TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

English 1 defines and solidifies the foundational skills for effective communication in English as well as fosters international awareness, as both are typically required in the globally expanding domain of scientific and technological research activities. It also prepares students to study or do research abroad in the future. Students are assigned training exercises that cover the four language skills — reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The reading and listening materials include topics such as international and intercultural issues as well as the fundamentals of science and technology. Practice exercises in writing and speaking are provided so that students can develop confidence and competence to participate in discussions and conferences where opinions are exchanged through both text and speech. TOEFL-type exercise problems are also used in the course.

This course aims to establish a base on which students can build toward a higher level of communication competence specifically in an English language environment. The base is composed of three elements: (1) identifying relevant information accurately, (2) exercising fair judgement to form a valid opinion, and (3) stating opinions clearly and persuasively. English 1 covers these three elements, and the communication abilities acquired will help students in the future when they have to assume positions of responsibility in group activities.

Each student is assigned to a group led by an instructor. Instructors for each group conduct the course using the "Course description and aims" and "Student learning outcomes" as the basic framework. "Class direction," "Course schedule," and other information below explain the features of each class.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:
・Become aware of the degree to which practical English abilities are required for learning at university and for research activities both in Japan and abroad
・Be able to grasp the main ideas and arguments of written and spoken materials in diverse areas including international and intercultural issues, science, and technology
・Have increased their knowledge of effective vocabulary and expressions to actively communicate their ideas and opinions in English
・Have gained confidence in using English to state their opinions
・Be able to understand the structural characteristics of good paragraphs and write their own short paragraphs with unity and coherence

Keywords

Four language skills, fostering international awareness, communication skills, studying abroad, TOEFL

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

To acquire comprehensive English proficiency while through foreign songs and essays with a view to expand four skills. In this class, we aim to confirm basic grammatical items and to aim for the TOEFL scores required for studying abroad.

Course schedule/Required learning

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Let's Learn English with Pop Hits! (Seibido-Press)

Reference books, course materials, etc.

English-Japanese dictionary

Assessment criteria and methods

Participation in class after doing assignments, quizzes (using Google Form) for each chapter, attitude toward class lesson 50%
Quarter end examination 50％

Related courses

• LAE.E112 ： English 2
• LAE.E113 ： English 3
• LAE.E114 ： English 4
• LAE.E211 ： English 5
• LAE.E212 ： English 6
• LAE.E213 ： English 7
• LAE.E214 ： English 8
• LAE.E311 ： English 9

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

None

Other

None