Government-sponsored Teacher Training Program (Kyoken program) is one of the Public Scholarship Programs for Foreign Students sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It is a scholarship program for foreign students to conduct research on school education at Japanese universities under Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship. Many national universities are participating in this program. In our program, we give training to practicing Japanese language teachers with a basic concept of "multilingual & multicultural campus and enhanced training for Japanese language teachers". For those who are interested in this program, the following information shows how international students already in Japan can apply for the program.
http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/
__icsFiles/afieldfile/2016/01/08/1365869_02.pdfMany national universities participate in this program, but at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies we train those who are already working as Japanese language teachers and make point of offering substantial Japanese language teacher training against the backdrop of a multilingual and multicultural campus.
On this page, anyone who is interested in the Kyoken program can find out what it has to offer international students who have come to Japan.
This program is roughly divided into three terms.
Under the Kyoken Program, students are able to take a variety of subjects offered by JLCTUFS including JLPTUFS, and from the 3rd term, they attend classes in specialized subjects of the program. The following shows the details of these subjects. (Actual content carried out in 2015.)
n Methodologies of Japanese Language Teaching, students can learn specialized teaching methodologies and theories for secondary education. The course features a series of lectures by visiting experts, but there will also be time for the students to share their own experiences. A report is to be submitted after every session.
This class is held in the 4th period every Thursday.
Teaching Traditional Japanese Culture fosters students’ ability to incorporate practical lessons on traditional Japanese culture into their teaching in a way that will be useful to them after they have returned to their home countries. In addition to flower arrangement and tea ceremony, we plan to feature traditional arts such as origami, haiku, Noh singing and more.
This class is held every other Friday in the 4th and 5th period.
The Kyoken seminar is a non-lecture formatted class organized in small groups where students can reflect on their individual teaching experiences to help each other improve their teaching after returning to their home countries. The final session of this class will be used to rehearse for the Closing Presentation.
This seminar is held every Wednesday in the 4th period.
It features a wide range of activities, including micro-teaching and presentations from each student about educational materials, their school, and the educational circumstances and issues to be resolved in their country. This time will also be used to prepare final reports.
In this class, the students of the Kyoken program visit elementary, junior high and high schools in Tokyo and Saitama. At the schools, they have the chance to actually watch the classes or to give a presentation about the educational circumstances of their own countries to deepen the friendship between teachers. The students will then write reports on what they have learned from the class, and these reports will be used in deciding their grades.
In the Hands-On Japanese Language Education class, students with advanced Japanese can develop their practical Japanese language teaching skills by participating in beginner level Japanese classes as teaching assistants. The class is held every Tuesday in the 3rd period.
