Sports are one of the universal bridges across cultural and language barriers. I believe they bring one another closer through competition and teamwork. I have started giving small groups of students from Japan lessons in ESL intermixed with athletic activities. The students seem to progress much faster in communicating with their American counterparts, and are much more enthusiastic to master the idiosyncracies of the American-English dialogue by working together on the same team. A strong bond is established that makes lessons much more interactive. If you are from Japan, what do you think of such a teaching method?

I'm not from Japan, but I think if you have noticed success AND your method actually makes the students more enthusiastic about learning English, then you should continue doing it! If the students are not complaining, then it looks like it has been working well for you and them!

I think it's great, the more that you can get the students to have class with english speakers, the better. You could also consider putting them in art classes and things like that too. i only had Japanese class (JSL) once a day at first, and so I had a lot of interaction wiht other students and I think it helped a lot. I now have it three times a week and I can speak well with the other students, and I think being around them so much helped.

Yes, I work for an atheletic organization which also teaches English and with the kids...absolutely! We have a gym class in our regular program and during our summer programs (not so much the after school programs, but I am sure it would help!) As for office ladies and businessmen, the older generation I am not so sure. Personally, I am not that much into athletics so I probably wouldn`t learn Japanese that way, but when I was younger, probably!

The Japanese goverment program called JET program has athletic teachers as positions to help learn English.

Also, there's a thing in ELL methodology called TPR, or Total Physical Response. Look it up. It's good. Very useful.

Maybe for boys...but not for girls. Japanese girls are usually into fashion and makeups etc and not into sports.

No. You're there to learn English, not sports. Not everyone is interested in sports.

Yes, physical education is one thing that has been cut out from the school curriculum way too much, especially in the US. Anything you can do to enhance there physical needs will also help them with there language needs. After all, what's the point in knowing another langauge if you die from a heart attack a week after you become fluent.