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Click Nippon News
May 28, 2020

【1】Reports from teachers

【2】Online teaching support

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Many schools in Japan have reopened, but in Tokyo schools will remain closed until the end of May. In some other countries, such as South Korea and New Zealand, students are also going back to school as governments ease restrictions. In this issue, we share a report on online teaching from New Zealand.

【1】Report from a teacher
• Christchurch, NZ
I think the most challenging thing about online lessons is teaching without being able to monitor students' reactions. I used the following method to overcome this: I made explanatory videos and sent them to the students in advance. During the live lessons, we briefly reviewed the explanations before the students moved on to playing games or working on interactive activities in small groups. I also used the review time to answer students' individual questions.
There was great variety in students' responses to online lessons. Half of the class attended every live lesson and completed all the tasks, while one-third of the class attended but did not participate much, and two or three students in the class of 25 showed little response. I think this is unavoidable to some extent because every student has a different environment and circumstance at home.
Successful activities included bingo and kanji practice using Jamboard. I tried not to make the lessons too serious, as I wanted my students to feel that the live lesson was a place for them to have fun seeing their friends and playing together.

Please tell us about your teaching during the pandemic. Send us your information using the URL below. Answers are optional and can be brief.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNCzUPAmPFbac6Put9F2o30Tuu5IXFKBU1uefSf5vhGzw11Q/viewform

We look forward to sharing our ideas and experience in this way.

【2】Online teaching support
You may remember the article titled "Engaging with Words," which was based on an interview with Wago Ryoichi, a Fukushima poet. (https://www.tjf.or.jp/clicknippon/en/mywayyourway/02/post-6.php) In the article, Wago, who survived the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, shares his experience and his thoughts as a poet about the power of words. He says, "I think once you've learned how to energize your words in writing, it completely changes how you choose and use words in other circumstances, too. It's with words that we offer encouragement, but it's also with words that we drive someone into a corner or make them feel forsaken."
In this issue, we introduce activities that invite students to think about the power of words.
The worksheets have been designed so that students can work independently. The text has been rewritten to be shorter and easier, and students will group together positive words as a creative task. There are three levels available: primary, junior high, and senior high.
Through these activities, we will cover ethical understanding, intercultural understanding, and literacy. Students will have opportunities to use dictionaries (online and offline), and secondary-level students will review the pros and cons of using social media as they relate to ICT capability.
Worksheets can be downloaded from the link below.
https://www.tjf.or.jp/clicknippon/en/henblo/

Click on the links below for samples of online games.
• Primary: Match each image to the Japanese word that best describes the cat's feeling. https://www.studystack.com/studyslide-3225512

• Junior High: Match each image to the Japanese word that best describes the cat's feeling. https://www.studystack.com/studyslide-3225512

• Senior High: Use the verbs that appear in the article. https://www.studystack.com/picmatch-3225525