Sota Kudo, a fourth-year student Faculty of International Studies of Culture Department of International Studies of Culture (Fukuoka Maizuru High School), participated in the "Trilateral Teacher Training" program, an English teacher training program organized by the U.S. Embassy in Japan and the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.
This program, supported by the U.S. government, provides instruction from experts in American communicative English teaching methodology to students enrolled in teacher training programs in both Japan and South Korea who aspire to become English teachers. Ms. Kudo participated in training sessions held in Nagasaki in February and in Seoul, South Korea in March. Together with Korean students, she learned about English teaching methods while observing educational settings in both countries.
Ms. Kudo said, "I realized that learning deepens when students engage in dialogue and express their opinions, rather than when teachers unilaterally instruct them. I would like to put the student-centered English teaching method I learned this time into practice during my teaching internship and in my future teaching career, and work to create lessons where students feel comfortable speaking up." Reflecting on her collaborative activities with Korean students, she added, "I learned that even with differences in language and culture, we can build trusting relationships if we respect each other. This experience was an important lesson not only for education but also for interacting with people."
[Department of International Studies of Culture]
