「自らの英語ポテンシャルに気づく」ための英語授業：言語文化科目「学術英語・インタラクション」

　今回は九州大学１年生必修の言語文化科目「学術英語・インタラクション」を紹介します。この授業は、高校まで身につけた学生のみなさんの英語運用能力を「一歩進んで」実践力にまで高める授業です。いわば「英語を話す自信」を身につけてもらい、今後のグローバルな学術・就職環境で活躍するための自らの英語ポテンシャルに気づいてもらうことを狙いとしています。この授業では英語授業＝座学の枠を取り払い、学生は毎時間の半分以上クラスを動き回り、仲間や先生との英語会話を楽しみます。初めは「カタコト」でも授業が進むにつれて「イガイ」に英語を話している自分にきっと出会えるはずです。R8年度前期の授業評価でもアンケートに回答してくれた受講生1095名のうち87％が自分の英会話能力の進歩を実感しています。
 

「学術英語・インタラクション」開発者から

The General Education academic English Interaction course developed out of a two year pilot program course to enhance first year students’ practice of oral communication during class time. The course uses a “flipped” learning method, in which receptive reading, comprehension, and listening skill practice is undertaken for homework, outside classroom hours. Then lessons themselves can be mostly devoted to English speaking practice, with some time reserved for weekly quizzes to test students’ mastery of weekly homework materials. Classroom lessons are structured around communication tasks such as pair- and group-work discussions, debates, and opinion surveys, based on academic topics covered in course textbooks. The goal of these tasks is to encourage confidence and proficiency in speaking activities that involve conversational role-taking, the offering, explanation, and justification of opinions, and collaborative problem solving on public policy issues. Pre-task activities help students to practice expressions that will be useful in the task activity, and to focus their thinking on important aspects of the week’s topic. 

Examples of tasks covered in classes include a debate on whether or not local governments in Tohoku should preserve 3/11 disaster sites as memorials, an opinion survey on which regional cuisines should be promoted to foreign tourists, and a policy discussion on what strategies can best reduce bear attacks in rural regions and towns.