「総合英語」教授法 : 学生にとっての「楽しい授業」を考える

摘要

In my English classes students are not allowed to use Japanese. This is quite natural and familiar to me for I learned English in the similar way in Kobe College Junior and Senior High School, and French at the French-Japanese Institute, but usually Japanese teachers wonder how I teach them. So, instead of a comparative literature essay, I want to sum up my way of teaching English and introduce some students' opinions of my classes. Usually, in a year course, I use a book of English jokes and one of the famous stories like Dr. Dolittle, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins or ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn. As for the latter type of books, students are required to read aloud beautifully, as well as understand the story. Then, they must make questions to which other students answer. I add some questions if necessary. When we finish one chapter, they must make a summary of the chapter, not by writing, but by speaking. I tell them not to read the book or not to remember the sentences from the book, but to use "their simple easy English." They have already studied English for more than six years and know enough words and grammar, but their problem is that they cannot pull out the suitable words from their brain when they try to speak English. So, in my classes they are trained to make use of the words which they already know, and students are encouraged to speak English even if their answers are not the correct ones. They have a hard time with English jokes because their sense of humour is different from native speakers of English, and in order to understand jokes you have to know the cultural background. When they read the book of jokes, they are asked to explain the funny point with "their simple easy English." The students of O.P.U. are usually afraid of making mistakes in the class and get nervous, so I try to make them relaxed and feel easy. Then they begin challenging to speak English. When they can express themselves with "their simple easy English," they are satisfied with the result, gain confidence in their oral English abilities and, in turn, they can surely enjoy the class. By this method, they will appreciate the pleasure of learning English, which is my purpose of teaching.