by Whitey | Feb 28, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
Stuff about this week:
1. Japanese is still going well but getting harder. I’m going to have to turn it up a notch if I’m going to keep up. This week we were learning about complicated verb conjugations. It wouldn’t be so bad if they’re weren’t so many “exceptions” to the “rules” (How many exceptions do there have to be before a rule is no longer a rule?). It also helps if you know the basic verb from first before you start conjugating it, I suppose… (ahem).
2. I had my first one-on-one lesson with my new English student. I found some material to use online, and I think it went pretty well. I had fun, anyway. The cappuccino was good too.
3. Speaking of coffee-related products, I think I’m going to make a trip to Mr. Donuts in a few minutes. The endless free re-fills make it the ideal location for studying. Also I just like to get out of the church building and into the real world.
4. I just realized, in the middle of writing this post, that it’s only Thursday. Not Friday. So this Re-Cap should wait a day or so. But whatever. Here you go.
To be continued…?
by Whitey | Feb 22, 2008 | Weekly Re-Cap
Numbered highlights from the past week:
1. I have an English student now! Last Saturday I met with Yusuke, a guy who just moved to the area from Kanagawa and whom I got connected with through a missionary friend up there. Yusuke and I will start meeting more-or-less weekly at Starbucks for one-on-one English lessons beginning next week.
2. In case you missed it, I posted a new podcast episode (#9) last night. Scroll down a couple posts to see (er, hear). In other website news, earlier this week I also posted a new photo album (My Nagoya) in the photo gallery.
3. This week during my Japanese lesson, I got the words for “drink” (nomimasu) and “sleep” (nemasu) mixed up, and told the teacher and class that I had drank for seven and a half hours the night before.
4. Sunday night, a guy I know from back in my Bible college days, whom I hadn’t seen in like five years, came to Nagoya. Ryan lives in Tokyo but was in Nagoya for the day on business, so he joined me and several others, mostly youth and young adults, at my church for supper. It was good to see him and to get caught up, although it’s always a little bit surreal seeing someone I know from home here in Japan. He’s coming again this week, too, so we may get together again.
5. This Sunday afternoon I’m on deck to do some fun ministry with the junior high and elementary kids in the afternoon.
6. Sunday night I’m supposed to do a live conference with a church back in Canada, during what will be their morning service. They’re doing a missions emphasis and wanted to connect with me because I’m one of the missionaries they’re supporting. Should be fun, but given the 13-hour time difference, it will make for a late night.
Thanks for reading and praying. That’s a wrap for this week.
by Whitey | Feb 20, 2008 | Brain Dump
1. I’m not feeling very energetic right now. Three hours of Japanese class just saps my strength some days.
2. I’ve re-discovered my Palm pilot. Actually it’s a Treo, which makes it a smart phone, only they don’t use the same cell phone system here, so in effect it’s just a a Palm pilot. But anyway, I found some Japanese-language apps and games online and have been making good use of it again for a change.
3. I’m trying to eat out less. And happily I found a taco-making kit at the import shop the other day. Mmmm, tacos… Not to be confused with “tako”, the Japanese word for octopus — which is also good, but probably not inside a tortilla shell with cheese and salsa.
4. I enjoy Japanese stationary.
5. I ordered a couple of CDs from the Japanese Amazon site Friday night, and had them by Sunday afternoon. Using the standard shipping option. This has never ever happened to me in all the times I’ve ordered stuff from the Canadian site. I’m not sure I’d get it that fast with express shipping even. I’m impressed.
6. I have more videos and photos on my cell phone to be posted online, but I can’t seem to beam them to my computer anymore. It worked before but now it won’t. Wakarimasen!
7. Prayer meeting is tonight at 7:30. I usually like prayer meeting, especially the praying part. But sitting through the Japanese teaching time can be tough, especially if I’m tired. Like now. Maybe I should make some tea…
by Whitey | Feb 13, 2008 | Thoughts
Today’s post is another paper from the correspondence TESL course I was taking back in the Fall. This assignment was on the question of whether or not grammar should be taught explicitly in the ESL classroom. Any thoughts? Feel free to comment, especially if you’re a language teacher — or student, for that matter.
