Ingleton Middle School

| About Us | Curriculum | Enrichment Time | International | News | Parents | Projects | Pupil |

.

Japanese Internship Programme

We have been hosting Japanese Interns at the school since 1994 through the JSTAP - Japanese School Teaching Assistant Program. Japanese 'Cultural Ambassadors' can be of any age and undertake the programme in order to improve their own level of English and their knowledge of British culture as well as to promote the Japanese culture. In a mutually beneficial arrangement, Japanese Interns come to the school for a period of up to 6 months. Hosted in a local family, they have a timetable of lessons and extra curricular activities and usually attend school for three or four days, incorporating visits to each of our feeder primary schools.

Through the JSTAP, our pupils are exposed to a culture very different from their own; they learn new skills, make new friends and see that people from different countries have much to learn from each other and can live and work together quite comfortably.

The interns are not usually teachers or intending to be teachers, but many have already worked with young people in Japan; one of our interns ran a Juku (cramming school) just north of Tokyo and several have tutored children privately. Coming from all walks of life, they are all unique, with different skills and interests and can offer a variety of experiences to our pupils. Certain activities such as the Japanese language, calligraphy, origami, Japanese cookery and the tea ceremony are revisited with each intern, but we have also had an expert artist, a pianist, a chef and a hat maker.

Many of the interns have had to save up for years in order to participate in the project which is completely self funding (and free to the school) so they are determined to make the most of their stay, integrating fully into the life of the school and their host family.

Interns at IMS:-

Eri Kurihara had a placement at IMS from January to October 2007. She then continued as a volunteer until Christmas 2007. Eri's brief was to share her culture with our pupils and increase their awareness of Japan and Japanese life with our youngsters. She also wanted to learn about our school system and culture and to improve her English. She stayed with four different host families and through them became involved in various church and community activities.

During her placement, Eri has been involved in a wide variety of tasks in school including the following: - production of displays about Japan - running a Japanese club and art / music club - bringing a Japanese dimension to art and music lessons - going into our feeder primaries to work with pupils there - giving lessons about Japanese culture to Y7 classes - organisation of the Art Exhibition - playing piano for the musical 'Joseph' - assisting with a school residential trip to the Lake District - giving individual lessons to pupils - Japanese and piano - performing at various school events - assisting with community events

Eri has worked tirelessly and willingly throughout her stay and is now returning to Japan in the hope that she can pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. We have really appreciated her efforts and wish her all the very best.

During my stay, I observed lessons quite a lot. English pupils are so lively and positive. They always raise their hands and try to answer questions. You would find Japanese pupils much less forthcoming. We feel embarrassed to raise our hands fearing to make a mistake. I think that the pupils' attitudes in England are brilliant.

What made me feel excited also was the use of the interactive whiteboard. It is so useful for teachers and pupils. Using this system, pupils can so easily look at lots of pictures, charts and other visual materials without wasting time and paper. Teachers can prepare what they would otherwise write on the blackboard in advance and then in lessons they just need to push a button. They can save it and use it over and over again with different classes. A lot of time can be saved in this way.
Although I found a lot of differences between Japanese and English schools, the teachers' wish to give pupils a safe and interesting environment in which to study was the same.  

I had a wonderful experience here.

  
International Internship Programme

We have hosted interns from IIPs Japanese School Teaching Assistant Program for several years. JSTAP offers an opportunity for schools and students to learn about the Japanese people, their culture, customs, traditions and way of thinking.

From October 2004 to February 2005, we hosted Miss Mariko Sugimoto. Mariko has introduced all Year 7 and 8 pupils to:-

• Japanese language (greetings, writing Japanese character, etc.)
• Japanese traditional cultural arts (calligraphy, origami, etc.)
• Japanese traditional sports (sumo, judo, kendo, etc.)
• Current Japanese lifestyle (school life, housing, foods, cooking, etc.)
• Kimon wearing and design
• Basic facts about the geography and history of Japan.
• The Hiroshima story and the peace movement.

through a weekly programme of lessons over a half term.

She has also run a club attended by pupils in years 6 and 7. During the club, she has run a series of activities including origami, children's games, exercise routines.

For her own interest, she has attended lessons in several subject areas. She has built up a very nice relationship with the pupils

Thankyou Mariko.

Previous Japanese Interns were :-

Supported by:- ByronSoftware