HATO Project Briefing on Overseas Training Programs for Teachers at Affiliated Schools
The HATO Project—a joint effort of four national education universities—conducted a briefing on March 15 at Osaka Kyoiku University's Tennoji Campus on a joint program the project universities have implemented to train staff with a global outlook.
The Regional Education University Coalition Affiliated K12 Faculty Training Briefing on Developing Globalized Staff was convened to report research findings generated by the HATO Project's program on methodologies for teaching English in elementary and junior high schools.
The original program was held over July 29–August 16, 2013, at OKU's partner institution, the University of Victoria, Canada. Some 70 persons connected to the four HATO Project universities—Hokkaido University of Education, Aichi University of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, and OKU—attended.
The event began with a welcoming address by OKU Executive Director and Vice-President Sumio Kuribayashi, after which OKU Professor Haruyo Yoshida gave an overview briefing of the methodologies program. Six of the teachers from affiliated schools who participated in this year's training program then gave progress reports, followed by reports from three instructors from the high school attached to OKU that served as advance examples of the training for high school English teachers slated to be introduced from AY2014. Those attending the event listened with rapt attention to the presenters as they spoke of how the substantial training program in Canada and their interactions with teachers from a broad range of other schools from diverse regions had been deeply meaningful. Their reactions also touched on how they had been making good use of information exchanges via mailing lists since their return to Japan as well as how they were applying their training achievements at their schools. Furthermore, following the presentations, speakers and attendees had the opportunity to exchange opinions, thus leading to a deepening of mutual understanding.