IE Orientation Summary

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Jodias

Thanks to all the teachers who attended the 19th Orientation and Annual Faculty Development Symposium on University English Teaching, which was one of the most successful in terms of content and material. We are very grateful for the contributions of our presenters and panelists: Rachael Barat, Deborah Bollinger, James Broadbridge, Jeff Bruce, Paul Howl, Kazuko Namba, Ruby Ogawa, Andrew Reimann, Todd Rucynski, Nicole Takeda, and Will T. Zhanje. Among the highlights was the presentation of a new DVD, “Approaches to Teaching Reading” filmed, directed and edited by Todd Rucynski, written and edited by Joseph and Greg, and funded with a grant from the university Faculty Development Committee, with on camera contributions by Arno Fuhlendorf, Kazuko Namba, Rieko Okuno, and Yoshiho Satake, among others. Copies of this DVD are available for all teachers in the program.

 

1)      Databases on the AGU library’s portal
Joseph made a short video on how to use the databases accessible from the library’s website and he uploaded it to YouTube.  This will be useful for teacher professional development and for Academic Writing teachers who can demonstrate it to their students. We would like to encourage students in Core classes to use the databases to access news articles for their media exchanges, as well.

2)      Academic Calendar
Also on the website is a downloadable PDF of AGU’s 2012 calendar.

3)      IE Core and Writing booklets
These will be available from the bookstore this week. Teacher copies should be in your mail boxes later this week. The only change in the version this year is in IE Writing 3.

4)      Resources for IE Core
Deborah Bollinger contributed various materials related to her presentation on using interviews as an optional task in Oral English or IE 3 courses. She made many files related to that task available on a page at the IE Website. Nicole Takeda presented on a website she created which offers materials related to IE 2 Core IE 3 Core, Oral English 2, and Academic Writing. Although some of the materials are related to her own classes, many of these excellent resources will be of general interest, including guidelines for blog writing and presentations.

Photo courtesy of Brant Hardgrave

5)      IE Writing 3
As mentioned in the Orientation, in the student IE Core and Writing booklets, there are new exercises on summarizing and paraphrasing, pages 125-131.

6)      Academic Skills
New lectures have been prepared on Linguistics (Grice’s Maxims) by Eric McCready and (Multiculturalism in Canada) Bob Courchéne. Some of these materials can be downloaded from the IE website.

7)      Software Applications for the iPad
Among the resources mentioned by the presenters were the apps “Teacher Pal” and “Easy Grade Pro” for classroom management and attendance; “iGrade,” an app for the iPhone; “Flashcard Deluxe,” an app for making flashcards which can be played on mobile devices; and “Quizlet,” a site for creating flashcards and offering free downloadable flashcards for learning vocabulary, Japanese, paintings, or almost anything. Flashcard Deluxe is designed to use quizzes and flashcard sets created on Quizlet.

8)      Drama Resources
Among the materials presented was a website for transcripts and scripts of popular films and TV shows (Drew’s Script-o-rama) and, for those planning a fieldtrip to see “The  Wizard of Oz” (May 17th-20th), more information is available on the website of the Tokyo International Players.

9)      Handing in reports
Yuuri Mano, the secretary at the English Department office in room B-520 on the Sagamihara Campus, noted that some teachers allow students to turn in homework at the English Dept. Office. She would like to remind you that, If you decide to do so, she wants to know about it in advance; that is, before you direct students to the office. Specify whether you would like Mano-san to receive the students’ assignments in person or if you want her to place a box or envelope near the door. This will avoid possible trouble which may affect the students’ grades.

Thanks again,
Gregory Strong & Joseph Dias

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Databases on the AGU library’s portal

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Jodias

This video was created to help you navigate around the databases that are available on the AGU library’s website. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the AGU Portal’s login page: http://www.agulin.aoyama.ac.jp/mylibrary/.

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Special Lecture by Linda Ohama

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Jodias

Speaker: Ms. Linda Ohama

Topic: Obachan’s Garden & The Kids Quilt Project

Location: Sagamihara Campus, Room E-104

Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Time: 1:10 PM to 2:40 PM (3rd period)

Ms. Linda Ohama is an award-winning Japanese-Canadian filmmaker who produced and directed the film Obachan’s Garden. She will speak about her experiences making the film with her 103-year old grandmother who came to Canada as a “picture bride” in the 1930s, but had to abandon her two daughters, whom she finds by the end of the film in a heart-warming scene. The speaker will tell us how the film helped her to rediscover her Japanese identity and how she got help in making it from none other than Clint Eastwood. You may view Obachan’s Garden in its entirety at the website of the National Film Board of Canada.

In the latter part of her talk, Ms. Ohama will speak briefly about the “Kids for Kids Quilt Project” which created a cloth letter to send to the young people of Tohoku. In this project, young people from the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario created a “quilt letter” for the children of farming villages, towns, and cities in northern Japan after the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami. The project has taken on a life of its own as children in Tohoku who received the cloth letters have produced some of their own for the children of Canada. Listen to Linda Ohama speak about the project on the radio program “North by NorthWest,” which was broadcast on March 11, 2012, the first anniversary of the tragedy. [The audio file requires Flash, so it will not play on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Access from a PC.]

