These days “university” means to me research and testing the methods we use, how to have control groups, seeing what gets the best results and how to reduce external variables. I often forget that universities also have the undergraduate side, and today was a presentation for such students.

Currently one of the biggest problems with Japanese university students is the lack of communication skills and the associated problems that brings. Today’s universities have to devote a lot of time to developing these skills in the students, many times using techniques similar to Genki English but without the English. Of course these are the exact same skills we incorporate into Genki English lesson plans and are the exact same skills that companies pay fortunes for in enterprise training.

So today instead of starting with how to teach Genki English (all the students will become teachers) I was asked to first do a 1 hour personal development workshop, including communication and confidence skills, then how we use those in primary schools with the songs and games.

Japanese Stories

Before I started, the students were doing presentations of Japanese stories and games, to improve their skills. But what I saw was people at the same level with the same problems and same good points that we see in our elementary school students! They were good, but had the potential to be so much better!

So I started out with Genki Relax (not a good choice today as they then become sleepy!) but went on with the “with our thoughts we make the world” type workshop, showing that, well, whatever we think about happens. And how we can use that to achieve whatever life or lifestyle we want.

Showing photos of my recent travels as well as the TV photos certainly helped to reinforce that with the students!

Great Teacher! Bad Teacher!

I based the rest of the lesson on the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” exercises, but this time I changed it to “Great Teacher, Bad Teacher.” Not “good” teacher, because no-one wants a good teacher, what everyone deserves is a great teacher. Then I figured out why this was resonating with the students so much, the famous manga comic “GTO” doesn’t, of course, stand for “Good Teacher Onizuka”, he’s a Great Teacher!

But I was surprised that they’d never had lessons like this before. I guess I always assumed that people knew that everything is what you make it, and the key to success is simply the right way of thinking, but they were almost in shock whilst I was doing things, like someone who’d just been handed a million dollars!

Although I will have to work on the lesson plan more, adding in more practical exercises, as it is a little heavy in one go!

If you decide to give it a try, I’d say split it up into maybe just one or two sections per lesson. And I’ll try and figure out more practical activities we can use to break it up and maybe get through more each lesson. If you do have any ideas then please write them in the comments!

P.S. I also added in the kittens today, trying to go for the “cute vote” (the idea is the sleeping kitten is having sweet dreams after doing a good days work!) Unfortunately they all though the “bad teacher” kitten was cuter!

Part Two Tomorrow!

Tune in tomorrow for part two: how to teach all this in primary school + how to make yourself genki whenever you like!