NEWS

Overseas Educational Training (Taiwan) Project Holds Model Classes and Observation Tour

　An Osaka Kyoiku University delegation from October 22–25 visited Taiwan's National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNU)'s affiliated senior high school as part of the OKU Teacher Training Course's Overseas Educational Training Project. Led by Training Course Chair Masato Ishida, the delegation included 17 trainees, 10 OKU faculty members including two teachers from OKU's affiliated senior high school, and an administrative staff member. During their stay, the second-term trainees conducted model classes and the third-term trainees made observation tours. This useful training exercise took place with the support of NKNU senior high school staff, including Principal Chin-yang Lee and faculty member Chiu-ching Liao. Students who had visited OKU the previous December also lent their assistance.
　The three second-term trainees—all with different majors—put together three different teams of students in carrying out their model classes: Team Alpha with "Who's got the best title!?" (6th graders), Team Beta with "100% full energy! Jump! JUMP!" (3rd graders), and Team Gamma with "Go for it! Kaohsiung's Masters of Charm!" (4th graders). Third-term students provided support in the form of classroom preparation and by taking notes on the class. NKNU students were also on hand as observers. The instructors from the affiliated school praised the lessons warmly in the general discussion session that followed. They singled out the thorough class preparation and attempts to use novel classroom approaches; employing projectors to write things out in English, Chinese, and Traditional Chinese; the use of images and video; and the approaches to communicating with the children.
　The observation tours entailed team visits to classes for 3rd graders (health and physical education, music), 4th graders (literacy, English), and 6th graders (literacy). The trainees then stayed on to have lunch with the children in the classes they had observed and take pleasure in their interactions through playing games and communicating by gesture. The third-term trainees also made presentations and held preliminary talks about the model lessons for the coming year.
　NKNU teacher trainees participated as advisors alongside the faculty in charge in the advance discussions about the OKU trainees' class and model lesson proposals and exchanged ideas with them in English. Taiwanese students with study-abroad experience at OKU also took part to provide assistance. Through the project, the OKU trainees obtained a solid sense for broadening and deepening bonds with a variety of people, while also learning through their various experiences such as coming into contact with Taiwan's nature and culture and interacting with local people about a different culture.