ＦＬＥＡＴ Ⅳ July 31, 2000
The First Step of Using the Internet for English Language Teaching
Akihiro Mikami (Suzuka National College of Technology)
(E-mail: mikami@genl.suzuka-ct.ac.jp)
1 Introduction
I would like to report on how we began to introduce the internet for English language teaching at our college, to help teachers who want to start using the internet for English language teaching.
2 School
2.1 Suzuka National College of Technology
“Suzuka National College of Technology was established in April 1962 for the purpose of providing students with the specialized skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to the development of Japan’s industry. ” (COLLEDGE INFORMATION, 2000)
The college has five engineering departments: Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Information, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Material Science and Engineering. It provides a comprehensive five-year course of general and technical education for students aged 15-20.
2.2 Classes
English IA course (3 classes: 1-E, 1-I and 1-C)
3 Processes
3.1 Four steps
The following steps were taken when we began to use the internet for English lessons.
(1) The questionnaire on students’ internet use and analysis of the results
(2) Planning the lessons
(3) Implementation of the plan
(4) The analysis of the student reports and the results of the post-questionnaire
3.2 Pre-questionnaire(Appendix 1)
1st grade students (128 students in all)
November, 1999
3.2.1 The results of the pre-questionnaire on students’ internet use
1 Have you ever used the internet before? Yes: 114(89%) No: 14(11%)
2 Have you ever used the internet during a lesson? Yes: 61(48%) No: 67(52%)
3 Do you use the internet now? Using: 73(57%) Not using: 55(43%)
4 When do you use the internet? (multiple answers are OK)
- during a lesson: 14(19%)
- as club activity: 0( 0%)
- by yourself: 68(93%)
5 Why (For what) do you use the internet? (multiple answers are OK)
a. Information retrieval and collection: 68(93%)
b. Web-page making and opening: 4(5%)
c. email exchanges with people in Japan: 17(23%)
d. email exchanges with foreign people: 12(16%)
e. Others: 5(7%) (download: 3 game: 1 chat: 1)
6 How often do you use the internet?
- Almost every day: 10(14%)
- three or four times a week: 10(14%)
- once or twice a week: 28(38%)
- once or twice a month: 25(34%)
7 Do you want to take a lesson where you would use the internet?
Yes: 79(62%) I don not know: 38 (30%) No:9(7%)
8 Please explain your answer to question 7. Anything is all right.
(YES) It sounds interesting. (→Many students say that just from their impressions and the image they have when they hear the word "internet".)
(I do not know) It sounds interesting but it also seems very difficult.
Some students can not imagine what the lesson would be like.
(NO) Some students are afraid of computers.
Some think that using a computer isn't necessary for them.
Some think it would increase their burdens. It would be troublesome.
According to these results, about half of the students use the internet by themselves, for the sole purpose of information retrieval and collection, and e-mail exchanges with friends in Japan. We can not say that they are making good use of the internet in their everyday life. We have to teach the students how to use the internet for English language learning so that many more students can understand the advantages of the internet and use it fully.
3.3 Planning and Teacher’s Preparation
3.3.1 Planning
In this study, as the first step in the introduction to computer use in the English language learning, students need to have more opportunities to use the internet as a tool for information retrieval and collection on the topics dealt with in the textbook.
3.3.2 Teacher’s Preparation for the use of the internet
Here, the teachers use the internet to help the students more deeply understand the content of the lessons in the textbook that they use.
(1) drawing out keywords from the text
(2) keyword retrieval and collection
(3) selecting useful web-sites for teachers and students
(4) using the selected web-sites
3.4 Information Retrieval and Collection
Material: Lesson 7 Facing Up to the World Population Crisis
ＯNE WORLD English CourseⅠ REVISED EDITION (KYOIKU SHUPPAN, 1999)
Keywords: Lester Brown, environmental problem, Spaceship Earth, global warming, ozone holes, acid rain, The WorldwatchInstitute, Thomas R. Malthus, one-child policy etc.
Web-sites for Teachers
Magazine”World Watch”(http://www.ikari.co.jp/worldwatch/)
The Worldwatch Institute (http://www.worldwatch.org/first.html)
Richard Buckminster Fuller (http://zappa.amr.co.jp/%7Eiga/fuller.html)
TV-ASAHI ON THE WEB “Spaceship earth”(http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp)
Web-sites for students
SCREW TOWER 2098 (http://www4.big.or.jp/~sanshin/sto.html)
One Child Policy(http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~s96383mk/policy/china/)
☆EcoKids Clubhouse, stories (http://www.ecokids.earthday.ca/)
The Vocal Point (http://bvsd.k12.co.us/cent/Newspaper/Newspaper.html)
Points for Information retrieval and collection
・Find web-pages that students from other schools have made, as they are easy to understand and to become familiar with.
