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Contents:

  1. School Life General Information
  2. Junior High School (JHS)
  3. Elementary School (ES)
  4. Special Needs / Education
  5. Question Time

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This is all general information. �Individual circumstances may differ depending on the school / the teachers you work with.

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School Life & General Information

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Definitions

ALT – Assistant Language Teacher (You)

JTE – Japanese Teacher of English �HRT – Homeroom Teacher

(The teacher/s that you will work directly with)

T1 - Leads the lesson �T2 – Assists T1 in running the lesson.

Supervisor – The person whom you report to and,� sets your work schedule amongst other things. �(This could be a teacher at your school,� or a designated person from the Board of Education).

Kocho sensei – School Principal �Kyoto sensei – Vice-principal

ES – Elementary School 1 – 6 �(Average ages 5 - 12)��JHS – Junior High School 1 – 3 �(Average ages 12 - 15)��SHS – Senior Highschool 1 – 3 �(Average ages 15 – 18)

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Do these 5 things

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Keep records of your lessons.

  • Notebook
  • Excel Spread Sheet�etc.

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Be Early!

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Be considerate of your students

  • Glare on the black board / TV
  • Your handwriting on the black board – is it legible?
  • Your speaking volume, speed, articulation etc.
  • Get to know your students.

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Prepare activities �that you can do anytime.

  • Line Game
  • Charades
  • Quizzes
  • Stories

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Be PROACTIVE with seeking information and feedback

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Your first few weeks

  • You will meet a lot of people.
  • You’ll likely be asked to observe or assist your JTEs lessons before being asked to lead your own.
  • ES HRT’s are more likely to ask you to lead a lesson sooner.
  • Simple Games / Activities
  • Simple Lessons

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Self-Introduction / じこしょうかい　�Lesson Tips

  • Content:
    • Information about your Country
    • Information about YOU
    • Q&A:
      • Before starting Q&A, give the students ’Thinking time’, �- time to talk with their friends and think of questions to ask.

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  • Make it interactive and try to get the students to participate.
  • Be YOURSELF!

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Caution

You may or may not be able to use a school computer, USB, �cloud drive. ��Talk to the teachers at your school / supervisor for more information. ��*You don’t need a computer to do a great lesson.

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“To use Japanese, or to not use Japanese.

That is the question”

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Lesson Planning Tips

  1. Ask your JTE:
    • what do they want you to teach?
    • how long they want your portion of the lesson to be.
    • what resources do you have access to? (example – printer / computer / internet access etc)�
  2. Leverage pre-made lessons and alter them to fit your requirements.�( https://nagasakijet.com/teaching-resources/ )

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  1. If starting from scratch:
    1. Introduce words / grammar points / things that you want your students to focus on.
    2. Practice in pairs or as a group.
    3. Activity / Challenge / Game
    4. Review main point(s) of the lesson. (last 2 minutes or so)

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JHS

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Average Day at JHS

  • Morning Brief (20 minutes)
  • 1st Period
  • 2nd Period
  • 3rd Period
  • 4th Period
  • Kyushoku (Lunch Time) / Break Time
  • 5th Period
  • 6th Period
  • School Cleaning
  • Home Room (not required to attend)
  • Afternoon Meeting

A

B

Special

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Meeting Tips

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  • Ask your JTE to let you know whenever there is a meeting.
  • Check the whiteboard / blackboard / TV for the current and following days schedule. �If you see this kanji “~会” it usually meaning there is a meeting of some kind.
  • Generally speaking, you can leave part way through if it conflicts with your finishing time. Though ask your JTE about what they would like you to do.

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School Events

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  • Sports Day - 運動会
  • Chorus Contest - 合唱コンクール
  • Opening / Closing / Graduation Ceremonies
  • Work Experience / Internship
  • School Trip (local area) - you may be able to participate.
  • School Trip (to another prefecture) - we usually cannot participate.
  • Nomi-kai (Dinner / drinks with teaching staff)

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ES

3

It’s a bit like junior high…

  • Students have textbooks from grade 3 on
  • Students are graded on English from grade 5 on
  • Students have tests and presentations

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And it’s a bit different…

  • Grammar is generally not explicitly taught

Focus is on vocabulary and phrases

  • Main focus is on speaking and listening

(I encourage you to get them writing though!)

  • You do the alphabet on repeat

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Teaching Approaches

  • You may teach with multiple homeroom teachers or a senka (English subject) teacher
    • Collaborate where you can
  • From grade 3 to grade 6 you should be T2
  • If you teach grade 1-2 you are likely T1
  • Follow the textbooks/curriculum and supplement with games and cultural content

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Advice

Use songs and games to boost memory

Give students a positive impression of English and

other countries

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  • Be positive, energetic and smile
  • Participate in what you can
  • Have fun!

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  • Less frequent
  • Usually the focus is on games and activities rather than learning from a textbook.
  • Requires more flexibility.
  • Ask your teachers about what their situation is. JTE may not know how to explain it in English. So an easy way to ask is,
  • Learning Difficulty / Behavioral Issues / They aren’t good with large groups of people.
  • (over simplified way to ask – but it’s a starting point to get an idea on what their special needs are and how best to approach the lesson.)

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Question Time�Thinking Time�

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You are going to be GREAT!

Final Thoughts