Learning in Diversity

Oftentimes learners have trouble catching up with day-to-day conversations or discussions in meetings even though they perform very well in exams. When you find yourself in this situation, the best thing you can do is not to panic. It may only mean that you are not used to casual expressions in the language. Like any other language, Japanese is changing every day. Even if you are a native Japanese speaker, you might struggle with the way younger or older generations of people speak. Grammatically speaking, people always omit the subject in a sentence, or they avoid using respectful forms in a casual conversation. This may be the reason why you have difficulty comprehending what is being said. The best way to overcome this situation is to ask questions. Do not be afraid of stopping the flow of the conversation. Your Japanese friends will be more than happy to help you. We have made a list of Conversation Tips you can use to ask questions. Please check it out and try out new phrases as often as you can!

We understand that you probably think that you need to know what you are going to say and how to say it before you open your mouth. We want to point out, though, that it takes time to structure a sentence in your head. Of course, it is a desirable technique in discussion to premeditate your ideas. If this means that you go totally silent for a while, however, you should probably change your strategy. In Intercultural Collaborative Learning, students from all walks of life gather, which means that they will struggle to understand who you are or how motivated you are if you are quiet. Your Japanese does not need to be 100% perfect. Even if you are only 60% sure, it is always worth saying it out loud.

If you could not find an opportunity to speak up in class, know that it is not just you. When you are not happy with how you did in a class, it is always good to prepare for the next class straightaway. Make small plans such as to speak up at least once, respond to your classmates, ask a question, raise your hand at least once, facilitate a discussion etc., etc.…. It is worth noting that you need to do this right after the class. Make it into your routine to plan while your memory is still clear and use it in the next class. If you are not sure how to plan, please do not hesitate to contact your supervisor (TAs or Supporters also, if you were assigned one).

As you may know, there are formal and informal forms of Japanese, and they are very different. In casual conversations or discussions, people tend to use informal Japanese. You might have seen Japanese students nod and say “Un-un” in conversations. There are some expressions that you do not learn at school such as this, which means that non-native Japanese speakers tend to get confused when they come to Japan. One solution to this problem is to watch Japanese films or videos so you can learn casual spoken Japanese and imitate this style of talking. Observe the way the characters respond to each other and try to build up your vocabulary. If you are not sure about some words or expressions, ask your classmates to clarify them for you.

Languages are constantly changing day by day, which means that there are countless ways to express one idea. Just because you have never learnt a particular collocation does not mean that the phrasing is incorrect. You could think about how it differs from the one you already know and why they are different. We appreciate that it is not easy to try new expressions in conversations. We hope, however, that you overcome this fear and try it anyway. In Intercultural Collaborative Learning, we aim for learners to find diversity in themselves, accept it, and learn from it. Japanese as a language is merely a tool to achieve this bigger goal, and there is no need to judge whether you speak it fluently or not. If you get frustrated, consider it as a stepping-stone that takes you somewhere higher and makes you grow even more as a learner.

Having discussions with people from different backgrounds can sometimes make you feel like you are saying something wrong, or it could even make you feel anxious that you may get criticized for the way you think. We believe, however, that this tension can be the key which opens a new way of thinking and gives you a chance to observe yourself from an objective point of view. We would even venture to say that you are very lucky to have felt this way! We are certain that you are stimulating your classmates in a similar way without knowing it. There is no right or wrong way of thinking in our class. We hope that you do not hesitate to speak up next time!

Especially because you are having classes online these days, you tend to focus only on your own group. This could make you feel as if your group is an isolated ship adrift in the ocean with nothing in sight. There is no fixed mark to measure yourselves by, and you may feel at a loss. If you ever feel this way, we strongly advise you to set up a virtual common room where you can exchange ideas with other groups in your class. There are apps such as LINE or Slack that could be useful for this. If there is no virtual common room that is already assigned to you, you can ask your supervisor (or TAs and Supporters) to set one up for you.

