【授業紹介】Freshers Seminar I (A)：Doyle准教授

This is a first year class. The students meet once a week and the main focus of this class is the SDGs.

What do students do before class?

Every week students must prepare for the next week by reviewing the vocabulary connected to the SDG we are focusing on. Students also can view a short video which introduces the SDG.

What do students do during class?

During class students watch the short video about the SDG and answer some questions about it. In addition, students speak in pairs and discuss questions in groups. This gives the students an opportunity to speak about the SDGs and use the information, new vocabulary and expressions that they have learned. It also gives them the opportunity talk about their own experiences in their own local areas.

What do students do after class?

Students are expected to watch the short video again and submit a worksheet about the SDG of that week. Students very often complete a worksheet for homework as well. In addition, students are expected to prepare for the following week’s class too.

Students learn about the SDGs not only from a global perspective or view, but also from a local view. Students research their local areas to see what needs to be done in their local areas. For example, SDG 1 looks at ‘No Poverty’ and many people think that this only affects developing countries but students are often surprised when they research about poverty here in Japan. Students get to make the connection between the idea of global SDGs and what needs to be done in our own local areas. These pictures are of the students giving poster presentations to other students in the class. (Please see pictures)

This class was very interesting and informative. I learned about SDGs more deeply through English, and I learned a lot from it. It also gave me an opportunity to think about my future life and activities. I enjoyed the discussions in class. (S.U. san)

This class is about SDGs. We learn about world problems and think what can we do. We often give small presentations and share our ideas, so we can practice speaking English. (M.S.san)

I think this class is very interesting. Because there was a lot of pair work, I was able to communicate with others and broaden my perspective. Also, I was able to learn a variety of English expressions by watching English videos and giving poster presentations. (K.I. san)

In this class, we express our thoughts on the SDGs in English and gave poster presentations. I feel that expressing my thoughts in English helps improve my English skills.(M.T.san)

今回は Doyle 准教授が担当する1年生科目「Freshers Seminar」の紹介でした。この科目で学生は様々な勉強をしますが、今回は「SDGs」に焦点をあてて、自分で調査し、その結果をポスター発表する内容でした。このように身近な話題から深掘りして、英語で調査結果をプレゼンテーションするという授業が1年生の時から行われます。学生は問題点の「深掘り」、そして、「英語プレゼンテーション」の重要性を実感しながら学習を進めます。プレゼンテーションを数こなすことにより、人前で発表することに「自信」がついていくのです。