It has almost been three weeks since I arrived in Japan, and so much has happened! This program has allowed me to meet amazing friends, explore incredible places and learn about the Japanese education system in the context of English classrooms. I was extremely nervous before leaving for this program, as I am the only student from Missouri! However, after these past few weeks, I have made some lifelong friends. Many of these friends are those who are also in this program, but I have also had the opportunity to build strong connections with locals and other college students at Shiga University here in Hikone!

In the Teaching English in Japan program, we have visited many different schools, ranging from kindergarten to university level. In these classroom experiences, we are able to interact with the students in English. Whether it’s in the form of a deep conversation or in a song, we are able to utilize skills such as Total Physical Response. TPR is a method of teaching a language focused on using the body to communicate. My favorite example of this that we have done is performing the songs “Open Shut Them” and “Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream?” to kindergarteners. We as a TEJ class created hand movements to the song during class, performed the song with the movements to the kindergarteners, then worked with them one-on-one to ensure that they understood and could mimic the motions with the lyrics. This experience was a ton of fun, and we got to end it by coloring the food items mentioned in “Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream?” and working with the students on the English names of the food and colors.

With older students, we do a lot more discussion-based activities. We would ask questions such as “What’s your biggest pet peeve?” and “Are you more of an indoor person or an outdoor person?” to open up greater discussions. I had some really meaningful conversations with the high school and college level students, and can’t wait for the future trips we have to other higher level schools!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Japan Center for Michigan Universities