TOEIC® Preparation Program

●Professor Yokoyama　Thank you very much for coming to our school for the roundtable discussion today, even though you are probably busy with various things during spring break. This is Yokoyama-kun's second appearance at this roundtable discussion, but first of all, I would like to congratulate him on his graduation. At the graduation ceremony on March 3th, I was very happy to receive the Excellent Academic Performance Award from the president.
●Mr. Yokoyama　Thank you very much.
●Professor Yokoyama　Time passes quickly.
●Mr. Yokoyama　It's really fast. It feels like just yesterday that I went to your professor's laboratory and said, ``I want to help create an English power spot,'' and was turned away without any fuss. (Note 1)
●Professor Yokoyama　That was when I was still at the Amagasaki campus. When Yokoyama-kun was in his second year, there was a merger with Kobe Yamate University and the Faculty of International Communication moved to Kobe, but a lot of things happened. Yokoyama-kun even dropped out of Meiji University to come to our university, and I'm not just trying to flatter him; he really worked hard. He didn't praise me to my face, but he was proud of me.
●Mr. Yokoyama　Originally, I studied with Yokoyama Sensei's reference books when I was a ronin student at prep school, and I wanted to become an English teacher like Yokoyama Sensei, so I enrolled in Meiji University's Department of English Literature. From the beginning, I intended to become a high school teacher. Rather than a teacher who could only teach English grammar or reading in katakana English, I admired an English teacher like Mr. Yokoyama who had good pronunciation and could speak English well. When I was in my second year, I learned that Mr. Yokoyama had become a professor at Kansai International University, so I left the school without hesitation and took the entrance exam again. She thought she had no choice but to learn from Mr. Yokoyama.
●Professor Yokoyama　I was really surprised and moved to see how there are such clumsy yet straightforward young people in this Reiwa era. And you made your dream come true.
●Mr. Yokoyama　yes. From April, I will be teaching English at Sonoda Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Amagasaki.
●Professor Yokoyama　Good for you. Congratulations! I see, it's a high school in Amagasaki.
●Mr. Yokoyama　yes. I will return to Amagasaki.
●Professor Yokoyama　At the Amagasaki campus, there was a study space in front of the laboratories, where all the students gathered and read out loud. nostalgic.
●Mr. Yokoyama　The dean at the time scolded me for being noisy, and Professor Yokoyama scolded me, saying, ``It's like a toad croaking. You need to make your voice louder.'' (laughs)
●Professor Yokoyama　``It's normal to be noisy because you're reading aloud. You should do more,'' he said (lol).

(Note 1) See article ``Part XNUMX.''

