Latest News

Miss Jones and Mrs Waldron - Japan - The Final Day!

Fri 16 Jul 2010

Hi all!!

It seems unbelievable that we are on our last day in Japan - the time has gone so quickly and yet we have crammed so much into a week it feels like we have been here so much longer!

Today we have been treated to a day at a Junior High School - new territory for us! This was the first school we had seen that had a female principal (headteacher!) She was amazing and so was her English - we didn't actually need our translators that day!

The children we met were exceptionally well behaved. We observed lessons in Science - they were exploring the phases of the moon - it was very similar to the work Year 5 do! The next lesson we looked at was an English lesson: they were learning numbers to 20 and they then turned round and introduced themselves in English!

After a short break (and some green tea!) we were taken to a massive hall where there were nearly 100 students waiting for us with questions about different aspects of school life - and a film crew!! I went to talk to a group about 'school life' and Miss Jones went to talk about 'sport'. They had already prepared at least two questions and their English was amazing!

After this we were taken to the school cafeteria where were served an incredible meal of noodles, meat, locally grown sweetcorn in butter and soy sauce and ice cream with marshmallow - this was delicious but very difficult to eat with chopsticks whilst trying to be polite! We learnt how to say 'Oyshi katta des' - 'That was delicious' which went down well with the chef!

The head then took us up to the roof to enjoy the views which were stunning! All too soon it was time to leave and make our way back to the Japanese British Council Headquarters in IIdabashi.

After a debrief session we left to enjoy what was left of our time in Tokyo. We decided to go to Harajuku - an area famous for it's flamboyant dress sense - we were very under dressed (for once!) but enjoyed looking at the incredible costumes and shoes!!

Dinner was another great culinary experience and we were lucky enough to be joined again by a Tokyo local who helped us navigate our way through the seemingly never ending menu!!

We then headed back to Suidabashi - and a karaoke session (when in Tokyo....!!). it was great fun - and a perfect way to round up an amazing week. We are now all packed and ready to head off to Narita airport bright and early!!

We can honestly not believe that this is the end of our time in Japan. We have felt incredibly honoured to have met such such lovely, warm and welcoming people. It has been a fantastic experience!!

So, until Monday (when we find out how your week has gone!!)

Sayonara!!

Mrs Waldron and Miss Jones

Japan - The Penultimate Day!

Thu 15 Jul 2010

Hi,

This morning we set off bright and early for Hino City. This is about an hour away from where we are staying and is more of a city than where we had been the previous two days. We arrived and went for a meeting with the Board of Education there. They treated us like royalty and we were given many special gifts to remind us of our visit. Hino is famous for it tradition of Samurai warriors - so they presented us with badges and T-shirts with symbols from the Edo dynasty!

The primary school we visited was called Hino Daiichi. They welcomed us into the school and we were met by the principal, deputy principal and the head of the PTA. They gave us a tour and we stopped in at a wide variety of lessons to see how they were taught in Japan. All the classes had learnt some English and were so excited to share this with us. We were very impressed with how much they knew and how well they pronounced the words. Again we had lunch with one of the classes and were amazed at how well the children serve each other.

After lunch we completed the tour by watching a game of volleyball. The children were exceptionally well behaved here and even able to umpire their own games successfully. When the tour was completed we met with all the teachers and they were keen to hear all about the education system in England. They were fascinated by what we do and had lots of questions for us which made us late for the train back to the hotel!

This evening we visited a place called Asakusa and we saw the most famous shrine in Tokyo. We met a mutual friend of one of our group who was delighted to show us the sights. It was spectacular. We had dinner in an authentic Japanese restaurant and sat on tatami mats. We tried a range of food and enjoyed it all.

Tomorrow we head into Hino for one last day in a Junior High School and then a review meeting at the British Council. To celebrate our last night here we are going to visit Harajuku and Shibuya - famous for the 'youth' culture and their flamboyant dress sense! Check back tomorrow to find out how it went. We can't believe we have one last day here - the time has flown and yet we have packed so much in it feels like so much longer than just a week!

Miss Jones and Mrs Waldron

Miss Jones and Mrs Waldron - Japan Day 4

Wed 14 Jul 2010

Hi again,

We have had yet another fantastic day in Japan. It all started bright and early again as we set off in the bus to the primary school that we had visited the day before. We had another warm welcome and if anything the children were more excited to see us today than they had been yesterday.

This time the focus was on grades 4,5,6 (in our country that is years 5,6,7). The lessons we observed were Maths, Music, Home Economics and English.

In the music lesson, after the children had sung and played special songs they had been rehearsing especially for us, we were invited to teach the children some English songs. We taught them happy birthday, baa baa black sheep and if you're happy and you know it (complete with actions).

We also helped teach key words in the English lesson focusing on buildings and the 'u' sound. The children were really keen again to practise their English on us.

At lunch time we were treated to curry and rice which was lovely. The children taught us origami and gave us lots to take away.

In the afternoon we met with the teachers whose lessons we had observed to discuss what we had seen and the differences between the UK and Japan. We very sad to say goodbye as were they but we know we have made some friends we can keep in touch with in the future.

We then made the long journey back to Tokyo. The weather here is really hot and sticky! It has rained which has helped make it bearable but tonight was a beautifully clear night so we decided to visit the Tokyo tower. This is a replica of the Eiffel Tower but is actually taller. We saw some spectacular scenery and it was lovely to see the whole of Tokyo lit up at night.

We spent so much time admiring Tokyo we didn't reach dinner until late by which time we were all starving! We ate in another traditional Japanese restaurant where they have an open fire in the middle of your table and you cook a selection of meats that you have chosen we even tried pigs tongue. The food was delicious!

Tomorrow we will be visiting schools in Hino city, which is an hour the other side of Tokyo. We are looking forward to seeing how this is different to what we have already seen and will let you know tomorrow.

