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【Event report】“Improve your presentations in English! Remedies to your troubles”

＜About＞Saturday, September 30th & Sunday, October 1st, 2017

Professional and Global Educators’ Community (PAGE) organized a workshop “Improve your presentations in English! Remedies to your troubles.” We planned the event in response to the recent demand of outputting research in English along with the globalization of research environment. The purpose of the workshop was to let the participants improve their skills in making academic presentations in English.

It was held at the Faculty of Engineering Building 2, Hongo Campus. A total of 25 participants consisted of graduate students and postdocs at the University of Tokyo. They came from diverse academic fields such as the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the Graduate School of Economics, the School of Science, the Graduate School of Medicine, and the School of Engineering. In addition to those who spoke English as their first language, professional English interpreters and bilinguals with a long experience of studying overseas served as instructors. The workshop was conducted in small groups.

The participants were divided into groups of two to five, and each of them made a presentation on their research and received feedback from the instructor and the other participants. The presentations covered a wide variety of themes of science (such as “carbohydrate metabolism” and “olfactory map”) and humanities (such as “gender division” and “rural development”). All the presentations were filmed and recorded with iPads and IC recorders, and the data were provided to the presenters who needed them.

Subsequently, the English instructors made sample presentations. As they say, “Seeing is believing.” The participants seemed to have learned a lot from the instructors’ performance with visually organized slides, effective gestures that attracted the eyes of the audience, and logically structured content without unnecessary things.

The participants then individually worked on improving their presentation materials and methods. They were able to consult the instructors at any time and also had an active discussion with other participants.

Finally, they gave a second try on making presentations and received feedback in groups. Some participants used a projector and a massive screen as if they were making presentations at a real academic conference. Through a half-day exercise, all the groups were able to improve their presentations from the first ones. The instructors commented on the presentations, and all the participants shared the points they should further improve.

We received positive feedback from the participants after the workshop as follows:
“With an opportunity to make a presentation and receive thorough feedback in such a small group, I sincerely feel that I’ve made a progress in just a half day.”
“It was valuable to receive thorough feedback from the instructor. Thanks to it, I gained a little confidence. The workshop was a precious time for me.”
“By immersing myself in an environment where I had to make a presentation without any script, I came to realize surprisingly that I was able to make it. I gained self-confidence.”

PAGE will continue to hold workshops on the improvement of academic communication skills in English. We sincerely look forward to your participation.


Click here for a free online program provided by the PAGE project: English Academia.↓
https://utokyo-ea.com

Click here for more details of the PAGE project. ↓
https://www.he.u-tokyo.ac.jp/activities/page/

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The UTokyo FFP and “Interactive Teaching” Registered as Projects of the UTokyo Future Society Initiative (UTokyo FSI)

“The University of Tokyo Future Faculty Program (UTokyo FFP)” and “Interactive Teaching” were registered as projects of the UTokyo Future Society Initiative (UTokyo FSI).

The Future Society Initiative SDGs Project is a system to promote synergies between research activities and to create the social impact of value by visualizing and sharing various activities at the University of Tokyo that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all the member states in 2015.

For more details, please refer to the following website of the UTokyo FSI:
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/fsi/en/projects/sdgs/projects_00123.html

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[10th UTokyo FFP] DAY 2 Class Design

DAY 2 sessions for the 10th UTokyo FFP were held on October 19th and 20th. The main topics were as follows:

  • ・Instructional design and the ADDIE model
  • ・Class design (How to design a class of 90 or 105 minutes)
  • ・Active learning strategies (Asking questions, Think-Pair-Share, and Peer Instruction)
  • ・Effects and limits of active learning
  • ・Motivation (Expectancy-value theory and environment)
  • ・Exercise in class design
We had a lot of topics to cover in a single session.
Essentially, each of them needs plenty of time to learn.
I showed the participants the following paper when explaining the effects of active learning:

Deslauriers, L., Schelew, E., & Wieman, C. (2011). Improved learning in a large-enrollment physics class. science, 332(6031), 862-864.