●Professor Yokoyama　What was your TOEIC score?　
●Mr. Yokoyama　When I enrolled, the TOEIC Bridge (Note 2) IP test was used as a placement test, so I don't have any scores from my first year.
●Professor Yokoyama　What was your score on Bridge?
●Mr. Yokoyama　It was 85 points. Listening is worth 35 points and reading is worth 50 points.
●Professor Yokoyama　If you convert it to TOEIC, it would be about 500 points. As expected from a former Meiji University student, she got a perfect score in reading. However, Bridge doesn't measure more than that, so depending on your reading, you might be able to get over 600 points on the TOEIC.
●Mr. Yokoyama　At that time, under the guidance of Professor Yokoyama, there were truly amazing seniors such as Mr. Suda and Mr. Mayajo, who had raised their scores from the 200s to the 1s in one year (Note 800), and the dean said, ``Quiet. I studied and practiced in front of Professor Yokoyama's laboratory until the gates closed every night, even though I was scolded and told to do it. It was really hot and steamy, like a power spot.
●Professor Yokoyama　This is my third year in office. When I entered, the average score upon graduation was 3 points. Not when you enroll, but when you graduate. It started from there. Suda-kun and Maya-kun were literal game changers. I think he worked hard with me and paved the way for me. Even Yokoyama-kun, who was much younger than me, worked hard to stand up to me as my senior.
●Mr. Yokoyama　The whole department had an atmosphere like an ESS club.
●Professor Yokoyama　I believe that if I put myself there, I would end up liking English and becoming better at it, creating a ``place of hope''.
●Mr. Yokoyama　When I was in my second year, I took the TOEIC IP test at university and got a score of 2. Then, I went to take the public test in July and got 840 points.
●Professor Yokoyama　What is the breakdown of 835 points?
●Mr. Yokoyama　The listening score is 445 points and the reading score is 390 points. My reading skills improved, but my listening skills, which I was weak at, increased even more. It's 500 points out of 445, so it's about 9%. I was very happy.
●Professor Yokoyama　I honestly followed my words, ``You can take the TOEIC until your second year. From your third year onwards, you use English to study.'' I haven't taken the test since then. Since you're going to be an English teacher, it's a good idea to take it regularly to update the version. A perfect score on the TOEIC is a badge of honor for me as an English teacher. Now, even if you take it directly, you should definitely get over 2 points.
●Mr. Yokoyama　I feel like I can do much more than I did in my second year. I would like to continue studying and be able to teach students from behind. I want to be like Mr. Yokoyama.
●Professor Yokoyama　Enough with the flattery (lol). But please do your best. You will be living with English for the rest of your life. From now on, it's a rival.
●Mr. Yokoyama　Unfortunately, Professor Yokoyama left the Faculty of International Communication midway through the program.
●Professor Yokoyama　I became a member of the Institute for Basic Education and was responsible for coordinating English education on all campuses. Starting in 2023, a new department, the Foreign Language Education Department, will be established in the Higher Education Research and Development Center, which will be in charge of university-wide foreign language education, and I returned to the Faculty of International Communication as the department head. The lab move is finally over this summer, and I feel like Taro Urashima.
●Mr. Yokoyama　On top of that, there was the campus move, and above all, the coronavirus pandemic, so I was unable to connect the "English power spot" that my seniors like Mr. Mayajo and Mr. Suda had created.
⚫︎Professor Yokoyama　I agree. During my time in Amagasaki, my seniors who had had vivid success stories took the initiative and served as role models for my English learning, giving me advice and teaching me, so it was really easy. For me, it felt like I was going back to square one again.

(Note 2) TOEIC test for beginner-intermediate students. It is a 50-point test with 50 points for listening and 100 points for reading. The TOEIC IP test is currently used for placements at the Faculty of International Communication.

(Note 3) See article ``Third Part''.

●Professor Yokoyama　Actually, two first-year students from the Faculty of International Communication are here. It was my first time meeting Yokoyama-kun. These two people worked hard and worked hard together. First up is Matsumura-kun. Matsumura-kun scored 1 points on the TOEIC test in February, placing him at the top by far as a first-year student. There is only one person with 2 points. It was amazing.
●Mr. Matsumura　thank you. I've been working hard with Miyazaki-kun so far, and it's been really great. But to be honest, I was happier with Miyazaki-kun's score. I knew he was working really hard. At the TOEIC test in February, we both rejoiced and said, "We did it!"
●Professor Yokoyama　Miyazaki-kun scored 495 points.
●Mr. Miyazaki　Yes, compared to Mr. Yokoyama and Mr. Matsumura, I am very low and it is embarrassing.
●Professor Yokoyama　Miyazaki-kun came to the lab right after university classes started. I remember it well. "I want to be a junior high school English teacher," he said.
●Mr. Miyazaki　I received a TOEIC score of 160 during placement. To go to Global Research (hereinafter referred to as GR, Note 4), you must have a minimum score of 450 points, but with this score, it is very impossible. I was really at a loss as to what kind of study I should do and where I should start, so I went to my teacher for advice.
●Professor Yokoyama　Since I started working at our university, I have developed a good tolerance for it, but scores in the 200s and 300s are, to be honest, so bad that you can get them even if you mark them by guessing, and are usually considered impossible to teach at other universities. It's a score zone. I got a score of 160, and what's more, I wanted to become an English teacher (laughs).
●Mr. Miyazaki　When I was in junior high school, I didn't go to school. I had a teacher who supported me during those times. That was my English teacher. He came to my house every day and taught me English. The reason I wanted to become a teacher was because of that teacher.
●Professor Yokoyama　Although I said, ``I'm fine,'' I was determined, ``I have to do this as hard as I can.'' However, to be honest, it's like letting fried beans bloom, so I was worried whether Miyazaki-kun would be patient enough.
●Mr. Miyazaki　Even though I wasn't able to do it very well, I desperately stuck to the class, thinking that I had no choice but to trust the teacher.
●Professor Yokoyama　In class, we just focused on the basics of English grammar and English phonetics. It doesn't even mention the "g" in TOEIC. So, even though I took mock exams during the summer intensive TOEIC preparation class, I only got around 200 points, and I thought maybe I would give up, but I persevered, believed in myself, and kept up. He gave it to me. When the mock exam was over, I pretended to wipe away my sweat with a towel draped over my shoulder, and I deeply remember how I held the corners of my eyes and wiped away the tears so that no one would notice. When I saw that, I also thought, ``Let's try harder.''
●Mr. Matsumura　Did something like that happen? Even though we were together, I didn't notice.
●Professor Yokoyama　That is now 495 points. I knew that the result would definitely come out, but I was also really happy. Since you have the basics, you'll be fine. If you continue studying without slacking off, your score will rise to 2 points in your second year and 700 points in your third year. And I'm sure you'll become a good teacher. I know the pain of not being able to do it. I also know how to do it. Please be a teacher who is supportive of your students, just like the teacher who took care of students who were refusing to attend school. I'm looking forward to it.

