Monthly Archives: January 2015

yoshika

FINAL AUDIO ESSAY

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In this TED Talk, the speaker, Ken Robinson questions present education system that focuses too much on language and mathematics and argues that this system deprive the students of their potential creativity. From his experience of traveling around the world, he found that Every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on Earth. And in pretty much every system too, there’s a hierarchy within the arts. However, he thinks that dance, which is usually valued less than art and music even in the category of arts, is as important as math. He thinks that this education system is created by scholars and is to make scholars.

Why do we study? To enter university? Why do we study in university? To get a good job? However, no many companies want students who are only good at studying anymore. I think that students who are especially good at and have worked hard on something are strongly needed in this time. Including me myself, students who have been educated like that can do everything of a sort.

When I was a student of junior high school, I focused on studying math, Japanese, English, Science and Social studies and made little of those art subjects such as music, arts because about entering university, I was judged by only Math, Japanese, English, science and social science and I thought those ‘important’ subject are only subjects I should focus on. However, I should have worked harder on those art subjects. Those art subject, I can express others more easily. Those art, dancing, painting, play a music instrument have clear attraction and I can impress others.

The only thing is that interaction among sense of values of various fields make creativity. The more knowledge and experience you possess, the more ideas and expressions by creativity you come up with. Only study music or only study art are not enough to gain the creativity. However, doing everything by yourself is inefficient and not clever.

I think that the best way is that each of student develop the field he/she is good at and making group and sharing information, create something.

For that, I think that schools should ascertain each of the student’s talent first and then educate them to develop the talent further like Ken Robinson speaks in this movie.

 

haruka t

My thought –Venezuela government weighs in on ice-cream shop row

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Summary
In Venezuela, there is serious shortage of ingredients. An ice-cream shop are closed because of lack of milk. The ice-cream shop is famous for the many kinds of flavors and popular for tourists. However the government don’t admit the shortage of milk even if the scarcity index stood at about 30% in March. This number means that out of 100 goods, we always can’t get 30 goods everywhere. It is said that there are two reasons of the shortage. One is that unreasonable businesspeople stock up the food. The other is that some goods are being smuggled into Colombia.

My thought
The shortage of ingredients are caused by not only her economic crises but also complicated international problems. Venezuela is depends on the products made from petroleum. Her economy is in the critical situation because the price of the oil is falling internationally. In addition, inflation and severe currency control make the shortage worse. The president approved the plan to rise the gasoline price. I think that political situation become more unstable. When the gasoline price rises in price, other public utility charges would become high. I think the President should act more carefully and consider the complicated diplomacy problem.

nobutsugu

final audio essay

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His presentation’s theme is the creativity and education.

He says that education system has to change. Meaning of intelligence should be reviewed. Moreover current education system extinguishes children’s creativity. For example, education system has the hierarchy and the priority sequence of subjects. So, especially the art subjects are quitted if they don’t want to be artist. Intelligence is introduced by interaction with various fields. Dance is as important as math.

Human creativity enriches the world. Creativity is as important as literacy. And children are hope. Since, all they have incomparable creativity. Adults should develop it. But current education system consider fails wrong, prevent to develop creativity. Human ecology should be gotten in education. Human ecology is one in which we start to reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity.

I think that creativity is important too. But, the education system which emphasizes creativity is difficult. So I want to hear that his specific plan. However I’m disappointed because he didn’t say it.

There are two reasons that change the current system is difficult.

First, current system is useful. Measuring ability is so difficult. The current system can narrow the subjects and we can appreciate students easily. If variety is too emphasized, we need to various criterions for judgment of education and it’s hard to compare each abilities. It’s not bad that ability to try certain subject harder, although strong or weak, favorite or not. Moreover this ability is needed in society.

Second, a general hierarchy of subjects is meaningful. Languages are needed for living. Mathematics is needed for developing logical thought. Humanities are needed for more enriching own life. Science is needed for questing truth. I think that languages should be at top of the hierarchy.

Changing the system is difficult. But I think that it should be changed so. I have three plans.

First plan is to adopt small-class. The number of students per a teacher is bigger problem than teacher’s quality. In big-class, teachers can’t look own students deeply and are required to teach a majority. Essentially, teachers have to teach a minority like students who is really good at studying and not good. Finally, teachers have to emphasize usability than to develop creativity.

