Event Report, Niigata Chapter April 2018

Presenter background information:
17 years at Soka University
22 years in Japan
Leading the Global Citizenship program at Soka University
The Soka University Global Citizenship Program is:
–    University-wide
–    Competitive admissions
–    Addition to required courses
    
For success in the professional sphere, students will need:
–    English skill
–    Content knowledge specific to the chosen professional field
–    International experience
    
Scaffolding is a key element in achievement of goals set in class
Change in Mindset required
–    Classroom environment
–    Academic expectations
–    Teacher-student interactions
–    Support through a systematic, step-by-step approach
    
Emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving
Everyday Skills:
A requirement for satisfying Global Citizenship Goals:
–    Agree with all the choices you make as a teacher
–    Everything done in class should be purposeful
–    Start where students are, everything else in secondary
–    Everyone works within the same constraints
    
21st century skills
–    Critical thinking and problem solving ~ based on Bloom’s Taxonomy
–    Media Literacy
–    Adapt content for students that is thematically appropriated
–    Push students to higher level, critical thinking skills
–    Scaffold content but leave framework for critical thinking applied
    
–    Push learners to answer higher order questions
–    Alway ask, ‘Why?’ ~ express support and belief in students’ ability to answer
–    Never ask a question students can’t answer
–    push students to answer
–    Give students a chance to answer
How to Process Information
–    Learners are different generation to generation
–    Teaching methods should develop accordingly
–    Learners know where to find the information they are looking for
    
*    Go beyond with technology, not just wikispaces and google look-ups
    
Don’t fight with students, use student goals and objectives
–    Rather than the instructor setting all the class’ goals
–    Ask students to learn the classroom
Learners will use technology
–    Go beyond typical materials
–    Don’t forbid technology in the classroom
    
Collaboration & Teamwork
–    Work well with others
–    Flexibility and willing to make compromises
–    Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work
    
Focus on Task, Project-based, or Inquiry-based Learning
–    Student choice = key
–    Is it relevant?
    
    Round Robin (given as a example)
–    Four stations with different learning goals for each station monitored by an instructor for facilitating purposes
    
Student Centered Learning
–    Learners are active participants in their own learning
–    Topics are relevant
–    Learners make decisions about topics, etc.
    
Important to balance Teacher-centered and Student-centered learning in a class
–    Focus on process of learning and developing critical thinking over the final product
English works best in ‘3s’
–    Examples, paragraphs for essays, etc.
–    Building confidence requires challenge
–    Also success
    
Learning MUST work together
–    Facilitate as much as possible
    
    
Creativity and Innovation
–    Create a space for people to express their ideas
Work with Others
–    Brainstorming
–    Evaluate ideas created in the brainstorm
–    open & responsive
–    Be original
–    Failure is an option to learn
    
    
Safe Environment
–    Express ideas without fear of rejection
–    Facilitate, not just direct teach
Resources
–    British Council, Creativity and Innovation
–    https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/creativity-language-classroom
–    The Penn State Teacher II (a bit dated, but still valuable)
–    https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/PennStateTeacherII.pdf