鎌倉女子学院

The Oral Communication (OC) English Program has been taught by native English speakers for more than 40 years. The long history of English teaching at our school is held in high esteem by parents and students alike. The four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing are taught in the OC classes, but particular emphasis is placed on spoken communication.

The basic aim of the OC class is to improve the English communication skills of junior and senior high school students, from JHS Grade 1 through until the end of SHS Grade 1. It is not intended to substitute the core English classes, but rather to compliment them. The focus of the core classes is on all four skills whereas the OC classes focus primarily on developing naturally spoken communication skills and confidence.

OC classes are interactive, purposeful, challenging and fun. They create a real desire for students to communicate in English and in doing so, encourage them to develop language learning skills and to communicate in real life.

In additional to their regular classes, JHS Grade 1 and 2 also take part in monthly learning skills classes taught jointly by the Japanese-English and native English teachers. The Learning Skills Program is designed to help our students become better language learners, more aware, creative and co-operative in their English studies.

This program is taught in conjunction with a Japanese-English teacher and has proved to be highly popular with the students who enjoy being given the opportunity to do more dynamic activities through the medium of English.

Typical skills include showing students how to use the language of clarification to ensure smoother communication; how to paraphrase in situations where you are unable to recall specific words or structures; reading skills such as skimming and scanning; note-taking; and presentation skills to develop both oral and physical expression.

Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) gives students an opportunity to study English independently and at their own pace. They can experiment interactively with the computer which will, hopefully, aid their learning of English and assist them to explore personal interests.

Once students reach SHS Grade 2 and 3, the oral communication program becomes a two-period elective class. For those students who opt for the Global Studies Course, the aims are twofold:

• ・to continue to support students to com-municate in English with confidence.
• ・to expose students to a wider range of 　social, cultural and environmental topics.

The course ensures that students are given realistic language models, personalised and motivating tasks and opportunities to communicate researched information and personal opinions.

The courses not only build upon their language skills, but also involve the students in improving skills which will prepare them for both university life and the working world. These include:

• ・Presentation skills (computer-aided)
• ・Presentation skills (with posters)
• ・Meeting skills (including the role of the chairperson, agendas and minute taking)
• ・Performance skills (confidence enhancing techniques through drama)
• ・Debate skills (two and three-way debates)
• ・Research and information exchange (including making proposals and persuasion)

Although Kamakura Jogakuin is proud of the results of all its English language programs, it is perhaps the Returnee Program which sets our school apart from most others in the Kanagawa region. The returnee class consists solely of students who have experienced living overseas and whose second language is English.

The overall goal of the Returnee Program is to build upon the unique English abilities that students attained whilst living overseas. The abilities of the students in this program vary, but the goals remain the same. These are:

• ・To maintain and build upon the original language abilities of the students
• ・To develop communicative confidence in an authentic English-only classroom
• ・To encourage active participation in class by sharing experiences and opinions
• ・To improve students’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills
• ・To introduce additional skills through presentations, dramas, and debates

From JHS Grade 1 until JHS Grade 3, students follow a set text which provides them with the opportunity to maintain and enhance their grammar knowledge whilst studying a wide variety of mainstream educational topics such as:

The Continuing Education Program (CEP) has been developed to provide parents with the same experience their daughters get in the OC classes. It also gives them the unique opportunity to be exposed to the different teaching styles of the native English speaking teachers and to, hopefully, empower them to be more involved in and supportive of their daughters' English studies. Whilst the activities tend to be adapted to the appropriate level of the CEP class, they do retain the original objectives of the OC class.