Need your help

[canman]

We are setting up discussion topics for Japanese high school students and US high school students. Some of the topics are cell phones, future jobs, definition of beauty. Manga, bullying.
Can any of you help me out with some other topics that both Japanese high school students and US students would find interesting. Thanks a lot.CM

[Gilligan]

While a little trite, how about movies and music?

I would throw out sports as well, but it's not neessarily a gender neutral topic, which is what I assume you're looking for.

School uniforms?

[Cyka UchuuJin]

beauty and manga? what is this...high school in the 50s?

-teen pregnancy
-STDs
-racial/gang violence
-anorexia
-schoolgirl prostitution
-drug/alcohol abuse
-suicide prevention

[GomiGirl]

How about study/life balance? eg cram schools

I agree that the meaty subjects that Cyka suggests would be awesome.

Plus how about something for the gay/lesbian students to discuss.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Plus how about something for the gay/lesbian students to discuss.

there are gays in japan???

[canman]

Hey thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate them. I'm my dreams Cyka UchuuJin the students would be able to discuss all the topics you presented, but I think some of them would be a little difficult. Anyway, please keep them coming the more the better for us to decide which ones we will go with.

[amdg]

Here are some 'mushy' topics that might be suitable for that age group in Japan.

City life versus country life?

Community service - what, if anything you can/should do in your community.

People you admire.

[Behan]

For junior high kids I gave them lots of examples first. At first you could read someone giving their opinion on something and ask just simple questions like what the topic is.
I did a copy of the TV 'objection' as a listening task where people were asked by reporters if they were 'for' or 'against' something, and 'why'. The students just circled 'for' or 'against',and if they could tried to give the 'why' part.
Then you could prepare some people's opinions and ask the students which opinion is closest to their own.
Gradually try to build up from just choosing between two options to giving their own opinions and countering others'.
I did silly topics like would they be for or against an amusement park being built next to their school. High school kids would probably want something more realistic. My home town discussed joining another city so that was a relevant topic.
Anyway, good luck.

[Charles]

Your description is a little vague. Is the topic intended to start discussions between American and Japanese HS kids? If so, you need more directed topics like:

Americans/Japanese are uniquely capable of appreciating the four seasons.

A/J's food/music/movies/etc. cannot be properly appreciated by any other culture.

[canman]

Basically Charles we want our students to be able to think about and discuss some issues that are relevant to them. But time is an issue as we only have 14 weeks to try and pull this off. At 45 minutes per class, and 45 kids per class, it doesn't make it easy. Behan I really like your idea and that would be a great way to get them ready for the big meeting we have planned at the end. Also AMDG, your ideas are really useful.
I think my biggest problem is I don't know what teenagers in North America are interested in anymore. I've been here so long I don't know what things are like back home.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Your description is a little vague. Is the topic intended to start discussions between American and Japanese HS kids? If so, you need more directed topics like:

Americans/Japanese are uniquely capable of appreciating the four seasons.

A/J's food/music/movies/etc. cannot be properly appreciated by any other culture.

chuck, you really are a gem. can't properly be appreciated by any other culture? i happen to appreciate japanese food just about every day. and i love american movies. i don't appreciate j-pop because it pretty much sucks, but the koto and shamisen are two of the most beautiful instruments in the world (IMO).

christ, are you actually an expert in anything??? ( i was going to correct you on local anaesthetic injections into the gums, but i figure even you need a break once in awhile) you seem to be about as knowledgeable on topics as sarah palin is on politics.

so canman, why can't you discuss the topics i listed? how is that not relevant to them???
the reason a lot of these kids seem to get into trouble with the things i listed is because no one DOES talk about them.

[wuchan]

I think my biggest problem is I don't know what teenagers in North America are interested in anymore. I've been here so long I don't know what things are like back home.

I believe the list goes as follows:
sex
sex
food
sex
sleep
sex
sex
music
sex

not much different than when we were kids.

[samuraiwig]

Family life.

Festivals/holidays.

How about something along the lines of show-and-tell, where kids introduce something about themselves or their culture/country for a couple of minutes and use that as a way into questions/discussion.

Also, you don't need to be explaining to them about hi-low context culture, but you might need to bear it in mind when thinking about how to encourage discussion.

[Charles]

chuck, you really are a gem. can't properly be appreciated by any other culture? i happen to appreciate japanese food just about every day. and i love american movies. i don't appreciate j-pop because it pretty much sucks, but the koto and shamisen are two of the most beautiful instruments in the world (IMO).

Noob. That was pretty embarrassing, even for you.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Noob. That was pretty embarrassing, even for you.

oh chuckie, i'm devastated by your crushing insult. you've sussed me out...after 4,5 years i'm still a noob and don't actually know anything about japan. perhaps i can come round yours and you can teach me how to use chopsticks and educate me on what is worth appreciating here.

i'm free evenings and most weekends, just let me know what part of japan you're in. oh wait...you're not IN japan are you???

idiot. go back to your geography lessons.

