英語自學中心 English Learning Center
Now we have come to the English Department’s treasure house—“the English Learning Center.” It is considered a treasure house because many teachers put their audio-visual teaching materials here, and there are lots of movies, videos and disks, popular music CDs and magazines to feast your senses and your minds, as well as learning about other languages and other cultures.
The designer of the Center had initially planned a Japanese-style room where everyone would take off their shoes and sit on the wooden floor as they practiced English conversation. But the bad smells from the many feet and shoes were so intolerable that the original plan was finally dropped. Now students use this room to enjoy movies in small groups with their dear friends, and it is believed that many confessions have taken place there alongside the touching scenes on the screen. The English Learning Center is in fact used more often for movie-viewing purposes that for English learning purposes. Students enjoy the movies and they do learn a lot from the movies, and the best part is, it is completely free of charge.
The center occasionally holds special activities. Just last week, one teacher recited some of his creative work for the students and had a small tea party to enjoy the pleasure of listening to poetry-reading. Additionally the graduate students also founded an English self-learning class as a means of self-support as well as teaching practicum. There were so many people taking this class that even the local newspapers reported on it in great detail. Unfortunately, due to some internal problems among the graduate students, the English self-learning class has been temporarily suspended. But even now, many students are still inquiring when it will be open again.
Lately, the English Learning Center is facing a new problem, as the number of students who come to use the resources is decreasing. In addition, a university-wide Language Center has been founded and it would build a much bigger video classroom for the students. Such a new development threatens to marginalize our own English Learning Center. Faculty members and active students are now working to recreate the usefulness of such a good learning environment.
Now we have come to the English Department’s treasure house—“the English Learning Center.” It is considered a treasure house because many teachers put their audio-visual teaching materials here, and there are lots of movies, videos and disks, popular music CDs and magazines to feast your senses and your minds, as well as learning about other languages and other cultures.The designer of the Center had initially planned a Japanese-style room where everyone would take off their shoes and sit on the wooden floor as they practiced English conversation. But the bad smells from the many feet and shoes were so intolerable that the original plan was finally dropped. Now students use this room to enjoy movies in small groups with their dear friends, and it is believed that many confessions have taken place there alongside the touching scenes on the screen. The English Learning Center is in fact used more often for movie-viewing purposes that for English learning purposes. Students enjoy the movies and they do learn a lot from the movies, and the best part is, it is completely free of charge.
The center occasionally holds special activities. Just last week, one teacher recited some of his creative work for the students and had a small tea party to enjoy the pleasure of listening to poetry-reading. Additionally the graduate students also founded an English self-learning class as a means of self-support as well as teaching practicum. There were so many people taking this class that even the local newspapers reported on it in great detail. Unfortunately, due to some internal problems among the graduate students, the English self-learning class has been temporarily suspended. But even now, many students are still inquiring when it will be open again.
Lately, the English Learning Center is facing a new problem, as the number of students who come to use the resources is decreasing. In addition, a university-wide Language Center has been founded and it would build a much bigger video classroom for the students. Such a new development threatens to marginalize our own English Learning Center. Faculty members and active students are now working to recreate the usefulness of such a good learning environment.