Category Archives: Education News & Events

Educations news makes it easy to stay on top of the latest education-related headlines, special offers from AJET such as scholarships and grants, and information from CLAIR and the three ministries.

If you have any suggestions, please send them to the AJET Education & Professional Development Coordinator here.

A Call for Volunteers

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AJET is looking for volunteers to staff the Education & Professional Development Department.

AJET has made assisting the education and professional development of JETs one of its top priorities this year. Education News, the Outstanding Educators Program, Japanese Language Tools, Professional Development, and Teaching Resources are just a few of the areas on the AJET website that require constant updating and coordination, and we can’t do it alone. To continue to provide these services for everyone, we are asking for volunteers to work from home or school a few hours a week, to help us make our website a vibrant, dynamic resource for JETs. If you are interested in any of these areas, and would like to give back to the JET community, please contact Bryan Darr at Education@AJET.net.

Volunteer details:

Workload – No more than 10 hours a week.

Meetings – The education department will hold biweekly meetings at a time that works best for all volunteers.

Communication – To keep up to date on what’s going on in the Education Department, you will need to check your email at least once a day.

Compensation – Once you are able to confirm a commitment, you will be added to the AJET website with your respective job title under “Education Department,” and can use your work as content for your resume.

Education USA – Resources for Japanese Students

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What is Education USA?

Education USA is a US government backed, large scale internationalization initiative which seeks to provide free information and advising resources to Japanese students and teachers about studying abroad in the United States.

From the Education USA Website:

EducationUSA centers actively promote U.S. higher education around the world by offering accurate, unbiased, comprehensive, objective and timely information about educational institutions in the United States and guidance to qualified individuals on how best to access those opportunities. Millions of prospective students learn about U.S. study opportunities through EducationUSA centers each year. Centers are staffed by professional advisers, many of whom have first-hand experience having studied in the United States themselves, adhere to ethical standards, abide by the policy to refrain from working with commercial recruitment agents, and/or have received State Department-approved training about U.S. higher education and the advising process.

  • We offer free, unbiased advising/resources about educational opportunities in the US. 
  • EducationUSA in Japan actively seeks scholarships and opportunities specifically made for Japanese.
  • EducationUSA is interested in collaborating with youth outreach programs and would be interested in hearing about projects where we can assist. We can also provide training/assistance for those who want it.

What does Education USA do for Japanese students?

EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries by promoting personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences.

Education USA seeks to combat the declining number of Japanese students studying abroad, by maintaining advising centers all over Japan. These centers exist to show Japanese students the ways they can plan, afford, and decide on studying abroad. AJET has been in contact with United States embassy officials and Education USA about how AJET and you, the JETs across the country, can help to with this effort.

 

How can I get involved?

For more information about how to help your students and schools gain access to these resources, or access to materials and speakers for your contracting organizations, please email us at education@ajet.net.

find the center nearest you.

Matthew Cook on AJET and Education USA

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Greetings JETs! It’s been another exciting month in the world of the JET Programme. Not only was there a conference for the JET Alumni Association International in Tokyo and a collaborative volunteering trip with Paul Yoo’s Volunteer Akita and JET Alumni in Tohoku, but the JET Programme received a mention by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her address at the U.S./Japan Council Annual conference.

After highlighting how important the ties between America and Japan are, she turned her focus toward the issue of the future of education in Japan.  Citing the 50% drop in the number of young Japanese students studying abroad in the past 14 years, Secretary Clinton stated her concern toward the future of it’s ties with Japan.
You can read or watch her entire speech here:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/10/175151.htm

Secretary Clinton mentioned that the U.S. was “redoubling” it’s efforts toward connecting Japanese students to universities in America and doing “whatever it takes” to reverse this trend. She spoke directly about initiatives to mobilize JETs in Japan to make Japanese students aware of the options they have to live, study, and learn abroad via Education USA.

We’ve been in contact with United States embassy officials and Education USA about how AJET and you, the JETs across the country, can help to further our internationalization efforts on a grassroots level. By assisting with large-scale initiatives like this, we can increase the impact we have on our students’ lives exponentially.  We might not be able to give each and every student the money to live, travel, and study abroad, but we can surely show them the means by which that can become possible.

In Osaka, we’ve slated a time for a representative from Education USA to address JETs ,and our Japanese colleagues, at our ALT Skills Development Workshops (Formerly know as Mid-Year Conference).  This is so that we can all be aware of the opportunities available to our students.  There has also been a collaboration with the U.S. Embassy to bring in the best of speakers for our fellow JETs.

