東大キャンパスを散歩

Yesterday I saw two TOEIC teachers, Morite2さん and 神崎正哉さん. Morite2さん is a graduate student at 東大, and he kindly showed us around the 本郷キャンパス.

The first thing I noticed was that the campus is quite large. I estimate it could take a full day to explore the whole thing. Below is a photo of 安田講堂.

Afterwards we had a drink at a nearby 居酒屋. Morite2さん specializes in 認知言語学. I know nothing about the discipline (学問分野), but his stories were interesting. Besides teaching TOEIC classes, he studies something called "spacio-temporal" expressions. He talked about how "前," for example, can indicate both the future and the past; there are similar things in English.

神崎正哉さん, Morite2さん, and I, with others, will broadcast a net radio program on the day of the TOEIC this Sunday (25th). Go to 神崎さん's TOEIC Blitz Blog for details.

Everything you wanted to know about the TOEIC but were afraid to ask... Kanzaki-san!

A good friend of mine, Kanzaki Masaya-san will be broadcasting a net radio program about the TOEIC and other things THIS SATURDAY MORNING. Go to his blog for details. The title of the program is "Any Questions?" So I imagine it'll be very interactive. Good luck, Kanzaki-san!

「語学の獨協」が初のTOEIC Speaking & Writing IPテストを実施

　獨協大学の皆さん、今日も授業お疲れさまでした。僕は夕方の1コマだけですが、朝から来ている皆さんはたいへんですよね。
　ところで、今日構内のテレビ掲示板を眺めていたら、TOEIC Speaking & Writing IPテスト実施のお知らせが流れていました。「「語学の獨協」が初のTOEIC Speaking & Writing IPテストを実施」だそうです。テスト日時は6月11日です。これ、超オススメですよ。
　通常のTOEICはListeningとReadingだけです。けど、実際に英語で仕事をするとなると、英語で話したり書いたりする能力が必要になってきます。
　日本ではこのテストは普及にはほど遠い状態にありますが、TOEIC先進国の韓国では大企業が積極的に活用している（PDF）ようです。日本でTOEICを実施している国際ビジネスコミュニケーション協会も、Speaking & Writing Testsの営業に本腰を入れようとしています。ふとしたきっかけで就職や昇進、転職に際してこのテストのスコアを求める時代がやってくるかもしれません。獨協生の皆さん。その時代の流れに先んじるという意味で、受験を考えてみるのもいいのではないでしょうか。
　ただ、いきなり受けると撃沈する恐れがあるので、↓で出題傾向などを把握しておいた方がいいかもしれません。

TOEICスピーキングテスト/ライティングテスト公式ガイド

　この本を使って英語を話したり書いたりの練習をすることはたんなる試験対策に止まらず、総合的な英語運用能力を養成するトレーニングにもなりますよ。英語を話したり書いたりすることが楽しくなってくるはずです。
　獨協生の方のIPテスト申し込み方法・詳細はこちらです。
　一般の方は、こちらから公開テストに申し込むことができます。

今晩、TOEIC Blitz Radioがあります

Hi there. TOEIC Blitz Radio will be broadcast online this evening. Go to Kanzaki-san's blog for details.

土曜日の夜にTOEIC Blitz Radioが放送されます

　今週土曜の夜7時から、ネットラジオが放送されます。

TOEIC Blitz Radio presents:

(Rock'n') Roll Sushi Party Vol.1

Date: May 10 (Saturday)

Time: 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Topic: Vocabulary learning

URL：http://203.131.199.132:8180/TBR.m3u
　　　↑
放送時間にこのアドレスにアクセスすれば聞けるはずです。

BBS： http://jbbs.livedoor.jp/bbs/read.cgi/study/9131/1210044540/
　　　↑
(Rock'n') Roll Sushi Party Vol.1, May 10というタイトルのスレッドです。質問をお寄せください（日本語可）。

　出演者は以下の通りです。

神崎正哉（TOEIC Blitz Blog ）
masamasa（TOEIC征服日記）
ヒロ前田（TOEIC対策疑問ひたすら１００連発）
Jay（今日から始める英語トレーニング）
常野雄次郎（TOEIC満点劇場 e-tsune）

　では質問やコメントをお待ちしています。

『新公式問題集 Vol. 3』はTest 2の方が難しいーーゴールデンウィーク集中演習・最終日

　エッセンスイングリッシュスクールの皆さん、こんにちは。7時間×4日間の集中演習、お疲れさまでした。80名という大盛況で、地方から参加してくださった方もあり、とても嬉しいです。

Our textbook was 『TOEICテスト新公式問題集〈Vol.3〉』. We did 400 questions in four days. That's two full tests' worth of material. Did you notice any difference between the two tests? Was one more difficult than the other?

My personal feeling is that Test 2 (Reading Section) is much more challenging than Test 1. In particular, the Part 7 passages for Test 2 were markedly（この副詞、今日出てきましたよね） longer than those for Test 1. Their vocabulary level was also higher.

『TOEICテスト新公式問題集〈Vol.3〉』 was produced by the same organization that produces the actual TOEIC: ETS. So you might wonder, if the difficulty can vary so much, are TOEIC scores reliable（これも復習です）? What if the next TOEIC just happens to be more difficult than usual? Would you be just unlucky in that case, and lucky in the opposite case?

Well, if you are willing to accept ETS's claims, there is no reason to worry. Your TOEIC score will be based on the number of questions you get right for each Section. That's called 素点. This number is then converted into a score through complex statistical procedures. So if one test is harder than another, the same 素点 will get you a higher score, and vice versa（逆もまた真なり）.

Now, compare the charts on page 4 and page 90 of the book's 『解答・解説編』. For example, if your 素点 for the Reading Section of Test 1 is between 71 and 75, your score will range from 275 through 330; the same 素点 range will get you a score between 340 and 390. That's a big difference, isn't it? (No statistical data were collected for『TOEICテスト新公式問題集〈Vol.3〉』, so you are given a "range" rather than a fixed score.)

What lesson can be learned from this? I think it's safe to say that you don't need to worry if you feel the questions are more difficult than usual as you take the test; everyone around you may be feeling the same, and that'll be taken into account when your 素点 is converted into a スコア. Don't get distracted by the difficulty of some questions. Just move on and do your best.

Oh, before I forget, I should upload a picture of myself. I talked about how better I look in real person than in photos, and asked a student to take a good picture of me. I then promised I'd post it here no matter what, so here it is:

Well... Life can be tough from time to time, we just need to keep on going...

By the way, I talked about TOEIC Blitz Radio. It will be broadcast online this coming saturday. The details are here at 神崎正哉さん's blog.

Yes, We Can!——ゴールデンウィーク集中演習 Day 3

Hi there. This is the speech of Obama's I referred to in class today.

The following video may also be interesting.

The second one is a music video featuring stars like スカーレット・ヨハンソン.

Also, the transcript of the speech can be found here.

Like I said in class, I'm not campaigning for Obama. It's just that the speech is so inspiring that I've watched the video like ten times now.