(Note 4) A study abroad program that all students enrolled in the Department of Global Communication take in their second year.

●Professor Yokoyama　On the other hand, I first met Matsumura-kun while preparing for the TOEIC.
●Mr. Matsumura　yes. I was at level 2 and Miyazaki-kun was at level 1. Mr. Yokoyama only taught the lowest level, Level 1.
●Professor Yokoyama　The 200-point range is the volume zone, and unless you raise it to 450 points, you won't be able to enter the GR. If this is not possible, it will become a liability issue related to the diploma policy, but it requires a passion that would literally cost one's life, and it would be cruel to ask a part-time teacher to do it, or rather, it would be impossible. As far as TOEIC is concerned, it is a complete misconception that ``the lower the score, the easier it is to improve.'' In fact, it's much easier to raise your score from around 500 to 700 or 800, and it's usually impossible to improve a college student's score in the 200 range when he or she has completely missed the mark in middle school and high school English. That's why I focused on level 1 students, and the TOEIC preparation class was the first time I met students who were at level 2 and above. What score did Matsumura-kun get in his placement?
●Mr. Matsumura　It is 305 points.
●Professor Yokoyama　I'm numb and it sounds like a really good score (lol).
●Mr. Matsumura　So I was put in Level 2 and couldn't take Yokoyama-sensei's classes.
●Professor Yokoyama　Even though it wasn't a credit, he started coming to my classes starting in the fall semester.
●Mr. Matsumura　I was also asking Miyazaki-kun to teach me things like, ``What is the present tense?'' I was envious of Level 1, where I could take Yokoyama-sensei's class, and I was hoping that it would be in the fall semester, but when I looked at the timetable, it wasn't available, so I decided I had no choice but to ask the professor directly.
●Professor Yokoyama　I started with 305 points, and in January I was in first place with 1 points, and then in February I had 670 points. It was a tremendous advance.
●Mr. Matsumura　When I got 670 points, I couldn't believe it was just a fluke, but the next month I got over 700 points and my mom gave me 1 yen as a reward (lol).
●Professor Yokoyama　By the way, Yokoyama-kun started at level 3.
●Mr. Yokoyama　yes. Therefore, the only thing I was able to get from Professor Yokoyama's classes was the summer and winter TOEIC preparation. So, during the spring semester, I got the textbook for Professor Yokoyama's Level 1 class, and I was asked to explain what he was doing and to make copies of the handouts that were handed out in class. I was once scolded by Mr. Yokoyama for sniffing around too much.
●Professor Yokoyama　Yokoyama-kun has gone through a lot of English exam preparation. I am glad that I entered Level 3 and was able to study all in English with international students. TOEIC is a test originally created by Japanese people, and is an extension of the university entrance exam. Therefore, a student who enters through the general entrance exam can easily get around 400 points. However, such students actually have to redo the basics. I once heard of a student from another university who wrote ``TOEIC 600 points'' on his resume when applying for a job, only to be told in the interview, ``So you really skipped studying English at university.'' In other words, a score of 400 or 500 may be great at our university, but once you go outside, you won't be evaluated at all. And no matter how many classes you take with native English speakers without learning the basics, you'll always end up hitting a plateau at around 600 points because you just get used to being a foreigner. TOEIC scores below 500 are actually in the dumps. Moreover, almost all of the children who come to our school score in the 200-point range, or at best in the 300-point range, and only occasionally do they score in the 400- or 500-point range. Dividing students into different levels just creates weird campus castes, and there's no real meaning to it. This year's first-year students ended up with Level 1 and Level 1 students coming out on top, and what to do about this problem in the future is a big challenge for me as well.