To be even better prepared for the lecture, you may wish to download and read an article reviewing “Obachan’s Garden” that Gregory Strong contributed to the Daily Yomiuri. The article appeared on November 14, 2002, as the film was being screened throughout Japan for the first time. The article is followed by some skimming and scanning, and comprehension questions.

Finally, it would useful for students and teachers who plan to attend the lecture to do some background reading on the internment of Japanese by the Canadian government during the war. You can check out Wikipedia’s page on Japanese internment and an entry in the Canadian Encyclopedia about the history of the Japanese in Canada.

Here are some photographs of the Murakami Visitor center in Steveston, a small community near Vancouver that was once a Japanese fishing village and boat-building centre, Asayo Murakami’s home.

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IE Teachers Orientation

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Jodias

The 19th Annual Faculty Development Symposium on University English Teaching (AKA IE Orientation) will take place on Friday, April 6th this year. Several teachers in the IE Program have generously agreed to speak on issues of common interest, including apps for teachers and students, drama in the classroom, and ways to teach reading. For the first time, we will also host a “swap shop” of activities that have worked well for us in our AGU classes.

Read summaries of the sessions by downloading this Word file.

EVENT: IE Teachers Orientation / 19th Annual Faculty Development Symposium on University English Teaching

WHEN: April 6, 2012 (Friday), from 8:30 AM

WHERE: Goucher Hall (Building 15), Conference Room 13, 15-501, 15-502, 15-401 [Initially, teachers will meet in Conference Room 13 in Goucher Hall (5th Floor).]

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An Invitation to the Spring 2012 TELL Training

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jodias

Applications are now being accepted for the Spring 2012 Telephone Counseling Training Program. No prior counseling experience is required. It’s a tremendous opportunity to take part in meaningful work that is challenging and rewarding. The training sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, with an introductory session on Saturday, February 18th and a closing session on Saturday, May 12th. Potential candidates may contact TELL to arrange an interview before the training at 03-4550-1191. Learn more about TELL and its services at their Web site. Not only teachers, but also mature students, who are over 21 years of age and have excellent English skills, are welcome to join the training.

EVENT: TELL Training for telephone counselors
WHEN: From February 18, 2012 – May 12th 2012
WHERE: Wesley Center (Click HERE for a map)

To reserve a spot, or for more information about the training, contact Vickie Skorji at [email protected].

 

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The 2012 Academic Year Calendar is now out!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Jodias

You may download the 2012 academic year schedule by clicking on it!

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Special Lecture & Concert by Bluesman Steve Gardner

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Jodias

Born in Mississippi in 1956, Steve Gardner is an accomplished blues musician and photographer, having studied photojournalism at the University of Southern Mississippi and blues from the “School of Hard Knocks.” After working as a photojournalist in the States, he came to Japan, where he has freelanced for Japanese magazines as well as for Time and Newsweek. The interest in the blues that he found in Japan led him to create a picture book on Mississippi and the blues, Rambling Mind (1994). His first CD, “Rambling With The Blues” (2002) is this book’s musical counterpart. His latest CD, which he recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana, is “Walkin’ the dog” (2008). Through his music, and stories, Steve Gardner will take us on a journey to Mississippi and show us where the blues came from — both geographically and spiritually.

EVENT: Open Lecture
WHEN: October 27, 2011 (Thursday) 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
WHERE: Sagamihara Campus, Room D-316

IE Core and Seminar teachers, as well as teachers of Reading I or II, should feel free to bring their classes to this special event. Professor Strong has distributed corresponding teaching materials to Core teachers. If any other teachers are interested in these materials, please let us know.

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Life Line Services Open House — Volunteer Opportunity

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Jodias

Volunteer work has many benefits. It can make you feel more a part of society and it can help you prepare for entering society by giving you useful job skills and general social skills. There is a unique volunteer opportunity in the neighborhood of Aoyama Gakuin University’s Shibuya Campus at the Tokyo English Life Line (TELL), an English version of the service offered in Japanese under the name Inochi no Denwa, a sort of crisis counseling for people who are psychologically/ emotionally troubled. Before you can be on the line there’s a lengthy, but valuable, training. You can learn more about yourself at the same time you learn how to listen deeply to others.

I hope you can find the time to attend the TELL “open house” this Saturday in order to learn more about the organization and the role you might be able to play in it.

EVENT: Life Line Services Open House
WHEN: June 17th 2011 · 7pm – 9pm
WHERE: Wesley Center (Click HERE for a map)
DESCRIPTION (Written by the Lifeline’s director, Jason Chare):

In the days following the March 11th Earthquake and Tsunami, TELL’s Life Line received calls from people across the country and even outside of Japan experiencing severe anxiety. Callers struggled to find accurate information amidst the sensationalized coverage by the media, the exodus of foreigners from the country, the closure of international schools, and calls from panicked relatives back home, all of which significantly added to increased levels of anxiety and worry. Stressors over the subsequent weeks have placed considerable mental strain on the whole country.

