Visit School Issues

Below is an initial draft of a letter that will be emailed to the Fukushima BOE.  It will be sent at the end of the current semester.

The intention is to raise the issues in a manner that is as polite and diplomatic as possible.  We do not wish to alienate our bosses!   Hopefully discussion at the BOE will result. 

Feedback from Senior High School ALT’s with visit schools is strongly encouraged!!

If you would like to become a signatory, or have an issue or suggestion you want included, please email me. 

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are writing to you to illustrate concerns about the current Visit School scheme. Discussions amongst Senior High School ALT’s have identified a number of issues that most feel are problematic and need attention. 

Several of the most pressing include:

Student Disinterest

A persistent observation is that students are indifferent to study.  They show no interest in English and, based on anecdotal evidence, most other subjects too. Students are unreceptive to, and appear uninterested in studying with, the ALT;

Student Discipline

Discipline in class is often a problem and behaviour is at times recalcitrant. Examples are yelling, ignoring the JTE, applying make-up, using keitais, and intimidation through gesture.  At a minimum this is unsettling, at worst the ALT may feel personally threatened;

Lesson Planning

Lesson planning is inconsistent; it is either not undertaken, is done immediately before the start of class, or there is an expectation that the ALT will do all the planning prior to arriving at the school.  Responsibility for lesson planning is ambiguous – is it the ALT’s or the JTE’s responsibility to prepare lesson plans?  As ALT’s are assistants (and, in the majority of cases, not trained teaching professionals) we feel the onus is on the JTE’s to do the majority of the lesson planning. 

Under Utilisation

Having the ALT speak for less than five minutes then remain silent for the remainder of the class is a rather frustrating experience.  One effect is to deflate the morale of the ALT and his/her enthusiasm for the school; such schools may come to be viewed as a chore. 

Class Scheduling

Irregular contact with students occurs when the ALT is scheduled to participate in different classes each week.  The effect this has is to expose more students to the ALT, but at the expense of learning English; the ALT becomes a novelty for each class rather than a serious learning resource.  Moreover, such irregular scheduling often upsets the JTE’s teaching timetable. 

Suggestions we feel are helpful include:

Solicit feedback from ALT’s

Perhaps a survey or evaluation form could be circulated at the conclusion of each semester to gauge the state of the visit school scheme.  This would allow the BOE to compare the feedback from the ALT with that of the Visit School. 

Develop guidelines for schools

Basic guidelines and a full briefing for ALT’s new to the school would go a long way in eliminating confusion or misunderstandings.  For example:

Ø        How many classes will the ALT be required to teach each visit? 

Ø        What type(s) of classes will the ALT participate in? 

Ø        Who will be the ALT’s supervisor?

Ø        What expectations does the Visit School have?

Ø        Are there any other duties the ALT will be required to perform?

Semester planning

A simple document prepared by the visit school showing who the ALT will be teaching with, and what topics the ALT will be teaching.  A sample semester outline is included below. 

Lesson planning

A prepared lesson plan is often helpful and collaboration with the ALT at least one week in advance is ideal.  A sample lesson plan is included below. 

Matching ALT’s to schools

It is sensible that ALT’s be placed in suitable environments.  For example, male ALT’s are probably more suited to schools where the classroom atmosphere is “disruptive”, or where the majority of students are male.  A male ALT would probably feel less intimidated than a female ALT in such an environment. 

Long Commutes

The advice offered in this letter is intended as constructive criticism whose aim is to improve and enhance the current visit school scheme.  Our approach is to openly acknowledge and address problems in a forthright and honest manner.  It is certainly not our intention to cause offence of any kind and hope that it will not be interpreted as such.

We hope that you find our contribution of value and encourage distribution and discussion of this document.  We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Gale, Iwaki Kouyou SHS

Kristy Hunt, Iwaki Sakuragaoka SHS

Charles Leung, Soma Higashi SHS

Ryan McDonald, Fukushima Higashi SHS

Edith Pike-Biegunska, Fukushima Kita SHS

Hayden Simpkin, Taira Commercial SHS

Sample Semester Outline

Sample Lesson (Team Teaching) Plan