●Professor Yokoyama　Yokoyama-kun studied abroad in the United States in the fall semester of his second year.
●Mr. Yokoyama　From January to be exact. I studied abroad at California State University, Fullerton until the end of May of my third year. Before I went to study abroad, I went to say hello to my teacher, and he handed me the Japanese-American Colloquial Dictionary (Note 1) and told me to take this with me.
●Professor Yokoyama　It's the dictionary I have the most fond memories of, which I used all the time during my university days. This is a dictionary that I have worn out and replaced many times, and have memorized it by heart.
●Mr. Yokoyama　That episode also appears in your autobiography (note 6). I was deeply touched when I received the dictionary as a gift.
●Professor Yokoyama　Then, Yokoyama-kun encountered the field of phonetics in the United States, which led to his graduation research. He wrote his graduation thesis very well, and although I was not selected as a sub-examiner, I heard that he received excellent reviews.
●Mr. Yokoyama　English as ``sound'' is the influence of Professor Yokoyama. That led to my studies in America. Of course, I also brought with me the ``Beginner'' and ``Intermediate'' versions of my teacher's ``English Hanon'' (Note 7).
●Professor Yokoyama　Well, at that time, the ``advanced'' level hadn't come out yet.
●Mr. Yokoyama　On social media and other sites, I often see people with Eiken grade 1 or TOEIC scores commenting on ``Intermediate'' and ``Advanced'' that they are ``difficult'' or ``I can't do anything about it.''
●Professor Yokoyama　It is said that there is a 10 times difference between what you just know about grammar and vocabulary and what you can actually use in speaking, even in your native language. Especially when it comes to foreign languages, I feel like the difference is about 100 times greater. ``English Hanon'' is a drill to fill that gap. Originally, ``Beginner'' was a book that I wrote for use in classes at our university. "Intermediate" and "Advanced" cover advanced grammar such as conjunctions, relative clauses, comparisons, and subjunctive sentences, and Japanese people who can freely use these in their speaking are actually EIKEN level 1 holders and TOEIC full score holders. I think there are very few. When I listen to them speak, they usually just connect simple sentences with and and but.
●Mr. Yokoyama　However, when I asked American university students to play Hanon's ``Intermediate'' version, they were able to do it easily in one attempt. That "Oni Maruji" (Note 8). It may be obvious, but I was surprised and moved to see the ``beyond'' the level 1 Eiken test and the perfect TOEIC score, or rather the ``difference'' between them and native English speakers.
●Professor Yokoyama　That's what I mean when I say, "Eiken Grade 1 or a perfect TOEIC score is useless." This is often misunderstood, but I say this because as English professionals, we all live with English for the rest of our lives. I don't do it as a hobby. People spend money to buy the English they write with their hands and the English that comes out of their mouths. Of course, it is not just about being good at English; it also has to be accompanied by ``knowledge'' and ``culture.'' My teacher is Mitsuru Konami, professor emeritus at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and when he was my age, he was even more amazing than I am now. Not once did he even see his teacher's back. I want everyone to go beyond achieving a perfect TOEIC score. I sincerely believe so.

