Abstract- With Tohoku University’s emphasis on internationalization through such programs as Global 30 and Global Jinzai, there is more emphasis than ever on improving students’ TOEFL scores and English communication skills; two goals which are often considered mutually exclusive or even contradictory. At Tohoku University, a group of teachers are collaborating to develop a curriculum, the “Preparation, Discussion, Reaction (PDR) Method”, that better meets these goals. The PDR Method gives students more opportunities to put their explicit English knowledge into practice helping them to “notice” (Schmidt, 1983) language features better while also promoting student engagement, active learning and critical thinking. During this presentation, I will explain Tohoku University’s teaching environment, highlight the PDR Method in contrast to how I used to teach, my reasons for changing my approach to teaching, the benefits of teaching with the PDR Method, and also the challenges associated with it.
Bio- Todd Enslen is an English language lecturer in the Institute for Excellence in Higher Education at Tohoku University. In addition, he conducts workshops on Active Learning and Teaching in English for the Center for Professional Development. He earned his Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois in 1998 and has been teaching in Japan for over 20 years.
