■Summary
Description:
ALTs and CIRs assisted at the after-school child care programme during the summer holidays. JET participants organised activities such as playing games and singing songs to increase students' interest in English.
Duration |
3 hours 1 / week, 4 times during summer holidays, |
|---|---|
Location |
Meeting room and hall of the Social Welfare Association |
Target |
1st to 3rd year elementary school students |
Participants |
50 people |
Organiser |
Social Welfare Association |
Budget |
0yen - 10,000yen |
Objectives:
This project provides a place to play and study with the JET participants for students whose parents are working during the daytime.
■Implementation
About the " Summer After-School Child Care Programme":
The same volunteer group organises an exchange event each year for new ALTs. From their perspective, the aim is to build a relationship with new ALTs unfamiliar with the area and create a base for future cooperation and activities. Each year, two or three ALTs are invited to participate in this event. After the event, the volunteer group maintains contact with the ALTs through email, inviting them, for example, to their monthly meetings.
Background:
Although ALTs use the summer holidays to prepare teaching materials and plan lessons, some still find that they have spare time. The Board of Education contacted the Social Welfare Association and planned the visit.
Contents:
The class consisted of a warm-up game with a little English, study of simple English words (greetings, colours, animals) and a game or a song using the words and expressions studied.
For example, after learning how to say colours or numbers, they played "fruit basket".
Creating Teaching Materials:
The lessons were planned three to four weeks in advance. The JET participant and the Japanese Teacher of English (JTE, employed by the town) shared ideas and designed the general outline of the course. The ALT, CIR, JTE and Board of Education staff collaborated to create teaching materials.
Meeting with the Teacher:
The ALT and CIR met with the after-school care programme teacher in the morning before the class, providing the general outline of the course and explaining at which points help was needed.
The teacher supervised the class, tending to students who did not pay attention while participating in the games.
■Budget
Funds were necessary only for the teaching materials since we used the facilities of the normal after-school child care programme.
■Submitted by
Yukuhashi Town (Fukuoka Prefecture)
Board of Education
Educational Affairs Section Guidance Division
Tel: 0930-25-1111
■Comments/Advice from the Supervisor
In Yukuhashi Town, the ALT also organises Easter and Halloween parties. Thanks to the events planned by the ALT, the interest and attitude towards English study have improved.
This also contributes to internationalisation because when students meet the ALT on the street, they greet him/her in English.
Through similar activities, we hope the ALT will enjoy Japan even more and children will learn more about foreign cultures.
■A Word From CLAIR
There is a tendency to consider the ALT as part of the school only, but this kind of project is an extension of that position. It is worth looking for other potential places where JETparticipants can get involved in the community.