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Grammar is an unavoidable part of teaching English as a second language. In any language, grammar is the “code” that helps us understand each other. It ties words together so that we can make sense of what someone is saying. If one is going to help another person learn English, grammar must be taught. The questions are, “How?” and “How much?”
Should ESL students be taught grammar explicitly? That is, do they need to know the names of all the different parts of the sentences and tenses? Do they need to learn all the rules of English grammar by heart? Or can grammar be picked up implicitly? Can students simply become aware of the patterns and rules of grammar through practice?
The answer, I think, lies somewhere in the middle. As Jim Scrivener points out in Learning Teaching, the kind of grammar an ESL teacher needs to teach is not the informational kind but the practical kind: “Scott Thornbury, in his book Uncovering Grammar, has suggested that we could open up our concept of ‘grammar’ if we start thinking of it as not just a noun (i.e. the information), but as a verb as well (i.e. the active skill of using language). It’s probably this ‘verby’ kind of grammar that we most need to help our learners work with in class.” (Scrivener, p. 253)
Our students don’t necessarily need to know all the names of the different tenses and sentence parts. If we are honest, most native English speakers – even ESL teachers — don’t know all of these aspects of grammar. For example, let’s look at this sentence: “Bob will already have taken the test when I arrive tomorrow.” Before I started taking this TESL class, I couldn’t have told you (without looking it up) that it is in the future perfect tense. However, I could have hold you what it means: Bob will take a test tomorrow. After that, I will arrive. Bob will be finished taking the test before I arrive.
That is the kind of practical grammar learning our ESL students need. They need to be able to hear or read a sentence and understand it. They need to be able to speak or write and be understood. How do we teach them this kind of “verby” grammar?
I would suggest what I would call “situational” grammar teaching. In other words, given a certain language context, certain grammar points naturally come up as teaching topics. For instance, a lesson in which you talk about “How I spent my summer vacation” would be used to talk about past tenses. Depending on the skill level of the class, you could talk about a number of different past tenses, in a situational, conversational context instead of a list of names and rules.
In part, what I’m talking about is teaching by example. Students learn a grammar point by seeing it “in action”. But it’s not enough to just hope that they pick up the pattern. There needs to be some explanation as well – but it needs to be practical and geared toward the skill level of the class. And it needs to be followed by a lot of practice.
In short, a brief explanation followed by plenty of practice would be preferable over a long, explicit explanation. Language is meant to be used.
by Whitey | Feb 8, 2008 | Ministry News, Weekly Re-Cap
This week, instead a normal re-cap (if there is such a thing), I’m posting my prayer letter, also being sent to my supporters via email.
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Hi everyone,
Sunday night I went to a multi-denominational youth worship gathering, called Heart and Soul, hosted by a local seminary. It was bi-lingual, which was nice, the speaker was good, the band was really good, and there were lots of people there. I met some fellow-expat/missionary-types too. It’s great to see someone taking the incentive to get young people from different denominations together. That’s the kind of unity that the Japanese Church — and Japan — needs.
My first month+ here in Nagoya has been spent focusing on language, getting to know people and generally just settling in — not in hands-on ministry. I have to admit that a part of me found this frustrating, as I wanted to dive right in to ministry right off the bat. But I think Pastor Saoshiro was right in recommending that I take this time to settle in. It takes time to get to know a new group of people, a new city and new church. It takes time to adjust to life in another culture, even if, like me, it’s not your first time there. It’s been an adjustment getting used to going to school, doing homework, and studying again.
Tuesday night Saoshiro-sensei and I chatted about getting me involved in ministry. Soon I’ll start getting plugged in to the life of the church more actively, and that’s something I’m looking forward to.
Here are some things you can be praying about:
- Please pray that God will continue to help build relationships despite the language barrier. And thank Him with me for the friendships I’m building already.
- Pray for my language studies. They’re going well but I have a long way to go. Pray that I’ll be patient and diligent in my studies and that God will help me make more progress.
- Pray for my church — Immanuel Nagoya Church — may we have an effective ministry in Nagoya. Also, there may be some pastoral/leadership transitions in the spring. Pray for God’s will to be done and for a smooth transition period.
- Pray for God’s direction and blessing for my ministry here.
Thanks for your prayers!