(Note 5) “Latest Japanese-American Colloquial Dictionary” co-edited by Edward G. Seidensticker/Michihiro Matsumoto (Asahi Publishing)
(Note 6) Masahiko Yokoyama “An English Idiot’s Recommendation: This is How I Learned English” (Chikuma Primer Shinsho)
(Note 7) The "English Hanon" series (Chikuma Shobo) is a book by Professor Masahiko Yokoyama (co-authored with Tohoku University lecturer Sachiko Nakamura), and the "Phrase Edition" won the grand prize in the book category at the 2023 English Coaching Awards. was awarded.
(Note 8) Jacques Marji, who serves as the narrator along with Anya Floris in the "Intermediate" and "Advanced" sections of "English Hanon." Marji's part is called "Oni Marji" because of her extremely fast and relentless speed.

●Professor Yokoyama　Matsumura-kun and Miyazaki-kun, where are you planning to go to GR?
●Mr. Matsumura　I haven't decided on that clearly yet.
●Mr. Miyazaki　Me too.
●Mr. Matsumura　I still want to study English, but it's still difficult in the US, Canada, and the UK, so I'm thinking of going to the Philippines.
●Mr. Miyazaki　I think so too.
●Professor Yokoyama　I guess the two of them still have a strong desire to work hard on their English.
●Mr. Matsumura　I took the trouble to score 735 points, so I want to get into the 800-point range on the next test and be the best in speaking as well.
●Professor Yokoyama　President Atsushi Hamana often says, ``We could have done it if we tried, and we can do more.'' I think this is one of the best things you can do with English. In that sense, the students of the Department of Global Communication are blessed. Japan is a ``dreamland'' where you can instantly turn things around, regardless of your university standard or academic background, as long as you get a high score on the TOEIC. There is no other country like this, and if you think about it, it's very strange, but there is no way to take advantage of it. Honestly, I don't think a high score on the TOEIC is a big deal at all. However, the ``fact'' that you were able to get a high score or achieve such a result if you worked hard has great meaning. In fact, that may be the only significance of TOEIC. I'm sure there are many of my students who somehow made it to university without ever experiencing success. I want you to have a solid experience of success with just one thing. If you do that, it will be like a straw in a ``warashibechoja'' and will lead everyone from one thing to the next without you even realizing it.

maximize potential,
Making Kansai University of International Studies Japan's No. XNUMX "English Power Spot"

In 2018, I was appointed to this university.I witnessed a miracle at our school.
The words of the three people introduced here are everything.They continued to strive toward new goals from zero, or rather, a negative state."Do your best until you can do it" in the right way.That's all you need to learn English.

Most of the students who entered the school scored 200-300 points on TOEIC, a score I had never seen before. It is relatively easy to raise your score from the 500s, but it is extremely difficult to get out of the 200s-300s range, and university education implicitly defines it as an "untouchable" zone.More specifically, the average score of graduates is 350 points, and I remember being at a loss as to where to start.However, now, almost all second-year students have cleared the 2 points mark, and some students even reach the 450s, 700s, and even 800s.

Of course, for university students with their own majors, English is a means to achieve their dreams, not a goal.However, Japan is a “dream country” where if you have a high TOEIC score, you can turn things around in one shot, regardless of the university you graduated from or the deviation score.There are various pros and cons.However, there is no loss in being able to speak English "mo".There is no reason not to take advantage of this "Japanese dream".

It is often ridiculed as "English idiot", but paradoxically, the English you learn at university will never end with "English idiot".Beyond the English are English-speaking people and English-speaking regions.There is history.There is no way that if you study English hard under the right instructor, your interest will not turn to the world of "academics" beyond English.It may be "culture". It may be "economy". It may be "political". Whether it's "environmental issues" or "international relations", English is the entrance and foundation of all learning in this global age.English education in that sense is what I want our university to aim for as an "international university."

From the 2021 academic year, together with Professors Tetsuo Maeda and Professor Tetsuaki Miyoshi, all faculties and departments, except for the Faculty of International Communication, will start their own “Fundamental English Education”.The lessons that are offered there are based on a curriculum that I have developed through trial and error together with the students.

Even if you can't speak English at all, even if you're not good at English, it's okay.Why don't you become stronger in English at Kansai University of International Studies?

It's okay to make a college debut!If you solidify your foundation, your strength will grow
★ TOEIC 715 points (2nd year summer results)

In my high school days, I was absorbed in baseball.
Dedicating his youth to baseball, he lived in a dormitory at a high school in Shikoku.Therefore, schoolwork is completely "university debut".I didn't even understand the meaning of the questions on the TOEIC test that I took for the first time in my life, and my score fell short of 300 points.