Some of you may feel a little uncomfortable when someone asks you questions about your religion, sexuality, or ethnicity. You might wonder how to politely dismiss such questions without creating an awkward mood. First and foremost, you need to make it clear to them that you do not wish to answer their questions, and then gently move on to talk about something relevant to the question. You could phrase it like this: “I cannot tell you how it affects me personally, but people tend to talk about it in this way ~”, “Generally speaking, this issue is regarded as ~”, “According to the newspaper I read the other day ~.” By changing the phrasing slightly and digressing into discussing general topics, you could subtly avoid answering personal questions without offending your friends.

Alternately, you might put yourself in your friends’ shoes and consider whether your questions might upset them. You could choose not to ask for fear of being disrespectful, but we advise you to pay attention to the way you phrase it and ask them anyway. “I am not sure if it is okay to ask you this, but…” and “I want you to be honest with me if you do not wish to answer this, but…” are both good ways to phrase a question so that the person who answers it can choose to what extent they respond to it. It is normal to think and feel in different ways. You just need to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with the way the question is asked.

Many students have gone through similar issues regarding those who are reluctant to contribute to group activities. How can you make sure that everyone’s workload is equal and fair? In Intercultural Collaborative Learning, there are a couple of possible reasons for low participation, such as differences in language ability and anxiety towards engaging in a multicultural environment. Why don’t you ask the student what is stopping them from doing her/his work? If the student is from abroad, and having difficulty communicating in Japanese, you could ask your supervisor if you could use English supplementally in discussions, make a record of the conversation in both languages, or step back and assess the level of Japanese used in the group. It is not inclusive or fair to ask the student to catch up with you without any changes on your end. You need to be aware that your classmates have different skills and Japanese proficiency. Some students might have never talked to any foreigners in their life, some might have studied abroad, and others might have grown up overseas. This means that some of you are ready for Intercultural Collaborative Learning, but there are those who are not. If you find someone in your class who has little experience in an intercultural environment and shies away from speaking up, you could help them by coming up with an easy question for them to answer, encourage them to speak, and listen to them carefully to show them that you are interested. Make them feel that their ideas are valued and welcomed in discussions, so they can feel more confident in their views. If the student is feeling lost because of a lack of experience in collaborative learning, you could divide the workload in your group and make their role in the team clear. This will give them a sense of responsibility, which helps with the collaboration. By giving them the satisfaction of contributing to the team by doing something that they are good at, they should be able to have more confidence in themselves.

If you ever have any trouble with relationships among your classmates, you can always ask your supervisor for advice. It is admirable to try to find solutions on your own, but doing so might only bring more challenges into your group. It is important, therefore, that you do not hesitate to ask for help if necessary. Introducing another pair of eyes to the problem could bring in new ideas to your group and stimulate it in a positive way.

When you have a meeting or group discussion in a class, there are always various roles to play to conduct it successfully. For example, you will need a facilitator, someone who takes minutes, a timekeeper, someone to report back your achievements to the class, and someone who shares the slides on the screen. It might be fun to change your role for every meeting. Ask them which role they want to play each time. If no one volunteers, you could use an online roulette to assign their posts.

It sometimes happens that only a couple of people in the group talk in a discussion, or even none at all. The best thing you can do to overcome this situation is to ask questions. “Do you know what we are supposed to do right now?”, “What shall we do next?”, “What do you think, ~?” These are all good questions to ask when silence dominates the floor. For more advanced learners, you could even summarise a statement by saying “Do you mean to say ~ by that?”. By rephrasing a statement in this way, you can ensure that the whole group agrees on what is being discussed as well as stimulate the flow of conversation.

You might be able to contribute in a more meaningful way, by trying to sustain continuous dialogue. The easiest way to achieve this is to ask questions. “I would like to know more about it. Did you mean ~ by saying so?” and “What made you think that?” are very easy ways to animate a conversation. Incidentally, when you agree or disagree with someone, in addition to stating your opinion on the matter, you could add the reason why you agree/disagree, and even ask for a comment from the opposing party in this way: “I agree/ disagree with ~ because ~. Is there anyone who can add a different perspective?” Ask questions as if you are playing catch or relaying a baton, which helps to maintain the flow of dialogues. Of course, this is not an easy task. You can start with one question first to build up your confidence.
Most of the home students want to hear more about what the international students think. Even though many of our classes are conducted in Japanese, you can try to be the leader or facilitator in a discussion. Go for it! We’ve got your back!