In late March, 65 English assistant language teachers, or ALTs, effectively lost their jobs after dispatch agency Interac lost a contract with the Sapporo Board of Education. It was shocking news for the ALTs, many of whom have families to support. "Interac offered people classes outside ...
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 ...
Letters and online responses to the Jan. 6, 13 and 20 Learning Curve columns by Teru Clavel on English education.
I hope 2014 has started well for all our readers. Lifelines kicks off the Year of the Horse with an email from overseas reader Hannah, who has several questions about the Japanese education system: How often do English teachers administer dictation to their students? And ...
Ringing in 2014, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a dream: One nation that will actively re-engage with the global marketplace. To realize this dream by 2020, it's commonly accepted that the Japanese need to improve their English. So, what's the problem? Unfortunately there are a ...
With education reform expected to place a great deal of emphasis on English, officials worry about the uneven quality of foreign assistant language teachers.