According to the paper, the scores of the examination after the class were overwhelmingly higher for the students who took an interactive class conducted by an inexperienced postdoc than for those who took a one-way lecture conducted by an expert instructor with high ratings on his/her classes. The “interactive” here means that the Peer Instruction method was used.

Peer Instruction is a method developed by Dr. Eric Mazur at Harvard University. The instructor prepares a multiple-choice question that requires reflection, and prepared students tackle the question and have a debate with neighboring students on the choices they made. The debate is for sharing the reasons why they chose a certain answer and convincing others. Please refer to the following link for more details.

https://dev2.utokyofd.com/en/it/summary/#section02

The advantage of Peer Instruction is that students can remember what they learned regardless of whether they chose the right or wrong answer by getting involved in a discussion on the question. Even if they realized that they were wrong, they would never forget the concept they are supposed to learn with that question. Therefore, the important thing is to provide the students with an environment in which they can reveal their thoughts without hesitation even if they may be wrong. Otherwise, saying something wrong may equal being embarrassed, which makes them refrain from speaking.

Making the environment secure enough to let the participants “listen to others, give an opinion, and have a discussion” is important not only for Peer Instruction but also for group activities.

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[Report] The 3rd Frendship Luncheon

Friendship Luncheon was held at Faculty of Law & Letters Bldg. 2 on October 16th.
There were 11 participants including those without pre-registration.

Just like the past Luncheons, participants were divided into groups of about four and exchanged questions and others related to student life in Japan.
Every group consisted of both overseas students and Japanese. They seemed to be having a lively conversation in a friendly atmosphere over the above topic and others.

We are planning to continue holding this Luncheon event to help overseas and Japanese students, who have few opportunities to communicate in their daily lives, interact with each other.

The following is the overview of the next event (The 4th Luncheon). Please feel free to join us.
＝＝
・Date/Time (The 4th Luncheon): December 11th, 2017, 12:10–13:00

・Venue: 2201, 2F, Faculty of Law & Letters Bldg. 2

・Intended for: UTokyo members only with any position: Undergraduates, Graduates, or Faculty/Staff

・Language: Japanese

・Please bring your lunch and drink.

・Registration Form

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[10th UTokyo FFP] DAY 1 Beginning of the Course

The 10th University of Tokyo Future Faculty Program (UTokyo FFP) started on October 5th and 6th! The classes are conducted through Periods 3–4 every other week of the A Term, in principle. UTokyo FFP offers four courses a year, and two of them in the A Term are both held at Fukutake Hall, Hongo Campus. We are planning to deliver the courses (titled with odd numbers) on Komaba Campus in the S Term.

The first session is, as always, focused on creating a “collaborative learning environment.”

  • ・Goals, objectives, and ground rules
  • ・Icebreaker (Introducing others)
  • ・Research presentation (1-min self-introduction) & peer review
  • ・Present situation of higher education
  • ・Summary of the UTokyo FFP
This time, again, more than 90% of participants met each other for the first time. As for Thursday and Friday Classes, two or three people answered that they had acquaintances. This is the usual case, so the classes start with a tense atmosphere.
We designed the class to ease the tension by starting with asking easy-to-answer questions, then gradually moving on to group activities. One of the participants indicated “To make students laugh” as an important point in conducting the first class, which is also useful to create a collaborative atmosphere.
The research presentation is positioned as part of a self-introduction in your class in the future, which is for conveying the value and charms of your research to your students within one minute. Feedback on the research presentation will be given from the following three viewpoints: (1) Feedback from other participants, (2) Direct feedback from the instructor (Kurita), and (3) Self-evaluation by checking the video. The assignment is to organize and hand in “What was good about the presentation, what points need improvement, and what you learned from others.” It must be a rare opportunity to receive such rich feedback, so I would like the participants to take it as a chance to reflect on themselves.
(Kurita)
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Book Fair “Develop Your Academic English Skills!”

The PAGE project is now holding a book fair with the cooperation of Asahi Press to celebrate the publication of the book “English Academia: Learning Academic English Communication through Stories.”

The book fair “Develop Your Academic English Skills!” has been held for about a month from early October 2017 on Hongo, Komaba, and Kashiwa campuses of the University of Tokyo.

