Diffrences between Australia and Japan in Terms of Studying English

     Hello, everyone.  How are you?  Although it is sometimes a little bit cold especially in night in Brisbane, it is warm even in winter and I can spend wonderful life here in Brisbane.  This time, I would like to write about several differences between Australia and Japan in terms of English Education.

    

ICTE-UQ

     There are two main remarkable contrasts between English education in Australia and Japan.  First of all, what is the biggest difference is that English education in Japan focuses on especially grammar, while it pays attention to speaking in Australia.  In japan, students tend to learn English passively.  However, in ICTE, students can study it actively.  For example, my teacher often asks me some questions related to reading, writing and listening in the class and I also often answer her questions.  If I mistake in this conversation, my teacher tells me mistakes and teaches me some useful expressions.  This gives us the confidence to speak English in front of my classmates.  In addition to the contrast of focusing, class in Australia is totally different from that in Japan.  In Japan, almost all classes are consisted of only Japanese people so it is very difficult to talk with foreign students.  On the other hand, in ICTE, all classes include many different nationalities such as Columbian, Chinese, and Saudi Arabian etc.  Therefore, this enables me to study not only English but also other countries’ culture like music and food through conversation.  Also, I can introduce Japanese culture for them easily.

     In conclusion, these are two differences between Australia and Japan with regard to English education.  I hope that I can gain a lot of useful English expressions and speak English with confidence.

My Precious Friends in ICTE

The Most Interesting and Surprising Differences I Have Experienced between Australia and Japan

     Hi, everyone!  Approximately two months have passed since I arrived in Australia so I would like to write about the difference between Australia and Japan.  Actually, I have experienced studying abroad three times but this is my first trip to Australia so it is very easy to find the differences

     First of all, I was surprised to the differences of foods and drinks.  In Japan, we often eat rice in breakfast.  However, in Australia, people eat cereal as breakfast.  I was very confused this difference.  Moreover, people eat some fruits and snacks as refreshment break.  Although people in Japan eat snack and fruits, they do not eat them during the breaks. 

     As well as the meal, the transportation system of Australia is quite different from that of Japan.  First, the ticket system is very different.  In Japan, students who go to university by train buy a commuter pass.  This is very useful because once people pay fare, they do not have to pay during a given period.  On the other hand, in Australia, people purchase Go-Card instead of a commuter pass.  This is also very good system because if people get on train, bus and ferry nine times in a week, they can get on these transportation systems without fare.  So, in the weekend, I often go to Gold Coast, DFO near the airport and so on.

     I believe I will be able to find further differences by the time I come back to Japan and these differences will be useful when I talk with my friends in Japan about Australia.