English language school in the heart of the Japanese Alps, and English language learners sharing their experiences online. Teachers post regular items about teaching, learning tools, events in the school, their day to day experiences living & working in a foreign country. Students post on whatever takes their fancy - book reports, festivals in home towns, postcards from business trips etc. A little Brit of England in the guts of Japan!
About a month ago I was catching up with my old mate Julian from Barnsley. He has just moved back to Osaka & we explored the old part of town with another mate, having a great meal in a famous but local Korean restaurant. Unfortunately, the food poisoning I got wasn't worth it, but anyway, it's been a while since I have been to Osaka - always exciting and vibrant, and quite different to Tokyo.
people in the same place, and talk "shop". I managed to find some old Cambridge examiners who want to get back into examining, and interviewed a couple of prospective new ones. I went to a few workshops, picked up some new tricks and remembered some old ones, listened to the good & the great. In between, busy networking. Here you can see my mates
from OUP - nearest is Koichi who is a Matsumoto boy, working hard! The OUP was party was good fun, and I met a couple of extremely interesting people.
cancelling classes, which I hate doing - sorry guys. It was one degree above freezing when I arrived, and snowing - I nearly came straight back! I trained a small group of new examiners for YLE on Saturday, then met the main group of existing OEs on Sunday. Training continued then for KET on Sunday afternoon; PET on Monday morning and a big co-ordination for both that afternoon. A very full schedule and no time for souvenir shopping - I nearly missed the plane back (again) as it w
as. Literally got back home, changed clothes and came to Luna & taught 4 classes straight. Of course, I did manage to find a pub and watch the football on Saturday, with my Kiwi mate Peter & his lovely wife Yoko, who owns a very nice little school in Sapporo. (The very same pub I was in on June 16th 2002, before the England v Argentina game in the World Cup!)
And this last weekend was another away fixture. I stupidly planned a meeting for Sunday before I could actually get there on the first train, so I got the train down on Saturday evening and found myself in Nakano (instead of Shinjuku). Fortunately, I had my subway map with me & got to Akasaka in time to meet Tall Tim for a curry. We then sampled Whychwood & Old Speckled Hen in the Hobgoblin while we watched Liverpool beat Bolton. Training a brand new group of OEs for FCE was a challenge, as I wanted to 
improve on the style I was shown. With a bit of help we managed to get my PC hooked up to a projector and could save a lot of time/argument while watching candidate samples on DVD. I was also able to show the new online system to the trainees 'live', which made life a lot easier.
Two training weekends in a row, this time in Tokyo at Trevor Joseph's cosy school in Akasaka (King's Road School of English). Mercifully, his brand new DVD/TC system eventually worked - I think pressing all the buttons on the remote did the trick!
- Starters, Movers & Flyers), and plenty of practice using Cambridge ESOL's assessment scales to mark candidates. We had an interesting discussion about being able to "understand" accents from different countries.
travelled a very long way indeed (from Nikko!) to be with us, which shows the level of commitment involved.
lly appreciate your efforts, and to the supervisors at Banana Kids, MLS, Kincarn & BES "well done" for being well-organised & on the ball!
Sunday is a day of rest for some, but for others Sunday is a good day for a vigorous training session, where dedicated teachers can spend the day thrashing it out, extending their knowledge and honing their teaching skills.
her I found the course especially useful as I now have a better understanding of how the exams are run and what is expected of children interested in doing the Young Learner Examinations. It has also given me a lot to think about; where my classes are going and how best I can guide my students should they want to do one of the Young Learners Exams someday.
Luna QR
Point your mobile phone at this http://www.at-ml.jp/59329 |
