Fall Semester Teachers' Seminar

Today was the first day of the Yokkaichi Teachers' Initiative, a teachers' development seminar that my colleague, Andy Mellor, and I coordinate with the Yokkaichi Community College.

This time around we have 5 people registered. Only 4 showed up today, but all of those people are repeaters, for better or worse. One person hadn't attended for 3 years, but had participated in the first session we did.

Our activities today included one ice breaker, a kind of getting-to-know-you game. Then we chose the topics that we would have workshops on this time. The participants chose to do workshops on Reflective Teacher Development, Pronunciation, Learning Strategies, and Cultural Awareness.

In the late morning and afternoon, we worked on generating action research topics for the participants to do in the interim between sessions. My project is to find out over the course of the semester what students learn when they take quizzes that I have made for them and posted on the Internet. I want to know if they learn any English and/or computer skills. Looking forward to that actually.

BlogShares - EFL in Japan

Have you seen this? I was just trolling and found my blog on this site, so I thought I'd see what it is. It is a "Fantasy Blog Shares Market." People's blogs are treated like businesses in a stock exchage and people buy shares of the stock.

This blog, "BlogShares - EFL in Japan," is valued at B$3,739.12. That is more than I am insured for!

Kind of fun. Check to see if your blog is up there.

Grad student again!

It is official. I have been accepted in the University of Sheffield, School of East Asian Studies, MA in Advanced Japanese Studies program. It is a three-year, distance learning program.

I had been thrashing around, looking for a program that suited my interests and limitations (spacial, financial, and intellectual) and found this one. Sounds pretty exciting to me. I'll be writing more on it in the future, like alot more actually. The first installment will probably come after the orientation weekend that is coming up soon.

Repeaters class this semester

This semester I am teaching the section of an English Communication class for students who have failed other sections of the same class. I am teaching this year's class with particular dread.

In the past our department has never had anyone graduate. Our department is relatively new, and this year will be our first year of graduates. In the class for repeaters, I have three seniors or fourth-year students. That means that they have failed this class three times up to now, and are taking it again in order to graduate. I hate that pressure. I was under it several times in Kumamoto when I taught there and I learned some things.

1. Explain everything up front and be as transparent with everything as possible. I already have all of the tests that they will need to pass this semester up on the internet and they have the address for them, as do all the students in my classes.

2. Explain everything again as the need arises. That means when they start to slack off. And keep written records of those interactions.

3. Have everything available for the administration when they come to find out why a student, probably one who has already lined up a job, has failed a first-year English class again.

Since I have never failed a fourth-year student here yet, I'm not sure how everyone will take it. In Kumamoto it was a steady procession of student, administrators, and parents all begging for a passing score. They didn't like my response.

Students invited to sessions on teaching in Japan

But there is no mention of teaching!

On the UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) Today site there is an article that says that the Cultural Affairs Coordinator with the Consulate General of Japan at Houston, and a UTSA alumna, who is also a JET program veteran, were going to visit classes to tell people about the JET program.

"The goal of the JET program is to experience Japanese culture," said Masato Yabe, UTSA lecturer in Japanese languages.

Huh? What about teaching English? No mention made.

Update on "Who wants a Foreign Teacher"

I've been spending alot of time responding to Scott-in-Japan about hiring practices on Scott Sommers' Taiwan Weblog.

Wierd thing about the internet, though. Like it or not, I kind of get wrapped up in discussions like this.