Second plan is to collaborate with cram school. They have know-how about education as much as public school. The public school adopts these know-hows. Public school is at the limit of various educations. The government should help professional private schools.

Third plan is to support parents. As long as parents are teacher, they are beginner in education. They have big anxiety. So they sometimes forget to love their children. Despite it’s most important of their role. They are afraid of their children have differences. Since, they think that their children can’t live in society. Therefore they give their children the same education as others and children will lose creativity.

In conclusion, I think that how to teach is more important than what to teach. Children themselves can grow up. So we shouldn’t decide contents of education. We have to make environment not to prevent their growth.

jumpei, Uncategorized

overseas buyer know that our food will be safer than the alternatives

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The article which I had read was about the next new wave of the economic growth in the Australlia. It is the agriculture. In Australia, top six businesses are from the top, the minerals boom,tourism, agriculture, wealth management, international education, and gas. Using the Australia’s precious source is the key to the economic growth and in the article it is written that it is the agriculture because Australia is geographically and politically stable, making it ideal for the task.

After i read the article, I understand that Australia is suitable for agriculture and I wanted to know what business will be suitable for Japan too. And I examine through the internet. There were a lot of information but, it was written that the IT is the most important key for Japan to grow the economic. Japanese people are very good at dealing with small things and in the internet , it said that it is why the IT will grow more and more.

I thought that IT is a good way to grow the japan’s economy. However, i also thought that we have to have look at other thing which do not look good at first but might turn out be effective for the economy.

taichi

Madonna’s promo snaps cause controversy

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summary

Madonna will release her new album “Rebel Heart”. She uses images of famous civil rights campaigners such as Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley in order to promote it. But it causese controversy. She got criticized because some think she is comparing herself with them and exploiting their images to sell. According to this criticism, she posted an apology on a SNS. In spite of her apology, some people still attacked her and some of the songs from her new album were leaked online.

Reaction

I do not understand why Madonna was criticized and attacked so much. It is because I do not know Madonna very much and I do not have subjective emotion towards those historic people whose images were used in her album such as Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley. But I realized again that topics about somethig political were often bound to cause controversy. This case was also caused because some people who admired those historic people very much got angry. I will try to be careful not to stimulate people by stating something political thoughtlessly.

mao

Reaction:Baby shortage imperils Japan’s economy

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<Summarize>

Japan is suffering from an acute baby shortage. Just more than 1 million babies were born last year in Japan. On the other hand, Japan’s health ministry also estimated that 1269000 people died in 2014. The fact indicated the population has decreased in Japan.

The trend threatens to severely limit economic growth as worker struggle to pay for the booming number of elderly. So, the government has sought to boost birth with reforms.

<Opinion>

The population especially young people has decreased in Japan year by year. We should think about shortage of working force. I suggest instead of working force. There are two remarkable ways.

First, housewives work while taking care of their children. Some housewives want to work to earn income. But, they can’t work the same as regular employees for many hours. So, it is difficult for them to take a job at present. Thus, the government have to support a more childcare system.

Next, many older people work. Older people has increased every year. Therefore, it is necessary for us to use an older people. Recently, we discuss about mandatory retirement system frequently. It may become a solution to abolish this system.

These ways will lead the answer to solve the problem.

haruka s, Uncategorized

Australian food will be safer than the alternatives―reaction

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Summery

This article is about  Australian economy. It is thought that agribusiness is one of the next waves of growth in the many industries because China has great demand for food. There are potential value about next wave in Australia. Australian laws are trusted by foreign countries and Australian government interference is minimum. This is why foreign countries think Australian food is safer than other countries’.

After Australian mining boom, Australian growing industries are tourism, agribusiness, wealth management, international education and gas. Domestically, the average life span will be long so servicing senior citizens will be more important. Also, by increasing incomes private schooling and health care will become more important.

 

My opinion

I’ll talk about food safety. In this article, Australian food have a good reputation to foreign countries. Such reputation will profit Australian economy. In agribusiness, Japanese industries should model itself on Australia. However there are some problems in Japan.

The important one is rumors caused by the accident in Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. After the accident, many countries carried out import restrictions against Japan. At present, the relationship between Japan and foreign countries has recovered. However, once Japan has lost trust from other countries about food safety, other countries will have a strong doubt for a long time. The lowered reputation of Japanese food is not only in foreign countries but also in Japan.

