1st Session

1. Introduce yourself.

2. How was your day?

3. What is your hobby?

4. What are you going to do for the short holiday tomorrow?

Men's Volleyball Big in Japan After Haikyu!! Success

Never doubt the power of popular culture. Just look at the children in the 1980s who enjoyed the movie The Karate Kid and wanted to do martial arts themselves.

Or in 2020, when the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit made people around the world want to play chess.

And you can add something else to that list ― because in Japan, men's volleyball is said to have grown in popularity because of Haikyu!!, a popular manga and anime series.

The story follows a high school volleyball player who succeeds even though he's not very tall.

The manga series, by Haruichi Furudate, was first published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2012. A TV series came out in 2014, and there have been five movies ― most recently Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which has made nearly $70 million in Japan since its release in February.

And according to official data, there has been a 43% increase in the number of high school boys joining volleyball clubs since 2012.

Agence France Presse spoke to a number of young players and fans in Japan, with some saying their interest in the sport came from Haikyu!!

Fans say Haikyu!! isn't just good entertainment ― it's realistic too. Members of Japan's men's national team have even said they've tried to copy moves they saw in the manga!

And the men's national team has been doing well. At the end of May this year, it was ranked third in the world, behind only Poland and the US.

Women's volleyball exploded in popularity in Japan after the women's national team won gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

1. Have you ever got into something because of a book, movie, or show?

2. What were the most popular sports among your friends?

3. Have any sports exploded in popularity in your country in recent years?

4. Do you like manga or anime? What are your favorite series or genre?

2nd Session

1. Introduce yourself.

2. Yesterday was a holiday. What did you do?

3. What jobs do you think will disappear with the development of AI?

4. Do you think your major will be affected by the development of AI?

How AI Could Reduce Inequality in Education

"Until we get equality in education," said US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "we won't have an equal society."

So how do we find that equality? According to some, artificial intelligence (AI) may actually be part of the solution.

One-on-one tutoring has been found to improve academic performance. But because it's only available to those who can afford it, it can actually increase inequality in education.

However, intelligent chatbots could make private tutoring available to anyone with access to an electronic device.

"This should be a leveler," Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said last year.

The Economist agrees: "AI could at last make individual tutors viable for the many," it wrote at the start of 2024. "With the learning of students, especially those from poorer households, set back by the upheaval of the pandemic, such a development would certainly deserve top marks."

However, AI tutors probably wouldn't be free, with some chatbots already demanding fees for more advanced features. But Gates said even paid-for options would be cheaper than private tutoring with a human teacher.

And at a time when many school class sizes around the world are only getting larger, individual support could be as valuable as ever.

Indeed, as The Economist noted, many schools and local authorities have not embraced new technology as quickly as students have. The magazine said American schools spend just 2% of their budgets on technology.

So it may be that students will have to take the first steps to bridge the inequality divide themselves, with the help of AI.

Gates expressed hope for AI tutors that could "adapt and remember everything that you've done and look across your entire body of work."

There is still work to be done on the technology. But it could be one pathway toward equality in education ― and maybe a more equal society too.

1. Have you tried using AI for school or work? If so, how did you find it?

2. Do you think AI will reduce education inequality?

3. Do you think PNU and professors are actively using AI?

4. What other ways do you think could help reduce inequality in education and move society toward greater equality?