What's New at Kyoto NHK ESS?

京都ESSの皆様

　朝夕めっきりとしのぎやすくなり、秋の到来を感じる日々です。今となればあの真夏の暑さが嘘みたいですね。日中窓を開けていると、秋風が稲刈りの良い香りをどこからともなく運んできてくれます。農家の方が初夏に植えた苗が、もう収穫の時期を迎えていると思うと、過ぎ去った夏の日々を思い返らずにはいられません。心地よい秋風と美味しい秋の味覚をお供に、短い秋の夜長を贅沢に楽しみたいものです。

【9月1日】
プラクティス：　大久保智子さん　Genre: Translation & Talk, “Let's translate quote of famous people & make your quote!!”
参加者：　38名

【9月8日】
プラクティス：　橋爪一枝さん　Genre： Talk, “Five Questions”
参加者：　39名

【9月15日】
プラクティス：　高田くみこさん　Genre: Presentation, ”Show and Tell about Your Summer”
参加者：　42名

【9月22日】
プラクティス：　日比野絵美さん　Genre: Presentation, “Autumn is the season for xxxxx.”
参加者：　36名

【9月29日】
プラクティス：　三輪芳夫さん　Genre: Presentation, “How to teach English Communication Skills to Japanese people, especially young students, to improving our position?”
参加者：　37名


≪TOPICS≫
空の高さと青さを感じる秋晴れが続く中、日中はあれこれと活動しやすい最高の季節です。その一方、夜になると一段と高く輝く月を見ながら物思いに更け入ってしまう風趣感じる季節でもあります。こうしたふとした一瞬に「あの人はどうしているだろうか」と遠く離れた家族や古い友人、更には過去にお世話になった人のことが脳裏に浮かぶことはありませんか。窓を開けて鈴虫の声を聞きながら秋の夜長に手紙に筆をとるひととき、これも秋ならではの素敵な時間です。
皆様はここ最近手紙を書かれたのはいつですか。直筆の手紙はご無沙汰と言う方、多いのではないでしょうか。
9月下旬に文化庁が発表した「国語に関する世論調査」によりますと、「手紙やはがきは余り利用しないようになった」と回答した人の割合が57.2％、前年比で16ポイントも増加したとのことです。携帯電話や電子メールなどがこれほどにまで普及した今日を考慮すると、この結果に反論する余地はありませんね。確かに電子メールは手紙より幾分も便利です。送付スピードは言うまでもなく、漢字変換だって指1本ですし、字やバランスの恰好も良いし、更に文法ミス箇所を自動的に教えてくれる優れものだって今や珍しくありません。
…これを聞いて、何だか寂しい気持ちが心の奥にモヤッと残る方いらっしゃいましたでしょうか。実は私も、その物寂しい思いを感じたひとりです。
更にこの調査が教えてくれたことをここに書き加えると、「漢字を正確に書く力が衰えた」（66.5％）、「手で字を書くことが面倒臭く感じるようになった」（42.0％）、「口頭で言えば済むことでも、メールを使うようになった」（29.5％）など。いずれの項目においても毎年上昇傾向にあり、情報交換手段の多様化が日常生活に大きく影響していることが世論結果として弾き出されていました。漢字力の衰えに関しては、なんと6割以上もの人が痛感していたことに驚きです。
実はこの傾向は日本だけではなく、世界中に広まりつつあります。例えばアメリカ。アメリカ文化のひとつでもあるグリーティング・カードは、どこのお店に行っても大きく専用の棚が設けられていて、いつでも様々な種類のカードが販売されています。しかし電子化が進んだ今、そのグリーティング・カードの売り上げが落ち込んでいることは容易に想像がつきます。更にアメリカの学校教育が抱える問題として挙げるのは、学生の語彙力低下です。日頃パソコンに備わっているスペル・チェック機能を使用することが習慣となり、英単語を正しくスペル・アウト出来ない生徒が増えているようです。
少し残念ではありますが、新しく手に入れるものがある一方で、衰えていく力や忘れ去られる事柄があるのは当然で且つ避けることができないことかも知れません。しかしこのような結果が無情にも浮き彫りとなった今日だからこそ、私たちに求められるのは、それら伝達方法を正しく取捨選択する能力ではないでしょうか。時と状況に応じた適切な手法をもって相手に自分の気持ちを伝える、そして同時に相手のことをも正確に理解することに留意したいものですね。いくら整った字が書けなくとも、いくら正しく英語が話せなくとも、気持ちを伝える方法はたくさんあります。この「伝える」という手段を正しく選べば、言語コミュニケーション以上の相互理解が期待されることでしょう。
さて、この機会に先ほど皆さんの脳裏に浮かんだ方宛に、一度手紙を書かれてみてはいかがでしょうか。電子メール以上にご自身の本音や正直な思いが書けることと思います。スローライフの良さを実感する秋の夜長をお過ごしください。

