| Abstract | I present the 2025 SMILE Project between Miwa High School in Japan and AI Azhar Yogyakarta in Indonesia. All the students at my school who took part said that communicating with the Indonesian students was fun, even though some of them do not enjoy studying English as a subject. Why did they find it enjoyable to communicate with foreign students in English (and sometimes in Indonesian and Japanese)? Unfortunately, in Japan—at least at my school—senior high school English classes generally lack opportunities for real communication, even though the Ministry of Education recognizes a correlation between intercultural communication and English competence. I will introduce comments from my students after the online exchange and present some improvements for next year’s project.
Smile project between SMA Al Azhar 34 Yogyakarta and Miwa High School has brought
enthusiasm and joy to students, allowing them to collaborate and have interactive discussions using
English online. When the project was announced to students, it didn't take long for teacher to recruit
participants. In this project, students discussed various topics such as Japanese comic books (manga),
Japanese animation (anime), favorite food, favorite singers, cultural exchange, future plans and more.
Whenever they found out similar hobby interest, they cheered happily. When it came to anime discussion,
Indonesian students responded to their peers passionately. I also found some students communicated
eagerly using signs language and tried to convey their thoughts using images on their smartphones. Some
even took notes when Japanese students taught them simple words in Japanese language. It was
surprising seeing how students were able to teach other their own languages using English.
Smile project definitely has allowed students to connect with their peers from Japan and engage
in international cultural exchange. In just under an hour, students were able to communicate beyond
language barriers, explore each other’s culture, and make new friends. Their smiles showed that they had
enjoyable moments. Talking about real topics (hobbies, culture etc) makes English relevant and relax
online conversation reduced the fear of making mistakes, encouraging more speaking. Seeing peers
actively use English, even with difficulties, encourages others to try. It was wonderful experience which
brings smile. Some students even wrote in the comments so that this program could continue and the
discussion duration could be extended. |
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