Pre-TOEFL Writing Teachers should have experiences of other jobs before becoming teachers. - Revised -

Writing Topic

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Teachers should have experiences of other jobs before becoming teachers. Give specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

以下の意見に賛成ですか反対ですか？教師は教師になる前に他の仕事の経験を積むべきだ。答えを支持するために具体的な理由と例を示してください。

 

 

☆Let’s Think  考えてみよう

When he was in jail as a political prisoner, Shoin Yoshida, who taught people who later played important roles in changing the Japanese regime from Tokugawa Shogunate to Meiji, asked the other prisoners, including a woman, to be his teachers. His request was based on the idea that anyone can teach something to others by drawing on their life experiences. Then, a teacher may need to have some jobs before starting to teach. On the other hand, as a student, would you like your teachers to have other jobs before starting their careers? Why?

政治犯として投獄されていた時、吉田松陰（後に日本の政体を奥川幕府から明治に変えるときに重要な役割を果たした人たちの教師）は女性を含む他の囚人たちに彼の教師になるよう頼んだ。彼の頼みは、人生経験を利用することによって誰でも他人に何か教えられるという考えに基づいていた。一方で、学生として、皆さんは先生たちが自分たちの仕事を始める前にほかの仕事をして欲しいと思いますか？なぜですか？

 

 

☆Words and Expressions

1.    What a teacher teaches must be related to real life.

教師が教えることは現実の生活と関係がなくてはならない。

2.    Some people become teachers after they retire from their career.

キャリアを引退した後、教師になる人たちがいる。

3.    Social experiences help teachers expand their views, become well-rounded, and empathic.

社会経験は、教師が視野を広げ、博識になり、共感力をつけるのを助ける。

4.    Teachers should be given plenty of time to brush up their teaching skills by actually teaching children.

教師は、実際に子供を教えることによって自分の教授技術を磨く十分な時間を与えられるべきだ。

5.    If only people who have other job experiences can be a teacher, working years of teachers would be short.

ほかの仕事の経験がある人しか教師になれない場合、教師の就労年数は短くなるだろう。                

 

 

☆Your Essay Structure  エッセイ構成

【Introduction = Outline】I agree/disagree with the statement that teachers should have experiences of other jobs before becoming teachers. There are two reasons and specific examples to support my opinion.

【Point 1】          

【Point 2】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】For the reasons above, I think/do not think it is necessary for teachers to be immersed in jobs that are different from teaching.

 

 

☆Sample Paragraph Development  段落展開例

A.     【Main Idea】What a teacher teaches must be related to real life, and experiences of having other jobs can help teachers give better lessons.

【Supporting Details (Reasons and Examples)】As part of motivation for learning, teachers must connect what is written in the textbook to what students can relate to. Real life experience, especially those acquired through working in the real life, makes it easier for teachers to come up with good introductions to the subjects. For example, if the teacher uses a safety device in a factory to teach a law in physics, the phenomenon related to the law will become more familiar. If teachers experience the job of other essential workers, they will be more passionate in teaching civics.

【Wrap-up】Therefore, job experiences are the best realia in teaching.

【主張】教師が教えることは現実生活と関係がなくてはならず、他の仕事をした経験は教師がよりよい授業をする助けとなり得る。

【詳細(理由・具体例)】学習の動機付けの一環として、教師は教科書に書かれたことを生徒が関連付けることのできることと結び付けなくてはならない。実生活の経験、特に現実生活での就労を通して獲得した経験は、教師が科目の良い導入を思いつくことを容易にする。例えば、もし教師が物理の法則を教えるときに、工場の安全装置を使えばその法則に関連する現象はより身近になるだろう。もし教師たちが、他のエッセンシャル・ワーカーの仕事を経験したら、公民を教えるときにより情熱的になるだろう。

【まとめ】したがって、仕事の経験は教えるときの最善の実物教材なのだ。

 

B.     【Main Idea】Teaching skills develop mainly through teaching, not having other jobs.

【Supporting Details (Reasons and Examples)】The best teachers of teachers are students. By actually preparing for the class, teaching in class, seeing the reactions of the students, and observing their achievement, teachers learn how to teach better. My teacher, for instance, asks for our feedback regularly and keeps improving his teaching method.

