On July 1st and July 3rd, 2019, international students in the Introductory Japanese class (taught by Project Lecturer Eriko Ishida) gathered in a special exchange class with Japanese students in the Advanced English Academic Skills class (taught by Associate Professor Miwa Isobe).

At first, they had a group talk session. It was their first time to meet each other, but they quickly got along and enjoyed talking with each other.

 

 

Next, the Japanese students stood in front of the class and made presentations in English. They shared stories about their favorite places, their major, etc. which they thought the international students would like to know about. Just as they expected, the international students were very interested in the topics. They took notes and photos of the screen while listening, and asked questions.

Following that, the international students gave speeches in freshly learned Japanese. They talked about their hometowns, including information such as tourist attractions, nature, town events and local foods. After that they added more details in English, and got many questions and comments from the audience.

 

Many stayed longer to enjoy talking even after the session, and some of them had another chance to get together outside of the class.

Both Japanese and international students mentioned that if they get another opportunity like this, they would like to speak better, and have more in-depth discussions.

This event has motivated them to learn their target language for their future.

 

(Project Lecturer, Eriko Ishida)