Estonian Literary Museum Scholarly Press Acta Medica Okayama 2307-700X 13 3 2025 Responding to humor online: an exploratory L2 study on the effect of instruction 321 326 EN Caleb Prichard Okayama University Audrey Rousse-Malpat Groningen University Although L2 learners report having great difficulty responding to humour, research on this area is lacking. There is also a relative lack of studies on whether there is the need for humour instruction for European learners of other European languages. Therefore, this pilot study explored instruction on humour responses for learners of French at a Dutch university. Participants reported that humour instruction is warranted in their B2-level French class. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学グローバル・パートナーズ, 岡山大学教育開発センター, 岡山大学言語教育センター, 岡山大学キャリア開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 11 2015 Why the “Silent Finns” Have the Loudest Classrooms and Implications for Japanese Universities 127 138 EN Caleb Prichard Thomas Fast 10.18926/54541 Finnish education may be a model for Japanese universities as they look to promote active learning pedagogies. Based on observations and interviews with influential educators from several Finnish institutions, this article overviews key aspects of education in Finland, especially those related to deep learning. The role of faculty development, learning spaces, and co-teaching are also examined. Finally, a pilot course implemented at Okayama University in which the authors aimed to apply key ideas learned in Finland will be described. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学グローバル・パートナーズ, 岡山大学教育開発センター, 岡山大学言語教育センター, 岡山大学キャリア開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 10 2014 Reading Strategy Use of Low- and High-Proficiency Learners and the Effect of Reading Instruction 115 122 EN Caleb Prichard 10.18926/53178 Research suggests that reading strategy usage is influential on L2 reading proficiency. Considering this, the LEC English Department decided to examine students’ reading strategies as a part of its much larger curricular review. The results support existing research showing that more-proficient readers use somewhat more varied strategy usage. Posttest results reveal that a course on reading skills led to some minimal improvements in top-down reading strategies. Implications are discussed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学グローバル・パートナーズ, 岡山大学教育開発センター, 岡山大学言語教育センター, 岡山大学キャリア開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 10 2014 Critical Thinking and Learning Commons: Initial Observations and Possible Applications 93 104 EN Thomas Fast Caleb Prichard Akemi Morioka John Rucynski 10.18926/53176 This article reports on the first year activities and findings of the Learning Commons Study Group (ラーニングコモンズ活用分科会), which was formed to oversee the Okayama University Library renovation. Below is a description of our visits to other libraries, class, workshops and presentation observations. Pedagogically analysis was done through the lens of active learning, contentbased instruction in language learning (CBI), and other related theories and approaches. Concluding thoughts on utilizing Okayama University’s new learning commons and promoting critical thinking on campus is provided. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学国際センター, 岡山大学教育開発センター, 岡山大学言語教育センター, 岡山大学キャリア開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 9 2013 Okayama University LEC English Program Evaluation Plan and Pretest Results 181 194 EN Caleb Prichard 10.18926/52201 This article describes the methods and rationale of the Okayama University LEC English Program evaluation. The methods include summative measures （TOEIC and TOEIC SW） to see if the program is helping students improve their English proficiency. Formative measures are also being utilized to understand various aspects of students’ communicative competence and language learning to consider ways to improve the program. These measures include surveys on learner affect（ motivation and anxiety）, a reading strategy survey, and vocabulary tests. The results of the pretest measures will be reported and possible implications will be discussed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.