Throughout this difficult period, it has been especially important for the Life Line to continue operating and be available to callers, because an unmanned line can add to the sense of instability and panic. Despite the challenges of blackouts, transportation issues and the relocation of some volunteers, the Life Line continued to run uninterrupted throughout the disaster, thanks to the increased efforts of our telephone counselors.

In order to continue supporting the community however, it is vitally important that we  train new counselors, especially in the light of recent events. Each year, TELL runs two Telephone Counselor Training programs, and we are inviting suitable candidates to join the Fall program that begins on September 17th. Held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings  from 6:30 – 9:30pm, the program runs through to December 3rd.

“The course really empowers you on your personal journey,” said a current telephone counselor.
“You grow in confidence knowing that when you finally fly solo you will be
well prepared and that you have learnt skills that you will always be able to call on in any area of your life.”

To better illustrate what the Life Line does and what it means to be a Telephone Counselor, TELL is holding its first-ever Life Line Services Open House on June 17th from 7pm ~ 9pm at the Wesley Center in Minami Aoyama. What does it take to be a Telephone Counselors? Who can apply? What kind of calls do you get? This is your opportunity to hear all about it, ask questions, and decide if the Life Line is something you’d like to get involved with.

Whether you are a university student, teacher, business person, or stay-at-home spouse, the skills you learn in the training will have benefits in all areas of your life, such as how to effectively listen and communicate. Please come and find out more about what is involved and talk to us about the Life Line.

For more information, call the Business Office at (03)4550-1191 or visit www.telljp.com.

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Volunteer Opportunities for Golden Week

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Jodias

Some of you might be thinking about doing some sort of volunteer activity to relieve the hardships of those still suffering in the northeastern part of Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami. Please refer to the Foreign Volunteers Japan blog in order to find some ideas. The opportunities are not limited to foreign volunteers.

Cheers,
Joseph Dias

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Academic Skills Videos Available on the Server

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Jodias

All of the video materials used in the Academic Skills course have been uploaded to our server to make it much easier to access the videos and navigate from section to section within the same unit. It will not be necessary for you to use the DVDs anymore, unless you feel more comfortable doing so. In addition, students will have easy access to all the video material so that they can review lessons outside of class or, on their own during class time, as the videos for all the units have been put on a video publicly available video streaming site: http://vimeopro.com/user13420562/academic-skills-videos .

Refer to the following manuals (PDFs) in order to use the videos from the server:
Instructions for classroom use of AS materials on server
Instructions for self-access to AS materials

Some further note:

  • We have stopped printing out the AS textbook for students. It is their responsibility to print out the units teachers will work on during any particular class. Teachers may be selective in choosing which of the AS units to do in class as the quizzes do not contain specific content related to any of them, and it will make for an overly rushed class if teachers try to cover every unit. Teachers are STRONGLY encouraged to use supplemental videos from video streaming sites such as TED Talks or the YouTube university channel. Teachers may also give their own mini lectures on topics related to the AS’s units if they have expertise in any of those areas.
  • As all of the AS classes are held in CALL classrooms, students can easily access the online versions of the AS text and print the necessary pages using “print station” in a pinch. Of course, it is best for them to have printed out the units at home. That’s what most teachers ask them to do.
  • It is not reasonable to expect that students will have printed anything out on the first day of class. So, teachers may either bring in prints for them, if they want to get started with the text right away, or have them refer to the online version of the text while they listen to the content–without having them necessarily print it out.
  • Finally, we have been asking AS teachers to get their students to do one-minute mini lectures, by turns, without using notes. The first 5 minutes or so of class can be spent with this. While a student gives his/her mini lecture, classmates take notes and then the teacher improvises a short quiz. Alternatively, the speaker can quiz classmates on what was communicated to them. Jeff Bruce came up with this idea and it has worked quite well. It gives students some good public speaking practice, helps them practice note-taking skills, and allows students to get to know each other better as they may speak about the areas they know best.

Here’s some information on the newest units that were added to the AS text (as of April 2012):

We are pleased to announce that two new units have been added to the Academic Skills course this year:

  • Gricean Maxims, a lecture delivered by Prof. Eric McCready of our humble university
  • Multiculturalism in Canada, a lecture given by Prof. Bob Courchene of the University of Ottawa

The first of the new AS units is a lecture about some maxims, or rules, of conversation that an English philosopher of language named H.P. Grice devised. These rules have become known as Grice’s Conversational Maxims, or Gricean Maxims. It can be said that Grice’s work formed the basis of the modern study of pragmatics.

Access the video by CLICKING HERE.

You can download the EXERCISES HERE


The new unit on “Multiculturalism in Canada” offers a Canadian perspective on cultural accommodation. It shows how multiculturalism can offer a way to respond to religious and cultural diversity. Access the video by CLICKING HERE.

Students can download the EXERCISES as well.

In the future, all new video materials for the Academic Skills course will be made available through video streaming on the video hosting site Vimeo. That will give students more control over the material and allow them to review videos at home.

The Academic Skills Textbook can be downloaded in either PDF or DOC format. The two new units have been added as chapters 7 (Gricean Maxims) and 8 (Multiculturalism in Canada).

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