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The reality is that many Japanese people are proficient at taking tests, but yet still cannot use English in a practical setting.
Educators throughout the English-speaking countries are consistently amazed at the Japanese education system, which teaches only knowledge, and not the means to grasp knowledge for oneself. The reason for this trend is that most study in Japan today is carried out for the purpose of scoring well on exams. The most pressing problem for educators is how to incite children's curiosity and their desire to learn, and how to ensure that the English children learn will actually prove useful to them later on. It is believed that an urgent issue in instructing children along these lines involves changing the English language education system so that children will be on an equivalent level with others around the world―with this in mind, the Department of English Language Teaching was established in April of 2008. The three main educational points are: (1) A strong overall personal strength and a passion for education work, (2) A sound grasp of the English language, making one an expert in the field of English education, and (3) The ability to conduct classes which provide children with ample English-language communicative abilities. Our goal is to cultivate English-language educators who have mastered these three points, and who also have a deep and abiding international sensibility.
Cultivating English-language educators who teach "English students can use"
In this department, in order to provide contents-based education covering the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, a different set of contents (i.e., a different theme) is provided every two weeks, during which students engage in self-evaluation by sharing their opinions in English and then transcribing these recorded discussions. Furthermore, listening- and reading-intensive classes are held from the first through the third year, in which students are immersed in a veritable rain shower of English―by the third year of study, students have progressed in their English ability such that they are able to understand English-language news programs such as CNN and the BBC, and are also able to read and understand original texts without relying upon the use of a dictionary. From the third year, the specialized program consists of six English-language course subjects. English-language education fields are studied in English, and real classes are developed which are adapted to these experiences. Students will also engage in internship experiences in educational settings―experiences which are separate from the conventionally-held image of internships as being one-time-only educational training. Having students participate as educational assistants at local kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools is designed to deepen their understanding of the situation at actual educational settings. Another special feature of this department is our provision of study-abroad scholarships for students still in the first year of their study programs. Independent programs are in place ranging from one-month study-abroad programs in American sign language, to short-term study-abroad programs incorporating internships at local educational sites and longer-term study-abroad programs designed to allow students to obtain TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification. Whichever program students choose, all study-abroad experiences are looked upon as invaluable opportunities for developing educators' necessity humanity while also broadening their viewpoints and ways of thinking. We instruct our students so that, when they graduate from our program, they will be English teachers for a global age, armed with true communicative abilities based upon personal strength, English-language skill, the ability to conduct classes and a solid international understanding.
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