I have finished classes

 But I still have students coming to meet with me.  In about 20 minutes one will be here.  Tomorrow morning I have 3 scheduled at 10:40 am.  Friday another 3 want to meet at lunchtime.  I just had one leave my office after stopping by unexpectedly.  It was my calligraphy instructor.

This afternoon when I leave the office I will take the last of my papers and personal items with me.  I need time to sort through what is important and what I should have put in the combustibles bin already.  It will be a little strange to come to work and not have those things here.  At the same time, it needs to be done so I can be ready come Saturday morning.

I asked my class this morning what advice I should give to the next exchange professor.  I want to know what things I did wrong so I can tell whoever is next what to try to avoid, but I did not word the question that way.  It was simply, "What should I tell the next professor so they are ready to teach here?"  I'm summarizing and paraphrasing some of their responses below.

1 - Japanese students are shy, so do not worry when no one answers your questions.

2 - When you want a question answered, choose a student and ask him or her to answer it.

2 - Make sure to use PowerPoint or some projected text to help students understand what you are saying.

3 - Try to include as much 1-to-1 student-professor discussion as possible.  (This is difficult in a class of 30.)

4 - When asking students to do group discussion during class, create the groups yourself.  Make it very clear these four are a group, and those four, and those four...

5 - Do not shy away from what you think are very simple comparisons between the US and Japan.

6 - Give students a chance to practice reading, listening, writing, and speaking in as many classes as possible.

These are all good things, but #5 causes the most difficulty.  The student who made this suggestion did so after class.  She said many students have never taken another course comparing cultures, but they have some experience with differences between Japan and the US.  Even simple things like food could work.  At the same time, she wanted the topics to be more difficult.  Or, rather, to increase in difficulty through the term.

Tami and I talked about putting together a booklet or something like that to help future exchange faculty.  Susan told me everyone who comes here says that they want to do it, but it never gets done.  My guess is we're all so busy when we return that by the time we get around to it we've forgotten the important bits.  I think it is fair of me to devote some of my sabbatical time to this project.  Not weeks on end, mind you.  But an hour or two now and then might be enough so that come October we have something to give to the Office of International Studies.

What do you think, Tami?