SHIKI, Saitama Pref. — Sitting in pairs behind computer screens, 30 fifth-graders at Muneoka No. 3 Elementary School here try to catch an English word spoken by computer and select the corresponding picture by mouse.
The word game is a warmup for a class on international understanding. Although it is designed to get students accustomed to English, the game also has another objective: familiarizing children with PCs.
Two Japanese teachers, Shiori Kohara and Yoshiyuki Kachi, go around the classroom, telling students to double-click the image that goes with the word. Andre Campa, a visiting American teacher, lends a native hand.