●英語Ｃ（中級）政IＧ
　　―Communicating with Confidence―

PURPOSE AND AIMS


This course focuses on building competence and confidence in oral communication while integrating the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Particular attention is paid to developing skills within the key academic competences of making presentations and participating in discussions. In addition to building oral communicative competence, the course also helps students take control of their own learning by equipping them with effective learning strategies.


More specifically, this course aims to develop the following:　
1) Students' enthusiasm for learning and communicating in English (with a particular focus on helping students acquire both power and confidence when speaking English)
2) Students ability to use body language and voice tone in an appropriate and effective manner in a variety of different social contexts
3) Students ability to design and deliver effective oral presentations
4) Students'reading, writing, listening and speaking skills (developed in authentic, communicative contexts)
5) Students'ability to set clear, compelling learning objectives
6) Students ability to take responsibility for, and evaluate, their own learning


For more detailed information regarding course content and methodology please see the sections on TEACHING METHOD and LEARNING MATERIALS.

１	Introduction I Preview of Term 1 and 2, a brief introduction to classroom culture and assessment criteria, plus "getting to know" your teacher (involves listening, writing, reading, speaking)
２	Introduction II "Getting to know" your fellow students (involves listening, writing, reading, speaking)
３	Introduction III Classroom culture and assessment criteria in more detail plus effective learning and motivation strategies (including setting compelling individual learning objectives)
４	The principles and skills of effective oral communication
５	Intercultural Communication or Kokusai Ishiki?
６	Making an effective presentation - preparation
７	Team debate - preparation
８	Mid-term quiz/review plus course evaluation by students (evaluation is carried out individually and in groups)
９	Making an effective presentation - delivery
10	Team debate　―　performance
11	An introduction to the drama method: including brainstorming dramatic scenarios, dialogue building and improvisation
12	Refining the script plus rehearsal
13	Drama performances
14	End of Term quiz/review plus course evaluation by students (evaluation is carried out individually and in groups)
15	Using dramatic techniques to enhance presentations and debates
16	Pronunciation workshop
17	Using visual and auditory modalities to enhance oral communication
18	Exploring the kinesthetic modality through photofantasies and mime stories
19	The nonverbal and paralinguistic features of oral communication in English
20	Silent discussion
21	Vocabulary building
22	Mid-term quiz/review plus course evaluation by students (evaluation is carried out individually and in groups)
23	Just 10 seconds speaking game
24	Team speaking competition
25	Introduction to NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)
26	Intercultural Communication and Kokusai Ishiki Revisited: Is NLP culture-bound?
27	What do you really want? Setting compelling learning objectives revisited
28	Course review and evaluation, plus feedback on students' individual objective setting and plans for future self-study.

N.B. Since all forms of effective communication are responsive to feedback, both teaching method and course content will evolve in response to regular student feedback. The schedule outlined above is therefore a provisional one.

GENERAL COMMENTS


To help maintain student interest, motivation and enthusiasm a variety of different teaching and learning methods are employed. However all the methods used are skills-based, student-centered and utilize the principles of whole-brain learning". Whole-brain learning refers to learning activities that appeal to a wide variety of different‘intelligences' and learning styles. For example, the learning activities used involve and stimulate students' creativity, intellect, emotions, sense of humor, imagination (this includes visual, auditory and kinesthetic forms of imagination), as well as students’　‘somatic intelligence'. Students therefore become actively involved in their own learning at a deeper level than in more traditional, textbook-based courses.


To further enhance student motivation a variety of different learning media are also used (e.g. films; pop songs; music; drama; movement-based activities; spoken word-based activities; team-based quizzes and visual, image-based activities). Of course, the strongest form of motivation is internally generated motivation (rather than external motivation generated by the teacher or learning activities). Students are therefore taught techniques to generate a powerful, internal motivation to learn and communicate in English.


