2018 Volume 60 Issue 1 Pages 44-58
This study examines whether a teaching method that makes use of intentional discourse about the weather report an everyday topic is effective for improving Japanese reading ability,which is currently an issue in Japanese education.
I developed a language instruction method called the ʻOtenki(Weather)Methodʼthat deepens studentsʼunderstanding of words by having them match words with everyday life experiences and heightens studentsʼsense of the language by exposing them to the same words repeatedly. The following two points became clear when this method was implemented at a mainstream elementary school.
First,this method,which makes use of intentional discourse,improves vocabulary ability. In other words,effective Japanese language education can be carried out via continual instruction that takes place even during short conversations outside of Japanese class such as morning meetings.
Second,using this method,students can deepen their understanding of various words relating to the seasons through experience. Furthermore, repeatedly hearing the same words enhances their vocabulary abilities and sense of the language,fostering pragmatic competence.
It appears that this Japanese language education method would be effective for not only students at schools for the hearing impaired and mainstream elementary schools,but also for pre-elementary schoolchildren and middle school students.
