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1. What prompted you to decide to participate in the “JSPS Science Dialogue” program?
In the UK I participated in many sorts of outreach activities with children. I always found them to be fun and a good experience. I wanted to participate in the science dialogue program as it is a good opportunity for Japanese school children to learn both about science and foreign countries.
2. To what did you give greatest attention in preparing and giving the lecture?
I tried to use a lot of pictures and animations to help the students follow my explanations, and I also used some demonstration experiments.
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?
I found that the preparation took a lot of time! The lecture was not so difficult, but deciding the science and English level of the students for the preparation was. Future lecturers should try to think about the science level of the students and give a general introduction not just talk about their research! Try to make the lecture a bit fun and include demonstrations, just talking for one hour can be a bit boring!
4. Could you give your impression with regard to participating in this program?
I thought it was a good experience for me, the children asked me many questions in English and were very interested. Their English and science level was very high – I was very impressed that they understood a lot.
5. Was it meaningful in terms of your fellowship activities?
Doing a lecture for high school students made me think at a more general level, I think I learnt a few things during my preparation! It was useful to practice giving a lecture for a general audience, and it is good teaching experience too.
6. In what ways do you think the students benefited from the program?
The program is a good chance for Japanese students to hear about some science research and practice listening to English. Also it is good for them to hear about other countries, meet people from foreign countries, and practice speaking in English.
7. Could you give some overall advice or comments to future participants in the program?
For the teachers of the schools: Try to give the lecturer as much information as possible on the age and science and English level of the students. This makes it easier for us to give a lecture at a good level which they can understand.
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