From the Editor

Hot! Sweaty! Muggy! Humid! I’m finding that all of these words are pretty easy to use lately now that we’ve entered rainy season. Yup, time to break out those umbrellas and keep them with you whenever you leave the house—even if it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain. You just never know!
I’ve taken over the newsletter from Kim (a big otsukaresamadeshita!) this month and will be the editor for the next few issues. I just want to say hello and as always address your submissions to me at my home address- check the contact list.

Have a great month!

Brad

Dealing with the Plateau Effect – By Tony

As we all know very well, going into a new classroom and meeting new students and starting new programs is a very exciting, stimulating and rewarding experience. There is so much we can do with our new members to help devise the perfect individual program for each of them. Mr. Suzuki might want to focus on business topics for some of his program and general English for another. That’s great! We can do that with him. Because F.I.A. employs a learner centered approach to training, Mr. Suzuki is encouraged to take part in designing his own program every step of the way. This ensures that he is motivated to practice English and that he will progress nicely (in leaps and bounds) in his language ability, right?

Most ESL/EFL teachers soon discover that their students come to a point where they stop progressing. This is most usual when a learner reaches an intermediate level. Jeremy Harmer points out in The Practice of English Language Teaching (Third Edition) that, “while learners at beginner level find it easy to see progress in their abilities from one week to the next, the same is not so easy for students at higher levels, particularly at intermediate levels, where progress is more subtle, and students do not always find it easy to see where they are going.” Harmer refers to this as the plateau effect.

Don’t worry though because there is hope! Trainers who are aware of this phenomenon can take measures to counteract its effects. According to the experts, planning lessons based on member input and specific learning needs is one of the ways to deal with the plateau effect. And there are other special measures trainers should take. Harmer writes, “Such efforts may include setting goals clearly so that students have a clear learning target to aim at, explaining what still needs to be done, making sure that activities are especially engaging, and sparking the students’ interests in the more subtle distinctions of language use.”

Although there won’t be any measurable differences in the short term with intermediate level students’ language ability, there are things that trainers will notice that show improvement and progress. When planning lessons and activities based on learner needs and interests, learners will feel more confident and likely be more engaged in the lessons. Also, using members’ input and ideas with a knowledge of their ability will allow the trainer to plan lessons based on what Stephen Krashen refers to as comprehensible input. The idea Krashen proposed was that people learn better when they are given materials they can handle. plateau

So even though speaking and listening ability may seem to stand still for intermediate learners for months at a time, there are discernable subtleties that are cues they are learning. Confidence and enthusiasm are present when the programs are planned to include lessons and activities that will engage the learners. Of course this means some experimentation and trial and error, but that’s something we all do in the classroom anyway.

Enjoy your classes, enjoy your members and don’t let the plateau effect get you down. There are sure fire ways to get over the hump. (Pardon the mixed metaphor). Just ask your members!

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What's Happening

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What's Coming up in and out of Shizuoka

Drama & Dance

Festivals – Outside of Shizuoka

Selected August Festivals

Festivals - Shizuoka

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Nihongo Quiz - by Hanaki san

あんな時、こんな時

オフィスでのあいさつ

＜改まった言い方＞

上司A：「やあBさん、久しぶり。最近、調子はどう？」
Hi. It’s been a long time. How are things?

B：「ええ、おかげさまで。」
Everything is fine, thank you.

＜くだけた言い方＞

同僚A：「やあ、Bさん、久しぶり。最近　調子どう？」

B：「うん、順調だよ」

クイズ

日本人の同僚と久しぶりにオフィスで会いました。仕事の様子を聞かれたので、最近の仕事や生活の様子を簡単に答えてください。

You run into the co-worker in the office after a long time. You were asked how things were going at work and in daily life these days.  What would you say?.

Let’s discuss this in the class if you’re interested!!

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Branded: The Story of an Outcast - by Tracy

tatoo1January, 2006. I hear tell of a fancy new gym that will be opening just down the road from Susono –barely a stone’s throw from my apartment.

February, 2006 – I drive to the registration desk that has been set up to handle early registration for the new gym, which is slated to open on April 1st, 2006

April 2nd, 2006 – I enjoy my first day at the gym. I revel in the aerobic machines – bikes, Stairmasters, treadmills – each with their own private TV attached. I bake in the sauna and linger in the hot outdoor bath.

tattoo2For the next two months, I get the full benefit of my membership, joining the Wednesday evening yoga classes, exchanging words of greeting with other regulars.