参考サイト：　文化庁ホームページ
http://www.bunka.go.jp/kokugo_nihongo/yoronchousa/index.html


【3 Key-Words from News Letter of this month】
1. 世論調査： public opinion research
2. 物思いに更ける：　be sunk in thought
3. 脳裏に浮かぶ：　come up to mind


京都ESS　スタッフ
小寺裕子

Dear all,

As Shimoda-san who was originally planning to lead Practice for this week has just informed to Round Table, her turn was shifted to October 27 due to her emergency task to be handled this weekend. Since she decided to absent from ESS this week, I am more than happy to be incharge of tomorrow’s Practice instead of her.
Please find the details of my Practice giving on October 13 as follows:

Genre: Talk
Title: Self-Introduction with positive impact

“Self-Introduction” is considered one of the most important presentations in our daily life. What we have to make sure first of all in this situation is: giving an impression to the encounter person that “I am an open-minded and easy to talk to.”
Since “apology” can be considered as a good manner in Japanese culture, some Japanese people express their sorriness about the lack of their English ability. However; it doesn’t matter in the English speaking countries. Moreover, this kind of excuse may be taken as your weakness, no-confidence, or something like negative images.
In order to give positive impact about ourselves, some preparation in advance will help us a lot. And also, please don’t forget that the open-posture can be very beneficial approach; such as with moderate eye-contacts and smile, not with crossing your arms in front your chest or keeping looking down.
Why don’t we find out the best way of the self-introduction today, and know more about the other members!

1. Separate into groups
2. Filling up “Self-introduction Preparation Sheet” and preparing for your turn
3. Exchanging self-introductions each other in your group

If you have any questions, please feel free to clarify with me at Otera tomorrow.
I appreciate your kindly cooperation in advance.

Best Regards,
Kotera

Hi there

I'm happy to make an announcement about Practice on October 20, 2012.

Genre: Presentation and Talk
Title: "Lightning Talks"

Description:

In this session, I want you to give very short presentations. Some people (in Japanese ITC community) call it "Lightning Talks".

You're going to be split into groups, and present your ideas in turn.
Don't forget this is a "Lightning Talks" so that the time slot given for each of you will be, say, less than three minutes.

There should be creative ways to present ideas in a very short time. No worry! If you aren't familiar with the format, just stick to this orthodox one:

1. State your core idea in a single sentence.

2. Give three reasons, or examples to support your idea.

3. Repeat your idea, and conclude your presentation.

You might find it interesting to talk about what presented. Great!
Please go ahead.

Note: You can present whatever you want. If you have nothing to talk at all, I'll give you some hints.

Cheers!

Yoshida

Janre: Presentation and Talk
Title: Your goals

Time flies indeed! Looking at a calendar, we only have less than 3 months before closing the year 2012
Have you set clear landmarks, or specific plans for year 2013 yet?
In this lesson up coming on 13th October, we are going to discuss on individual goals for the second half of the fiscal year.
Let’s have a brainstorming and share what we are going to achieve in the following 6 months.