In the first lecture, Prof. Yokoyama said, "I'm sure you'll be able to do it."And she asserted that she was responsible for everything, and taught me that learning English requires patience.At this time, she remembers thinking, "If I'm going to do it, I'll make up my mind."The two lectures by Professor Yokoyama, "English Grammar" and "English Phonetics," became my foundation.Understand the structure of English sentences and let the rhythm soak into your body.I will learn the basics of English from both sides.

The score reached 12 points in December. The obvious fact that "If you solidify the foundation, your score will go up" gave me confidence.It's a pity that I couldn't study abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I was able to change my mindset to "do what I can do in Japan", and I think it was actually good for me to learn English.

I am now heading towards further studies through English.As a native of Okinawa, I felt a great deal of sympathy with the history of the Native Americans and blacks that I learned about through English, and it made me want to learn more about it.By learning about America's history of overcoming various racial problems, I understood the importance of listening to the voices of those in weaker positions.When I was the captain of the baseball team in high school, did I care enough about the members who were working hard but couldn't make it to the game?This self-reflection led to a change in my way of thinking.After graduating, I would like to go on to graduate school and study American studies.

Studying English is not easy.But if you run away from tough things, you'll keep running away.At this university, it doesn't matter if you just made your university debut or don't have the ability right now.
If you think, "Let's try it" or "I want to do it", I would like you to take on the challenge.

The future is determined by whether or not to do it
★ TOEIC 845 points (2nd year summer results)

During my three years in high school, I lived in a dormitory and devoted myself to soccer, so studying was secondary.However, I had a clear desire to learn English well, so I intuitively chose Kansai International University, which has a curriculum that I wanted to study.

I entered the school completely unaware of the greatness of Mr. Yokoyama, but at the orientation right after I entered the school, I got a strong impression, saying, "This person knows everything! It's a walking electronic dictionary!"And she realized, "If you want to master English, you can't do it half-heartedly."Now I have to do the tough training I experienced in soccer in high school in English.

It's easy to say, but it was really hard at first.My English has completely stopped at the junior high school level, so my knowledge is almost 0.It's hard to get this to 1.I relied on Mr. Yokoyama, and just ran into English.Rehearsals were especially important.Review immediately after lecture.If I have any doubts, I immediately go to the laboratory to ask questions, and if my method is wrong, I improve it.I repeated this.

I also attended the TOEIC preparation course (Center Program*2) given by Professor Yokoyama.Mr. Yokoyama's style is to solidify grammar from the basics, instead of raising the score with superficial techniques. 1 points in June of the first year.I got 6 points in December when I started to understand grammar a little.As her teacher had told her, "A score of 425 to 12 is the hardest," and this was a bit of a slump.However, after reaching 555 points in June and 400 points in December of 500, I finally started to feel a sense of accomplishment.In order to learn something, it is important to “learn what and how”.It doesn't matter the name of the university or the deviation value.Professor Yokoyama always says, "It's not about whether you can do it or not. It's about whether you can do it or not." I think she's right.

Learning English will broaden your horizons.Awareness of global issues such as climate change will increase, and the view of Japan as a country will change.After graduating from university, I will work hard in the world of international business based on the English skills I have acquired here, and eventually dream of starting my own business.

*2 A learning support program run by the Learning Support Center. From the 2022 academic year, it is planned to be implemented on all campuses in conjunction with "basic English education."

A desperate 're-learning' paved the way for becoming an English teacher
★★ TOEIC 840 points (2nd year summer results)

My last name is "Yokoyama", the same as Mr. Yokoyama.Actually, it's my second time to enter the university.
I majored in British and American Literature at the Faculty of Literature at Meiji University.It was a university I wanted to enter, but my desire to study English as a language rather than English literature grew stronger, and I began to worry about the gap between my major and my major.At that time, I learned that Professor Masahiko Yokoyama, the author of a reference book that I read when I was an examinee and was the driving force behind my entrance into Meiji University, was at Meiji University.In an article titled "Unique TOEIC Preparation Program" on the university's website, Professor Yokoyama said, "I want to make Kansai International University a power spot for English." I made up my mind to come here.