Recently, the media reported some extraneous material was found in instant food and fast food. Such news makes people anxiety about food safety.

This is why Japanese food industries should make special effort to improve reputation.

hiroki

My reaction to gauging growth in 2015

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Ecologist intelligence unit is estimating that the world economy will be boosted by lower oil price by 2.9%. in the other words,the 10 % fall is thougt to add 0.2 percentage point to world GDP.In 2015,surprisingly papua new guinua is predicted to be the zippest economy of all,expanding by nearly twice as fast as any other country. In contrast to papua new guinua, it is predicted that the Ebora outbreak in western africa will make Sierra Leone the worst performing country. These are my summury.
having learned the predict,i wondered why the ecomic grow in papua new guinua will be so fast.
so I decided to consider the reason. In conclusion,i think it is the possibility of the enomous resourses that are said to be deep in the papua new guinua that got ecologists predicting so.In 2012 , i already heard the possibility of the resourses in the papua new guinua. So that have made me think as aboved stated.
Now, it is said,too, Japan may has the possibility of much natural resourses.However,natural resourses have limitation and we can’t understand how much impact they will have.so I think that we have to search for the other way to resolve the recession without much expecting the natural resourses.

HIROKI SUZUKI

kenji

FINAL AUDIO ESSAY

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Hello, I’m Kenji Matsuura.

I watched the talk given by Ken Robinson, I almost agree with his ideas. However, I have some ideas which I want to add to his ideas. I want to tell you my response to his ideas.

First, he said that children’s creativity and the potential capacity are infinitely. However, nowadays, the education system regard mistakes as the worst thing. This theory destroys children’s creativity. I agree with this idea very much. Children are forced to fear mistaking by their teachers. Children won’t do innovative things or do something in new ways based on their creativity because they fear making mistakes. I think that the ability of judgment to something wrong or correct is very important, but it is stupid that people shouldn’t do something which we cannot judge correct or wrong. If we fear doing something new, we can’t grow forever. Teachers have to make the environment where children can challenge a lot of new things or do something in various ways. It maybe can lead children to grow and find their each abilities.

Secondly, Ken Robinson said that there is a ranking order between the subjects to the other subject. In concrete terms, mathematics and language study are placed on the top position, next, humanities or civilizations, on the lowest position, artistic subjects are placed. Recent education system regard the subject which is very useful or helpful to work in the society as the most important, and valuable to spend a lot of time. I think that mathematics and language study are certainly very important for children, but we should not make light of artistic subject. Spending too much time to study specific subjects unbalanced is bad for children. Creativity is the process to construct original and valuable ideas. Creativity is produced by interaction with every field. We should give children the opportunity that they can learn many studies contain arts.

Third, scholarship or results of tests are often regarded as intelligence. Nowadays, a lot of people who have amazing creativity have felt that we don’t have any talent. Schools don’t value highly their talent. Moreover, teachers say it is bad to children who have ingenious creativity. I think that important thing is not only results of tests. Of course, memorization, calculation, study of language and so on are very important, but expression of something which they feel or think based on their creativity is also very important.

In conclusion, I think we have to bring children up as it is. We should give children opportunities which they can enrich and display their infinite creativity in the place of education.

Thank you for listening.

kosuke

India to scrap tax breaks on cars -my reaction-

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In India cars are getting more expensive. Finance ministry officials said that they would end import tax concessions on December 31, 2014. The Indian government, which is very poor, is trying to solve financial problems by increasing tax. The excise duty will go up from 8% to 12% for small cars, and it will go up from 20% to 24% for larger cars. As the excise duty increases, car prices will surely increase. It seems that consumers will restrain themselves from buying cars, but car makers do not think it grave. They anticipate that car sales will decrease and it will hit them. However, they believe it is temporary and will recover soon.

I think that rising tax is a good way for the Indian government to be wealthy. In Japan there was an increase in consumption tax in April, 2014. At first people would not buy a lot, but now it seems sales are recovering. I think the same is true with India. In terms of redistribution, it should be on luxury items, not on everything. The Indian government will have to relieve dissatisfaction of people. It should do welfare work to encourage people. That makes them trust the government and the economic policy will be effective.