The objective of this case study was to identify the role of finger gestures in learning mathematics informally during play, especially in sociocultural settings. A mathematical activity involving addition was qualitatively analyzed at a Japanese preschool. We explored how the process of subjectification and objectification contributed to a…

The socialization processes occurring in the Japanese elementary school classroom are analyzed, particularly the processes that are implicit, teaching children to be competent members of society by participating in detail routines. A perspective is that the specific participation structure of Japanese classrooms serves as a major socialization…

A practicum project to develop instructional materials and related class activities for students of English as a second language (ESL) is described. The context in which the project took place is the ESL instruction of Japanese students with minimal English skills and low motivation in an American community college in Japan. The materials consist…

An approach to teaching English writing to Japanese high school students that focuses on writing for communication is described. First, communicative writing is defined. Next, a central concern of writing in Japan, the notion of audience, is discussed and two ways of categorizing audiences (real vs. imagined and "safe" vs.…

Ten speaking and listening activities designed to improve the intercultural communication skills of intermediate and advanced learners of English are presented. The activities are based on seven goals of cultural instruction: (1) sense of culturally controlled behavior; (2) interaction of language and social variables such as gender, age, and…