Waseda professor helping restore students' confidence

　少々昔の記事になりますが，DY（02/04/12付）にあった，motivationに関する面白い記事です。motivationは英語教育において重要なfactorとなりますが，英語教育だけではなく色々な面で役立ちそうです。ここで取り上げられている早稲田の教授であるカワン・スタント氏のこの手法は，社員教育などにおいても注目を浴びているようです。著書に『感動教育』（講談社）というものがあるようなので，ぜひ読んでみたいと感じました。

The following article is a translation from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Education Renaissance series. This piece--the fourth in a five-part subseries detailing efforts by schoolteachers and administrators to motivate students--focuses on a Waseda University professor who has had considerable success in encouraging poorly motivated students to study harder by impressing upon them,"If you try, you can do it!"

The instructions Prof. Ken Kawan Soetanto gave to his class on the first day may have sounded rather harsh to some of the students.

No credit would be granted, he told them, to any student who misses more than three lectures; students who arrive more than 10 minutes late will be considered absent; and each student is required to submit after class at least five sentences stating how they feel about the lecture.

These instructions were given to Soetanto's students at the university's School of International Liberal Studies in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, at the beginning of his first lecture for the second semester, which started in September.

Soetanto, 60, also requires his students to write several lengthy papers and to give presentations without the aid of prepared notes. This all reflects his philosophy that students cannot expect to improve their abilities without making a serious effort.

"I won't give up on any of my students," he says.

Soetanto, who came from an impoverished background in Indonesia, entered a university in Japan at the age of 26 on a scholarship. He studied at four universities and completed doctorates in four fields, including engineering and medicine. Through his experiences as a student, Soetanto came to realize that life is full of challenges.

As an educator, he faced one of his most difficult challenges in 1993 when he was invited to join the engineering faculty at a private university. He found there was a large number of unmotivated students. The professors said they felt helpless and complained that 80 percent of the students were unable to understand what they were being taught.

Unlike his colleagues, Soetanto came to believe that the lethargic and apathetic attitudes the students adopted were largely a result of the low expectations teachers had of their abilities.

Soetanto took a different approach, focusing on encouraging his students by frequently telling them, "You can do it!" even when they were performing poorly. Under his tutelage, many students achieved considerable success in their studies, with one project even being awarded a patent.

Soetanto's unusual teaching style gained a reputation outside his classes and became known as "the Soetanto Effect."

Ten years later, the professor transferred to Waseda University, where he currently lectures on various subjects, including the basics of digital technology and higher education in Asia. He also teaches courses on how to motivate people.

According to Soetanto, many students lose their sense of purpose after passing the entrance examinations and become reluctant to get involved in activities with their peers.

As a rule, Soetanto has his students introduce themselves on the first day of class. He believes a genuine story can help open the hearts of fellow students. In the self-introductions, students share their reasons for taking the course and talk about their hopes and fears.

Through the exchanges, students gradually build trusting relationships with each other, the professor says.

Even in a class on technology, Soetanto finds ways to work in life lessons. For instance, he might say something like, "Make friends with hardship, as it could be a chance for success," or, "Only you can change yourself."

The passionate professor speaks individually with students who do not appear responsive in class, occasionally providing consultations late into the evening. He tries to find ways to motivate students by reading their after-class reports and looking for changes in their thoughts about the classes.

Su Xia, a 42-year-old graduate student at the university, first met Soetanto at an outside lecture. She became his teaching assistant in May last year, hoping "to discover how people are able to change through his lectures."

Su has witnessed firsthand the impact Soetanto's lectures have had on students' attitudes, helping them take steps toward fulfilling their dreams, despite the hopelessness they may have felt in their university lives.

Such experiences inspired Su herself to become a researcher on education.

The "Soetanto Effect" seems to be positively affecting more and more people who come in contact with him.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/T120203002772.htm