I Can

American president Obama famously said, "Yes we can", but so many people think that they can't. These people need to change. The world is changing, and that is good. Change is good. Everyone can change. As the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly said, "You can change on your death bed".

A great teacher in India called Kiren Bir Sethi has taught children that they can change the world. Please watch her video. You can watch with subtitles. Look at the screencast to see how to do it.

Now click this link to watch the video:

キラン ビア セイシ: 子どもたちに “I can” と教え

Another great teacher in Nagoya called Chuck Sandy saw Kiren Bir Sethi's video and he was inspired. He has brought her idea to Japan. He is working to help young people in Japan change the world. He is working to help people change the world with an organisation called Design for Change Japan.

Today, I will go to Nagoya. I will go to Nagoya for a big teachers' conference. It's the JALT conference. At the conference, I will meet Kiren Beth Sethi and Chuck Sandy and many other great people at a Design for Change event. One of Chuck's students recorded a song for the event. You can listen to the song.  Please watch the video below.

See you next Wednesday. I can't wait to tell you about all the things I learned at the JALT conference.

The Dalai Lama has the courage to speak "broken English". Do you?

Last month, His Holiness The Dali Lama visited Japan. My friend Larry Cisar  invited me to see the Dali Lama at the Foreign Correspondents' Club press conference. Unfortunately I had to work that day. I hope I can see him the next time he comes to Japan.  I am always moved by the Dalia Lama's words. I was especially happy to read the words quoted in the image below. His words made me think. If a great man like the Dalai Lama is willing to risk losing face (顔が立たない, 恥をかく) by speaking "imperfect" English, why are so many English language learners afraid to practice speaking English? Why is it such a source of embarrassment to them? Ichirou has lived in America for many years now. He uses English in his day-to-day life, but he never gives interviews in English. Why? Is he better than the Dalai Lama. Are you better than the Dalai Lama? Of course not. If the Dalai Lama has the courage to speak broken English so should everyone. ダライラマが出来るなら、皆も出来るね。

Image by Garr Reynolds and JUDIT KAWAGUCHI

You can see the entire quote in the image above in Japanese. Please click this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2d5mwpp
These images were made by a great teacher called Garr Reynolds. I've learned much about giving presentations from him. Mr. Reynolds used a photo from an article about the Dalai Lama's visit on Judit Kawaguchi's Blog.

Have courage. Practice what you learn, not only English, but everything you learn, and make a contribution to the world.

A Model Language Learner: Ayumi Okada

It's very useful to have a role model. A language learning role model is very useful. Last year, I posted a video interview with Miho on the Daily English Show. Miho is a model language learner. Last April, I wrote about my friend Sanae. Sanae is a model language learner. Today, I'm going to write about another model language learner, Ayumi Okada. Ayumi was a student at Kanto International High School. When Ayumi started at Kanto she couldn't speak English much at all. She was in the Regular course, not the English course. So, she didn't have many English classes, and she didn't have many native English speaking teachers. However, she joined the World School Society. As a member of the World School Society she attended the World School International Forums in Japan and in the United States. She made friends with young people from all over the world.


Ayumi is very very musical. Her dream was to study music in the U.K. So, she asked me to help her prepare for the IELTS exam. I did. She got a great score and she was able enter a college in the U.K. Now she is studying Popular Music and Record Production at Southampton Solent University. She presents a radio programme on SIN Radio. The radio programme is called D.J. Yummy's Japanese Takeaway. You can listen to D.J. Yummy's Japanese Takeaway on the internet. Her radio programme is on Thursdays from three o'clock to five o'clock Greenwich Mean Time, that's 11 pm. to 1 am. Japan Standard Time. Look at the picture below. Click this link: http://www.sinradio.co.uk/site/?function=schedule. Click "Listen".



D.J. Yummy's Japanese Takeaway is very good. I listen to D.J. Yummy's Japanese Takeaway. I hope you will too.

A model language learner

We all need role models (模範的な人, 手本). Language learning role models are especially important. My friend Sanae is one of my language learning role models. I think she is a great role model. She studied English in Junior High School and Senior High School but she didn't learn English. She wasn't happy that she didn't learn English, so she made an effort to really learn English. Now her English is excellent. She has written books about learning English and she is an English teacher. Please visit her website to read her story. Her website is called Sanae's Place.

Impressions of Miho: Shibaura Institute of Technology Global Issues 1 Assignment 2

This image was created by Michael Stout using a frame from The Daily English Show 320 and Corel Painter

For their second assignment, students in the Global Issues class watched an interview with Miho, a Japanese returnee (帰還者). Miho made a strong impression on the students. Below are some examples. Again, I have edited the students' writing for accuracy and clarity. This time I had to edit a lot. However, I did my best to stay true to the content and to retain the students' voice. Some teacher's may object to this but I decided it was better to edit the work than not present it at all. Few students would have agreed to let me post their work unedited. Even still, some students asked to remain anonymous (匿名).

"I was impressed by her willingness to study abroad alone. However, I didn't like her merry talking and big gestures because I thought it was over the top. Perhaps I experienced culture shock watching and listening to her.
I was also impressed by what her friend said. She said, "Where do you come from in Birmingham?". Many Japanese think that Japanese are a single race and foreigners are separate but her English friend doesn't think so. I think this shows a difference in thinking between Japanese people and English people."

Shunsuke Miyashita

"My first impression of Miho was that she was just an ordinary girl but my impression of her changed a lot once I heard her speak English. I was impressed by her English speaking. When I closed my eyes, she sounded just like someone in an English-speaking area. In particular, she uses gestures well. "

Takahiko Hasagawa

"I think her English is like that of a native speaker and I want to speak English properly like her. I think she is very patient and hard working because when she actually mixed with native English speaking people and had to do group work with them, they didn't want to work with her. I if were in that situation I wouldn't want to learn English and I would return to Japan. However, in that situation, people are really able to learn the language. She struggled to learn English properly. I think we need to be n severe situations in order to learn English properly."

Yusuke Tsukui

"Miho is a very good English speaker. At first I thought she was a native English speaker because she talks very fluently and her gestures are very good. I want to be like her."

Shibaura Institute of Technology Global Issues 1 Assignment 2 - An Interview with Miho: Living in another culture

This is a video interview with Miho, a young Japanese woman who lived and studied overseas. The video comes from The Daily English Show episode #320.

Click here to see the script in English.
Click here to go to the Daily English Show's Japanese webpage.

Enjoy!