With class “A” the e-mail was also translated into Japanese. It should be noted that this
was done at the behest of the course co-ordinator and was not originally planned by the
teachers. She felt that the students would feel more at ease if they were able to read the
e-mails in Japanese, plus it would also avoid any confusion over homework assignments
or class content. E-mails for both B and C classes were not translated – a reflection of
their higher TOEIC scores and ability to read and comprehend English e-mails. The
school manager also made monthly visits to classes at each level. During these visits she
discussed the program with the co-ordinator and students and how they felt things were
progressing. Following these visits, the manager held a meeting with the teachers and
told them of student concerns and questions. In this way were the classes modified and
improved upon throughout the term. Throughout the course, students were also
encouraged to send e-mails in English to the instructors at any time and on any topic.
Several of the students who attempted this did so hesitatingly at first but gradually
became more comfortable with it as the term progressed. All such e-mails were
responded to and hardcopies of each e-mail, containing corrections to spelling,
vocabulary and grammar were provided to the students at the beginning of each weekly
lesson.
E