|
1. What prompted you decide to participate in the “JSPS Science Dialogue” program?
I have some experience of teaching to students because I was an assistant of the Chemistry Departement of the Free University of Brussels during my PhD. But also because I was involved with some summer science program for high school students. I always thought it is very rewarding to teach science to university students as well as high school students. So I gladly joined the Science Dialogue Program because it is a good opportunity to experience teaching in English in Japan and I felt my past experience might help overcome the difficulties encountered in giving a lecture about a complex scientific research in a language that is not the students mother tongue.
2. To what did you give greatest attention in preparing and giving the lecture?
I gave a lot of attention to make a lecture that would attract the attention of the students by exciting their curiosity. I also tried to use, as much as possible, visual supports as pictures and drawings to help them understand. I tried to use the simplest vocabulary words and avoid unnecessary technical terms. I also gave simple definition of the unavoidable technical terms used.
3. Did you find it difficult to give a lecture in English to Japanese students? Could you give some advice to future lecturers on how to facilitate communication with Japanese students?
If I had to give advices to future lecturers, I would tell them to try to catch their attention, that it is probably better to take a lot of time to explain only a few things than explaining too many things too fast. Visual support as pictures and drawing usually helps getting the attention of the students and by choosing particular pictures it is possible to excite their curiosity which, I think, is a driving force to increase the will of the students to understand.
4. Could you give your impression with regard to participating in this program?
It was a very nice experience, I'm glad I was given the opportunity to do it.
However, I think the first year high school student might have some more difficulties to understand scientific lectures in English. It would probably be easier for second or third year students to understand, as their scientific knowledge as well as English listening comprehension skills should be higher.
5. Was it meaningful in terms of your fellowship activities?
I think that any scientific breakthrough as well as modest achievements are only usefull if they can be shared with others: specific colleagues, the whole scientific community as well as an unscientific audience. That's why it is part of the scientist's job to be able to explain about their research, the necessity of scientific research as well as their impact on the society. To that extend, I think the Science Dialogue Program is a good opportunity for researchers to experience giving a lecture to a less specialised audience.
6. In what ways do you think the students benefited from the program?
The first benefit for the student is probably, for those who didn't had the opportunity before, to meet a foreign culture. The second benefit and probably the most obvious is that, even though it is difficult to understand a lecture that is not in your mother tongue, it is a source of motivation for learning foreign language as you realise how foreign language can help you communicate with others people from others culture. And this is probably the first step to tolerance and understanding of other cultures and at a further extend to international peace. Finally, I think this kind of lectures stimulate the interest of the students towards scientific field, because they can realise that even though it might be a difficult field, science can be very interesting.
7. Could you give some overall advice or comments to future participants in the program?
I would advice to focus on giving lectures to second or third year high school students because it is probably on this students that the lecture will have the best impact. Adapt the lecture to the English and Scientific level of the audience. Try to make the students enjoy it and, of course, enjoy doing it yourself.
|
