ABSTRACT
The class was bubbling with excitement when I entered. I introduced myself as the instructor and continued to explain that the course would focus on the learning of “Academic English”. I then proceeded to explain the course outline and the class lesson. Following this, I began the reading unit on the study of the human brain. Based on the pre-reading activity stated in the textbook, I asked the class to name the various parts of the brain. However, there was no response from any of the students and after a while, the class lapsed into silence. Several students began to look puzzled, and others clearly felt uncomfortable. Within seconds, I slid in another question: Which area of your brain controls your emotions? After a few promptings, I still could not elicit a response. The atmosphere was tense; a few students became restless. Finally I decided to skip the pre-reading activity and proceeded to the next activity: reading comprehension. I continued the lesson by quizzing students on the vocabulary in the reading comprehension section. When I asked for the meaning of difficult vocabulary, I observed some students began to feel uneasy. Some students began to look to other students for help, and others continued to cast a puzzled look at me. Needless to say, the lesson did not proceed well. I was disappointed that my attempt to elicit a response from my students was unsuccessful. I also realised that my students could not conduct a conversation with each other due to their low English proficiency. Although I tried to implement various communicative-based activities, I could not elicit much response from students. It was always a ‘wall of silence’ whenever I tried to encourage them to interact in English. Disappointed, I ask myself: Did I make the right decision to teach English in Japan?
