NEWS

ICU Student Group Hosted English Workshop in Moroyama, Saitama

Update: September 26, 2025

On August 4, 2025, the ICU Association of Fieldwork in Language Teaching (AFLT), a volunteer student group at ICU, co-hosted the "ICU AFLT English Workshop at Moroyama 2025" with the Moroyama Town School Education Division. The workshop was held at Moroyama Junior High School and Kawakado Junior High School in Moroyama Town as part of their summer course program. This year marked the 4th iteration of the workshop, with approximately 30 students from two schools participating, along with nine Liberal Arts undergraduates from diverse backgrounds, ranging from first-year to fourth-year, who served as instructors.

Founded in the fall of 2022 by students in the teacher training program, ICU AFLT is an organization dedicated to contributing to the local community. It currently has about 20 members. Advisors Associate Professor Akiko Fujii and Associate Professor Mari Tsujita provide ongoing support for the group's educational practice activities.

The theme of this year's workshop was "World of Flags." By focusing on national flags and their diverse historical, geographical, and social aspects, the workshop materials emphasized the enjoyment of making new discoveries through the lens of flags, the appeal of learning in English, and, above all, the joy of encountering different ways of thinking.

Day 1 featured activities such as "Color Hunting" (adapted from "Beast Hunt") and "Flag Karuta," which introduced students to conceptual learning in an engaging way. Later, a quiz on the elements of national flags--such as colors and shapes--encouraged students to reflect on their meanings and functions. On Day 2, building on the knowledge and ideas from the previous day, each group designed its own "deserted island flag." Using colors and shapes, students represented the climate, terrain, and special products of their assigned uninhabited island. Working collaboratively with university students, the middle schoolers strived to express their ideas in English.

While task-based teaching is increasingly emphasized in foreign language education, a distinctive feature of this workshop was that ICU students themselves created practical activities specifically tailored for middle school learners. In addition, engaging with university students close to their own age provided the middle schoolers with a meaningful opportunity to strengthen their motivation for language learning.

This workshop was supported by grants from the Japan International Christian University Foundation (JICUF) and Moroyama Town.