Sewin' at ShoinELI faculty member Jan Lefebvre is weaving a hands-on approach into her assignment in Japan. Lefebvre arrived at Kobe Shoin Women's University in March for a two-year stint - part of the long-standing faculty exchange program with the University of Delaware.
Rather than have students conjugate verbs and memorize word lists, Lefebvre incorporates language instruction experientially into a classroom project derived from Amish tradition from nearby Lancaster, PA - quiltmaking. "Quilting is not just about sewing scraps of fabric to make a blanket," she explained. "It's about generating conversation and sharing culture." In Lefebvre's first classes, a discussion of the Amish values of frugality and community were interwoven into the discussion of fabric colors and patterns, and Lefebvre encouraged students to be creative and "think Japanese" when selecting their own fabrics for their first project. As work on the quilt began, students exchanged vocabulary and practiced pronunciation: names for parts of the sewing machine, terms for quilting tools, a simple quilting mantra, "Sew then press, sew then press." Later students imagined what they could name an original Japanese quilt pattern if they were to design one themselves. "Several ideas were tossed about," said Lefebvre, "but we agreed that 'momiji gari' or 'hunting for fall leaves' was a winner. It's the term for an activity enjoyed by many during the most spectacularly colorful season in Japan. "These bits and pieces of language combined with new skills make a beautiful end product," said Lefebvre, "a quilt of conversation as warm as any made of cloth." Future quilting projects include a gift for a visiting student from Cambodia, as well as an entry representing Shoin in the huge quilt show in Tokyo in January 2004. "This is language learning at its best," said Lefebvre. "It's personal, creative and challenging on many levels." |