・Use information related to the area where your students live, and then they can understand the topic more concretely.
・Select information written in English from the viewpoints of students.
(English difficulty, quantity of English text, background knowledge needed to read,whether pictures or sounds are used etc.)
・Many web-sites are too difficult and professional for the students
・It is very difficult to find web-pages which are appropriate for the students.
・One of the best ways to find appropriate web-pages for the students is to have the students look for their own favorite web-pages on the topic and report their search results.
・We need to study how to effectively use pictures and sounds on the net.
It takes too much time to find web-pages that can be used as an English material and are appropriate for the students. However, teachers can use our research group’s web-page to make it easier (http://engserve.edu.mie-u.ac.jp/~eg6011).
3.5 Practice for 1st grade students
3.5.1 Purposes
１ helping the students deeply understand the content of the lesson in the textbook.
２ giving the students the opportunities to get in touch with authentic English materials directly.
３ increase the quantity of the English input
4 let the students become familiar with computers
3.5.2 Material: Lesson 7 Facing Up to the World Population Crisis
ONE WORLD English Course Ⅰ REVISED EDITION(KYOIKU SHUPPAN, 1999)
This lesson is about the world population crises that have caused various kinds of environmental problems. In addition to the textbook, students are required to read English information in the following web-site selected by the teacher and to write a report about it. As an introduction to using the internet for English language learning, they are also given some other tasks.
3.5.3 Web-site selected by the teacher
EcoKids Clubhouse, stories(http://www.ecokids.earthday.ca/)
This site gives us a picture book on environmental problems. The story makes us think about the relationship between human-beings, animals(birds) and the environment. The story is written for children in Canada, so the English expressions are comparatively easy and there are many pictures to help students understand. By reading this story, they can experience reading an interactive story in which they can enjoy different plot lines according to the way they answer the questions at the end of the each page.
3.5.4 How Students completed the task.
Each student went to the information center after school and used the internet. Afterwards, they wrote a report(Appendix 2). (The information center in our school is open until 8:00 PM on weekdays only. I divided one class of about forty students into four groups and set different deadlines for each group.) Students read the web-site on environmental problems and summarized it in Japanese. After that, I gave them a questionnaire about the report. From the results of the questionnaire and the report, the effects, cares and problems were analyzed.
4 Results and discussion
4.1 The results of post-questionnaires
(1-a) Do you understand this story? (121 in all)
I understand very well. (3: 2%) I understand almost all of it. (57: 47%)
I do not know.(33: 27%) I do not understand very well.(22: 18%)
I do not understand at all.(6: 5%)
→About half of the students could understand the story.
①Do you think this report with the internet is interesting? (125 in all)
Very interesting (4: 3%) interesting (48: 38%) I do not know (31: 25%)
Not so interesting (26: 21%) not interesting at all (16: 13%)
→The number of the students who answered “it’s interesting” is the largest.
②Do you want to use the internet more from now on? ( 125 in all)
Yes (69: 55%) I do not know (37: 30%) No(19:15%)
→More than the half answered “Yes.” However, the number is smaller than that of the pre-questionnaire by ten. On the other hand, ten more students answered “No.” This is a big problem. I do not know whether the ten students changed their answers from “yes” to “no” because of this report. I should re-examine the aspects which made the students change their minds.(See 4.3)
4.2 Effects of the practice
The following effects are reported in the post-questionnaire.
(1) About English
I enjoyed studying English by using the internet.
I used the dictionary very often.
It is interesting to read such a long story in English for the first time.
My Reading ability got better.
(2) About the content(Environmental problems)
I thought about the environmental problems a little more deeply than before.
I became more familiar with the environmental problems.
I understood the importance of the environmental problems through this story.
(3) About computers or the internet
It is easy and fun to use the internet.
I became more interested in computers.
I found a large quantity and a wide variety of the information on the net.
I learned how to use the internet and search engines.
(4) Others
I collaborated with friends and we taught each other. Therefore, I could understand it more easily and more deeply.
I felt my world was getting wider.
I like the many colored pictures that are used.
I became familiar with computers, interested in environmental problems and learned English language at the same time.
It’s fun that this story has many directions.
4.3 Problems and difficulties
The following problems and difficulties are found in using the internet for English language teaching.
(1) English problems
Vocabulary is difficult.
Long sentences and complex sentence structure. →giving notes in advance
Some students did not understand the plot well.
It’s difficult to understand the whole story.
Some students did not know the different kinds of required reading skills.
→Teachers need to teach the reading skills (scanning, skimming etc)
(2) Computer familiarity problems
Computer literacy level varies according to the students.
It is very difficult for some students even to access the web-site indicated by the teacher.
Some students did not know how to use the search engines.
→Teacher is in the center to help students when they use the computer or have problems. Or students help each other.