Learn more about Education USA at: http://educationusa.state.gov/

You may be saying to yourself, “I’m not American, why should I get involved with Education USA?” That’s a fair enough question.  Here’s why: How much has the JET Programme helped you to see another culture and way of life?  How much do you value that experience?  How would you like to be able to CONNECT one of your students to a similar opportunity to study and experience a foriegn culture that they might never have known they had a chance to?The more Japanese students that study abroad, the more that can share with their classmates, friends, and families.

By giving our students an opportunity to see other cultures, we will have empowered them to touch the lives of those around them with that same experience.  In the end, our impact as JETs can amount to much, much more than we ever imagined.

In the coming months, AJET will begin distributing information about a variety of ways that JETs can assist their students who have chosen to pursue studying abroad in a foreign country. If you would like more information about initiatives like this, or access to materials and speakers for your contracting organizations, please email us at education@ajet.net

Matthew Cook
AJET Chair
chair@ajet.net

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks about the JET Programme

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Hillary Clinton addresses Japan and the United States, and highlights the importance of the JET Programme in US/Japan relations and speaks about AJET mobilizing to help the administration to get more Japanese students studying abroad.

Via JETwit.com: In a speech on October 7 at the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded the JET Programme for its vital grassroots relationship building, cited the JET alumni community’s role in raising money for earthquake/tsunami relief and cited Monty Dickson and Taylor Anderson as models of the kind of cross-cultural exchange that is so important to successful relationships between countries and cultures.

Here is a link to Secretary of State Clinton’s speech on the State Department’s website along with a video. http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/10/175151.htm

Below are a few excerpts followed by the full text of the speech. To view this speech in Japanese click here

 

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25th Anniversary JET Programme Symposium

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It’s been a significant month in the world of the JET Programme.

On September 8th, the ministries hosted a commemorative symposium at the University of Tokyo to discuss 25 years of the JET Programme; what it has accomplished, and what challenges it faces today. The symposium featured many notable
speakers, such as United States ambassador to Japan, John Roos, and Ms. Yoko Kimura, the Chair of the Board of Directors of CLAIR.

On behalf of AJET, myself and AJET council members Mark Noizumi (treasurer) and Amelia Hagen (Block 10 rep) attended. After brief opening statements by the ministry heads, many speakers were given the chance to spotlight JETs’ achievements, and voice issues pertinent to the program.

One issue, for Japan as a country, that repeatedly came up was the fact that the number of Japanese students who study abroad or attend universities in foreign countries has been on a steady decline for years. This is particularly troubling in light of Japan’s efforts to globalize as more and more businesses are enforcing English as a required standard.
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CLAIR Launches Grant System for TEFL Certification

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CLAIRYou took the surveys, your voice was heard!

Based on the January 2010 Opinion Exchange, in which National AJET reported that JETs had a high interest in obtaining TEFL certification while on the JET Programme, CLAIR has decided to award JET Programme participants partial grants towards furthering their careers in education. Below is CLAIR’s summary of the award system, which can be found on their website here.
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AJET Education and Professional Development

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AJET Education and Professional Development supports AJET Members as education professionals.  Whether you have many years of experience and are planning on continuing a career in education after JET, or have never heard of ESL, we’re here to help throughout your entire tenure in Japan by providing:

  • Peer-reviewed lesson plans.
  • Information and peer reviews on ESL certification, Japanese Language courses, and the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.
  • Education-related news and translations of government teaching mandates.
  • Information on conferences throughout Japan where JETs can exchange teaching ideas and gain professional presentation experience.
  • Opportunities to present at the JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching) national conference.
  • Information on professional organizations in Japan.
  • Information on research publishing opportunities.
  • Discounts on education-related products and services.

Check out all the content under the “Resource” menu under “Education & Professional Development”. Or, if you have any questions/suggestions, please send them to the AJET Education & Professional Development Coordinator here.

20% off Tuition: Meiji Summer Cool Japan Program

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The Meiji University Cool Japan Summer Program 2011 is a series of lectures, workshops and field trips on a wide variety of subjects relating to Japan’s contemporary image. JETs who enroll before the deadline (July 9) receive a 20% discount on their tuition!

For more information on how to apply, please visit:  www.meiji.ac.jp

A call for artists!

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National AJET has decided to create a database of clip-art to to distribute to the JET community. This will help you to have as many resources at your fingertips as possible.

To create this resource, we’d like to hear from artists who’d be happy to donate some time and some pictures to this project. We are a non-profit organization, so we won’t be able to pay you for your work, but what we will do is credit you fully and provide a link to your website!

