FIELD STUDY

The group of 7 visited several schools and NPOs in Seattle and Portand to understand culture and languagee learning in the US. We learned a lot and also has a good time!

Japanese Immersion Program in Mt. Tabor Middle School

The students at Mt. Tabor study every subject by Japanese. This is called an immersion program, and Portland has special schools for immersion in Spanish and Chinese, as well.  There seems to be evidence that students can learn a second language well, with out falling behind in other subjects.

In the class we visited, students are 8^th grade and they have studied Japanese since they were kindergarten students. There are two teachers, one American and an assistant from Japan. They both spoke only Japanese, and the room was full of Japanese instructions and other signs. They were studying “Kanji”. It was difficult for us but they were studying hard. It was interesting to interact with the American kids speaking Japanese! (by Saori)

Asian-Americans

We met many Asian-Americans in Seattle and Portland, especially in Seattle's Chinatown. The Wing Luke Asian Museum is the Asian American community-based museum, which is explained about the culture, tradition, and history of Chinese and other immigrants. This area is called international district, because a lot of ethnic groups (African-Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnams, Cambodians, etc.) settled together and built one neighborhood. At first, many male workers had come here, but as time passed, they were joined by their family. Many kinds of ethnic groups got along with each other, but on the other hand, the racial discrimination to those people also broke out. Immigrants could not even live in other parts of Seattle. Now, they can live whereever, but cities now appreciate and promote diversity and international discticts. (by Saika)



We met a Vietnamese man, our tour guide at the University of Washington. He is 21, a senior in the university. I thought he is international student, but he explained us about facilities in fluent English during the tour. He has lived in the U.S since he was five years old (but never took Enlish classes. He speaks Vietnamese when he talks with his family, but had not yet been back to Vietnam. The U.S took many Vietnamese or Cambodian after the Vietnam War, as a sort of apology for imprisoning many during the war. (by Sarasa)

We also met a Cambodian, who gave us a tour at the Asian-American museum in Chinatown. Though she never had language classes, she spoke fluently; in fact, she spoke so quickly, most students couldn't understand! However, her mom doesn't speak English though she has been her many years. She has relied on her daughter since a young age to help her communicate at the doctor or supermarket. This seems to be common for many immigrant families.

Interviewing Ichiro & Johjima's Interpreter

On September 9th, we met Anthony Suzuki whose job is to be an interpreter for Ichiro and Johjima of the Seattle Mariners. He talked about what's the interpreter, part of the difficulty of this job, and his future. He was born in Hawaii and grew up there until 16 years old. He comes back to Japan during the off season, occassionally. He said a lot of things about the job of interpreter, but when he interpret Ichiro or Johjima's words, the most important thing is to care about the words he chooses, because he mustn't make a mistake in the process of translation. And also he pays attention to a subtle nuances he uses at a press conference. Then, finally, he told us his future. He wants to get the position of GM (to make a team better.) This interview was beneficial for us! (by Saika)

Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization

IRCO is a program in Portland to assist mainly refugees. America accepts many people facing war or discrimination in their home countries. The people face challenges once they come to the US. IRCO has one year to try to get them a job, so the refugees need language, literacy, and cultural training. In the future, Japan may accept more immigrants, so they'll need more programs like IRCO.

IRCO - low-level class: The students were from Thailand and Nepal as immigrates or refugees. They have studied beginning vowels and vocabulary. It is difficult to teach beginning language for adults so the teacher said she is trying to speak slowly and low voice. She was always smiling and looks enjoying teaching. The students also look enjoying the time so they had good time. They were studying simple signs such as "DANGER!", and some of them cannot read in their native language, making it an extra challange. (by Saori)

IRCO middle-level class
The students were from several countries, including Cuba, Iraq, Nepal, Burma, and Eastern Eurpean countries. They were very enthusiastic about speaking! The English learners (students) learned “to be” and “plurals”. At first, they learned how to say their name and their family’s name like “My name is…” “My mother’s name is…” After that, teacher asked their name and they answered it. Then they played a game, teacher told them to stand up if her questions apply to them. Questions are like “If you have a sister, stand up.” Or “if you get married, stand up.” They can learn English in an enjoyable way. After they finished it, the teacher asked them to tell foods and juice name which they like, and she wrote it on whiteboard. They chose 5 favorite foods and not favorite one and wrote out it. When they finished, teacher checked it. Teacher asked them “Do you like…?” and learners answered “Yes, I do.” Or “No, I don’t.” They used a hand out, played a game, and needed to speak. (by Aya)

