| 3) |
Outcomes and issues for the future
Project A: “Let’s make a videotape
to introduce Mihara Junior High School.”
| ① |
Reaction from students at Martin Middle
School |
| |
We offered classes and showed a school
introduction videotape in five classrooms at Martin Middle
School. Among them were one 8th graders’ class, two 7th
graders’ elective Japanese classes at Martin Middle School,
and two elective Japanese classes with a mixture of 9th
to 12th graders at Tarboro High School, where our contact
person, Ms. Janet W Kinghton (henceforth Jann), works
for. In every class no one chatted while the videotape
was shown, and everyone paid attention to the videotape
for 15 minutes. We realized how effective it was to use
a motion picture as a means of exchanges.
After showing the school introduction videotape, we received
messages from students at Martin Middle School, and prepared
a videoletter. The students had been told the following
before watching the videotape: “I’m going to show you
a school introduction videotape that my students made.
After watching it, please let me videotape your opinions
about it. Since my students have been studying English
for two years, I would like you to give them a piece of
advice. It will give them a great motivation for their
learning in the future.” Students in all grades were positive
about making a videoletter, and they were willing to give
messages. The reaction toward the school introduction
videotape was better than we expected. They asked many
questions about Mihara and Japan, while some of them started
writing introductions about their Martin Middle School.
Even some students wrote down their e-mail and mailing
addresses. |
| |
|
| ② |
What they particularly showed a great
reaction to after watching our school introduction videotape
(Free writing) |
| |
| ・ |
Every student is wearing a school
uniform. |
| ・ |
Each class has about 40 students.
(In America, each class has about 20 students.) |
| ・ |
Students eat in their classrooms,
and the school does not have a cafeteria. |
| ・ |
Students clean rooms by themselves. |
| ・ |
Every student is engaged in a
club activity. |
| ・ |
Students go home at 5:40pm. (In
America, they go home at 3pm.) |
| ・ |
They rely on various transportations
to commute to school, such as walking and bicycling,
instead of only taking a bus. (In America, students
usually take a school bus.) |
|
| ③ |
Letters from students at Martin Middle
School
| (Student 1)
|
| At Martin Middle
our school starts at 7:45 a.m. - 2:45p.m. We eat
lunch in a cafeteria at 12:15. I’m learning how
to speak Japanese. We do math, science, social studies,
language arts, band, music, P.E , computer, Spanish
and many other electives. (Some parts were omitted.)
My after school activities are basketball. I want
to play for my school teams. I like just about everything
except social studies. |
| (Student 2) |
| Martin Middle
School has a lot of the same things has your school.
We have plenty of clubs and after school activities.
There are a lot of differences though. Like we get
out of school at 2:45. We have lockers and we don’t
eat in the class room. We have Japanese like you
have English. Cool uhh. I’m learning some Japanese,
but I don’t know a lot. Do your teachers have class
pets? We do. (The rest is omitted.) |
| (Student 3) |
| (Some parts
were omitted.) I would like to be in after school
activities, but I don’t have enough time. Do people
in Mihara Junior High School like homework and test?
I don’t like homework and test. Is school fun in
Japan? Would you like to visit Martin Middle School?
I would like to go to your school to visit. |
| (Student 4) |
| Hey! My name
is Jessica Lynn Webber. I would like to get to know
you and become friends.I would like to learn more
about Japanese. I like soccer and softball. I am
a sophomore(10 grade) at T.H.S. Please write me
and we can become friend in the future. |
| (Student 5) |
| I am 15. I am
in the 10th grade at Tarboro High School in Tarboro,
North Carolina. This town is very small. Write me
back and let us become friends. I would like to
learn about Japanese culture and what life is like
there. We only had five minutes to write this in
class, so I am sorry it is short! Please talk to
me and let’s be friends. Best wishes in school. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| ▲Classroom of a Japanese
class |
|
▲Students listening
to the talk |
|
Project B: “Let’s learn more about
each other with a questionnaire survey.”
| ① |
Level of students’ interest |
| |
Reviewing the responses from students
at Martin Middle School to the questionnaires which students
at Mihara Junior High School prepared, we found that many
students have a high interest and expectations toward
future exchanges.
D21: Interest
toward class-based cultural exchanges |
|
D22: Desires
for e-mail exchanges |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| ② |
A material used in the questionnaire
survey (25 questions ※Some parts, including a paragraph
about the survey request, were omitted.)
A) About your school system, equipment
| 1. |
Do you have any air conditioner
in every room?
|
| 2. |
Do you like your school?
|
| 3. |
Do you like your teachers?
|
| 4. |
Have you ever had many student
teachers?
(In our school about 100 student teachers come to
study for a month.) |
| 5. |
Do you want to wear any school
uniform? |
B) About your school events
| 6. |
Do you have any field trip? |
| 7. |
Do you spend a few days on your
school trip?
（In Japan we stay in a few days on our school trip.)
|
| 8. |
Do you have a cultural school
festival?
|
| 9. |
Do you have a sport festival? |
C) About your school life
| 10. |
Do you have your homework every
day? |
| 11. |
Are boys and girls on good terms
to help each other? |
| 12. |
Have you ever had a meeting with
your teacher and your parents?
(In our school we have to talk with our homeroom
teacher with our parents in the end of the semester.
In this meeting we can get guidance for higher education.
) |
| 13. |
Do you belong to any club activities? |
| 14. |
Do you have any student’s committee? |
| 15. |
Do you have any swimming classes
in P.E? |
| 16. |
Did you study about Japan in your
social studies class? |
| 17. |
Have you studied about Japan or
Japanese in your school? |
D) About your impression of Japan and Japanese
| 18. |
Are you interested in Japan or
Japanese? |
| 19. |
Have you ever used or seen chopsticks? |
| 20. |
Do you want to go Japan in your
future? |
| 21. |
Are you interested in cultural
exchange between your class (school) and our Mihara
J.H.S? |
| 22. |
Are you interested in exchanging
an e-mail with our school? |
| 23. |
Have you ever read our letters
called Kanji or Kana? |
| 24. |
Are you interested in Japanese
cultures? |
| 25. |
Have you ever watched Japanese
movies or Japanese TV? |
Please fill out a questionnaire.
If you choose yes, you will write 1. If you choose no,
you will write 2.
The last (E) questionnaire is a writing question. You
will write your own questions or opinion
E) About your opinion toward Mihara Junior High
School.
Please write your any questions or opinion on the answer
sheet. |
|