If you are interested, or know anyone else who is interested, please drop us a line at publications@ajet.net.

We forward to hearing from you!

Changing Together! The First JALT JSH SIG Junior / Senior High School Teacher Development Workshop

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Date: Sunday, June 12th, 2011
Time: 10am-5pm
Place: Hosei Daini High School, Kawasaki, Kanagawa (Musashi Kosugi Station)
Fee for non-JALT members: 1500 yen
Fee for JALT members: Free

This Teacher Development Workshop is the kick-off event for a Sustainable Junior / Senior High School Teacher Development Project, the aim of which is to create a supportive community of junior / senior high school teachers who are interested in making a change in their classroom teaching.

The Changing Together! Workshop will provide an opportunity for both Japanese and non-Japanese junior and senior high school teachers to review and re-evaluate basic elements of teaching theory and practice, to become aware of what other teachers are trying in their classrooms and to create a cooperative environment where teachers can formulate plans for change in their own classrooms. In order to achieve this, the Workshop has three sections, each comprising a number of sessions. In the morning sessions there will be presentations on Motivation, The Language of Instruction, Teaching Reading, Team Teaching, Classroom Management and Entrance Examinations. The early afternoon sessions are made up of presentations by junior / senior high school teachers about what they are trying in the classroom and what they have learned from the experience. The third sessions will be discussion workshops where participants will have an opportunity to help each other formulate action plans, to implement in their own teaching.

The Sustainable Teacher Development Project comprises two elements and aims to continue what has been started in the Workshop. Through regular follow-up workshops, teachers can continue to learn more about teaching, listen to what other teachers are trying and discuss their plans and those of others. The online Forum will provide a community environment where teachers can continue to receive encouragement, suggestions and feedback on their action plans and the implementation of those plans.

This Workshop and Project are organized by teachers, for teachers, through JALT, an NPO teacher’s organization. If you are interested in becoming involved in what we are doing, then please contact Jake Arnold at jakearnold@yahoo.com

 

English Translation of the MEXT Guidelines

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Below is the AJET translation of the 2013 policy guidelines provided by MEXT. They have been translated by AJET translator Clayton Fredrick.

The controversial provision from MEXT’s 2013 Senior High education policy (“COURSE OF STUDY”):

4. Regarding English classes, taking into account each subject’s special characteristics, in order to expand opportunities for students to come into contact with English, and make classes into sites of real communication, classes are to be conducted in English, in principle. In doing so, due consideration is to be given to using English that takes into account the level of students’ understanding.

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Tokyo Orientation Handouts 2010

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2010 Tokyo Orientation Handouts

Adult Language Classes 2010

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3.6MB (DOC)

 Adult Classes Handout 2010

Adult Language Classes 2010 (Links)

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22KB (DOC)

 Adult Classes Handout 2010 (Links)

Being a Multi-School ALT

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176KB (PDF)

 Being a Multi-School ALT.

Highlights of Japan Pop Culture References

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226KB (PDF)

 Highlights of Japan Pop Culture References.

More being added soon! Keep checking back!

Meiji University’s “Cool Japan Summer Program”

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Meiji University

This summer, one of the nation’s leading universities, with 130 years of history, will offer its first-ever ‘Cool Japan Summer Program’ where you will come face-to-face with Japan. Focusing especially on manga and anime, Meiji University has designed a diverse program that entwines the traditional and the avant-garde. Twelve days of engrossing field trips, hands-on studio workshops, and lectures by prominent experts.

Included: a four-day journey to beautiful Kyoto, the capital of traditional culture.

Your eyes will open anew to the true Japan; your mind will fill with new knowledge of the nation and its aesthetics.

Come join us, and discover your own Cool Japan!
Download the information here! (356KB PDF)

-Meiji University

http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/outline/cooljapan2010.html

Meiji University明治大学国際連携本部では，2010年8月2日から13日までの2週間，”Cool Japan Summer Program 2010″を開講します。

本プログラムは，「日本を学ぶなら明治！」というテーマを具現化する試みの一環として今回初めて実施するもので，現在の日本文化を形成する要素のひとつであるマンガやアニメを中心としたポップカルチャーに重点を置く一方，伝統文化に触れることもできる内容としております。講義は全て英語で行われます。

本プログラムには，明治大学学生の方も参加できます。ご興味のある方は下記サイトをご覧下さい。

Download the information here! (356KB PDF)

http://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/outline/cooljapan2010.html