Hope school is going well.

Speak to you soon.

Miss Jones and Mrs Waldron

Japan Day 3!

Tue 13 Jul 2010

Hello all!

Yet another busy day for us as we headed into rural Japan to see for ourselves what primary schools are like!

We began the day with an early 7am start and a four train ride across Tokyo and out the other side. We arrived at our primary school in time to observe a variety of lessons including maths, moral education, science and art and craft. We were treated like VIPs and the children were very excited to see us practice their English which put our Japanese to shame!

We also visited the Kindergarten (like Reception class in the UK) and were impressed by how confident the children were and how they were keen to practise saying hello, how are you and goodbye! They even treated us to a performance of three Japanese songs that they will be performing at a music concert next week. We were blown away by how good they were, and how well they all sang.

At lunchtime we were taken to eat lunch in classrooms with children from Grade 3 (our year 4). Lunch was rice, pork and miso soup - very different from our lunches. After lunch every child in the school takes part in 'cleaning' where everybody has a job to do from cleaning their classrooms to sweeping the floor, mopping the toilets and shining the steps!

We then were taken into the hall for a presentation from children who had been learning about disabilities and people who need to use a wheelchair. Each group took it in turns to present their information and take questions.

After this we returned to the staffroom to meet with the teachers whose lessons we had observed and talked about what it was like to be a teacher in Japan. We realised that we were very lucky to have the resources we have and all the extra teachers who come in and help as this is not the case in Japan!

Our bus then arrived to whisk us away to the town hall to meet the mayor and discuss the improvements they are trying to make to the education system. By then we were all very tired so headed into the mountains to an onsen (hot springs) to unwind and talk about the day.

The last stop we made was to a traditional Japanese restaurant where we had to sit on the floor and rely on our best Japanese to order the food as nobody spoke English. it was a challenge for all of us but we got there in the end!

Tomorrow we are heading back to our schools to look at lessons in KS2. We wonder how they will be different to what we have seen so far?

Hope you are all well,

Mrs Waldron and Miss Jones

Mrs Waldron and Miss Jones: Japan Day 2

Mon 12 Jul 2010

Konichiwa!
Today was an extremely busy one! We got up bright and early to sample a typical Tokyo city breakfast: boiled eggs and bread! Mrs Waldron was very happy when she discovered the coffee machine - Starbucks eat your heart out..!

We arrived at the British Council where we were briefed on the current state of education in Japan. We were very proud of our official badges! In the afternoon we arrived at Tokyo Gakugei University: specialising in teacher training. We took it in turns with primary and secondary Japanese teachers to present how we taught the National Curriculum in our schools. We were suprised to discover how much was the same in secondary school, but were really surprised to find out that there are hardly any primary schools in Japan that have Interactive Whiteboards and children do not start using ICT until they are in Year 3!!

Afterwards we were split up into groups to talk about what we felt was important in education. We were assisted by the most amazing interpreters who put us to shame with their command of the English language. However we have learnt lots of new phrases today: 'watashi wa Mrs Waldron des' (my name is Mrs Waldron), 'oyshi katta' : that was delicious, 'jamata': bye, 'hajime mashtay': pleased to meet you! All the Japanese people we meet are so lovely - we have already exchanged business cards with teachers and student teachers which is an extremely important ritual in Japan and you have to make sure you give the card in exactly the right way or you really offend people!

Tomorrow we are heading to Minamiashigara (1 and a half hours outside Tokyo city): we leave at 7.00 and arrive at our schools for the beginning of the school day. Miss Jones and I are observing lessons in 'Living Environment Studies', Maths and Japanese, as well as looking at Kindergarten. The uniform here is great: KS1 pupils have to wear straw hats, fastened with a ribbon under their chin - (what do you reckon Year 1??!!) We will also be meeting with teachers and the board of education -
phew!

We will be updating again tomorrow - miss you all lots - hope you have had a good day - hoping to see Year 5 photos of the Watersports on the website soon!

Jamata!

Mrs Waldron and Miss Jones

Mrs. Waldron and Miss Jones Arrive Safely in Japan

Sun 11 Jul 2010

Hi all,

Mrs Waldron and Miss Jones have arrived safely in the Land of The Rising Sun!

After a long journey and missing an entire night's sleep we have finally made it through our first day. This afternoon was our only designated sight seeing time. Despite our lack of sleep we pushed on through to make sure we could experience some of the Japanese culture.

We started by having lunch in a traditional Japanese buffet restaurant where we challenged ourselves to try all kinds of new food - some nice and some more of an acquired taste!

After lunch we visited Ueno Park in Tokyo and visited a Shinto shrine and temple as well as seeing some spectacular scenery. The park was incredible and despite a little rain we managed to take in the beauty of our surroundings. We then had the opportunity to sample Ocha (Green Tea) and later for dinner we went to a Yakitori restaurant and tasted some of the local delicacy.

We have barely seen any other tourists so have had a real insight into Japanese life and culture. The people are so friendly and go out of their way to assist you in any way they can. They have made us so welcome and we are even managing to learn some of the Japanese language. This is proving challenging. However, the Japanese are so pleased when you try that we are making an effort to be brave and learn from our mistakes as we go! Thank You Kye Takeuchi-Brown for teaching us some useful phrases we have already used one or two of them!!

Tomorrow we are heading to the British council for briefings and then to Tokyo University where we will be sharing presentations with local officials about our school and education in the UK. We have interpreters so hope we will be ok!

Hope you all have had a lovely weekend - Check back tomorrow to see how the day at the university went!

Sayonara!

Miss Jones and Mrs Waldron

p.s. Children you would be fascinated by the toilets here - There are many buttons you could press one of which plays music!! Do you think this will catch on in England?