【Wrap-up】Doing other jobs before starting their teaching career just delays this process.

【主張】教授技術は、他の仕事をすることではなく、思の教えることを通して発達する。

【詳細(理由・具体例)】教師の最善の教師は生徒達であり、実際に授業の準備をし、クラスで教え、生徒の反応を見、そして生徒の達成を観察することにより、教師はよりよく教える方法を学ぶ。例えば私の先生は定期的に私たちの意見感想を求め、教授法を改善し続けている。

【まとめ】。教師の仕事を始めるに前に他の仕事をすることはこの過程を遅らせるに過ぎない。

Academic Discussion and Writing The most influential book of all time

Winter 4

Question   Which book stands out as one of the most influential of all time and why?

 

 

☆Let’s think

Answer the following questions.

1.        What is your most concern or interest?

2.        Is there a story, a book, or a movie related to your answer to Question 1?

3.        What is great about your answer to Question 2?

Note: When you are taking a test asking a question like today’s and do not know what to answer, asking a question above would be a good idea to come up with an answer because you can write something about things you are interested in. You can also think about what you recently learned at school because you remember it well.

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

1.        The Bible: It has taught people to live for the most unfortunate and the least privileged. Historically, it has been used as an excuse for invasion and colonialism of Africa, America, and Asia by the West.

2.        Quran (Koran): It has taught people tolerance and how to live in peace with others. Historically, it has become the religion with the largest number of followers overcoming the difference of races and ethnicities.

3.        The Capital: It has taught workers the class war and gave the goal of being united to realize a true democracy.

4.        In Search of Lost Time: It familiarized the idea of un-conscious mind and established the modern story-telling with the use of flash-back.

5.        Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: This book instilled false values in the mind of people that a certain kind of people are the best and most beautiful.

 

 

☆Sample Response

Stupid White Men written by a smart white man who is a filmmaker, story-teller, and activist, Michael Moore, has had iconoclastic effects on both whites and non-whites in terms of the idea of the white supremacy in the Unites States of America. It accused the structural problem of the United States of America that has enslaved non-whites and poor whites and takes advantage of them for the continuance of the empire, making all people of the nation, and other countries, unhappy. The surrounding story of this book is special, too. It became the best seller for months in a row not only in the US but also around the world through word of mouth, when the publisher tried to “pulp” it, meaning literally melting the books that were to be on the shelves, for fear of retaliation of the power, specifically the Bush administration, in the aftermath of 9/11. This episode proved the power of people, and combined with the charm of the book, this book has motivated and will motivate the working-class people around the world to act together for change and a better future with a sense of humor.

(191 words)

 

 

Drill  Read the following question and two answers and answer the question below them.

Question:  Who is the greatest rock musician or rock band of all time?

 

Answer A: I think Rolling Stones is the greatest rock band of all time. They have made million-sellers many times. They are so famous. Their songs are cool and exciting. They tour around the world and make a lot of money.

 

Answer B: I think Rage Against the Machine is the greatest rock band of all time. The idea of Rock ‘n’ Roll is protest against the power, and no other band has ever done so much to make itself close to this ideal and encouraged people to act. This made them worth being inducted to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hole of Fame.

 

Question: Which of the two answers to the question answers the question more appropriately? Why?

Hint: Which answer has the expression or information to prove the choice is better than the other?

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT

 

 

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                         

Pre-TOEFL Writing Teachers should have experiences of other jobs before becoming teachers. - Revised -

Drill  Read the following question and two answers and answer the question below them.

 

Question:  Which do you think is worth spending the tax money on, research on infectious diseases or space exploration?

 

Answer A: I think it is worthwhile to spend the tax money on infectious diseases. When COVID-19 spread around the world in 2020, schools were shut down. I could not see my classmates, so it was frustrating. My mother was worried about my education. I took online courses. Although some were good, I was not so motivated to continue studies with my tablet, which is tiring to use. We could not go out to have fun or take a trip, either. I was not able to see my grandparents for two years. I missed them, and they missed me, too. Pandemic causes so many problems and pains. On the other hand, I have no idea about space exploration. It would be a good thing if humans could go to Mars, but it is not directly related to my life. Therefore, I want governments to do enough research on new viruses.

