ASP class at the first period in 4/27 Tue.

We discussed the two topics in group:
"What should we do when someone don't speak in discussion? Is electric shocker right?"
Everyone in my group said electric shocker was wrong for following reasons.
・Most important thing is thinking and speaking. Only speaking is not enough in good discussion.
・Speaking actively is needed, so being forced to speak is wrong.
・It is expensive and bad for health.
Then, we agreed with the idea that what should we do is calling name of and asking question to who don't speak.

"In Japan, women account for 50% of population, but they account for few percent of members of the government. Why is it and should it be improve?"
We thought about the three reasons.
・In Japan, it was not until 1945 that women got the right to vote, so the past years are not enough time to women join the government.
→However, in Europe women got the right to vote in 1940s, too, but many women are members of government.
・Many Japanese people, both men and women, think that working in the government is the role that men should have and a woman who wants to join the government is too aggressive.
→I think it should be changed and now it is may changing. The number of women who work in companies as executives is increasing, so I think the same phenomena will happen in the government.
・The system to support mothers are still not enough in Japan. Many people think rearing children is role of only women.
→It is serious problem. Men can be absent from work to rear their children, but they don't know well the system or their companies give a pressure to them.

Good Discussion And Bad Discussion(ASP assignment)

I watched the movie that show what good discussion is and what not is.
In the movie of bad discussion some of the girls didn't concentrate(playing with them hair, not looking at who was speaking) or interrupted during another was saying opinions and then a serious quarrel broke out. However, there was also who couldn't say anything.
On the other hand, in the movie of good discussion everyone look at who was speaking, listened to other person's idea until stopping saying and sometimes nodded.There was a good leader, who gave everyone chances to say something in order. Moreover, if someone wanted to oppose they were polite, for example, saying "Of course it's right, but I think ~."
Until watched these movies, I thought that for good discussion having own opinion firmly and speaking about it actively is most important, but now I think what most important is not hurting other persons feelings, in other words, being polite even when I can't agree with other person's ideas. Discussion is not a verbal conflict, so it's goal is not criticizing others but generating new good ideas by cooperating with other persons.

ARW Blogging Assignment 2

The thesis statement I've chosen for essay 1 is the following:
Group work is very helpful in developing other academic skills because in group work students can acquire good communication skill, improve their speaking skill and motivate themselves.

ASP class at the second period in 4/25 Fri.

In the class, we got divided into five groups and discussed the following topics:
"What is a good discussion and what is bad discussion?"
"Japan should start teaching English(Language) from the beginning of Elementary school every day."
"The age of consent/adulthood should be 18(or other age) in Japan."

I felt it was very difficult to have a good discussion in English, but perhaps I couldn't do that in Japanese. Only expressing my opinion and listening to other people saying are not enough.We have to be able to summarize the contents of the discussion.If new opinions are made by sharing everyone's opinion, it's the best discussion. I must practice more!

The age of adulthood in Japan is 20 now.When we are 20, we are allowed to smoke and drink alcohol but we have to pay tax and pension.I think 18 is more appropriate and high school should be regarded as compulsory education because most Japanese people now go to high school and they graduate at 18.In Japan, going to high school isn't duty but little junior high school students are going not to enter high school.Similarly, many high school student take it for granted that they go to college.I actually was one of them. However, not so few students get jobs and work being independence after high school. Under the situation, people who are 18 or 19 can't feel equally they are responsible to communities they are in.

ARW Blogging Assignment 1

How do "good" college teachers present information?"

According to Meiland, a "good" college teacher presents information in the following way.Good college teachers present some information, in the sense of "what is currently believed." But in college, material is presented not as something to be believed on the basis of authority but as something to be believed because such belief is rationally justified and can be rationally defended.Thus, college teachers are concerned to present and examine the basis on which this information is or should be believed.
I agree with former idea because critical thinking free students, or even teachers from stereotypes. However, I don't agree with latter idea because if college teacher show how this information should be believed, for students it becomes newly something to be believed on the basis of authority.Students have to think what is information that should be believed by themselves.