This paper discusses the feasibility of debate for TEFL instruction. After defining debate format, a five-person debate is chosen for the high school context. In the next section, debate is analyzed in terms of pedagogical theory. Debate is content-based, satisfies the desire to communicate meaningfully, develops critical thinking skills and can be designed to integrate the four skills. Finally RICA, Reading-based Integrated Communicative Approach, is defined. This approach is particularly sensitive to affective factors and the development of schema.

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Recently, common wisdom has decreed that the use of videos in the classroom will enhance and improve language comprehension among English language students. Indeed, recent studies find that using videos can enhance students' motivation to study. Nevertheless, empirical research on the effectiveness of using videos is not copious. To fill the void, the present study focuses on empirical data on the efficacy of videos in the classroom. This study's primary purpose is a comparison of learning curves in classrooms using English videos to those that do not. There are four subsidiary aims : (1) to establish an efficacious sequence in the use of video tapes/ audio tapes. Specifically, we were measuring whether students learned English faster if they watched a video before or after listening to its audio tape; (2) to measure the results, before or after subjects watch a video, attained when they listen to the sound while reading a tapescript at the tape speed. Specifically, we were measuring the difference between comprehension achieved by listening to utterances and comprehension achieved by listening to and looking at the same utterances concurrently; (3) to investigate to what degree the results of the above methods vary with the students' listening proficiency. These results were analyzed by two types of listening comprehension tests, basic questions and advanced questions.

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Fluency as well as accuracy activities are essential for the acquisition of communicative competence, but actual foreign language teaching in Japan tends to be focused only on accuracy. Speaking is a typical fluency activity, which has hardly ever been taught in schools. This is partly because of the size of language classes, and partly because of the teachers' excessive emphasis on the grammar-translation method. The author accordingly had his college students practice faster writing as a fluency activity during part of classes. This is a kind of free writing, but is different in that it emphasizes speed and quantity. A time limit of 1 to 5 minutes is imposed on students, and forces them to write as fast and as much as possible. A short course of faster writing did not greatly affect the writing fluency of the students, but their speaking fluency was significantly improved.

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"Communication" in a situation of teaching/ learning a foreign language (English) seems to be understood with only two terms: speaker and hearer. Natural communication hasn't been closely observed by Japanese English teachers yet. Therefore, Japanese college students still have great difficulty in English communication even after having a lot of practice in English conversation. The greatest problem for them is that they can not continue their conversation. "Communication" actually has several levels in terms of continuation as well as other factors. This paper pursues mainly those levels in spoken communication and written communication. Observing the levels of the two types of communication, you will know what makes people continue the communication in which they are involved. Comparing the two types, you will also come to realize that a lot of writing exercises after reading texts could be a useful practice for Japanese college students to develop their communicative ability in the target language (English).

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In general, the passive voice is introduced in the passive sentence by being rewritten from the active voice in the corresponding active sentence. So, changing the voice means changing the subject obligatorily. In effect, the learners are apt to regard the passive voice as the passive sentence itself. And, the passive voice is very difficult to understand, if there is no corresponding active sentence. In this paper, several problems are pointed out which there seem to be in teaching the passive voice. And, a new proposal of teaching the passive voice ispresented from the following points of view: what is "voice"?. what relation exists between subject, and action or state the verb expresses?, what phenomenon does one express at what view-point?, and, what kind of information should be inserted into the lexical item "verb" in the lexicon? The most fundamental point to be asserted is that the change of voice is the reversal of the phenomenon.

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The two-fold purpose of this study is : (a) to analyze and ascertain the differences in the practices between the communicative tasks in ESL textbooks actually used in American high schools and those in English language textbooks authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Education (MOE) and (b) to discuss from the data obtained the possibility of introducing the idea and the practice of ESL communicative tasks into English textbooks in Japan. To do this, the present study analyzed communicative tasks in three types of textbooks : (1) textbooks which were being used in ESL classes at high schools 1 visited in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the fall of 1991, and (2) textbooks for junior high schools students edited on the basis of new guidelines and courses of study (G&CS) effective in 1993 and (3) communication-oriented English IIA textbooks for senior high school students. With the increasing demand in view for students to learn practical English and to raise awareness of cross-cultural understanding, this paper puts forward some guidelines from the perspective of activities involved in communicative tasks.

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Recently one of the most often cited and cherished goals of language teaching is the promotion of international and cross-cultural understanding. In English education, communicative competence has been emphasized to produce leaners who can function in English speaking countries. However, since the difference between TESL and TEFL is not well recognized, TESL theory has been applied to TEFL. Conscientious English learners in Japan tried hard to learn communicative competence which is transplanted from TESL in America and to assimilate themselves into an English/ American cultural context when speaking English. Consequently, many Japanese English speakers maintain less stablility in their selfidentity when switching from one language to another. In speaking English, they express different opinions from the ones they do in Japanese. This is a reality and that might enhance the idea that Japanese people are enigmatic or untrustworthy. For better cross-cultural communication, the Japanese need to establish their own way of TEFL and encourage those who can maintain their ethnic-identity and express themselves in English with confidence.

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Since Team-Teaching with Assistant Teachers of English was introduced into Japanese English Classes, Japanese English teachers have tried to make their classes more communicative. They have devised a variety of class activities for that purpose. In terms of communication, Team-Teaching is very successful. Now many articles and materials are available to help teachers carry out Team-Teaching effectively. However, there is little teaching material dealing with the cultural aspects of language learning. Language can not be separated from culture. In our class we decided to discuss ethnic stereotypes. We all have a number of ethnic stereotypes. These are often based on our own ignorance and prejudices. To help students understand that such stereotypes are absurd, we carried out the following activities using adjectives. We also wanted to encourage students to question their own stereotypes. Adjectives are words which describe states. When we use them, we not only describe a state but also express a sense of value. We chose 26 adjectives and asked students to use them to describe Americans, North / South Koreans, and Japanese. This is an account of our Team-Teaching classes in February 1992. We taught 133 second year students in three classes.

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The differences in discomfort levels between 121 Japanese and 102 American college students in 30 communication situations on campuses were examined. The study includes the pilot survey for clarifying communication situations in campus settings and the main survey for measuring discomfort levels. The results showed that Japanese students indicated significantly greater levels of discomfort than did American students in the situations which refer to individualism, lack of apology for failure, and students' inappropriate manners in class. On the other hand, American students indicated significantly greater levels of discomfort than did Japanese students in the situations which refer to students' assertiveness, criticism, informal appearance, compliments, refusals, and professors' inappropriate behavior toward students. Based on the results, different cultural values between Japanese and Americans were identified.

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