Alas – all good things must end.

May 29th, 2006 – after a good workout and a relaxing bath, as I am checking out of the gym, I am pulled aside, and told that my membership was being terminated and I was not welcome back. Aghast, I listen as I am told that people with tattoos were not permitted to use their facilities.

Huh!

Japan is certainly a conservative country, and little Susono is more conservative still. Even now, tattoos carry a stigma - they are associated with the yakuza (Japanese Mafia), and the low-life of society. When (as likely happened) someone who'd seen me in the bath/locker room of the upscale, prestigious new gym, they were offended/disgusted by my tattoos and complained. It seems that, in the very, very fine print, in kanji, on the back page of pamphlet number four, there was listed a "No Tattoos" rule. And so I was unceremoniously cast out.

And the moral of this story is: Always read the fine print!

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Computer Corner - by Bradley

computerDo you have any favorite share/free ware that you are using either at home or in the office? This is the place to share your discoveries!

I recommend you sweep your machine periodically for spyware. To do this, I recommend Spybot—Search and Destroy. This wonderful freeware is available at http://www.spybot.info and it is one of the best out there. They offer regular updates (all free) periodically and easy to use instructions.

Battle of the browsers! The majority of internet surfers use MSIE for their browsing. After so many IE fixes and security problems, I decided to change. I currently use both Opera and Firefox at home. I like both, and in this side by side comparison, you can see the results for yourself. For Windows users, Opera beats all others in most of the categories overall. In short, I think it’s a great browser.

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Tanabata - 七夕 by Hanaki-san

tanabata27月7日は七夕の日です。七夕物語は奈良時代に中国から伝わった星の恋物語です。

離れ離れになってしまった織姫星と彦星は一年に一度、7月7日に天の川で再会できます。

七夕祭りでは、願い事や歌などを五色の短冊に書き、笹につるして飾ります。笹は、日本人にとって神聖なものです。赤・青・黄・白・黒の五色の短冊は、「木・火・土・金・水」を表しています。 tanabata1

　今年もまた七夕がきます。織姫星と彦星は天の川で会えるのでしょうか？ 

 

恋物語　　　　　　love tale
離れ離れ　　　　　separate
天の川　　　　　　milky way
再会　　　　　　　meet again　　
願い事            wish
短冊　　　　　　　oblong card
笹　　　　　　　　bamboo　leaf
つるす            hang
神聖              sanctity

Tanabata, also known as the "star festival", takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year, when, according to a Chinese legend, the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky way, are able to meet.

Because the 7th month of the year roughly coincides with August rather than July according to the formerly used lunar calendar, Tanabata is still celebrated on August 7th in some regions of Japan, while it is celebrated on July 7th in other regions.

One popular Tanabata custom is to write one's wishes on a piece of paper, and hang that piece of paper on a specially erected bamboo tree, in the hope that the wishes become true.

Colorful Tanabata festivals are held across Japan in early July and August. Among the biggest and most famous ones are the Tanabata Festivals of Sendai in August and Hiratsuka near Tokyo in July.

The Eras of FIA: FIA's 34th in Toronto

FIA has had a strong connection in Toronto since the company first began back in 1972. FIA has always welcomed a variety of trainers from different countries and educational backgrounds, and since its inception, FIA and its English trainers have evolved through several "Eras of FIA".

In the 1970's, there was the Creative Era, with trainers who had backgrounds in the arts.

The 1980's saw a shift toward the Training Era, and trainers who were, well trainers - athletic trainers, music teachers, and more.

The 1990's brought yet another evolution - the Business Era, with many trainers who had education in Business, Accounting and other business-like pursuits.

Thank you to the generations for sharing their skills and special talents with FIA.

What, then, will the first decade of the new Millennium become? So far, it looks like the Era of ESL; but only time will tell.

On May 4th, 2006, in celebration of FIA 34th (almost reaching its 35th!) anniversary, Mrs. Kaneko invited the past generations of Toronto FIA alumni and staff to become (re)acquainted at a party at the Rangoli Restaurant on Yonge Street.

Photos from the dinner party can be found here!

What are some best memories the "generations" have of Japan and FIA?

..and the worst?

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