Search

Based on a hypothetical situation in which second language learners must attain substantial skills in a very short time, the paper recommends intensive training not in the language itself, but in skills and strategies for learning the language. This requires achieving self-directed learning skills to: create a climate maximizing learning; identify one's own learning needs; draw realistic learning objectives from the learning needs; plan learning activities that effectively uses learning resources; locate relevant resources; carry out the learning plan; and self-monitor the learning process using appropriate measures and criteria. Each of these elements/steps in the self-directed learning process is detailed and illustrated with the case of a young woman deciding to learn Japanese on her own, for business purposes. Then the self-directed learning concept is applied to the college language curriculum, with discussion of the adjustments that must be made to accommodate the varied student population, introductory course content, and time restrictions of college instruction. Barriers to achieving self-directed learning in college language instruction are examined briefly, including logistical restrictions and learner and teacher characteristics and attitudes. A number of techniques to promote autonomous language learning are described. Contains 47 references. (MSE)

This paper shows how satellite television programs can be used to advance Asian students' listening ability in English. Particular focus is on news broadcasts. The paper is divided into three sections, an introduction, some concluding remarks, and the substantive discussion headed "Using News Broadcasts in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Classroom." The discussion answers the following questions: (1) What are the advantages of using the news for language learning?, (2) What can students do to become better news listeners?, (3) What kinds of stories should I choose?, (4) How can I teach a videotaped news broadcast?, and (5) Can I use other news and information programs? It is concluded that if teachers help students to learn effective ways of using language to get information or to do the things they find interesting, they will continue to learn and to enjoy learning long after they leave their classrooms. (AB)

Classroom techniques for encouraging native Japanese-speaking learners of English to begin the writing process in English, rather than depending on translation from Japanese, are offered. They consist of short, structured exercises with parameters based on spelling, word length, syllable count, alphabetization, pronunciation, letter shape, and other untranslatable aspects of English. At the beginning of each class meeting, a new exercise is presented. For example, students are given one or two model sentences in which every word begins with a certain letter, or are asked to rephrase a sentence without using a given letter. Successful attempts are written on the board to encourage students. After these exercises, students proceed to regular classroom writing tasks. Twenty-six exercises are described, organized according to the untranslatable feature on which they are based, as noted above (spelling, etc.). Contains 41 references. (MSE)

A group of classroom activities to develop oral Japanese skills at the high school level are described, with illustrations and, in some cases, student worksheets. The activities include: (1) a game for determining the appropriate referent for an adjective; (2) a paired-student activity in which students match individuals with characteristics; (3) a board game, with cue cards and answer cards provided; (4) a game in which students find a classmate who has a specific characteristic; (5) a personal oral interview exercise; and (6) a game for discovering shared interests. A list of additional resources for oral activities appropriate to the high school classroom is appended. (MSE)

This paper examines cultural differences between Japan and the United States and presents materials designed to help learners of Japanese understand patterns of behavior in that country through realistic episodes and situations. Understanding status differences is important for effective social and business communication with the Japanese. Status differences are reflected not only in the Japanese language, but in the way that Japanese think and act in social and business settings. The Japanese emphasis on distinction is closely linked to personal interdependence. Japanese attitudes towards reservation and hesitation, initiative and presumption, and group belonging are also examined. Two appendixes present examples of typical business situations in English and Japanese, focusing on the problems that many Americans have in dealing effectively with Japanese social and business customs. (MDM)

This study was conducted to evaluate the tests developed by elementary foreign language teachers of French, Japanese, and Spanish in a school district in South Carolina. The tests were designed to determine the level of end-of-year student learning and to provide a basis for evaluating the curriculum of each of the three languages. The French and Spanish tests contained tests of listening and comprehension, vocabulary, and reading, and the Japanese test contained tests of listening, complex listening skills, and vocabulary. The tests were analyzed in terms of item difficulty, high-low discrimination indices, and distributions patterns. The subtests were also analyzed, highlighting the tendency of teacher-made tests toward the measurement of minimal skills. The study provides descriptive statistics for all parts of the tests and the total test results. Analysis indicates that, in general, all three tests had too low a level of difficulty, with few questions to challenge the more able students. These results are a contribution toward the improved design of foreign language tests for elementary school students, for whom foreign language study is still relatively rare. (Contains 9 tables, 30 charts, and 17 references.) (SLD)

High Speed Projection (HiSP) is a classroom technique that employs a standard carousel slide projector to induce conditioned oral responses by students to unfamiliar symbols. HiSP enables active teaching of Japanese, Korean, and other non-Roman languages, drastically reducing the time and effort students must devote to learning the pronunciation of new symbols. Because HiSP accelerates a student's recognition of writing symbols, it reduces both the time and effort required to learn to read. Students can learn to read before they learn to write symbols by hand, and over a 3-year course of study can learn most of the symbols commonly used in either Japanese or Korean. Initial instruction consists of introducing students to groups of seven symbols at a time, adding new groups as students become proficient in recognition and pronunciation. Students will soon be able to recognize and pronounce symbols exposed for only a fraction of a second. Once this stage is reached, vocabulary and grammar instruction are incorporated into the lessons, followed by translation. Specific techniques related to teaching Japanese and Korean script are also presented. (MDM)