TYPES OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES USED IN CLASS


After a brief introduction to classroom culture and assessment criteria, plus various activities designed to help you‘get to know' your teacher and fellow students, the course will tend to focus on the following:


1) Building student oral communicative competence and confidence by using:
a)Individual and group presentations
b)Drama-based activities (these involve writing and performing‘mini-plays' and therefore
integrate the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking in an authentic
communicative context)
c)Intensive pronunciation workshops working mainly on stress, rhythm and intonation


2）‘Action learning' activities, e.g. projects where the students have to do some active, genuine
research (usually inter-net based) and create their own learning materials


3) Competitive team-based quizzes (also designed to integrate the four skills)


4) Learning‘learning to learn' skills (e.g. setting individual learning objectives,
brainstorming, mind mapping, spelling strategies, memorization skills, using different
learning styles and preferences, etc.)


Each lesson will involve vocabulary revision and extension, as well as‘learning to learn' skills practice. All learning activities used are communicative ones that integrate the four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. As well as integrating the four skills, the learning activities used have also been designed to appeal to all the major learning styles and preferences. In addition to being learner-focused, this course is also outcome-focused: at the beginning of every class the aims of the class and the particular skills to be practiced during the class are clarified and made explicit.


LEARNING PORTFOLIOS AND EVALUATION


The course has been designed to be practical, participative, fun and learner-focused. It is therefore essential that the students are prepared to learn and willing to take an active part in the classes. Students are expected to keep a well-organized‘learning portfolio' and do any necessary preparation and/or homework. Students must bring their learning materials to every class (see section on LEARNING MATERIALS below). Since this course will evolve in response to student needs, interests, abilities and concerns, there is no set textbook. Instead, students will create their own individual‘learning portfolios'.
Learning portfolios perform a number of functions including:


1) Recording a student's progress towards achieving their own individual learning objectives
2) Documenting evidence of student learning
3) Functioning as a current and future resource for individual student learning (e.g.
learning portfolios contain personalized English-English vocabulary lists tailored to
individual student interests and needs)


Students will be continuously assessed throughout the course, being awarded points for every class they attend. To ensure that they earn enough points to pass this course, students are advised to aim for maximum attendance. Any student missing more than six classes will automatically fail (see notes on EVALUATION AND ATTENDANCE below).


Since these classes are highly practical and participative, good attendance and punctuality are essential. However, perfect attendance and punctuality are not enough to pass this course, students must also be willing to take responsibility for their own learning and participate actively in class.


N.B. In addition to being fun and stimulating, this course is a challenging, highly demanding one (for both the teacher and the students！)and should therefore not be undertaken lightly.

EVALUATION AND ATTENDANCE


Assessment is continuous and multi-dimensional: attendance and punctuality, class exercises and assignments, demonstrated attitude to learning, class participation and individual progress are taken into consideration along with objective test scores as well as performance in mini dramas, individual presentations and group presentations (attitude 15％；　participation 15％；　progress 15％；　course work 10％；　homework 10％；　tests 10％；　presentations and mini dramas 25％). Since the emphasis is on continuous assessment, all the tests, presentations and dramatic performances are mini ones, held during normal class time. There will be no‘final' end of term tests, presentations or performances.


Marks are deducted for the following:　
1) Failing to bring learning materials to class.
2) Failing to do homework and/or poor completion of homework.
3) Poor attendance: Students who miss more than six classes will automatically fail.
4) Arriving late to class: Students who arrive 30 minutes or more late are marked absent. Two late arrivals by a student (of less than 30 minutes) also constitute one absence.


Student evaluation of the teacher and his classes is also continuous and is taken seriously, student feedback being incorporated into the ongoing development of the course.


N.B. Since continuous assessment means that there are no big,‘final' exams, students can relax and focus on learning. However, although continuous assessment is less stressful, it is much more challenging and demanding (of both student time and energy) than traditional assessment by test or exam.

LEARNING MATERIALS


Students will be creating their own, personalized textbook' (called a learning portfolio')and must bring the following to every class:　
1) An English　―　English learner's dictionary
2) An A4 ring binder folder (to take loose leaf sheets of A4 paper) with dividers
3) Loose leaf sheets of A4 paper
4) Colored pens and/or pencils