Our recent training sessions - slideshow

Think you will enjoy this slideshow review of the training Luna has conducted over the last three months, in Tokyo & Nagoya. 



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Jim's training courses

Jim's training courses, a set on Flickr.

Since the end of February I have run several examiner training sessions in Tokyo, as well as examiner certification/professional development workshops there and in Nagoya. This is hard work for all concerned, as you can probably see?

Thought it would help students to see that they are not the only ones having to study, do homework, have to worry about getting their answers 'wrong' etc!

We are always very grateful for our examiners' time - these examining commitments do occupy whole weekends. We also thoroughly enjoy the professional challenge of continuing to make these workshops effective, relevant and interesting...teachers are not easy people to teach!

As you can see, we have been lucky to practice with some volunteers as well. This makes the examiners realise how important and difficult the actual examining taks can be, and the candidates can get over their stage fright & have a free practice go. Thank you Trevor at King's Road for your continuing loyal support, help, & encouragement!

Thank you everyone who has attended these workshops lately, and all the travelling you have had to do as well. We are looking forward to having you examine soon - some will be in action as soon as June 8th, when FCE/First will be happening in both Tokyo & Nagoya.

The next training session will be taking place on July 20th in Yamagata city, for Young Learners; certification next day (also in Yamagata) for YLE as well as KET & PET.

There will be a training sessions at Sugiyama University in Nagoya for KET & PET on July 27 or 28. Details soon.

Jim will be presenting to Hamamatsu JALT, about the Cambridge English examinations, on May 12th. Racking up the miles!

Via Flickr:
Jim is one of very few Cambridge English examiner trainers in Japan. A chance to meet the people he works with when he isn't at Luna at the weekends!

1st ABC try

listen to ‘1st ABC try’ on Audioboo

The "Can you...?" song

Balloon Safari!

Last Saturday afternoon was workshop day with our younger young learners, and the theme was "Treasure Hunt in the Park". Unfortunately, the weather was not great last week so the plan got tweeked a bit (couldn't leave clues in the rain!)

Secondary problem was that two of our less controllable young boys were coming, and we were going to be walking along the road. Inspired idea, even though I say so myself, was tying them together to make it a more co-operative, three-legged walk. The result was hilarious...trying to go in different directions, not listening to each other, both trying to be the leader, falling over etc but NOT going anywhere quickly or off course! Couldn't stop laughing!

I had chalked a course along the side of the roads, to lead us to a nearby park, with a balloon icon & arrows to the next clue. The chalk will wash away. I had tied some balloons around the park, with their names written on them, atop the slide, climbing frame, etc with a small bag of smarties (OK, M & Ms) as a prize. Oddly, the balloons more cherished! No longer three-legged, the boys got brave & climbed to rescue their names!

We played catch in the park, and wore ourselves out, before marching back, locked in step, to count our balloon markers. Counting in context - they pointed back along their course visualising the marker locations - and together. Memorable giggle for me; I thoroughly recommend taking YLs to the park - if safe & you have permission - to get some fresh air and different dynamic. And try tying the miscreants together?

Oh - anami party! The slideshow edition

Once again we were lucky with the weather - glorious sunshine if a tad windy!

Our usual spot was just about "free" when Jim turned up at 11am. A frantic 1 hour set up and the St. George flag raised at noon = BBQ started! Parking hassle is a nuisance, and the wooden tops patrolling as killjoys no help...but everyone found us sooner or later, and a massive turn out.

Thank you everyone for all your delicious contributions to the BBQ - and all the other food & drink you brought. Big thank yous to Sho for looking after all the younger children - BIG job today! - Michael & Susumu for grill detail. Especially lovely to see so many babies this year - some very large ladies last year ;)

We are always so happy to be able to introduce different families from our community at events like this, and this year was a bumper edition. Brilliant to see so many old friends as well - Yuki-chan especially. Please enjoy the slideshow, as we enjoyed today!

Planting children - Luna's indoor garden party!

 Last year we had a lot of fun watching the tomatoes we planted with the pre-school children grow. And grow. AND grow! I kept having to move them, until I couldn't move them any lower and they still reached the ceiling! Bit disappointed at how few tomatoes we could enjoy - maybe too much energy spent growing tall?!

We have gone for a bit more variety (and mystery) this year. I have blatantly stolen this idea from Mayuka Habbick, and a presentation she made for Shinshu JALT last year. I pretended to be a silly teacher (?) and that I had lost the packets of the seeds. Children drew a picture of each different kind of seed, then drew a picture of what they thought it would become. Some really cool ideas, which I hope reality will not be a disappointment!

This was a lot of tactile fun, and gave children time to look carefully at the various seeds, taking in the shape, colour, texture, size.

More tactile, and messy, was the planting stage! Inevitably going to get soil etc spread around, so make sure you use a tarp or old newspapers to cover the table/carpet? (We are not blessed with a garden, but we do have a lot of nice warm windows)

We put in some stones at the bottom, them some nice 'snacks' (nutrients) for the plants to send roots down to. A bit of earth, then nestled our seeds around carefully and labelled the pot 1/2/3/4/5 as per our sketches. Then we put them to bed (covered them up with more soil) and finally added the magic ingredient - water. Oh, and a bit of hippy "grow, grow" chanting!

Now the anxious wait for something to happen!

Ear-rings from Frankfurt - after reading

Jennifer is a quiet, sensible person, and she is a kind sister, so she can never say ‘no’ to Richard, but she is sometimes cross with him.

Richard is Jennifer’s brother, and he is fifteen years younger than she, and he has had a lot of girl friends, but he thinks Wendy is very, very special. 

Wendy is Richard’s girl friend, but she couldn’t find him after her birthday party, so she went to his sister to ask for help.

Kelly was Richard’s and Wendy’s boss, and he uses other people for criminal business but he is a criminal, so he is in prison now. 

I have sisters and if they ask me for help, I try to help them . Of course they are good sisters, not like Richard. First I thought Richard was a bad brother for Jennifer , but when I finished reading this book, I didn't think so. I think if person do a very good thing, it can cover the bad things which the one did before. I think person is able to make a new start in life when he/she change a mind. 

It was interesting story and it was fun.  

Posted for Yuri

iPad Literacy Project by David W. Malone

This is what I want to next with Luna`s resources. What do our parents think?

Reluctant singer Yuya!

listen to ‘Reluctant singer Yuya!’ on Audioboo

I can sing faster!

listen to ‘I can sing faster!’ on Audioboo

What is CEFR?

Monday morning ABC song!

listen to ‘Monday morning ABC song!’ on Audioboo

Here you are - Friday

listen to ‘Here you are - Friday’ on Audioboo

Ireland - after reading

I’m interested in lots of places in Ireland.

They have big nature, different view of coast to Japan’s.

Since they have a long history, they have old castle, too.

They had been a battle for a long time because of religious problem, Protestant and Catholic.

It must be hard for them to insist and keep their faith during the time.

They are brave and amenability.

The battle is not over. It’s just lulled.

However, Ireland people naturally like peace and nature.

They have pub and entertainment like river dance.

They meant me that it’s worth to visit there. 

Posted for Yumi

What is it

listen to ‘What is it’ on Audioboo

Ear rings from frankfurt - after reading

After reading 1

Jennifer is a quiet, sensible person, and she is a kind sister. Jennifer is sometimes cross with Richard, but she can never say “no” to him. Richard is Jennifer’s brother and he is fifteen years younger than her.

Wendy is Richard’s girlfriend. Richard has had a lot of girlfriends, but he thinks Wendy is very, very special. Wendy couldn’t find Richard after her birthday party, so she went to his sister to ask for help.

Kelly was Richard’s and Wendy’s boss, but he is a criminal. Kelly uses other people for criminal business, so he is inn prison now.
 

February highlights - a slideshow

A month of snow flurries and icy roads, sniffles & sneezes, colds and cold feet!

But also a lovely month to make things - especially chocolates (for the teacher -we like!) and Valentine's cards for loved ones. I think you'll agree, we had a very nice time :)

We really do like milk!

My little class on Friday announced they really did not like milk...and we had to re-write their song a little bit, much to the chagrin of author Patrick Jackson! My class today were very much in favour of cow juice, and were more than happy to sing as loudly as they could.

listen to ‘We really do like milk!’ on Audioboo

I tried to change the lyrics again later, but they refused to sing "I really really really like Jim". Rotters!

Season's greeting: "Sorry, we are leaving - next week"

It's that time of year again when families get shunted around the country at very little notice because daddy's company/employer decided so. Language schools dread the forlorn-looking mums who come into the school apologising profusely. What can you do?

The school manager immediately thinks loss of revenue & agonise; have to change the schedules again.

The teacher sighs and shakes their head; another long-term lanague learning project shot down in flames. A class dynamic now likely to flounder or the other girl in the class will quit without her pal to rely on...Maybe they'll get lucky and find another good school (do I know one near their new neighbourhood in Ehime prefecture??). As the teacher, I can't remember ever being asked to write up a student's learning history/profile for their next school. I could - I've been their teacher for the last xyz years and have put everything they can do (not just names of animals etc - all that invisible learning, "how to" stuff & strategies, confidence) on a plate for them. I'd love to be asked. I'd love to hand over their learning portfolio, all shiney & electronically unbattered & without bits missing. Maybe I invested to much in this class/student again?

So when the conversation in school turns to "So the other teacher can teach your 4 o'clock, half an hour later, and you can start a new toddlers class..." I want to scream. Of course, it will make sense because that solves a car parking issue, means another mum can bring younger son early for the new class on the same day (she likes my class style, too) & anyway I am good with the younger ones...all possibly true. But I have ambitions too, such as getting beyond single vowel phonics with a group & graduating from carpet-based lessons. I want to push my flashcard-eating nightmare class of 5 years ago into taking their YLE Flyers before they are eleven; they can sing & dance as well as read & spell after all.

Am I starting to rant? Sorry!

As a school owner for over a decade, I know we are looking at another sink-hole openning up beneath us at this time of year - been there, got the t-shirt & lost hair over it years ago. I am not emotionally attached to money; I know what comes around comes around; somebody else's prize learner will cross our threshold at random, with a bruised homework book if we are lucky. But that's it, isn't it? Luck. For my school, it's financial. For our students it's a crap shoot...Japan has no regulatory body to approve language schools & there are no industry-wide standards. Too often we are tarred with a dirty brush and assessed by the lowest common denominator. Price? Parking? Personality?