On October 2021, 10, Otemon Gakuin University held a workshop to connect Japan, China and Goetsu online to support the exploratory learning of students at Fukushima Prefectural Fukushima High School (Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture).We exchanged opinions with students who are studying the internationalization of Japan and the ideal way of English education.
The students of Fukushima High School set the theme of "For Fukushima students to play an active role in international organizations" and explored the ideal way of English education in Japan with the issue of having few Japanese staff working in international organizations such as the United Nations. There is.Among them, we are investigating the cases of English education in China, South Korea, and Taiwan and comparing them with Japan, and this time, the workshop was held with the support of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Otemon Gakuin University.
On the day of the event, four second-year students from Fukushima High School, one Chinese student studying at Otemon Gakuin University, a teacher in charge of English education for non-English speakers at the University of Adelaide in Australia, and teaching Japanese at Hanoi National University in Vietnam. Two faculty members participated.From Otemon Gakuin University, 2 students from the seminar of Professor Shingo Matsumiya, who specializes in English education, participated.
At the workshop, opinions were exchanged on the theme of the difference between Japanese English education and overseas English education.From Vietnam, I introduced the situation and national character of English education in Vietnam, and from Australia, I learned about the characteristics of students from each country learning English, communication, and the mechanism of language understanding.After that, the students of Matsumiya Seminar made a presentation on the environment surrounding English learning in Japan, especially the transition of the teaching procedure at the elementary and secondary education stage, the comparison between the common test for university admission and the center test, and the score rate of TOEIC and TOEFL.He also introduced interviews with international students about English education in South Korea and China.
Fukushima High School students deepened their learning by taking advantage of online connections from four countries across countries and generations, such as asking questions to teachers and university students, and said, "I was able to gain a new perspective." A voice was sent.Seiya Machida, a third-year student in the Faculty of International Liberal Arts who acted as a host, said, "I had never talked to foreigners when I was in high school. It was good to be able to provide this opportunity, and it was also a good opportunity for me to study English education in non-English speaking countries. "
This cross-country / generational workshop will continue to be held irregularly, and high school students will continue their quest for a research presentation to be held at the end of February 2022.