After entering the university, I visited the professor's laboratory and told him that I wanted to help him create a power spot.However, the teacher bluntly said, "How can you help others when you can't even help yourself? If you really think so, get a TOEIC score of 800 and then come back." rice field.

My weak points are listening and speaking, so Mr. Yokoyama's lecture on "English phonetics" really helped me. In TOEIC in December, my listening score exceeded my reading score, and even when I was watching foreign dramas, I could hear more phrases naturally.

Professor Yokoyama's words to students are not sweet.But that's because he really cares about his students.
I received a TOEIC score of 2 in July of my second year.In this interview, when the writer asked Mr. Yokoyama, "With this, Mr. Yokoyama will help you create an English power spot."he was about to cry.

From January 2022, I will study abroad in the United States for half a year, and after graduating from this university, I will go on to graduate school.I plan to major in phonetics in graduate school.I admire Dr. Yokoyama's beautiful pronunciation, which is far from Japanese.What I think is particularly amazing is listening instruction, and Mr. Yokoyama doesn't look at the script at all.Without looking at the script, she explains "this sound is like this" and shows the model of the sound with her own voice, not the native sound source.I want to be an English teacher like Mr. Yokoyama.

From the 2021 academic year, the English classes designed by Professor Yokoyama will be developed as "Fundamental English Education" and can be taken in all faculties.Even if you don't major in English, you can seriously learn English as an extra to your specialized field such as sociology or business administration.I think it's a great environment.

The Learning Support Center supports all kinds of learning!

TOEIC has a lot of questions, so in order to improve your score, you need to get used to the format of the questions and practice solving them at your speed.Therefore, at the Learning Support Center, as a program to support Mr. Yokoyama's lectures, we have been conducting 10-minute quizzes every day during the lunch break. Even if she divides the TOEIC mock test into small parts, she can understand the part that she is not good at by continuing, and it also leads to motivation for studying every day. After completing all the questions in two weeks, we will create a score sheet and have them use it for self-analysis.It's a daily thing, so it's tough, but the more you do it, the more points you get, so the more you take it, the more interesting it becomes.At first, I thought that only a few people would come to the end, but about 2 people gave up their lunch break and came every day, and it was really exciting.

Not only TOEIC, but the Learning Support Center offers advice on all aspects of learning, and spares no effort in supporting students who want to grow.There is also an atmosphere in which the enthusiastic faculty and staff are pleased with the growth of the students as if they were their own.I hope that you will make the most of this environment and continue to study with all your might.

─ First of all, please tell us why you applied for the English Communication Department.

Mr. Hamada　When I was in high school, I only played baseball, and I was actually planning to go to another university on a sports recommendation.However, just before entering school, I wanted to think about possibilities other than baseball, so I returned to a blank slate.After that, after a homestay in America, I became interested in English and entered university two years after my classmates.

● Mr. Ishihira　I became interested in English when I was in junior high school.I also liked teaching things to others, so I applied to Kansai International University to become an English teacher.

─ What was your impression when you first took Professor Yokoyama's class?

Mr. Hamada　To be honest, I was impatient because I didn't understand at all.

● Mr. Ishihira　I am too.However, Mr. Yokoyama's class was completely different from English up until high school.Until now, she has been told to "just memorize it", but she teaches me logically and politely. She changed her mind, saying, "Let's forget all the English we've learned so far and learn from scratch here."

● Yokoyama　At first, I was very thorough with the grammar.English grammar is like the OS of a personal computer, and English cannot be started unless it is properly installed.However, I think it was difficult at first because I didn't understand.

Mr. Hamada　I was told to "ask me anything", so I went to his laboratory many, many times.And I thought that I had to review myself anyway, so I did my best in self-study.At first, even though I thought I should study, I found myself fiddling around with my mobile phone, but my teacher encouraged me a lot, and by the summer, studying had become a daily routine.

● Mr. Ishihira　Until high school, I didn't have the habit of studying at home, but since I became a university student, I've been able to concentrate and study at home, which surprised my parents (laughs).

