Finish presentations

In 2013 the Okayama ETI gave three workshops and participated in two workshops.

The elementary school teachers themes were pronunciation and activity based learning.

The junior high school and senior high school workshop theme was on developing extended writing skills focusing on a narrative recount and an exposition.

I was fortunate to participate in a workshop presented by Professor Tono from Tokyo Foreign Languages University who is a driving force in moving Japan towards standards based education using the Common European Framework. He is essential to the Japanese Education Ministries implementation of standards based English education. It was interesting to see how Japan is trying to catch up to the rest of the world. Albeit 20 years behind SA.

I also gave four and half hours of orientation for the new Okayama Japan Exchange Teachers covering lesson planing and implementation with a strong emphasis on activity based learning and CEFR-J, how to teach the six language skills (1. reading and 2. writing, 3. listening and 4. speaking, 5. understanding culture and 6. understanding language), then the specific conditions of teaching in Japanese primary, junior high and high schools finishing with classroom management in the Japanese context focusing on passive resistance to learning. 

Then afterwards I celebrated with a beer and cows intestine.

Ah Japan!

Work hard, Party Crazy