Questions:
What would you like to achieve by the end of March 2013?
1.
Vision: “ “
Goal: ” “
Action plan “ “
2.
Vision: “ “
Goal: ” “
Action plan “ “
3.
Vision: “ “
Goal: ” “
Action plan “ “
4. *Please be more creative and set your own subject.

Vision: “ “
Goal: ” “
Action plan “ “

Thank you for your cooperations in advance.

Cheers,
Ayumi Shimoda

<11/03>

Dear Kyoto ESS members.
Hello, I'm Yuuho MASUDA.
This is an announcement for the practice in a training camp on Nov.3rd.

1.　Genre: The four skills
① listening
② understanding & imaging
③ translation
④ reading aloud ＆ story-telling

2.　Title:
"Let's play KARUTA and enjoy it together !"

3.　Description
Make some groups as usual.

Card-playing party
（KARUTA-TORI　）

After that,
Let's read aloud ＆ tell that story！
（STORY-TELLING）

Y. Masuda
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Kyoto ESS members

I’m Shimon Nakamura　(中村史門), Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto.

Genre: Discussion (speaking and replying to questions)
Title: Speak your own experiences in school days
Description:

This is an easy and small but important practice for speaking English just before 31 participants in the camp without looking at any English written slip.
Make your speech by your own words so as to make them understand what you said
You know best what experiences you had in school days and will be able to speak memories freely.
No preparation is needed except some memo in Japanese.
If you feel reluctant to do so before all participants,
you may do so in the separated group.
Please enjoy participant’s surprised talks
Thank you.

S. Nakamura

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Kyoto ESS members,

Hello, I'm Takanori Hayashi.
This is an announcement for the practice on November 3rd&4th(Camp).

Genre : Discussion and Presentation
Title: Japan-US cultural comparison
Description:

-1 Make some groups
-2 Pick up the differences between Japan and US from the several points of view
-3 Categorize for each item in Culture, Custom, View, Philosophy, Rule, Life Style and so on
-4 Explanation and discussion for these items in each group
-5 Presentation as selected item by presenter in each group in order to share the most interesting item.

I'd like to ask you to prepare for collecting the differences between Japan and America from the several point of view.
These differences may consist of several categories which are experienced by your own or information which you've had in the past.
Please share and explanation among us for each difference in order to understand mutual nations.

-2, -3,-4
The style of Picking up, categorizing and discussion in each group is free,
For example:
- Brainstorming (Open discussion)
- Analysis meeting
- KJ method
- Mind Map
- Lightning talk which has been introduced by Yoshida san,20th.October.
(Yoshida san, Thank you for your interesting introduction as effective presentation style.) and so on.

Thank you

T. Hayashi

======================================================================

<11/04>

Dear Kyoto ESS members.

Hello,this is an announcement for the practice in a training camp on Nov.3rd /4th .

Genre:Talk and　presentation
Title:(Have a break!) Boast of your birth prefecture (home town）
Description:

Please choose one theme in the next themes (I will show some themes in that day)and boast about it in your birth pre.(home town)one by one.(However except Kyoto.If you are born in Kyoto,please boast it in your parents or relatives or friends ….
Except Kyoto everything is O.K.Foreign stste of course (O.K.)
Make some groups as usual.You are allowed five minutes for your speech.Question time is also.
Finally please choose the best interesting boast in your group and someone present it in front of us in two minutes group by group.Enjoy your talking.
Thanks.

M.Kurusu

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone. I'm Isamu Mashima.

Here is my practice planned for 2012 ESS Lodging-Together in Nov.

Genre : Debate Match
Introduction :

Debate is to argue about the given proposition taking either Yes or No position.
You are requested to articulate your remarks as much logically as possible.

Propositions :
1. Japan should host Tokyo Olympic in 2020.
Yes (Affirmative)
No (Negative)
2. Japan should improve Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio(自給率)
Yes (Affirmative)
No (Negative)

We will make two teams, the affirmative and negative, against each proposition.
I will announce team members and a leader just before we start the game.
A single debate duration will be 30min and total practice time will be 70min.
Until then, please prepare yourself !! See you soon.

I.Mashima