Tag - learning-curve

 
 

LEARNING CURVE

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 30, 2014
Changing the system starts by challenging it
Just seven years after first participating in the JET program in Osaka, Matthew Cook from Danville, Virginia, is making great strides as a pioneer of English-language education reform in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 23, 2014
Hiroshima International School and Think Global School students mix it up in Multiculturalism 101
With the weak economy resulting in fewer families coming to Japan, international schools here are exploring new ways to attract students.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 16, 2014
To get more out of your students, make the most of your space
Teachers need to know how to maximize their space to get the most out of their students, and schools should be designed to meet the needs of their specific range of students.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 9, 2014
Clarify your role, prepare before a disaster strikes
When she first arrived in Japan from Ireland in 2008, Sarah Hickey was mostly concerned with adjusting to her new life in Fukushima Prefecture. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme placed her in Iwaki, which is itself a large city, but she found herself near the coast in less metropolitan...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 2, 2014
Thinking outside the usual white box
Imagine being a meter tall and dashing around the donut-shaped roof of your school. Or picture studying math while taking in the rich smell of timber in one of a variety of wooden houses connected by a single three-story atrium, or attending a zero-carbon wooden school in the forest.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 23, 2014
Lado’s victory and demise weren’t without their lessons
With decreasing salaries and eroding job security, it may seem as if little has improved for instructors working in Japan's eikaiwa (English conversation) industry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 16, 2014
Prepping for university straight from the crib
Aiko has just finished bouncing like a rabbit toward a white line. She has already identified photographs of fruit and will soon be told a story about a panda, after which she'll have to draw a picture and offer an ending. How she does with these activities could determine where she attends university,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 9, 2014
Globally focused International Baccalaureate diploma needs local-level support
The education think tanks were busy in 2013. As the Year of the Snake slithered to a close, the education ministry made headlines by announcing bolstered English education plans — again — in an attempt to better prepare Japanese students for an increasingly connected world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 19, 2014
China, South Korea face familiar woes in English quest
Japan isn't alone in its struggles with teaching English. China and South Korea have experienced similar frustrations, but their responses and results have been quite different.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 12, 2014
No lack of ideas on a course of action for English education
Last week's Learning Curve column, "English fluency hopes rest on an education overhaul," looked at the persistent mismatch between the education ministry's stated goals and the actual outcomes of English language education in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 5, 2014
English fluency hopes rest on an education overhaul
Ringing in 2014, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a dream: One nation that will actively re-engage with the global marketplace.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 29, 2013
Education in 2013: an 'A' for ambition, but Japan will have to do better
Will 2014 be the year we start to see a genuinely forward-thinking, globalized outlook for education in Japan? The rapidly changing global economy, regional tensions and shrinking population suggest huge challenges await the country's youth on their emergence into the job market in the coming years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 22, 2013
Don't let the holidays leave you homesick this year
Homesickness is a particular concern for foreign residents in December, when the holiday season starts to conjure up images of family dinners and drinking parties with old friends. For new arrivals, it's further complicated by the simultaneous challenge of adjusting to a different culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 15, 2013
The war on katakana starts at school
Eliminating katakana's use as a pronunciation aide would benefit Japanese students' ability to communicate, but that clearly can't be achieved overnight. However, it's still worth putting up a 'faito.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 1, 2013
For busy teachers, online degrees can help in the rat race
As a graduate of a competitive U.S. university, I didn't take online learning seriously. Sitting in front of a computer couldn't compare with my four-year liberal arts experience collaborating with peers and debating with professors.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 1, 2013
School yourself in the basics before picking an online course
There are many professions within the field of education and just as many online graduate programs to match them.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Nov 24, 2013
Is the JLPT really worth it?
The final countdown to this Sunday's Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has begun, but professionals say piling pressure on examinees might do more harm than good at this point.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Nov 17, 2013
Identity issues can complicate a child's path to becoming bilingual
The pursuit of bilingualism can be something akin to the quest for the Holy Grail for parents living in Japan. It's also near-universal, affecting expatriates here for an extended period, multilingual families where the parents come from different cultural backgrounds, or Japanese nationals eager to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Nov 3, 2013
Six years following bankruptcy, Nova boosts the brand
In September, Tokyo-based Jibun Mirai Associe Co. (JMA) announced it would adopt Nova as its official corporate name — 19 months after it acquired the eikaiwa (English conversation) school chain from its previous operators, and almost six years after its well-publicized downfall.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 27, 2013
When it comes to discipline in class, leave it to the locals
Aaron Joseph remembers the email Interac sent him regarding his school placement in Sakai, Osaka, in August 2012.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?