2023年9月22日金曜日

TOEFL iBT Academic Discussion and Writing  Video usage in class as suppliment

Question

Should schools incorporate more videos into the curriculum alongside traditional reading materials to enhance the learning experience?

 

 

Let’s Think

1.        Sarah says that videos can supplement the intellectual depth of written material by providing real-world context, visual examples, or even expert interviews that can make abstract or complicated subjects more relatable. Provide a specific example for this point.

2.        Share your experience of a passive form of consumption that Tom mentions in terms of video usage in learning.

 

Hints for Points

For

1.     Seeing is believing.

 

2.     Videos and books supplement for each other.

 

Against

1.     Videos have less information than books do.

 

2.     Overuse of videos may lower students’ reading skills.

 

 

Response for Ideas and Expression

For:

Schools should incorporate more videos in the curriculum. Videos are used as realia and so indispensable in classes. They contribute to better understanding of the reading materials and motivation for learning the subjects. They also supplement some type of information that reading cannot provide. For example, they can show actual audio and visuals of battle grounds in history classes, chemical reactions that are too dangerous to demonstrate in a school lab, or a certain expression uttered in a real conversation in a foreign language class. Of course, reading materials make up the core of academic learning as most of the academic information is only in books. However, provided that they are used as supplementary materials for reading, videos enhance learning.

 (120 words)

 

Against

Although I don’t deny the remarkable teaching effect of videos used in schools, I am skeptical of its total benefit in the long run. For one thing, studies come down to accurate comprehension of the reading materials and training of critical thinking, and intensive and comprehensive reading is necessary to develop the mind of students for it. Videos can make it easier to understand the reading material to some degree, but they are nothing more than that. Also, as Tom is concerned, they may hamper the active learning, giving students false satisfaction that they have learned the subject well enough. For instance, watching chemistry class videos introducing each element of the periodic table may provide some general ideas about elements, but it cannot give any real knowledge of them that is acquired by actually experimenting on the samples and reading the related information about them. (145 words)

 

 

Response plan

Topic Sentence:

Supporting Details:

Conclusion         


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

 

                                               DRAFT

 

 

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        


 


2023年9月18日月曜日

早稲田国際教養AO入試 The Jury in America - rewrite -

 

陪審員制度と民主主義の関係に関する出題です。本文後半では犯罪以外の裁判(民事裁判)に陪審員制度が適応される場合、民主主義の完全な実現に近づく理由が列挙されています。具体的にどのようにして民主主義が実現されるのかを考えながら読むことで民主主義自体への理解が深まります。

 

問1民事裁判への陪審員制度の適用が民主主義社会の実現・成熟に役立つという主張の理由の列挙を丁寧にまとめることが試験本番の要約の底力になります。また、「民主主義」と「裁判」に関する文章であることを意識して本文の「平等の精神」や「判決への責任」といった語を入れ忘れないようにしましょう。

問2 本文後半の要約問題です。non-criminal casesの方が全ての人に関係があるので民主主義の実現により役立つという最初のポイントと、その後繰り返されるフレーズ ”more true with non-criminal cases” によって陪審員制度の利点がnon-criminal casesへの適用により更に増すことを述べている部分をもらさず要約しましょう。

問3 本文で称賛されているアメリカ型の陪審員制度ですが、日本に導入した場合の問題点を尋ねています。民主主義の成熟度や風土の違いなどを考えて答えてみましょう。アメリカで良くても日本では問題になると思う理由を説明してください。また民主主義や陪審員制度自体の問題点も考えてみましょう。この出題後、日本でも裁判員制度が実施されました。その後実際に問題点も指摘されています。以下の解答のポイントの問3の解答のポイント例や関連記事等を読んでまとめましょう。

 

 

解答のポイント

主題:アメリカの陪審員制度は全国民が担当する可能性があるので全国民の選挙権と共に民主主義の究極の柱だ。特に民事裁判は全国民に関わる問題を扱う為、国民主権と自由平等の精神に基づく民主主義を実現し真の市民を育てる。

本文該当箇所  前半第1段落 The institution of the jury may be aristocratic or democratic, according to the class form which the jurors are taken; but it always preserves its republican character, in that it places the real direction of society in the hands of the governed, and not in that of the government. 陪審員制度は陪審員が選ばれる階級によって貴族的な場合もあれば民主的な場合もあるが、政府ではなく国民の手に社会の真の方向性を託すという点において、常に共和制的な性格を保っている。 2段落 In the United States the same system is applied to the whole people. アメリカ合衆国では同制度(陪審員制度)が国民全体に適用される。The jury system as it is understood in America appears to me to be as extreme a consequence of the sovereignty of the people as the universal right to vote. アメリカで理解されているような陪審員制度は普通選挙権と同じくらい究極の国民主権の結果だと私には思える。 後半第1段落 When the jury acts also on non-criminal cases, its application is constantly visible; it affects all the interests of the community; everyone co-operates in its work: it thus penetrates into all the activities of life, it fashions the human mind to its peculiar forms, and it is gradually associated with the idea of justice itself. 陪審員制度が民事裁判にも適応されると、その適応は常に可視的であり、地域の関係者全てに影響を与え、皆が協力する。従って生活の全ての活動に浸透し、人の精神をその独特の形に作り、次第に正義自体の観点と結び付けられる。後半第2段落最後 The jury teaches every man not to reject the responsibility of his own actions and impresses him with that manly confidence without which no political virtue can exist. 陪審員制度は全ての人に自身の行動の責任を拒否しないよう教え、それなくして政治の美徳は存在しない堂々とした自信を認識させる。It invests each citizen with a kind of supremacy 市民ひとりひとりにある種の主権を授ける。By obliging men to turn their attention to other affairs than their own, it rubs off the private selfishness which is the rust of society. 各市民の注目を自身の事ではなく他人の事に向けさせることによって、陪審員制度は社会の錆である個人的な自己中心主義をそぎ落とすのだ。

 

各段落の要旨

前半

第1段落  罪を裁くものは最高権力者なので、陪審員制度は国民主権の実現であり国の方向性を決める。

2段落  アメリカの陪審員は国民から選ばれるので民主主義の究極の結果だ。

後半

1段落  政治の観点から、民事裁判に陪審員制度が適用されると、常に世間に注目され、全国民に影響し、国民全員が協力するので人生の全ての活動に浸透し、精神を形作り、次第に正義の観念を植え付ける。

2段落  陪審制度は民事裁判に適応される時特に、時代の変化に耐えて自由を守り(l. 33- 38)、国の性格に影響を与え(l. 38-40)、裁判官の精神を教えて被告の保護と人権の観念を国民に与え(l. 40-46)、公正の実践を教え(l. 46-50)、政治参加を意識させ(l. 50-53)、自己の利害を超えて公共(特に弱者)への関心を持たせ、国民主権の認識と実現に寄与する (l. 53-56)

 

問1  文章の筆者の主張を自分の言葉で説明してください。

考え方  簡単な言葉に言い換える。 本文該当箇所 上記「主題」と、各段落の要旨及び配布プリント別紙参照。

 

問2  筆者は刑事裁判と民事裁判における陪審員制度の使用の結果起こるアメリカ社会への影響の違いを説明しています。違いは何ですか。細かく説明してください。

考え方  陪審員制度が適用された場合の刑事裁判と民事裁判の大きな違いは、国民全員に関係があるかどうか(民事裁判は国民全員が当事者)だが、問題文に「細かく説明して下さい」とあるので、後半の第2段落の民事裁判の特徴の列挙を丁寧にまとめる。本文最後(後半第2段落の最後、l. 50-56)には ”more true with non-criminal cases”というフレーズがないが、そこまでの流れ(陪審員制度が民事裁判に適応された場合民主主義の実現に大いに貢献するという内容)のまとめ(民事裁判関連)だと考えられる。陪審員制度が刑事裁判に適用された場合の影響は、前半第1段落第4文。

本文該当箇所  別紙および上記各段落の要旨と以下参照:

刑事裁判

【国民を裁く立場(主権者の立場)にする】He who punishes the criminal is therefore the real master of society. Now, the institution of the jury raises the people itself, or at least a class of citizens, to the bench of judges. 従って罪人を罰する者は社会の真の主人である。そして陪審員制度は国民そのもの(またはその階級の市民)を裁判官の座に据える。

民事裁判

【民主政治の実現に特に寄与する】後半第1段落I am so entirely convinced that the jury is foremost a political institution that I still consider it in this light when it is applied in non-criminal, or civil, cases. When the jury acts also on non-criminal cases, its application is constantly visible; it affects all the interests of the community; everyone co-operates in its work: it thus penetrates into all the activities of life, it fashions the human mind to its peculiar forms, and it is gradually associated with the idea of justice itself. 私は陪審員制度がまず第一に政治制度だと完全に確信しているので陪審員制度が刑事裁判以外の、言い換えれば民事裁判に適用される場合もこの視点(陪審員制度=政治制度)で陪審員制度を考えている。陪審員制度が民事裁判にも適応されると、その適用は常に可視的であり、地域の関係者全てに影響を与え、皆が協力する。従って生活の全ての活動に浸透し、人の精神をその独特の形に作り、次第に正義自体の観点と結び付けられる。

詳細

1.【時代や人の変化に耐えて国民の自由を守る】後半第2段落(l. 33- 38) The institution of the jury, if limited to criminal cases, is always in danger; but when once it is introduced into non-criminal proceedings, it defies the aggressions of time and man. If it had been as easy to remove the jury from the customs as from the laws of England, it would have died away under the Tudor monarchs; and the non-criminal jury did in reality in the period of history save the liberties of England. 陪審員制度が刑事裁判に限られている場合、陪審員制度は常に消滅の危機にある。しかしひとたび民事裁判の過程に導入されると時間と人からの攻撃に反抗する。もしイギリスの陪審員制度を慣習から取り除くのが法律から取り除くのと同じくらい容易であったならチューダー朝君主たちのもとで陪審員制度はなくなっていただろう。そして民事裁判の陪審員制度は実際にその歴史上の期間中イギリスの自由を守ったのだった。

2.【国の性格を決定する】(l. 38-40) In whatever manner the jury may be used, it cannot fail to exercise a powerful influence upon the national character; but this influence is greatly increased when the jury is used in non-criminal cases. 陪審員制度がどのような形で使われようが必ず国の性格に強い影響を与えるが、この影響は民事の場合に大幅に増大する。

3.【自由主義国家の基盤となる裁判官の精神を国民に伝える】(l. 40-46) The jury, and especially the non-criminal jury, saves to introduce the spirit of the judges into the minds of all of the citizens; and this spirit; and this spirit, with all of the habits which are associated with that spirit, is the soundest preparation for free institutions. 陪審員、特に民事裁判の陪審員は判事の精神を全国民の精神に導入する。そしてこの精神は関連するすべての習慣と共に自由な組織への最も強固な準備である。

4.【被告の尊厳と人権および公正の観念を教える】(l. 46-50) The jury gives all classes a respect for the thing judges and the concept of human rights. If these two elements were to be removed, the love of independence would become a mere destructive passion. It teaches men to practice fairness; every man learns to judge his neighbor as he would himself be judged. And this is especially true of the jury in non-criminal cases; for while the number of persons who have the chance of being involved in ca criminal prosecution is small, everyone has the chance of being involved in a non-criminal case. 陪審員制度は裁かれるものに対する敬意と人権の観念を全階級の国民に与える。仮にこの二つの要素が除去された場合、自立への愛は単なる破壊的熱情になるだろう。陪審員は人に公正の実践を教える。自分が裁いて欲しいように隣人を裁くように皆がなるのだ。そしてこれは特に民事裁判の陪審員制度に当てはまる。というのも刑事訴追に関わる可能性のある人の数は少ない一方で全国民が民事裁判に関わる可能性を有するからである。

5.【政治参加の意識と責任感を植え付け、自己の利害を超えて他者の問題に目を向けさせることにより、国民主権を実現する】(l. 50-last) The jury teaches every man not to reject the responsibility of his own actions and impresses him with that manly confidence towards society and the part which they take in its government. 陪審員制度は全ての人に、自身の行動の責任を拒否しないことを教え、それなしでは政治的美徳は存在しないあの社会に対する勇ましい自信と政治の中で自身の果たす役割を自分に印象付ける。It invests each citizen with a kind of supremacy; it makes them all feel the duties which they are bound to discharge towards society and the part which they take in its government. By obliging men to turn their attention to other affairs than their own, it rubs off the private selfishness which is the rust of society. 陪審員制度は国民各自にある種の主権を与える。社会に対し行使することになっている義務と政府内で果たす役割を国民全員に感じさせるのだ。私事以外の問題に意識を向けるよう義務付けることによって、陪審制度は社会の錆である私的自己中心主義をそぎ落とす。

 

 

問3  日本政府は現在裁判官と裁判員制度を組み合わせた使用の実験を行っています。第2次大戦後日本は刑事・民事裁判両方で裁判員よりも裁判官に頼ってきました。仮に日本が将来アメリカで使用されているのと同じ陪審員制度を採用することを決定したとしてください。日本は何か問題に遭遇すると思いますか?細かく説明してください。

考え方  この問題は裁判員制度発足以前のもの。裁判員制度は既に開始しているが、刑事裁判のみで実施されている。最終段落にある裁判員制度の特徴と日本の民主主義や日本社会の特徴を照らし合わせながら考えてみる。また、陪審員制度自体の問題点が日本で大きな問題となるかどうかも考えてみる。

解答のポイント例 

Most Japanese are not ready for the jury system. Since Japanese democracy is not deep-rooted but is just regarded as the regime which replaced the imperialism after WWII, and since the education and media prevent the people from seeing the truth of the government, many of the jurors may well not have thought or never have the will to think about fairness, responsibility as a citizen, or influence on the Japanese society and its future. This may make them feel that it is stressful to be a jury member, and they may judge based on their personal sentiment or interest. Also, many Japanese citizens are so apathetic to social issues that intensive preparation to educate the jury in related matters would be necessary, and there is no guarantee that they can give their verdict as fairly as a judge,  日本では民主主義は深く根づいておらず第2次大戦後帝国主義に取って代わった支配体制とみなされているにすぎないので、また、教育と報道により、国民は政府の真実が見えていないので、裁判員の多くが公正さや市民としての責任、日本社会とその将来への影響等について考えてみたことがなく考える気もない可能性が高い。このため、裁判員になることにストレスを感じるかもしれない。また、社会問題への関心が低い人が多い。従って関連事項の解説等の準備が必要になり、しかも裁判官と同じ公正な評決を下すことができる保証はない。

Democracy, decision-making by majority voting, is not always right. Class, racial, or ethnic prejudices might easily affect the verdict, depending on the proportion of jury members whose thoughts are affected by such factors. There is a report that a jury whose members are predominantly white tend to sentence a black defendant to death more often than a less-white jury in the U.S, even though the jury members are very carefully chosen and citizens’ interest in politics is higher there. In Japan, where foreign residents are extreme minorities and there are deep-rooted discriminations against them, for example, the accused who is a Korean or Chinese resident is doomed to lose the case. The whole process will be hopelessly affected by how many members can think and act impartially in the jury. Also, authoritarianism and plutocracy that occupies the Japanese government may corrupt the jury. 民主主義(多数決による決定)が必ずしも正しいとは限らない。階級や人種、民族的偏見が、それらに影響される裁判員の割合によって評決に影響するかもしれない。アメリカでは、陪審員は非常に注意深く選ばれており市民の政治に対する関心も日本より高いにも関わらず、白人多数の陪審員はそうでない陪審員よりも頻繁に黒人の被告を死刑にするという報告がある。外国人居住者が極端な少数派であり外国人に深く根差した差別がある日本では例えば韓国籍や中国籍の住民が被告の場合、裁判に負ける可能性が高い。裁判の過程全てが偏りなく考え行動できる人が裁判員の中に何人いるかによって絶望的な影響を受けるだろう。また、日本政府を占拠している権威主義と金権主義により裁判員は汚職をするかもしれない。

Only those who will sign the form that he can take responsibility in case of death sentence will be in the jury of murder cases, and thus jury of murder cases consists of only those who are at least not against death penalty. This is a serious flaw in the system. Japan has not abolished death sentence and the rates of those against abolition is very high, so execution rates may go up. In fact, there already are Japanese people who voted for death sentence and realize the cruelty and blame themselves later.  殺人事件の場合、死刑判決の責任を取る意志を表明する書類に署名した者のみが陪審員になるので、殺人事件の陪審員は少なくとも死刑に反対ではない人のみから成る。これは陪審員制度自体の欠点である。日本は死刑があり廃止に反対する人の比率は非常に高い、従って死刑の回数が増えるかもしれない。事実、死刑判決を下してその後残酷さを認識し自分を責める日本人が既に存在する。

In the case of the security-related lawsuits, whose motions have been dismissed throughout Japan, nearly 70 percent of the Japanese think it unconstitutional and that the Abe administration passed the law by the cabinet decision without discussion in the parliament was undemocratic. Thus, if the jury is applied to this civil case, the government will lose. (However, the system is limited to criminal cases in Japan. Therefore, it does not fully work for people.) 各地で棄却され続けている安全保障関連法案訴訟の場合、国民の70%近くがこの法は違憲であり安倍政権の可決の仕方を非民主的と考えている。従って、陪審員制度がこの民事裁判に適用された場合は政府が敗訴するだろう。(しかし、日本では陪審員制度は刑事裁判に限られている。従って完全には国民のために機能していない)

2023年9月15日金曜日

TOEFL iBT Academic Discussion and Writing  Primary education or college education?

Question

Do you think the government should prioritize funding for primary education or for college level education?

 

 

Let’s Think

1.        What are the advantages of a good primary education?

2.        What are the advantages of subsidizing college level education?

 

Hints for Points

Primary education

1.     Spending money on children would benefit the government in the long run because it will narrower the educational gap. Everyone receives the primary education, so it raises the intelligence level of the whole population, who will make good workforce.

 

2.     Good primary education will reduce the number of health and social problems. It will increase the number of children who finish primary education and continue to middle school and higher education. The more educated people are, the less health and social problems they have

 

3.     To find more talents, primary education should be subsidized more. Many people who are as good as any successful people are doing menial jobs because they were not recognized when they were children. They could have contributed to the country if they had received a proper primary education.

 

College education

1.     In developing countries, giving the smartest people an intensive higher education is necessary. This will help produce experts who will build the country as quickly as possible.

 

2.     If the country needs good ideas as soon as possible, it is worth spending more money on college education than it is on primary education. Smart people pay the money back quickly with great inventions and innovations. Thus, it is efficient to support those who have shown the best academic ability.

 

3.     To revolutionize the whole education system, the government should start with the higher education. To build the country and raise the next generations, governments should subsidize universities to help them change their educational concept and put their ideas into practice.

