2013/11/24

Exposing English Education in Gunma Elementary and Secondary Schools

Featuring: Anastasia Letcher, Terry Dassow, Elizabeth Bender, Tomoko Nagaoka, Michiyo Imaizumi and Hiroaki Kanai

Summary:

In this last Gunma JALT meeting of 2013, three ALTs introduced one typical lesson plan from each of their respective classes. They then used this lesson plan to paint, in broad strokes, a picture of English education at their respective education levels: elementary, junior, and senior high. After a short break they will were joined by three Gunma public school JTEs for a panel discussion. All answered and discussed attendee’s questions about English education in Gunma elementary and secondary schools. Some topics discussed were: curriculum coordination between ES, JHS and SHS English programs; the education ministry’s new JHS/SHS course of study, and teaching English in English; Tokyo’s proposal to send 200 JTEs abroad for three months; education technology and textbooks; and student motivation.

Presenters

Anastasia Letcher teaches English as an ALT at three different schools. She is based at Maebashi Dai-ichi Junior High School and visits both Momonoi Elementary and Jounan Elementary once a week, where she is responsible for her own materials creation and lesson planning. Letcher has a MA in elementary school education from the University of Florida, and this is her third year on the JET Program.

Terry Dassow teaches English as an ALT in Takasaki at Tsukasawa Junior High School and Kindergarten. She holds an early-adolescent to adolescent English Language Arts teaching license from the State of Wisconsin, America. The program she completed was specialized in training teachers in cooperative learning and differentiation for use as fundamental instructional strategies.

Elizabeth Bender is an ALT at Maebashi Higashi High School, where she has spent the past two years team-teaching 1st- and 3rd-year English classes and helping coach the English club and debate team. Before beginning her transition to teaching, she earned a Master's in TESOL and spent several years advising students in a university ESL program in the US.

Panelists

Tomoko Nagaoka is a graduate of Aoyamagakuin University in Tokyo with a degree in education. She is a seasoned teacher with over twenty years experience and has participated in English lessons at all elementary school grade levels. She is currently a 2nd grade teacher at Momonoi Elementary in Maebashi where she oversees the school's foreign language activities and coordinates with the school's ALT.

Michiyo Imaizumi teaches English at Oorui Junior High School. She was a social studies teacher for ten years, then changed her career and worked for Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) as a specialist of products imported from Europe. In 2000 the Japanese government downsized JETRO and Imaizumi, once again, became a teacher. Her increased interest in foreign cultures and passion for English drove her to change her certification specialty and she now happily teaches English in Takasaki.

Hiroaki Kanai teaches English and International Exchange at Isesaki High School. He coaches the girl’s badminton club, and is also the homeroom teacher of the second-year Global Communications Course – an elective course of study that focuses on English and cross-cultural communication. He just returned last year from the Regional and Educational Exchange (REX) Program where he taught Japanese as an ALT in New Zealand.