 

Answer B: I think it is necessary for governments to spend money on pandemic prevention. Governments used to do it before. For example, the Obama administration had spent liberal amount of budget on CDC, the agency for pandemic prevention and control. They even used to simulate operation in case a breakout should happen. Unfortunately, the Trump administration had cut the budget and reduced the number of the leaders when the coronavirus pandemic broke out. As a result, almost 800,000 people died in the U.S. alone. Small businesses went bankrupt, and suicide rates went up. As it is expected new viruses are at the gate, epidemiology must be prioritized in budget allocation. Humans must survive before we go farther into the space for a new planet to settle on.

 

 

Question: Which of the two answers to the question sounds more academic? Why?

Hint: Count the number of the subject “I” in each Answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question   Which area do you believe the government should prioritize in its spending, scientific research or teacher training? Why?

 

 

☆Let’s think

1         Research the government spending of your country. Which does it spend more money on, scientific research or training programs for teachers?

Hint: See: https://www.nta.go.jp/taxes/kids/hatten/page06.htm

2         How will the government benefit from spending money on scientific research?

3         How will the government benefit from spending money on training programs for teachers?

 

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

About scientific research

1.        Scientific research is indispensable to the development of the industry, which has a huge impact on economic development.

2.        To build and maintain the infrastructure of the country, governments should subsidize research and development to increase knowledge and skills for the purpose.

3.        To cope with the impact of climate crisis, we need to increase research funding and reward the experts.

4.        Over the past decade Japan has had budget cuts on basic researches, which have contributed to breakthroughs.

 

About teacher training

1.         It will benefit the government in the long run. It will raise the academic level of the whole population, who will build a good county. It will also raise the levels of both science and humanities.

2.        Good education will reduce the number of health and social problems. The more educated people are, the fewer health and social problems they are likely to have. It will increase education continuance rates. It will also reduce the number of bullying.

3.        Trained teachers can find and develop talents. Many people who are as good as any successful people are doing menial jobs because they were not taught properly and recognized when they were in school. They could have contributed to the country if they had received a good education.

4.        The budget on scientific research equals the total budget for education including salary for teachers. This means that training teachers is not prioritized at all. In fact, capitalist countries have cut costs for education, and our children are not doing well compared to children of the socialist countries that prioritize education. This reflects on the difference in recent development between the West and the rest.

 

 

Reasons for your choice

1.        Spending money on education is more egalitarian than spending money on scientific research.

2.        New information costs money to acquire, and science is all about new information. On the other hand, education is to pass down information that is already shared.

3.        Teachers are too busy to educate themselves. They also lack resources for training by themselves.

4.        Money for science is directed to military, for developing weapons. 

 

 

☆Sample Response

Seeing the situation that we are in, I believe training teachers should be put before scientific research. Although science and technology have made our lives comfortable and convenient, they also have put life on earth in danger. Life has been suffering and dying from diseases and injuries that are caused by the impact of scientific discoveries and inventions. The scientific endeavor to solve these new problems have not achieved much because it is controlled by capitalism, which prioritizes profits than life. In a sci-fi movie called “Extrapolation”, humans will have done little to solve the problems of climate change around 2070 even though the technology is available. Only the innovation on smart phones and other profitable technology will have advanced extremely. This is a good satire and tells the truth of modern society, In such a society, educators are attacked because they are regarded to have dangerous ideas to disturb society while actually teachers are the people who tell the truth and show children the right path for the survival of humankind. This has been going on for generations and consequently deteriorated the humanities, including teachers’ qualities. Therefore, education of teachers must be prioritized over scientific researches. (197 words)

 

 

☆Sample Response Structures

Sample A

【Advantages of spending money on scientific research】

【Advantages of spending money on training programs of teachers】

【Your choice】

 

Sample B

【Advantage 1】

【Advantage 2】

【Counterargument-treatment: The reason why the advantages of the other choice does not matter】

 

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Thesis = Outline】

【                    】

【                    】

【                    】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

 

 

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT