Assistant Language Teaching (ALT) in Japan
Course Description
The course will help students to function and communicate effectively as an ALT in a variety of settings including elementary, junior and senior high school. To facilitate these objectives, topics covered in this course include modeling, lesson planning, intercultural communication, classroom management, and supporting students with various needs.
The course is not designed as an introduction to teaching English as a second language (TESOL), but rather to prepare participants for successful and rewarding working experiences within schools in Japan. It may serve as an effective complement to any TESOL related training or certification. The course aims to help you to be proactive with the Japanese school context and have a more meaningful and enjoyable teaching experience. Trained ALTs make a valuable contribution to their schools and students, and tend to have more teaching freedom, make more money, and be more valued/respected at their schools.
This course includes asynchronous components during the week and synchronous online class meetings on Saturday mornings (JST). The asynchronous components provide background information in the form of readings, videos, and discussion board interactions to help prepare students for discussions and practical application of the information in the weekly class meetings.
Learning Objectives
2. Illustrate the skills needed to navigate the Japanese educational context in which they work/will work.
3. Demonstrate the practices of effective foreign language team- teaching/assistant teaching through assignments, intercultural communication practices, and familiarity with teaching and assessment tools that may be useful in their roles as ALTs.
Who should take this course
Instructor Biography
This course is developed and delivered in partnership with RCS.
Established in 1989, RCS was the first company to dispatch ALTs to public schools in Japan. Pioneering the industry, the RCS founders shared their insights to grow the industry into what is now an integral part of Japan’s education system. RCS ALTs are mainly placed in public schools throughout the Kanto region of Japan. Their motto, ‘Connect, Motivate, Inspire,’ reflects the company’s ongoing pursuit of transforming the kids in Japan of today, into the leaders of the future.