 

 

Response for Ideas and Expression

I believe the government should prioritize primary education. As Emily says, a good education during formative years is crucial in that it prepares children well for advanced level education and later life. Primary education must provide children with not only working basic knowledge which will smoothly introduces them into advanced level education but also moral and vision about life and society that will save them from straying from the right path. Also, allocating budget to compulsory education is more egalitarian than doing it to higher education as the former is for all children while the latter is only for good students. All people must be given equal opportunities regardless of their backgrounds such as race, ethnicity, or financial status of their family. Especially for children with any of these disadvantages, meeting a good teacher in a good environment can greatly help them move up the social ladder. This will raise the spirit of the whole population and will benefit the country more than supporting elites, a small percentage of the population. So, the institution for everyone to jump-start their lives must be subsidized more than higher education. (187 words)

 

Response plan

Topic Sentence:

Supporting Details:

Conclusion         


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

 

                                               DRAFT

 

 

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                        


 

2023年9月8日金曜日

TOEFL iBT Academic Discussion and Writing  One aspect of your country that you would like the government to improve

Question

What is one aspect of your country that you would like the government to improve or change?

 

 

Let’s Think

1.        What is the problem or what is your concern?

2.        What needs to be done to deal with the issue?

3.        Who will benefit from the change?

4.        What are the expected drawbacks? Are there any countermeasures?

 

Hints for Points

1.        Low birth rates are shrinking the population. Undo the deregulation of the labor law in order to prohibit employment of non-specialists as non-regular workers to revive the middle class, so that young people can have children without worrying about the future. Increase welfare and cancel sales tax, which was supposed to be used for pension but was actually used to make up for the tax cut for huge corporations and the wealthy, even though they have been making high profits and saving more than enough. Also, stop the invoice system to protect solo proprietors and small companies. Undo privatization of public services for the public good.

2.        Coronavirus is causing healthcare collapse. Promote mask-wearing and ventilation. Also, start free PCR testing and early treatment by putting COVID-19 back to the 2nd grade.

3.        The universal healthcare is at stake. Stop linking it to the MyNumber card and do not allow American insurance companies to intervene Japanese healthcare.

4.        Immigrants in Japan are having a hard time. Accept all immigrants before accessing their legitimacy. Improve laws and conditions of migrant workers.

5.        The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants are releasing stored contaminated water into the ocean. It is treated but still contains not only tritium but also other radioactive nuclides. Tritium itself is reported to cause cancer and influence heredity. The government must stop the release and solidify the water with concrete.

6.        Japan has gotten poorer and cheaper than other major Asian countries. Raising the minimum wage to 2,000 yen is necessary to keep up with the inflation. Japan is the only developed country whose minimum wage has not increased even though the economy is suffering from inflation like other countries. Also, repeal the doubling of the defense budget for doubling the military spending, which will end up lining the US military industrial complex and the related politicians.

7.        Self-sufficiency is very low (10-40%). Protect farmers from low-priced imports. Be nice to China, to which we depend on for foods and fertilizer.

8.        Ultra-right politicians are up to change the pacifist Constitution into the same one that Imperial Japan had. To make the core articles unchangeable would be a good idea.

9.        Schools and nurseries are losing teachers because of the demanding working conditions and the low pay. Improvement of teachers’ work conditions is necessary.

10.     Ministry of Finance controls the government for their golden parachute. Establishing the government pension system will make government bureaucrats cooperative to reforms of the government by the cabinet.

11.     The Liberal Democratic Party has dominated our politics since the end of WWII except for a couple of years, corrupted the whole society as well as the politics. Abolishing the single-constituency system will allow politicians from other parties to be elected. Abolishing the expensive deposit for candidacy and taxing the inherited political fund will reduce corrupt politicians who never work for people.

 

Response for Ideas and Expression

I would like the government of Japan, where I live, to stop controlling the media. The late former prime minister Abe changed the interpretation of the Broadcast Act to intimidate television stations and make them refrain from broadcasting any dissenting opinions or information that disagree with the government propaganda. Magazines and newspapers have also been compromised by the appointment of Abe’s cronies to their CEOs. This has prevented people from learning the truth and made them ignorant, garbling the disinformation and revisionism. Now, access to correct information is available only through some independent media and social media. This situation is deteriorating our democracy and allowing fascism. Even though the tendency for totalitarianism among the population is also the cause of this situation, the plummeting ranking of our press freedom corresponds with our political decline, and thus rejuvenating the media is the priority in the government. (145 words)