[amdg]

No Cyka, you didn't get the sarcasm.

[Charles]

i'm still a noob and don't actually know anything about japan.

If you don't recognize a nihonjinron, you're still a noob. If you spout Orientalist rubbish to try to disprove a nihonjinron, you're just embarrassing yourself.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

No Cyka, you didn't get the sarcasm.

hmmm, seems i didn't. but when in the presence of such a superior intellectual and expert of all things japanese as chuck, i just go weak at the knees and my brain ceases to function.

[canman]

Cyka UchuuJin, it's not that the topics are not related to them, and they are very good. I just worry that the students wouldn't have the verbal ability to express themselves clearly, and end up sounding foolish or stupid. But I do agree with you that these are topics that need to be discussed much more in the open.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

If you don't recognize a nihonjinron, you're still a noob. If you spout Orientalist rubbish to try to disprove a nihonjinron, you're just embarrassing yourself.

and Confucius say: man who don't live in japan who spouts japanese knowledge superiority is an asshole.

*yes, i know he was chinese*

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Cyka UchuuJin, it's not that the topics are not related to them, and they are very good. I just worry that the students wouldn't have the verbal ability to express themselves clearly, and end up sounding foolish or stupid. But I do agree with you that these are topics that need to be discussed much more in the open.

is this a cultural and/or language exchange program, or ...?

maybe better to stick to hello kitty and baseball then. you wouldn't want a japanese high school student trying to give sex advise to anyone!

[Samurai_Jerk]

[quote="Cyka UchuuJin"]is this a cultural and/or language exchange program, or ...?

maybe better to stick to hello kitty and baseball then. you wouldn't want a japanese high school student trying to give sex advise to anyone! ]

Most of my sexual encounter start with Hello Kitty accessories and a baseball bat.

[kusai Jijii]

beauty and manga? what is this...high school in the 50s?

-teen pregnancy
-STDs
-racial/gang violence
-anorexia
-schoolgirl prostitution
-drug/alcohol abuse
-suicide prevention

Its Japanese high school. Light and fluffy. Light and fluffy.
"Do you know Global Warming?"
"Is a garbage collection tax a good idea?"
"The problem of 'non-authentic' Japanese resturants abroad" etc...

Get the general idea? All the pressing issues. Nothing controversial or meaningful. Light and fluffy. Light and fluffy.
K.J.

[Iraira]

Got the topic! WuTang Clan's Old Dirty Bastard: reincarnation of Christ, Buddah, and Mohammad....DISCUSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mock Cockpit]

PSP vs DS Lite!

[Iraira]

Pepsi vs Coke vs. Dr. Pepper vs. Rc Cola

[Charles]

and Confucius say: man who don't live in japan who spouts japanese knowledge superiority is an asshole.

*yes, i know he was chinese*

There is nothing more ridiculous than someone who tries to assert their superiority over someone else by citing their time in-country, like you. That is what makes you an eternal noob, most of us got over that in a few weeks.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

There is nothing more ridiculous than someone who tries to assert their superiority over someone else by citing their time in-country, like you. That is what makes you an eternal noob, most of us got over that in a few weeks.

actually, yes there is. people like you who continue to assert THEIR superiority from afar. and constantly uses the ridiculous word 'noob'.

get a life, chuckles.

/fin

[Charles]

..I just worry that the students wouldn't have the verbal ability to express themselves clearly, and end up sounding foolish or stupid..

To get serious for a minute..

My teachers did extensive studies in the impediments to verbal ability in a foreign language environment, their conclusion is the same as yours. The #1 impediment is fear of misspeaking and sounding foolish or stupid, and becoming embarrassed. But there are probably ways to work around it. Let me suggest one that I've used.

I am presuming you have the J and E students in the same classroom. The best way to get people to interact verbally is to give them a task to focus on where speaking is secondary but essential. Everyone can draw, regardless of language ability. Get them up on the blackboard or whiteboard. Make it a team exercise. Get a timer and give the J team 1 minute to draw, and then the E team one minute to add to the drawing. Then rotate teams. You should probably keep the rotation short, so people don't have time to feel left out if they sit inactive too long waiting for the other team to finish. Also giving them just 1 minute keeps them from having time to think about what they're doing and become self-conscious.
You could stop the exercise every few minutes and give them a chance to talk about what they're doing, but surely some of the team members will chat with each other a bit, rather than focusing on drawing. I've also seen cases where people didn't know where to start, so you could "seed" the blackboard, maybe draw a moderately sized oval in the middle of the board, they could draw a face in it, or a sun around it, or whatever, it will get them started at least. But encourage them to not just divide the board in half and each do something separate, get them to collaborate and draw on each others' work.

[Behan]

Some American exchange students came to my JHS and in an English class they were invited to their Japanese counterparts started asking the embarassed visitors things like which of the female students was the cutest. Kids pretty much have the same interest all over the world.