The fair offers you a series of effective English learning materials for academic English. Please feel free to stop by.

Leaflets showing a brief summary of each book are available on the shelves of the book fair for free. We look forward to your visit.

 

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Publication “English Academia: Learning Academic English Communication through Stories”

This book is the print version of a free online course “English Academia” produced by the PAGE project, Center for Research and Development of Higher Education.

Our online course “English Academia” has already been used by more than 10,000 people. On converting the content into a book, we made improvements in visuals and added Japanese translation to the original English scripts. An audio CD accompanies the book, so you can repetitively learn the content offline.

English Academia: Learning Academic English Communication through Stories
http://amzn.to/2fSwjmp

 

The book is perfect for graduate students and young researchers who have trouble with :

✓explaining their research in English.

✓discussing with overseas students in English.

✓making presentations at international conferences.

✓giving lectures in English.

 

It helps you learn various English phrases that researchers use in settings such as laboratories, international conferences, and lectures.
The book will surely be a guide for your journey with academic English!

 

Table of Contents:

Module 1 Introducing yourself and your research

Module 2 Explaining progress in your research in a lab meeting

Module 3 Discussing your research with a colleague

Module 4 Making a presentation at a poster session

Module 5 Giving a presentation at an international conference

Module 6 Socializing at a conference

Module 7 Facilitating group discussions

Module 8 Teaching a class as a guest lecturer

Module 9 Preparing for a teaching demonstration

Module 10 Finale

Please have a look!

 

How to read 1
How to read 2
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Event Information

[Upcoming] Symposium on “Career of Doctoral Students”

We are pleased to announce that we will co-organize a symposium on “Career of Doctoral Students” with Acaric Co., Ltd.

Today the career paths of those who completed their doctoral programs have become uncertain. Even if they wish to enter the academic profession such as a job at a university, it has become difficult for them to build their career paths as they wish. However, doctoral resources have potential in various fields, and such fields are increasing in number. Therefore, we would like to hold this symposium to provide you with an opportunity to discuss where doctoral resources can play an active role. Specifically, the speakers will present various possibilities in career paths such as universities, corporations, and start-up companies, followed by a discussion with the whole participants.

Please refer to the following for the summary of the symposium. Please also check the external website (the URL will be shown afterward) for more details.

We look forward to your participation.

[Details/Application URL]　https://acaric.jp/special/event/20171028-phd-career-symposium

[Date/Time] October 28th (Sat) 13:00–17:30 *Reception from 18:00 (Additional fee required. You can join as you please.)

[Venue] Fukutake Learning Theater, B2, Fukutake Hall, Hongo Campus, The University of Tokyo　http://fukutake.iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp/

[Capacity] 180 people (accepted in the order of application)

[Fee] Free of charge

[Speakers] (*Listed without titles in order of appearance on stage)

Nobunaga Hayashi (Representative, Acaric Co., Ltd.)

Kayoko Kurita (Associate Professor, The University of Tokyo)

Lui Yoshida (Project Research Associate, The University of Tokyo)

Takaaki Umada (Director, Hongo Tech Garage, The University of Tokyo)

Seiji Amano (DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED)

and others

=Co-organized by=

Acaric Co., Ltd.

The University of Tokyo Future Faculty Program, Center for Research and Development of Higher Education, The University of Tokyo

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[Event Report Available on Kyōiku Gakujutsu Shimbun No. 2700] “Interactive Teaching” Big Real Session: Part 2 “Becoming a Rubric Master”

The event report and summary of “Interactive Teaching” Big Real Session: Part 2 “Becoming a Rubric Master” (August 20th) were published in “Kyōiku Gakujutsu Shimbun” No. 2700 (issued on September 20th, 2017). The editorial department kindly allowed us to share the post. Please check it out.

 

References

Videos “Interactive Teaching” JREC-IN website UTokyo FD website

Book “Interactive Teaching” (Kawai Publishing, 2017) https://www.kawai-publishing.jp/book/?isbn=978-4-7772-1794-6 (Kawai Publishing website)