Spanish-English Bilingual Education

Washington Elementary school is 90% Hispanic. I went to the 2nd grade students' class, whose mother tongue is Spanish and who study English as a second language. At first, I introduced a Japanese childrens' song, "Abraham" with a dance, which made us relaxed and cheerful. Then, I taught them how to count from one to ten in Japanese, using English. Of course, it was difficult for me to talk to them in English, but the teachers explained what I said to them in Spanish, which was helpful to me. In addition, the students were very obedient and positive, so the students raised their hands as they finished one Japanese form, "Hiragana", like "ichi(1)", "ni(2)", "san(3)", one by one. They were so curious and friendly, so they asked me lots of questions, like "How can I say XXXX in Japanese?" Some of them can speak English, because their parents are from speaking English area. Finally, they gave me pictures written by them. There are them and me in the pictures. Some of the students wrote a short letter on the back side of them. I'm so happy to teach them Japanese and to interact with them. I learned so many things from this experience. It was a good experience for me, because my dream is to be a language teacher. dream has become stroner since this time. I appreciate such a wonderful opportunity. (by Rie)

Middle class students in Washington elementary school were so powerful and curios. When I introduced myself in front of the class, students listened to me seriously. However, when I asked them if they had questions, most of them raised their hands and they asked me how I say ～ in Japanese. Sometimes, they asked me in Spanish. Therefore, I could also learn some Spanish words. However, I can’t remember them.… Moreover, they asked me how to write their name in Japanese. Some students were interested in Japanese culture or nature. Others know Japanese cartoon. I was very pleased with them! (by Sarasa)

This school’s rate of nationality was about 8 (Spanish speaking students) : 2(English speaking students).  The lesson was held in small classes and children were leaning English with songs, conversation between their friends and teacher and so on….  There was a special class for advanced students and they were learning about Japan too. Also, there was a class called “Special”, (they call the disability children “special”).  The teacher in this school can speak more than one (English or Spanish) language.  Every child was friendly, shy, docile and adorable. The 1st grade is mostly is Spanish, and they slowly move the classes to 50-50 Spanish-English. In the 6th grade class, the students were mostly fluent. (by Mari)

Mexican-America: Woodburn, Or.

The Mexican town we looked around was so interesting because there were many shops which the shopkeeper is from Mexico, the words are written in Spanish, and the goods are from Mexico.… The reason why so many Mexicans live in theis town is because it is surrounded by farms. Farms hire Mexican immigrants for their cheap labor and hard-working skills. 

We visited one farm, the Bauman farm, which in managed by a couple. It was different from most farms: it was full of fun, surprise, and naturally made fruits, veggies, and flowers. The things sold in the shop were all made from their farm.  Also, they were making an amusement park next to the farm and shops so that many families can visit there with kids. (by Mari)  

Sociolinguistics lecture at Portland State

English Programs at universities in Seattle & Portland

UW Intensive English Program
University of Washington has 7 English language programs. The coordinator recommended the “Short-term English Program Courses (STEP) Three-week intensive courses on the University of Washington campus”. It has 3 sessions, and he suggested us to take second one because there are many international students. Most students are Japanese in third one, so if you want to study English hard, you should choose second one. It coasts about $2,254. Most Japanese students are good at grammar, but it is not good at writing as a grammar skill. By taking classes, students need critical thinking, and their writing skill will get better. Also, their listening skill gets better really fast because of the environment. (by Aya)

Judy Reed introduced the Intensive English Language Program at Portland State University to us. The largest groups studying English at PSU are currently Saudi Arabians, Japanese, (South) Korean, African, Chinese, Taiwanes, and Vietnamese. Therefore, we can see the students from various countries at this university. (However, the numbers of Japanese students is decreasing, after 9-11.) On the other hand, the numbers of Saudi Arabians is increasing, especially.The national policy of Saudi Arabian force their English skills to improve to graduate ones in only one year. Generally, it seemes to be impossible. However, Saudi Arabian students' motivation is very high and they worked hard, so their English skills improved to graduate level in one year. Japanese students tend to be good at grammar, but poor at speaking. Teachers motivate such students by giving opportunities to speak English many times in the class. Judy's English speaking was so clear for us to listen and understand, so I learned from her, "language teacher should speak the language, which he/she teach students, clearly and slowly to listen for the students who start to study the language." (by Rie M.)