Japan wide JHS speech contest

[Paul]

So my prize students were disqualified because of their extra English experience through homestays and what not. Then the normal kids didn't want to enter, so I am out of a coaching job this year...:(

The rules for this contest are strict in regards to who can and can not participate. (And somewhat anal as well I might add....)

2. Qualifications for Participation http://www.jnsafund.org/en/ptt59th/yoko.pdf
(1) Students recommended by their school principal and attending a Middle School in Japan (excluding
International and American Schools).
(2) Students who fall into any of the following categories are not eligible to participate in the contest:
(a) Those who were born and raised in English speaking countries/regions* beyond the age of five.
(b) Those who lived in English speaking countries/regions beyond the age of five for a total of one
year or six months continuously.
(c) Those whose parent or grandparent with nationalities of English Speaking countries or
naturalized Japanese, having lived in Japan for less than 30 years.
(d) Those who won 1
st
to 7
th
places in any previous contests.
(3) Those that violate the above clauses and enter the Contest will be disqualified.

8 out of the 9 speeches mentioned that the student had at least a home stay experience over seas so maybe it is not rigged but having the money to go to private school and go over seas clearly helps

Depending upon how long the homestay was I agree it would make a difference, yet I have seen too many kids that went on homestay and still did poorly in this contest.

[gsuiris]

I help with the speech contest at my school, but the judging at the local and prefectural level is always so..... random. Somtimes they give someone extra points for things that I don't think should matter. For example, someone got extra points once because their speech was a minute longer than someone else. Another student got extra points because her speech was about her ALT (despite the fact that it was a boring speech and her pronunciation wasn't great). One student got put through because he spoke using a lot of emotion, but I couldn't understand 80% of what he said, and I knew his speech.

I would say that the ALT judges can be as erratic as the Japanese ones, at least in my area. I know last year one judge gave my student 7-10 points lower overall than every other judge (3 at the local level, the other 3 at the prefecture level). That's a pretty big margin, since most of the others were within 2-3 points of each other.

It's good practice for the students, of course, but its subjective. I always tell my students to enjoy themselves and not get too worried about it.

Wish the teahcers at my school felt the same.......

[Paul]

I have to agree to a point about alt's objectiveness at times when judging contests too. Hence I believe the reasoning behind getting together after the first couple to three speakers to confer how each was judging. However I will add that I like the idea of watching a different speaker or two prior to the contest to get their heads together and plan on suggesting that for the next contest.

Time factors could be one reason why it would be shot down, but I am going to try.

I have seen as well alt judges literally hammer kids that eventually won because of what I have no idea but they have.

[jeisensei]

Personally I think judges should not talk to each other after the first speech. They should talk a lot before hand and decide what is going to be import and what is not going to be so important. Guides like that should be enough for judging.

[azuhlLt.]

Personally I think judges should not talk to each other after the first speech. They should talk a lot before hand and decide what is going to be import and what is not going to be so important. Guides like that should be enough for judging.

We weren't given a choice as to what was important, just shoved in a room, spoken to in broken English then sat next to one-another on a row near the back of the (small) hall, maybe ampitheatre? So, yeah, here's your score card, don't score on individual points, just an overall score will do. Wha?

[jeisensei]

I was speaking, as I normally do, about the perfect world hah
I have done judging on many many speech contests so I know how it normally is, but I have been to some really good ones that do follow the process that I outlined in my last post.

[Paul]

I think I have come to the realization that my next mission in life as an ALT is to come up with standardized guidelines to be used at all speech and story contests nationwide and submit them to all BOE's and the national organization in charge and have them instituted as the official rule book for judging said contests.

And then I woke up. (Damn I am going to have one NASTY hangover tomorrow, drinking beer and cognac at 1300 on a weekday is not helpful for thinking straight )

[Otaku]

Just got word, and the travel expense money from my JHS, I'm off to Tokyo on Thursday to watch my student who got through to the Japan-wide write-your-own-speech contest.

Read it and weep, suckers!

[Richard_BenoitEnglipedia Drone]

Where are you going to be in Tokyo so I can punch you! Congrats!

[Paul]

Just got word, and the travel expense money from my JHS, I'm off to Tokyo on Thursday to watch my student who got through to the Japan-wide write-your-own-speech contest.

Read it and weep, suckers!

Congratulations! Have you been there before?

[Otaku]

Just got word, and the travel expense money from my JHS, I'm off to Tokyo on Thursday to watch my student who got through to the Japan-wide write-your-own-speech contest.

Read it and weep, suckers!

Congratulations! Have you been there before?

Gotten a student there two years ago, but this is the first time actually GOING.

[jeisensei]

Congrats man!

[azuhlLt.]

Congrats!

[Jeimuzu]

Nice.