AIRA took guest teachers to Namiki Elementary School for a program “International Exchange Class.” (No. 17- 26)

Date and Time : Wednesday, February 7, 2018 1:00 p.m. ~ 4:00 p.m.
Venue : Gymnasium at Namiki Elementary School
Students: 84 fifth-graders
Guests: (9 people from 5 countries, names without honorifics)
　Liu Peng, Wo Chung-xia, Zhao Zu, Wang Ting, Zhang Ze (China)
　Ojha Dharma Raj (Nepal)、Sekiguchi Agnieszka (Poland)
　Kobayashi Joselin (The Philippines)、Forau Manase (Tonga)

AIRA staff : Hesaki, Kitajima, Furutani, Adachi, Yamaguchi
NEC staff : Kuratsu

Namiki Elementary School held International Exchange Class for the sixth time. AIRA has been supporting this program by asking people who came from other countries and are living in Abiko to join this program as guest teachers. This time three exchange students at Chuo Gakuin University were among them.

Prior to the program there was guidance about the program by the English teacher at this school, Mr. Moses, and an AIRA staff member Ms. Yamaguchi. The principal thanked the guests and all the people introduced themselves in a friendly atmosphere.

After the guidance there was a “school tour.” As they walked in the school, they were greeted by children’s cheerful “Hello!” Some guests visited a Japanese school for the first time and took a great interest in many things they saw, such as children cleaning the classrooms and hallways, pictures and calligraphies on the walls, a sample of “today’s lunch” displayed in front of the pantry, etc. Some of them had visited the school before and children who found them spoke to them. They were excited to see each other again.

In the gym the program started. At the beginning each guest introduced themselves pointing the place they came from on the world map.
In “Passport Game” everyone in the gym mixed and talked in English with as many people as they could.
In the group activity “Let’s Talk!” one guest and a group of 9 or 10 students got seated in a circle and enjoyed talking in English. When time was up, the students stood up and moved to the next guest. Each guest talked with three groups.
The students asked the guests about their favorites (sports, food, place, animation, game, athlete, comedian, animal, etc.), their home country, places they want to visit, and so on.
Some students asked “deeper” questions like “Why do you like ~?” It seemed it wasn’t easy for the guests to give an instant answer in simple English to those questions.

At the end the students sang “Song Is My Soul” in chorus and the guests were touched by their beautiful harmony.

The fifth-graders were very active and willing to speak to the guests, and their English pronunciation was very good. English education at this school seems to have been bearing fruit and we (AIRA) are happy to support this program. All the guests said that they really enjoyed talking with the children.

(Translated by Chizu Yamaguchi)