カルロス・ギエルモ・ガルシアⅡ

171

吉備国際大学研究紀要（人文・社会科学系）
第26号，171−178，2016

インターナショナル・コミュニケーション
─英語コミュニケーション活動の促進─
カルロス・ギエルモ・ガルシアⅡInternational Communication
─ An in depth look at activities used to facilitate English communication between
Japanese and foreign university students ─Carlos Guillermo GARCIA IIAbstract
This article will discuss the activities I used to help our Japanese students interact andcommunicate in English with visiting American and Brazilian students. I talk about theactivities we used, as well as dissect the process of creating these ideas to incorporate
language and culture. The challenge was to“even the playing field”for our Japanese
students since their English level is well below that of the Americans and Brazilians. Inthe end, the activities worked well to break the ice and help students get to know eachother, and allowed our Japanese students plenty of opportunities to communicate in English.
Students gained confidence in their abilities and got to see the level of English they willencounter when they study abroad.
Key words：Communication, Teamwork activity, Multilingual
キーワード：コミュニケーション，チームワーク・アクティビティ，マルチリンガル

Introduction

other and have fun at the same time? This was

What do you think would happen if you threw

the situation we encountered when we started

university students from three different countries,

working at this university in April 2014. Not

who speak three different languages, together?

knowing anything about the foreign students

How would you get them to interact with each

who were coming, and knowing our Japanese

吉備国際大学外国語学部〒700-0931 岡山県岡山市北区奥田西町５-５
School of Foreign Language Studies,
Kibi International University
5-5, Okuda Nishimachi, Kitaku, Okayama, Japan（700-0931）

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students needed more practice developing theirquestion is being asked because they have theEnglish communication skills, I tried to design

same question on their own paper. So instead ofsome activities to help all students work together,

listening to their partner, they read the question

communicate, and get to know each other. You

off their own paper, and then answer it. By having

will read about the activities, how they were

all students have the same questions, it eliminates

created, and the final results of this experience.

the need to listen to what your partner is asking.
One way to add a level of difficulty would be toThe Activities:

have each student write their own question. For
example, instead of everyone asking“What is your1. Things in Common

favorite color?”, you could leave a blank space forIn the first year (2014), I started the day off withstudents to write their own question;“What is

an activity called“Things in Common”. This typeyour favorite….?”Then students have to listen toof game is what’s called a“mingle”activity. It

what is being asked because they wouldn’t know

requires students to have to interact with thewhat question to expect.

majority of the other students, as opposed to thesame partner the whole time. Typically, this kind

However, for the activity with the Brazilian andof activity has students practicing some target

American students, I went one step further. Being

language like“what is your favorite…”Students

American myself, I assumed that the American

would typically have a set of questions to read tostudents would take control of the situation if oura partner, and the partner listens and then tries

shy Japanese students were unclear or unwillingto answer in a complete sentence. Here is what ato speak. I also made the same assumption of thesample conversation would look like:

Brazilian students. I assumed that if all students’Partner A: What is your favorite color?

questions were in English, the Americans would

Partner B: My favorite color is red. What is yourjust look at their partners’list of questions andfavorite food?

figure out what was being asked, and answer

Partner A: My favorite food is pizza. What is yourit. I also assumed that our shy, overwhelmedfavorite animal?

Japanese students would gladly accept the“help”

Partner B: My favorite animal is a dog.

of the American students and let them look atThis is the most basic form of this activity, andtheir question list. I don’t think students wantin most cases that I have seen it used, students

to intentionally“cheat”on the activity, but nothave the exact same questions. The problem

everyone is patient, and when the questions arewith this is that students don’t have to listen toso easy to look at and read, I think most people

the question completely. What I have found iswill take a peek to speed things along. So what I

that most students will try to do the minimum

did was make different questions for each group

amount required to complete the activity. So theof students (American, Japanese, and Brazilian)problem that occurs is that students know whichand I wrote the questions in each groups’nativeカルロス・ギエルモ・ガルシアⅡlanguage. The Japanese students had questions

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In Japanese:

written in Japanese, the Americans had English,
and the Brazilians had Portuguese. I realizedthat there may be a few students who can readanother group’s language, but the majority ofstudents would not be able to. I decided to write
different questions for each group because of
the situation I mentioned before. I didn’t wantour students to ignore their partner, especiallywhen they had a great chance to communicate inEnglish with other speakers of English. I choseto write the questions in each group’s nativelanguage because I thought it would stop ourIn English:

students from looking and reading the question
from either their own sheet, or their partner’s. I
also thought it would cause students to have toactually pay attention and listen to the question
being asked. Here is what each question sheet
looked like:
In Brazilian:

As you can see, there are three columns on thissheet. The first column is the question, the second
column called“YOUR answers”is where each
student will answer the question themselves
before the activity starts, and the third column
called“Partners’name”is where they write thename of the person they spoke to. In this activity,
they have to find someone who has something incommon with themselves. More specifically, they
have to find someone who answered the question
the same as they did. If they meet someone andthey did not answer the question the same, then174

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they could ask more questions until they foundI feel I should mention that these questions

a question they answered the same. After eachwere not very difficult and didn’t focus on any

student finds one thing in common, they move onparticular grammar point. The main purpose of

to find another partner to ask.

this activity was to meet new people, find things

While the main goal of the activity is toin common, learn a little about each culture, andcommunicate, an additional goal of this exercise

to have things to talk about later if, or when, they

was to help students get to know each other. Even

had time to chat.

if students didn’t answer the question the sameway, they were learning information about their

2. Find Someone Whopartner. Then, when they finally found a question

In 2015, I decided to change the activity, a little,

they answered the same, something in common,to one called“Find Someone Who”
. This is also athey would hopefully form a small bond over it, ormingle activity, and again, the main purpose ofat least have something to talk about.

this activity is the same as the last one: to meet
new people, find things in common, learn a little

Another thing I tried to incorporate was cultural

about each culture, and to have things to talkquestions. Not every question, but some questions

about later if, or when, they had time to chat.

were chosen because I felt it would give students

So again, typically the point of this activity is toan idea about the culture. For example, question

ask questions to other students in the class and8 on the American (English) worksheet asks

find someone who gives the answer you need. The“Do you have a driver’s license?”In the United

main difference between“Things in Common”

States, most people get a driver’s license at theand“Find Someone Who”is that“Find Someone

age of 16. In Japan, people are not allowed to getWho”doesn’t require you to find something ina car driver’s license until they are 18 years old.

common with anyone else. It’s simply a question

In the U.S., most cities do not have good public

to help you get to know things about other people.

transportation, so we tend to drive everywhere.

So making the same assumptions about foreign
students and Japanese students as I did theHowever, in Japan, public transportation is muchfirst time, I again made separate questions forbetter, the costs of having a car are very high, andeach group of students, and I put them in their

there is not as much of a need to have a driver’srespective native languages. Below is what thelicense or a car. Therefore, when the American

worksheets looked like:students asked the Japanese students“Do you
have a driver’s license?”they would probably
get many“no”answers, whereas most American
students would answer“yes”to it. So by doing
this, I hoped each group of students would learn alittle something about each other that way too.

カルロス・ギエルモ・ガルシアⅡ

In English:

175

their partner writes their name in the space. Somequestions, however, ask a negative question, likequestion 8 on the English worksheet. It says“doesnot have a job”
. Students again need to formulate
the correct question,“Do you have a job?”, andlisten for an answer that fits this criteria. In thiscase, students are trying to get a“no”answer
because the question wants you to find someone
who does NOT have a job.

In Portuguese:
The instructions I gave for both “Things inCommon”and“Find Someone Who”were thatstudents could not ask questions to students of
their own native language. This meant Japanese
students were not allowed to ask other Japanese
students, American students were not allowed toask other American students, and the Brazilianstudents were given the same instructions. IIn Japanese:planned each activity to take about 20 minutes,
but while I monitored the time and helped
students find partners, I mainly kept an eye
on everyone’s worksheet and allowed themenough time to finish, or almost finish. Because oflanguage ability and outgoing personalities, theAmerican and Brazilian students tended to ask
follow-up questions to the Japanese students.
This put our students in a position to have toThe way to do this activity is to search for

speak English without reading or memorizingsomeone who fits the criteria you are looking for.

anything. They were essentially in a controlled

For example, question 1 on the English worksheet“real life”speaking situation. Some students did

says“ …someone who has been to Hawaii”. To

great on their own, some students asked forfind someone who has been to Hawaii, students

help from friends, but all students tried hard andshould NOT say“has been to Hawaii”. They needwere able to communicate in English. I was very

to understand what the question is asking, thensatisfied with this result.

formulate the question correctly:“Have you (ever)been to Hawaii”? If a student answers“yes”, then176

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3. Photo Scavenger Huntiro”and“koushuu-denwa”.

The main activity for both 2014 and 2015 was thesame, a photo scavenger hunt. In case you are

About 15 clues were either English only, or

not familiar with scavenger hunts, I will briefly

written in romaji using both English andexplain. In a scavenger hunt, your team or groupJapanese, but the other 25 clues were written inis required to go around the neighborhood andJapanese only. My hope was to put our students

find the things on your list. The items on the listin a position to have to figure out a way toare usually a little odd and not so common or easy

communicate the details of the clues to their team

to find because it makes it more of a challenge tomembers. So if a Japanese student saw the clue

get the items. For example, your list may have“a sign that has ao iro writing”, they might only

items like; a penny from 1998, a $0.25 coupon,understand“sign”and“ao iro (blue)”, and thinkor a napkin with the name of a restaurant on

they have to find a blue sign. But if you look

it. A newer type of scavenger hunt is a photoclosely, they are searching for a sign with blue

scavenger hunt, where you don’t have to collectwriting, not a blue sign. So the details of the clues

items; you just have to take digital pictures of therequired the groups (one Japanese student, onethings on your list. These games are fun and great