─ When was the breakthrough that made you think, “I got it!”?

Mr. Hamada　It's around summer.When I read English, I naturally came to understand that "this is a ○ sentence pattern".

● Mr. Ishihira　I am too.Once you can understand nouns, adjectives, and adverb clauses, even long sentences become much easier to read.

● Yokoyama　yes! 5 If you know the grammar pattern, this is the one.No matter how complicated an English sentence is, it always fits into one of the five sentence patterns.If you know the sentence pattern, the structure of the sentence becomes clear and you can grasp the meaning.That's why I really insisted on doing the 5 sentence patterns.It was worth it.

─ What kind of specific TOEIC measures did you take?

● Yokoyama　In June of last year, when I took on the TOEIC test for the first time, Mr. Ishihira scored in the low 6s, and Mr. Hamada scored less than 400 points.I think I said, "Let's double our score in the year to June next year."That being said, I only studied grammar in the spring and summer, so I didn't actually start taking TOEIC until the fall semester.The key is the preparation class once a week.In addition to that, I used the 300-minute lunch break every day at the Learning Support Center to take a practical mock test for each part.Both Ishihira and Hamada participated in these programs with perfect attendance.

● Mr. Ishihira　Thanks to my teacher, I was able to understand the grammar to some extent, but when I actually solved the problems, I was keenly aware of my lack of vocabulary.

● Yokoyama　TOEIC is basically business English, so the words are unique.How did you improve your vocabulary?

● Mr. Ishihira　I heard that "memories are fixed while you sleep", so I put a word book next to my bed and look at it before going to bed.And the next morning, I'll check to see if I remember.

Mr. Hamada　I memorized the words in the reference book recommended by Mr. Yokoyama.I open a book on the train on my way to school and write it in a notebook when I get home.I repeated it section by section.

● Yokoyama　I think I'm struggling because my reading comprehension measures for long sentences are still insufficient.

Mr. Hamada　Too many problems and not enough time.However, Yokoyama-sensei taught me that I shouldn't skip or read the questions first, so I try to read as much as possible, thinking that I have no choice but to read quickly.In fact, reading every day has increased my speed little by little.

● Mr. Ishihira　For the long sentences used in the reading class, I skip the words I don't understand the first time and get a rough idea of ​​the meaning, but after that I look up the words properly and read them repeatedly.

● Yokoyama　wonderful.Rather than using superficial techniques, it is more efficient to read in a straightforward manner.

─ How is your listening?

● Yokoyama　I also incorporate reading aloud in my classes, but more than that, our university has a full range of all-English classes taught by native teachers, which I think are very useful for listening tests.

Mr. Hamada　yes.Yokoyama-sensei also taught me listening tips, and in class, I got used to my ears, and in half a year I gained a lot of confidence in my listening skills.

─ Have you changed anything by studying English?

Mr. Hamada　Japanese and English have very different meanings even for similar words.For example, "make" and "make" have completely different ranges.By learning English, I came to understand words with a wider image.

● Mr. Ishihira　The culture behind the language is also different, so if you just translate what you think in Japanese into English, the meaning won't be conveyed well.From now on, I want to be able to think more in English.

● Yokoyama　That's the fun of learning English.In order to be able to read English in a true sense, it is necessary to have a broad knowledge of politics, society, religion, and culture.In that sense, language learning is very close to liberal arts.Therefore, if you learn English, your desire for knowledge will spread more and more.In order to expand my horizons, I want you to put all your heart and soul into learning English here, to the point where you'll be called an "English idiot."I think the environment is ready for that.

─ What do you want to do with your English skills in the future?

Mr. Hamada　First of all, I want to improve my language skills for studying in the United States.I would also like to investigate the differences in education between Japan and the United States.

● Mr. Ishihira　I want to be a teacher who can convey the fun of English to many people like Mr. Yokoyama.I believe it was fate that Professor Yokoyama was appointed the year I entered the school, so I will continue to follow in his footsteps.

● Yokoyama　A high TOEIC score is just a passing point, but the experience of success in improving your score will surely remain in your heart.I'm really happy that I was able to help you with that.Having taught English for decades, I have never witnessed such a big improvement myself.They followed me well.Proud.