Examinations and Short Presentations

A) しけん (Examinations)
1. What is your definition of “examination”? What is “examination” for you? What is “examination” supposed to be? Why does “examination” exist? What is "examination" for?

My definition of an examination is a procedure used to determine how well a person is mastering the material that he or she is supposed to be learning. For me, an examination has always been the kinds that are administered in the schools here in the United States. That is, for the most part, you walk in, having studied the night before (hopefully), and given a set of questions you need to answer them to the best of your abilities without help from other people or things. Of course, examinations don't always have to be like this. Anything that can provide a reasonable measure of your abilities counts as a valid examination (many of these can be less painful, such as an oral examination).

2. What are the positives and the negatives to have more examinations in our Japanese class? State both and write your opinion.

The positives of more examinations in our Japanese class are simple -- it would force the students to stay on top of the material more so that they are learning consistently instead of cramming the night before an exam. Of course, the negatives are that it takes up valuable class time that could otherwise be used for learning, and also forces students into a more rigid and less enjoyable schedule. Personally, I am against more examinations. As a rather busy student, I like having more freedom in my schedule. Most importantly, however, Japanese is a class that most of its students take because they want to learn -- not because they have to. Thus, the benefit of forcing students to stay on top of their material more is negated since students that want to learn tend to be on top of their material regardless.

B) プレゼンテーション (Short-Presentation)
Do you think it is a good idea to have a short presentation on something Japanese in class (either in Japanese or English)? Why?

I think it would be a good idea to have a short presentation on something Japanese in class only if it helps us with our language development. It should be short and not take up much time -- maybe devote half of one class time to it. But it should definitely be completely in Japanese, although not very harshly graded since public speaking is difficult for most.