Learning English

Yuiko

The most difficult thing in the life in MFWI is expressing my feeling and saying my opinion quickly in classes. I’ve never felt pressure during classes in Japan, but in MFWI I always feel pressure, because students have to say something to teacher. The teaching style is completely different from Japan. Now, I’m learning how to react quickly to what the teacher says. It will help me improve my English skill when I go back to Japan.

In Japan, students don’t have to say their opinion in classes, because almost all teachers don’t demand the students’ opinions. This teaching style causes students’ lack of interest to the topic of classes. I’ve been used to this teaching style since I entered junior high school. As a result, I thought that it is natural that students don’t say anything during classes. However, this attitude isn’t needed by teachers in MFWI. We have to answer in our words to teachers. To tell exactly what I think about a topic in my words is very difficult even in Japanese. Moreover, we have to say our opinion in English in the classes here. It is too difficult to choose right words from my poor English vocabulary! I am not used to American teaching style still, but I learned that saying my opinion in my words is very important both in Japanese and in English.

Saying my opinion during classes will help me not only to study, but also to get a job. If students say their opinion during classes in Japan, I think Japanese students need not to be confused by job interviews which almost all students will experience in the near future. I’ve often heard by some senior students that they felt very nervous in their job interview though they practiced many times. They told me that saying their opinion quickly was very difficult and it made them panic. I think that reacting quickly during classes can be one practice for job interviews. For this reason, learning the way to express my opinion or feelings quickly is very important and very useful.
In conclusion, I should be more active during classes and I should try to say my opinion to teachers. I hope that this attitude will help classes to be more fun.