American student, and one Brazilian student) tofor utilizing teamwork, but there is no languagework together to clearly understand the clues

required to find the items.

and take the correct pictures. Again, I tried toinclude some“cultural questions”so that during

Because I feel that scavenger hunts are great

the activity the American and Brazilian students

teamwork activities, and they are fun, I adapted

could learn a few new Japanese words, andit and added a language element to it so it fit our

hopefully pick up some of the cultural differences.

needs. I made a list of 40 things for students toOne example would be the questions about finding

find and take pictures of. The items were not justa sign with hiragana, a sign in katakana, anda list of things like a car or a house, but instead

another question about finding kanji. My hope wasa description of something to find or do and takethat the foreign students would be made aware

a picture of. Examples of English only clues areof the fact that Japan has three different writing“one group member shaking hands with a police

systems. At the same time, I tried to make theofficer”or“all group members spelling a wordquestions so that our Japanese students wouldwith their bodies”. Other clues had English andhave to explain a little part of Japanese culture.

Japanese mixed, for example“a sign that has

With the example of finding the different types ofao iro writing”or“a picture of someone using awriting, I hoped that in their search, the foreign

koushuu-denwa”. By mixing Japanese and English,

students would ask about the difference between

I hoped that American and Brazilian students

the types of writing, and it would lead to a shortwould have to get help from the Japaneseconversation about it in English.

students to understand Japanese words like“aoカルロス・ギエルモ・ガルシアⅡ

177

Here is an example of what the list looked like:way the activities got students to work together

TAKE A PICTURE OF…

and communicate. They mentioned how the1) …. スーツを着て自転車に乗っている人

activities were fun and encouraged students to2) …. a group member hugging a store employee

speak, listen to, and understand each other. Iin uniform.

also made a survey for students in my classes

3) …. 外国のお金

to evaluate and share their thoughts about the4) …. a team member sliding down a slide headactivities. Students said they learned new things

first.

about people from the other cultures, and they5) …. a word on a sign written in katakana.

gained a little confidence in their English abilities

6) …. two people holding hands.

because they were able to communicate, even7) …. a word written in Hiragana on a sign

if it wasn’t in perfect English. I think this is an8) …. someone using an“uchiwa”or“sensu”.

important point to touch on because Japanese
students are usually afraid to made mistakes,

As is typical for a scavenger hunt, groups wereand they feel they have to speak perfect English.

given a time limit that they had to finish by, and a

Through these activities, they learned thatset of rules to follow.

communication, not perfect English, is the mostThe rules were as follows:

important thing. I also feel it gave students alook into the future at what their study abroad

Photo Scavenger Hunt Rules:

experience will be like. Typically, foreign students

1. Only use 1 camera per group.

are more outspoken and assertive than Japanese

2. No pictures of phones or computer screens.

students, so Japanese students can get a feel for

3. Pictures don’t have to be in the same order as

what foreigners are like, how they act, and what

the list.

level of English they will be dealing with. I also

4. Take a photo, then its corresponding number.

hope that our Japanese students became less

5. Don’t be late!

intimidated by the thought of interacting withforeigners.

Results
Conclusion
Upon completion of the activity, we (teachers)
checked the photos with the list to make sure

Overall, I was very pleased with the way thestudents took the correct pictures. We awarded aactivities went. Students from each university

point for each correct picture, and the top 5 teams

seemed to enjoy getting to know each other

won prizes.

through the activities. They were given a chance
to meet people they might not have met if theyAt the end of each event, professors from thewere left alone to meet people. One thing I also

American Universities complimented me on thenoticed is that because the American and Brazilian

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インターナショナル・コミュニケーション─英語コミュニケーション活動の促進─

students were so outgoing, it forced our students

I look forward to meeting the next group ofto come out of their shells a little bit. I thinkforeign students in 2016, and seeing how our newseeing and interacting with the foreign students

students interact with them. I also look forward tohelped our students relax and open up more thanseeing how much progress our second and third

they would have in a simple classroom setting.

year students have made in their English abilities.

ReJuh(PMuReferences
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Mary Ann Christison, University of Utah: Multiple Intelligences: Theory and Practice in Adult ESL. December(1999). Accessed December 12th, 2015 from http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/MI.html
Schultz, M. and A. Fisher. (1998). Interacting in the Language Classroom. Games for All Reasons. Massachusetts:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Hadfield, J. (1990). A Collection of Games and Activities for Low to Mid-Intermediate students of English.
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