures seem to be quite affluent and often ‘money-oriented’ (Kato; Toda; Iwamoto; Nakajima), and there is a suggestion that education plays a dominant role (Kojima; Toda). A fascination with food may also be a feature (Nakajima; Maekawa). The cultures may also be very amenable to outside cultures (Maekawa; Takayama, Akasaka) and even religions (Saito).
Table 1
| Culture | Pronunciation | Adjective Form | Country / Main City |
| Esenapaj | Es-Sen-Apa-Jee | Esenapaji | Najap / Oykot |
| Oykot | Oh-ee-Kot | Oykotan | - |
| Napaj | Nah-Pah-Jee | Napaji | Oykot |
| Rotatimi | Row-tah-tea-mee |
Rotatimian |
- |
Considering the similarity of many of the practices described, we could speculate that the various cultures are in close communication, are sub-cultures of a main, ‘alpha’ culture, or are, in fact, the same culture known by different names. The latter possibility has precedent. The Nacerima and the Asu appear to be one culture, the difference in terms being how the members of the culture refer to themselves (Nacerima Web). Moreover, ‘America’ is also known as ‘The United States’, ‘Britain’ mistakenly is confused with ‘England’, and a dominant culture in Asia can be referred to as ‘Nippon’ or ‘Nihon’. Where clear parallels exist they will be highlighted, however it is left to the reader to decide if the reports are describing different aspects of a single culture. More will be mentioned on the similarities.
Cultures
A number of student researchers examined the Esenapaj. The general agreement is that it is “a very high” (Nakajima), “very complex” (Saito), “cultivated’ (Takahashi) society. Okazaki cites the opinion of the local Esenapaji who “believe [their culture] is one of the safest and riches societies in this world”. Their home being an island (Nakajima; Takahashi; Maekawa) in Asia (Takahashi; Akimoto), presumably east of the continent. Various reports have the name of their island home or country as ‘Napaj’ (Nakajima, Toda, Iwamoto). As reported by Nakajima, the Esenapaj:
This tribe is omnivorous. They can
eat anything. They think they can
absorb more various energies by eating various foods. Their major play
is imitation. They enjoy imitation and learn something from it. That
play is called “Enamuras”. It’s traditional play of Napaj. For
Esenapaj, the most important thing is ‘ney’. Ney is a stone which has
very strong magical power. Magical power of ney not only helps people
to get food, clothes or house, but also destroy people. Especially if
you use ney power too much, your brain will be broken and ney
addiction. When we use ney we have to be careful.
The value of ney is perhaps confirmed by a ‘morning migrational’ ritual during which Esenapajis ride a “long and very crowded” ‘vehicle’, which Okazaki describes as “private types of cans or public types, which have wheels at the bottom”. In tribute, the Esenapaji “give some small things. These things are hard and very valuable” (Akimoto). She goes on to present a further interesting aspect of Esenapaji culture:
Almost all of them have small
creature, which barks frequently. They
take it everywhere and can’t leave it anytime. This creature is small
but it’s very intelligent and help the people in various ways. It can
memorize hundreds of pieces of information and the people use it when
they communicate with others. If it leave from them, it’ll be hard to
spend the days for them. So it is not too much to say that the creature
controls their daily lives.
No photograph of this ‘creature’ was provided, however, by its description and fact that it ‘barks’ we can conclude it is canine, perhaps the size and temperament of a Jack Russell Terrier or Pomeranian. Alternately it could be a relative of the ‘hamster-like’ Iatek described later.
The image of the Esenapaji culture as perhaps a stressful one in which to live is reinforced by Takahashi who describes a disruptive influence on the culture in that:
Most adults ... have an enemy that
is called Emit. They’re run after by
it. When one is a child, Emit is a good friend of him, but the more he
grows, the less he can get along with Emit. Compared to adults,
children are good at dealing with it, (But these days, even they don’t
seem to deal with it well). Adults can’t do it because of their work.
They must earn money for living. So many of them say to their children,
“I don’t afford to play with you, because I don’t have enough Emit.”
A further disturbing cultural aspect was identified and detailed by Koeda. [NOTE: Koeda attributes this to a group known as ‘Japanese’, however we can consider and will presume this is a misreading of ‘Esenapaj’ who, it is believed, traditionally read script from right to left.] Due to the uniqueness of account it will be reproduced in full here.
Once upon a time, a lot of Japanese
(sic) suffered “Iatek-holic”. The
“Iatek-holic” was raging like influenza. Surprisingly the “Iatek-holic”
evoluted and became complicated gradually. “Iatek” was animal and like
hamster in size and they don’t exist now. About eighty million of
Japanese (sic) people suffered from it. The suffering people were
always taking Iatek. Iatek was like drug. People was nervous when
weren’t taking it. It is made of special substance. People were always
touching and put it to their ears. And it croaked variously or shook.
