Welcome to High School!

1. Some helpful information about your job as a Prefectural ALT Welcome to High School!

2. Points covered today: • General info/tips • Teaching hacks • How to make lesson plans

3. Different types of High Schools • Academic • Non-academic: • Commercial (Shougyou) • Agricultural (Nougyou) • Technical (Kougyou) • Special Ed

4. Expectations • ALT • Students

5. Office Politics/Relations • Be present • Be friendly • Be cautious

6. Trouble JTE • Is it you? • Is it him/her? • When should you give up?

7. Lesson Planning • Your schedule • How to make lesson plans • How to supplement your JTE’s lessons • Lesson activity ideas

8. Your schedule • Lessons are usually 45 or 50 mins • However, your schedule may change!

9. How to plan a lesson Complete freedom vs following instructions A whole lesson vs asingle activity Include your JTE

10. Consult with your JTEs

11. Have an aim • Aims set by your JTEs • Listening, Speaking, Writing • Improve student motivation

12. Basic Structure • Warm Up – fun activity – 5 or 10 mins • Main Activity – group work, speaking, etc. – 20 or 25 mins • Conclusion – assessment and review OR a game – 10 mins Remember - keep time in mind!

13. Supplementing your JTE’s lessons • Outside the Classroom • Your role may vary greatly • What should you do if you want more work?

14. Teaching Hacks

15. How students are taught How this will affect your lesson 1. The classroom environment and what to expect • Students feel comfortable as passive learners • Students like order • Making mistakes is seen as a bad thing • Students don’t have much experience of being creative, giving opinions or being active learners • Activities may take more time as students will want to complete tasks fully and perfectly • Students will self-correct

16. Hacks! • Keep the structure the same • Repeat phrases • Choosing volunteers (what a paradox!) • Creative ways of pairing and grouping • Only introduce 1-2 new things each lesson

17. 2. The element of surprise • Be prepared for: • 5 minute games • 2 minutes at the end of a lesson • “Please talk to the students about something” • Activities and worksheets for 20 minutes + • Warm up activities and wake-up games • Games that don’t require any materials/long explanations

18. 3. There are 2 ways to teach a class: 1. By USING English 2. By teaching HOW to use English

19. Hacks! 1. Use Japanese? At your discretion! The JET SHS policy is to use only English in the classroom. 2. Know what you are talking about! You can apply for a bursary for a TEFL course from JET.

20. 4. Student understanding (or lack thereof) • The reflex answer to the question “Do you understand?” is “Yes!” • Wide variety of ability levels • Motivation

21. Hacks! • When you teach, use English that is: • Clear • Concise • Slow • Simple • Repeat • Ask “Do you understand?” and explain that “no” is an OK answer • Ask “What is this word in Japanese?” and check it with your JTE if necessary • Demonstrate

22. More hacks! • Give every student the opportunity to succeed regardless of ability • Students are encouraged and gain confidence • Mix levels of ability in groups or pairs • Students enjoy being in groups and checking their ideas with their peers • Good balance of teacher/ student speaking time • Games are a practical use of their English skills, so students learn a lot from them! • Use activities and group work together with games • External rewards • Example – Jeopardy!

23. 5. Speaking • A universal part of SHS English, but at different levels depending on your school

24. Expectations • JTE

25. Thank you!