NEWS

ICU Association of Fieldwork in Language Teaching (AFLT) Holds English Workshop at a Junior High School in Matsusaka City

Update: December 3, 2024

On November 27, 2024, ICU's voluntary student organization, the ICU Association of Fieldwork in Language Teaching (AFLT), hosted the "ICU AFLT English Workshop at Matsusaka" for six first-year classes (about 220 students) at Matsusaka City Kubo Junior High School in Mie Prefecture, as part of the comprehensive partnership agreement between Matsusaka City and ICU (established in 2022). The ICU AFLT, formed in the fall of 2022 by students in the teaching program interested in social contributions in the communities, currently has about 20 members under the guidance of Associate Professors Akiko Fujii and Mari Tsujita.

In this workshop, marking the second one held in Matsusaka City, eight first- to fourth-year AFLT-affiliated students from the College of Liberal Arts served as instructors.

The workshop consisted of two parts, and in the first part, each class participated in an English-speaking activity titled "What do I need for school?" The activity introduced students to the school lives of peers abroad, highlighting the school life abroad and differences between overseas and Japanese schools. Specifically, in small groups, students prepared the contents of backpacks for schools in three countries (USA, Taiwan, and Indonesia). In this task-based teaching method, a focus in foreign language education, the ICU students devised practical examples to suit junior high school students. By interacting in small groups with college students close in age in English, the junior high school participants were encouraged to engage in English communication, gain confidence in their ability to convey meaning, and boost their motivation to learn English.

The second part featured a relay-style talk by the eight ICU students. They shared diverse personal experiences, including growing up abroad, extracurricular activities during junior high and high school, part-time jobs, and living alone as university students. These stories were intended to inspire students to reflect on their own circumstances and aspirations.

Feedback from the junior high school students who participated in the workshop included comments such as, "I was surprised at how different school life is around the world," "I've started to like English a little more," "I didn't understand the English, but gestures helped me understand some of it," and "Thank you for teaching the English class--it was a lot of fun."

Comments about memorable aspects of the talks covered the idea that failure isn't the end, stories about American schools, the fact that everyone struggles with speaking English at first, a story about not being able to speak initially after moving to the US, accounts of university students studying abroad, people who are now fluent in English struggled with it during junior high school, and how even though studying can be hard and unpleasant at times, failure is the foundation of success, providing motivation to keep trying without giving up.

The ICU students who served as instructors shared the following reflections on their achievements:

• "We structured the workshop to focus on 'using English' rather than just 'learning English. ' This seemed to help students experience English as a tool for communication from the linguistic aspect, rather than merely a school subject. Highlighting 'what to bring to school' under the theme of school life worldwide allowed students to explore differences from the same-year overseas students, which are shaped by culture and environment. By creating authentic teaching materials rather than relying on textbooks or internet content, we conveyed a more realistic image to the students."
• "Successfully holding the English workshop was a true joy. As students of language education in the teaching program, this opportunity to apply what we've learned highlighted the challenges of putting theory into practice but also reinforced the joy of teaching. Seeing students actively participate in the activities provided a strong sense of accomplishment. This time, we focused on task-based lesson planning to encourage students to actively use English, holding multiple meetings to refine our approach. While the language resources available to first-year junior high school students are limited, we worked on creative ways to provide instructions and present activities that allowed all students to participate. We hope that our enthusiasm as university students close in age to them, demonstrated through enjoyable English-based lessons, served as a positive and inspiring experience for the students. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Matsusaka City Board of Education, Kubo Junior High School, the ICU General Affairs Group, and the Japan ICU Foundation for their invaluable support in organizing this workshop."

This meaningful English workshop left a strong impression on the junior high students.
The event was supported by grants from the Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) and Matsusaka City.

Reference: Press Release February 21, 2024 "Bridging Theory and Practice in English Education: Teacher Certification Program Students Conduct an English Workshop at Ureshino Junior High School in Matsusaka"