Academic English Class

Please watch the video and answer the questions.   How do you rate this video? As a non-native-speaker, how do you rate Lisa Bu's English? Do you know of any books banned in Japan, but available in other countries? How do you feel about comparitive reading? Have you ever read the same book in two languages? Do you believe it is important that a dream comes true? Are books always with you? How do you feel when you read in English? Now think of a book or a pair of books and prepare a five minute presentation about those books to give in class. Please think of five questions to ask me about books.

Please watch the video, then answer the questions.  How do you rate this video? Why do you think men are more likely to die, at any age, than women? How many centenarians do you know? What is your impression of Villagrande? Why do you think more and more people are living a solitary life? Why is having good close relationships the second strongest predictor of a longer life? Why is social integration the strongest predictor of a longer life? Why are face to face communications better than digital ones? Why do you think that hearing someone speak, causes us to believe they are more intelligent, than reading something they wrote? Why are women more likely to prioritise their social activities than men. Now please prepare a three minute talk about how we can improve social connections in the modern world. Think of five questions to ask me about this video or it's theme.

Please watch the video below and answer the questions. How did you feel about this video? How do you feel when you listen to music? While doing certain tasks, such as reading or drawing, certain areas of your brain are active. But when listening to music multiple areas are active, why do you think this happens? If you play a musical instrument there is even more and stronger brain activity. What is the difference between playing and listening to music? Do you think disciplined structure is needed in practising and playing instruments for good results for the brain? Why is playing a musical instrument good for your memory? Are music classes for both appreciation and practise an important part of primary and secondary education? Music is often used in English classes for children in Japan. Could music have a role in adult classes too? If so how? Please prepare a short talk about how music touches your life.  Please think of five questions to ask me about music. ...

This weeks theme is about conversation and how to make it better. For almost eighteen years, I have been teaching conversation in English to Japanese students, so it is important for me to encourage my students to talk and to listen. This can be very challenging. Also for my academic students this is an important issue, because they are giving or participating in seminars. This weeks video is by the American journalist, Celeste Headlee, it his her advice about having better conversations. Please watch the video and answer the questions. Why do you think teenagers, these days, prefer texting to face to face conversations? In conversation why is "not multitasking" and "being in the moment" important? What does Celeste Headlee mean by "pontificate" and why does she feel it is bad? Why are open ended questions better for conversation and how could closed questions be a problem? What does she mean by "go with the flow"? Is it important to...