(3) Computer (internet) environmental problems
Available facilities limit the students’ activities.
→Teachers have to limit themselves to something that they can do now.
An environment where students can use the internet during the lesson is needed.
Students had to complete the task outside of class.
The computer environment is not accessible enough yet.(Students can not use the computer during the lesson.)
There are some students who do not have a computer at home.
It takes a long time to access a web-site and open it. (the speed of the line)
(4) Others
Some students think they do not have to use the internet, reading books is enough.
→Teacher should teach the advantages computers have.
The task of summarization was a little difficult.
After school students are busy and they can not find the time to go to the information center.
4.4 Teacher’s roles
・Selecting web-sites for students
・Helping the students solve problems and difficulties that they face in using the computer.
・Promote students’ internet use by making and giving them various tasks.
(introducing useful web-sites, making students present their impression of web-sites that they learned, giving students the opportunities to introduce the web-sites they select etc.)
5 Conclusion
(1) How do teachers teach the students the knowledge and skills for computer and internet use? When and what do teachers teach? We need to develop teaching plans and curriculums including both English language and computer use.
(2) Information retrieval and collection is not valuable enough alone to justify the continued use of the internet. It is necessary that students output their ideas and opinions through the web-page making. In the long run, students should manage the web-page.
(3) Computer environments are needed where teachers and students can use the internet during the lessons. Individual learning with the computer outside the classroom should be supporting the whole class lesson.
Appendix 1 The pre-questionnaire on students’ internet use
This result is only used to improve English language classroom teaching, not for any other purposes. So please answer the following questions honestly.
1 Have you ever used the internet before? Yes / No
2 Have you ever used the internet during a lesson? Yes / No
3 Do you use the internet now? Using / Not using
(If you answer “yes” to the question 3, please answer all the Questions 4 to 6. Moreover, all the students must answer the Questions 7 and 8.)
4 When do you use the internet? (multiple answers are OK)
a. during a lesson b. as club activity c. by yourself d.. other( )
5 Why (For what) do you use the internet? (multiple answers are OK)
a. information retrieval and collection b. web-page making and opening c. email exchanges with people in Japan
d. email exchanges with foreign people e. Others( )
6 How often do you use the internet?
a. almost every day b. three or four times a week c. once or twice a week d. once or twice a month
7 Do you want to take a lesson where you would use the internet?
a. Yes b. I don not know c. No
8 Please explain your answer to question 7. Anything is all right.
Appendix 2
Internet Experience Report (Student’s worksheet ①)
Here, we would like to use the internet to get in touch with as much English input as possible and understand the contents of the textbook more deeply. There are some students who have already made good use of the internet and some who have never accessed it. Anyway, sit down in front of the computer and get in touch with the internet world. This time let’s try to research the environmental problems related to lesson 7 in your textbooks.
(1) EcoKids Clubhouse, stories(http://www.ecokids.earthday.ca/)
A Access to the above address.
B When you reach the above page, follow the steps.
①Let’s learn about birds! → ②Story book → ③Click for story
C Then “Pesticide Interactive Story” begins. After that, go to your favorite direction, answering the English questions.
D When you finish the story, complete the report.
(2) One Child Policy (http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~s96383mk/policy/china/)
Just read the explanation about the one child policy in China. You do not have to report about this.
(3) Your favorite web-sites
Recommend two web-sites to your friends: one is about the environmental problems and the other is about anything that you are interested in.
(Search engines) 1 Yahoo!Japan http://www.yahoo.co.jp/ 2 goo http://www.goo.ne.jp/ 3 Yahoo!(U.S.A.) http://www.yahoo.com/
Internet Experience Report (Student’s worksheet ②)
If you have any trouble, feel free to ask your teacher.
(1) EcoKids Clubhouse, stories(http://www.ecokids.earthday.ca/)
(a) Do you understand this story?
a. I understand very well. b. I understand almost all of it. c. I do not know.
d. I do not understand very well. e. I do not understand at all.
(b) Summarize the story in Japanese.
(c) What do you think the message of this story is? Summarize your opinion in Japanese.
(2) You do not have to report about task 2.
(3) Favorite web-sites
A: Web-page on the environmental problems
(a) Web-page’s name (Address)
(b) Content(the reason you recommend)
B: Another Web-page
(a) Web-page’s name (Address)
(b) Content(the reason you recommend)
<Post-Questionnaire>
Please answer the following questions honestly. The results are used to improve future English language teaching.
1 Do you think this report with the internet is interesting? a. Very interesting b. interesting c. I do not know
d. Not so interesting e. not interesting at all
2 Do you want to use the internet more from now on? Yes / I do not know / No
3 Write down your impression about this report, dividing into good and bad points. Anything is all right.
(a) Good points
(b) Bad points
Class No Name