Some of the sounds were noisy or uncomfortable so people got fights for
them. Dangerously if people who suffered from heart disease were close
to Iatek they might feel more badly. But many Iatek-holic people didn’t
care about it. They took it everytime and everywhere.
Without being overly judgmental, it would seem that the people of Esenapaj must endure quite a frenetic environment. (For a compact, but eclectic description of Esenapaji practices see Okazaki.)
The Oykot culture was the feature of research by Yoshida who wrote:
One researcher deliver a paper on
one primitive nation called “Oykot”,
and their very unique culture. So far, their culture is not understood
well. Their day starts from morning ritual. In the morning they go to
one place with using one to two hours. The way to the place, they
compete with others who is the faster though there is not any prize.
But for them this race is very important because they believe that time
is money and this winning must be for success of their life.
We could speculate as to whether the Oykotan culture is somehow related to or influenced by the Esenapaji as Akimoto also observed as similar a ‘migrational’ ritual, noting “they make a big move to their working place every morning” and that “they are tired when they arrive at their goal, but they have to go there to [do] their living”. There may also be population shifts between the two cultures as Nakajima informs us that, “A lot of Esenapaj go to Oykot and live in there”. We will return to this possible Oykot-Esenapaj relationship later.
Kato describes a society or perhaps a social strata of a society also found in Asia, the Rotatimi, who reside in Popinn. She relates:
According to a folklorist’s
estimate, Rotatimis were born in the 1980s
and they are increasing today.
One theory is that they are a ‘alternative sub-culture’ of the Esenapaj who have taken the ‘Enamuras’ game describe above (Nakajima) to an extreme. The fact that they are predominantly female suggests that they would not be a self-sustainable ‘tribe’ in themselves. For example, Kato continues on the Rotatimi:
they revere ‘same’. They often
imitate fashion of famous singers or
actor/actress. Most Rotatimi are female. They especially love some
famous designer’s clothes or stuffs. For some reason they like to have
the same things as other Rotatimi - Adarp or Tonvi bags, purses etc.
etc... They like imitating so they looks the same. Some folklorists say
that they always stick to keeping up with the trend, so they seem like
wearing a uniform.
Another theory is that this group, the Rotatimi, are in fact Esenapaj who are highly mobile, perhaps so enthralled by ney, described above (Nakajima), that they travel great distances. It may be that they have also extended the range of the ‘morning migration’ ritual (Yoshida; Akimoto). Maekawa describes Esenapaj as a people that “like to go abroad and like to live like foreign people”. Could this be describing the Rotatimi sub-group? Kato proposes that, in search of desirable trends, Rotatimian “often travel abroad just to get those stuffs or uniforms at a low price. Their “purpose to visit” is not travel, it is just to get name brands”.
Iwamoto, in an exhaustive study, both adds to this latter theory and even more directly espouses the Esenapaj- Oykot connection. [She cites a city called ‘Oykot’ as the capital of Napaj.] Furthering the ‘mobility theory’, she provides convincing explanation and reason for this potentially transient and costly lifestyle of the Rotatimian in revealing that “everyday taxes in Napaj include an income tax, a resident tax, a consumption tax, an inheritance tax and a fixed-asset tax”. While she concedes that this is lower than some countries, she adds that, “The cost of living in Oykot (capital city of Napaj) is high”. Iwamoto alludes to this seemingly contradictory state.
Finally, Akasaka and Murai introduce the Najap culture or “clan” (Akasaka). Speculation is rife that this group is actually the Esenapaj who take the name ‘Napaj’ as their home. Similar truncated forms exist - British nationals may be referred to asssssssssss &&‘Brits’, and Australians as ‘Aussies’. However, precedents exist for thinking otherwise. For example, human residents of New Zealand refer to themselves as ‘Kiwis’, but it is obvious to even the casual observer that they are not, in fact, small, flightless wild fowl, or high Vitamin C-content fruit of Southeast Asian origin.
Lexicon aside, Napaj share a ‘communication’ peculiarity - both seem to rely on a ‘third party’ in this respect. For Esenapaj it is a small canine, for Napaj it is, according to Akasaka, an inanimate, metallic object called an ‘enohp llec’. In a detailed description of ‘enohp llec’ she mentions that Napaji “carry it constantly” and “believe it enable them to communicate with another person”. This is achieved when they “put the enohp llec to their lips and speak to it”. This also bears striking similarity to Koeda’s description of the use of Iatek. Akasaka sadly describes a trend to over value the role of the ‘enohp llec’, especially by the younger Napaji.
The Background section above mentions a fascination with food common to all these cultures. Besides the role of food played in a Napaji exchange ritual clled ‘ieigi’, Murai depicts this to the extreme:
That clan’s husband always digs
potatoes from early morning to dark
night. If he finishes digging all potatoes, he doesn’t stop to dig. he
doesn’t go back to home yet and tries to find another crop. Of course
he feel be tired, but they never rest. Sometimes few people died cause
for too work.
