Observe a Japanese classroom setting.

[The Frankensteiner]

If you go to the last few minutes of this video you can see what a class is like.
http://media24a.libsyn.com/mHdueJp1aX6X ... Jpn_21.m4v

In this one you can see the students doing a skit where they impersonate their teacher Chaz.
http://archive-a01m01.libsyn.com/bXdpeJ ... o_ep17.m4v

[Traveller]

That was an interesting look at Japanese English classroom. And it was hilarious!

I'm subscribed to http://englishteachinginjapan.blogspot.com/, now. Thank you so much, Frank.

[Bueller_007]

His class is unusually well-behaved in my opinion. A large number of Japanese students just chat it up in Japanese or put on their makeup (or sleep) in class.

Also, I have to wonder about the legality of posting that video on the Internet. I seriously, seriously doubt that he got permission to record his class and share it freely on the internet. That's almost unthinkable, especially if he's in a public school.

[Traveller]

I was wondering the same thing... wouldn't he need release forms? Thin ice. thin ice...

[Bueller_007]

I was wondering the same thing... wouldn't he need release forms? Thin ice. thin ice...

I could perhaps see a private school allowing him to do it, because they could say something in their private school contract about "allowing the filming of students for promotional purposes" or something, but I doubt there's any chance that a public school would let you do that.

His blog was last updated in July. Maybe he got fired.

[Tom]

Legal or not, I loved "Be 元気!"

Being in classrooms everyday where Japanese is the primary language and everyone slips into English when they feel uneasy, it was so weird watching the exact opposite, where the speaker had to look at her notes to get out a complete English sentence and spouted Japanese easily at will. I guess we're all going through the some stuff no matter what the background.

[Yoshiko]

About the first video: Did I hear the Big Ben to call the students in?
Well, it's nicer than the much too loud 'Weeeeeeeeeeweeeeeeee' we had in secondary school... That's why so many students appear to be a bit deaf. Not because of them listening to their iPod all day!

For how many years do you think these students have had English lessons?

[Bueller_007]

About the first video: Did I hear the Big Ben to call the students in?
Well, it's nicer than the much too loud 'Weeeeeeeeeeweeeeeeee' we had in secondary school... That's why so many students appear to be a bit deaf. Not because of them listening to their iPod all day!

For how many years do you think these students have had English lessons?

Big Ben is used all over Japan when classes are changing, in high schools, and at least a couple of major eikaiwa.

[Yoshiko]

Eeee, how interesting! Benkyou ni narimashita.

[Towa]

Are these extremely large files? It is taking nearly 2 hours to download for me.

[annie]

Are these extremely large files? It is taking nearly 2 hours to download for me.

I can watch them immediately, no downloading necessary. (using a Mac and high speed internet).

I had no idea that was the Big Ben bell. I just thought it was the japanese school bell.

[Psy]

Are these extremely large files? It is taking nearly 2 hours to download for me.

The first is roughly 80mb and the second 40mb. You're definately entering a high-bandwidth zone.

If you're on dial-up, I can feel your pain-- used it for many years and only recently upgraded. Now I can't imagine my digital life without it!