Getting to Know You
Pauline Baird an English teacher at ICT.

What is the thing you own but others use the most? Yes, you guessed it correctly. It is your name!

 Students in their first classes are often nervous. Some parents at home are nervous, too, for a good reason because classes at ICT are in English. However, when the “Bridge English Chemistry” class began with an ice-breaker activity called “My Name …,” the class went from silent to a buzz of activity, with loud voices speaking Japanese and English and laughter.

My Name
 “My name is Toshimune. I am ‘Toshi_____,’ my brother is ‘Toshi ____’, my father is ‘Toshi _____,’ and my grandfather is ‘Toshi _____.’ All men in my family have the “Toshi” [in the name],” one student was delighted to share. He was so happy telling and writing the story in his most beautiful English. The classroom atmosphere was transformed because the students were engaged.

Active Learning
 First, for a pair work activity, students were asked to share a whiteboard to write their names. Doing so allowed them to complete a task together. They become less shy with others they just met less than a few weeks.
 At first, students were puzzled when asked to share their first names by writing them in Kanji. To be honest, I couldn’t read their names in Kanji, yet I asked students to write their names in Kanji. Pair activities help students build bonds of friendship and create a shared experience that students and teachers need while learning and teaching English.
 The next task was to tell us what their names meant and how they got their names. One student readily blurted out,
 “I know. I know,” and began writing his name story in beautiful English on the whiteboard. He even shared a joke about the meaning of his name.
Others were unsure how they got their names, so I suggested:
  “Ask your mama.”
In response, the class erupted in laughter. The students soon learned that I was serious.
 “Take your phones and do research,” advised.
I followed up by saying,
 “How about calling your parents?”
Soon, a few students were on the phone with their parents, telling them they were in English class and about the assignment.
 In some instances, those students went from giggles to full-blown laughter. For example, one student laughed loudly and exclaimed,
 “I learned something.” (Those words are like music to a teacher’s ears!)
 The student learned that his grandfather loved a character in a TV drama, which is how he was given that same name. Others listened carefully and made notes, but everyone smiled. Students were happy on the first day of Bridge English Chemistry class.

Bridging Divides
 This isn’t the first time I have done activities like this. I developed this practice many years, in the early 2000s, while working at Kanazawa Institute of Technology. Back then, I desperately needed to connect with my students, but I could not easily say or remember their names. Thus, I decided to use the name story, which has helped me since then.
 Many Japanese people and students around the world have shared their name stories in every place I have taught and lived. I have learned that a person’s name is not just for identification. It is a powerful tool for building bonds among people, connecting with ourselves, situating oneself in one’s ancestry, and bridging home and school. The next time you wish to connect with someone or a student, it may be helpful to not stop at just learning a name. You might consider sharing your name story or asking about a person’s name story, if it feels correct and culturally appropriate. Everybody has a story!

~ Dr. Pauline Baird