Conclusion
All the above descriptions add to a growing body of work on unique cultural viewpoints. A number of researchers also mentioned that ‘knock on’ effects to undertaking and also reading studies such as these. Mogi relates that these and other studies such as the Nacerima “tell the danger of having prepossession in daily life’ and Noda notes that “we are able to think objectively about our own cultures”. This is a sentiment also shared by Tanaka who highlights the need for ‘respect’ and ‘understanding’. What can be gained from cultural studies may be best expressed by two researchers, Goto, who opines they are “like a mirror which shows us that what we always take as a matter of course also can be wondered”, and Isobe, who reminds us that “we could recognise our culture are kind of strange by changing of viewpoint”.
The writer commends all student-contributors and participants for their hard work and insight.
[Say what? -- Ed.]
Cited in this article
“Magical Mass Migrations of the Nacerima”. (?). Retrieved 21 November 2001 at <http://www.beadsland.com/nacirema/Mass_migration_and_the_Nacerima.doc>
“Miner’s ‘Body Ritual Among the Nacerima’”. (2001). Retrieved 23 Oct. 2001 at <http://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html>
Akasaka, Hiroko. (2003) “Napaj Culture: Communicate by ‘Enohp llec”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Akimoto, Rie. (2003) “Esenapaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Dufty, David. (2001) “The Nacerima and the Ailartsua”. Society & Culture Association. Retrieved 11 November 2001 at <http://hsc.csu.edu.au/pta/scansw/Nacerima.htm/>
Goto, Elli. “The Comment on the Asuian and Nacireman Culture”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Hughes, Patricia (1974) “Provocateur: The Sacred ‘Rac’”. Overseas Development Council. Washington D.C, p. 357-8. (available at Transport Alternatives. Nov/Dec 1997. Retrieved June 14 2000 at <http://www.transalt.org/press/magazine/976NovDec/02rac.html>
Isobe, Tomoko. “Untitled”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Iwamoto, Asuka (2003) “Culture of Napaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Kato, Miki (2003) “The Rotatimi”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Koeda, Nozomi (2003) “Untitled”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Kojima, Naohisa (2003) “About Napaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Maekawa, Kiriko (2003) “Esenapaj’s life”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Miner, Horace. (1956) “Body Ritual Among the Nacerima”. American Anthropologist. American Anthropological Association 58:3, pp. 503-507
Mogi, Aiko. (2003) “About ‘Body Ritual Among the Nacerima’”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Murai, Ayako. (2003) “Napaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Nacerima Web: Resources of the Nacerima People. (2001) “The Nacerima”. Retrieved 11 Nov. 2001 at <http://www.beadsland.com/ARC/1996/beadsland?root/nacerima/html/index/>
Nakajima, Asami. (2003) “About Esenapaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Okazaki, Ayako. (2003 “Esenapaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Saito, Miho. (2003) “Esenapaj”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Takahashi, Ryosuke. (2003) “Esenapaj and Emit”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Tanaka, Shoko. (2003) “The Asu & The Nacirema”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Toda, Taemi. (2003) “There is a village called Napaj on Earth”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
Yoshida, Ayako. (2003) “Oykot’s culture”. Unpublished Report. Dokkyo University.
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
Poem
Foreign Expert
I'm an expert - it's written in the contract -
And classes sit at my feet four days a week.
Outside the classroom I revert to ignorance.
The lady selling roasted melon seeds
Has to hold up fingers for the price.
Sarah Lawson, China
I'm an expert - it's written in the contract -
And classes sit at my feet four days a week.
Outside the classroom I revert to ignorance.
The lady selling roasted melon seeds
Has to hold up fingers for the price.
Sarah Lawson, China
| Languaging! No. 2 | Dokkyo University |
‘Languaging’ is establishing a network of teachers who are interested in either or both combining classes with other teachers, or being observed / observing other’s classes.
Some of the benefits of combining classes are;
- Variety, change of routines.
- Students meet other language learners, they model and help them.
- You learn from other teachers and increase your repertoire
- Share class preparation workload with others.
- Write with your co-teacher and publish about your collaborative work
- Have fun.
- The discussion and observation of yours and others classroom methods,
- Increasing your strategies, activities, equipment use and teaching methods,
- Getting positive, critical feedback on aspects of your lessons
- The establishment of a network of trusted professional relationships with peers.
Paul Doré brucedore2002 @ yahoo .com
Tim Murphey mits @ dokkyo .ac .jp (remove spaces from addresses)
Tim Murphey mits @ dokkyo .ac .jp (remove spaces from addresses)
| Name:
Email: |
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| Interested
in (please circle): combining classes /
observing / being observed |
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write the subject name in the day and time space provided. |
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4th |
5th |
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Languaging!