User:R perry/japan
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Contents |
[edit] things to read up more on
Eastern culture in general
Confucian Philosophy
Western Influences
Japanese traditional lifestyle
Yoga/painting/flower arranging/calligraphy
Kukai
Teaching ideas
Eastern culture in general (as comparison to western)
Dharma( vs. God ) - The underlying order in nature and life, what is considered right in the deepest realities of nature
Confucian Philosophy
social hierarchy where position is based upon merit as determined through the imperial examination system. This social hierarchy promoted respect for elders and authority, and valued harmony within family. government promotion of confucian values? concept of "rites" "in order to govern others one must first govern oneself."
Western Influences
Japanese traditional lifestyle
Yoga/painting/flower arranging/calligraphy
Kukai
Teaching ideas
[edit] Final and Submitted
I want to spend the next year of my life in Japan for two main reasons : To learn and to help others learn.
I see the JET program as a unique opportunity to absorb Eastern culture in an interactive way, and as a chance to further develop my teaching ability. I find Japanese culture and history particularly fascinating, more specifically the way in which Confucian philosophy and Western influences have moulded the Japanese traditional lifestyle. Additionally I find the prospect of working with children from rural Japan inspiring, as a result of coming from a rural background myself, albeit a Western.
An element of Japanese culture I would like to touch on is Spirituality. Japan has a large cultural background in “looking within oneself” through things such as yoga, painting, flower arranging, calligraphy, etc, but most interestingly, religion. Shamanism, the original global religion still has a form today in Japan, Shinto. As ideas from Buddhism have intertwined with this base of Shinto, there are no “set in stone” ideas, which make it much more interesting, because it is completely up to the individual on what to think and base their ideas upon. This also drives a curious mind to be motivated to learn about the world, and its life.
I have only gained information about Japan so far from reading books and on the internet but nothing can compare to experiencing a culture for myself by being there, right in the middle of it, especially for a whole year. Therefore, in order to understand the culture better, I will need to go to Japan, live with Japanese people, learn some Japanese, and fully enroll in society. I want to become part of a community for at least a year and then I feel, not only will I gain an unforgettable experience of learning, I will also be able to share my current experience of Britain and the western world with this Japanese community.
I am highly confident in my ability to adjust to living in a new culture and society for the following reasons: I grew up on a rural farm which meant that I was very secluded from many parts of society, but what this provided me with individuality and the ability to cope with being on my own for extended periods of time. Last summer, I travelled around Europe alone for six weeks, crossing twelve countries. A large portion of the trip was spent in isolated areas such as on the fjords of Norway, where I could not see anyone anywhere. Such experiences provide me with the confidence to be able to rely on myself in new environments. My objective however is not to become secluded, but to form new bonds and fully integrate into the community. I feel that my key attribute of open-mindedness will be especially useful in adapting my teaching style to fit the needs of the Japanese student audience.
While in Japan, I have a few objectives of my own aside from teaching English such as completing the Shikoku Pilgrimage of 88 temples that the famed monk Kūkai is said to have visited. I am also interested in learning Judo in an authentic Japanese environment, in order to build on my past three years of learning Shorinji-Kan Jiu-Jitsu.
My teaching experience involves tutoring people of diverse ages and backgrounds. I have spent three weeks helping in a local secondary school, where I taught pupils and gave them a taste of higher education. I am currently teaching Mathematics at the University of Bath, which involves preparing and presenting tutorials for first year mathematics students. Although I am aware of the difficulty of acquiring fluency in a new language, I am very keen on absorbing as much Japanese as possible through my daily interactions outside the classroom. This I believe will be a key to helping me understand the Japanese way of life and will enhance overall experience of living in Japan.
According to a study of the Japanese education system, there exists a strong belief that with hard work, pupils can achieve anything and overcome all their weaknesses regardless of their background. I believe teaching in such an atmosphere will be inspiring and will help develop mutual respect between me and my future students.
In terms of teaching ideas, I feel that I definitely could come up with some interesting ones along the way. I have thought about the idea of what could be called a “swap lesson”. In the lesson, I could ask the pupils a question about Japan, and then after, when they have answered, they could ask me one about Britain and the lesson could continue like that. Another idea I had was a food “swap lesson”, in which, the pupils would be given the opportunity to cook something Japanese, and then I would cook something British and then we could share it all by eating at the end of the lesson. It could be that I cook the Japanese food and they cook the English food and then it would be fun to see the results. Other lessons could be watching common English language films that the pupils will have watched, however without subtitles, and then having a discussion at the end. Games are also a very good source of motivation and therefore learning for pupils, and there are endless possibilities in this area.
In conclusion, going to Japan is by far my biggest aspiration at the moment, and if I got there via the JET programme, then firstly I would be extremely happy and then I would work my hardest to achieve anything asked of me and more.
[edit] Objective
This is your personal statement of between 800 and 1000 words. Your essay must be typed, font size 12 and double-spaced on A4 paper. It should comprise of three main sections, including the following points:
1) General Statement. This should set forth your reasons for wishing to participate on the JET Programme.
2) What can you contribute to the Programme?
- If you have any experience of living abroad for an extended period, what aspect did
you find the most difficult to adapt to? Was there any specific problem you had to overcome?
- OR if you have not had any experience of living abroad, do you consider yourself to
be adaptable to new circumstances and people? What situations have you found yourself in that have required such adaptation?
3) Teaching ideas
- If you have some teaching experience, what methods of teaching, classroom
approaches, etc., have you used, and which have you found the most valuable?
- OR, if you have little or no experience, imagine you are in front of a class of 40
students, many of whom are not interested in studying English. How would you go about motivating them? What methods or approaches do you think you might use? What advantages do you think they might have?
[edit] Draft essay nearly finished
I want to spend the next year of my life in Japan for generally two reasons only: To learn myself and to help others learn.
Why Japan? To start with, japan has a very interesting cultural backround, **[**Shinto/Buddhism, Confucian**]**, and the Japan of today seems to be retaining a lot of these ideas, for instance the Confucian influenced metaphor to work of an old woman who rubbed an iron bar against a stone in order to make it into a needle to make some clothes. As far as I have read, this idea is still strongly engraved in the collective unconscious of Japanese people, and in reference to teaching, it is also present in pupils learning. I read about a study comparing the American education system to the Japanese one, it concluded that under the American system, children and teachers are very aware of “ability” and simply that a child is either capable of something, or not. However in the Japanese system, this idea is much less important, and the children and teachers believe that, with enough hard work, the pupils can achieve anything, be capable in all that they strive for. The effects of this can be directly seen, Japan is said to have one of the best educational achievements in the world, especially in science and mathematics, and always, the American system is at the bottom of league tables. I feel that this does have large basis in culture.
Another part of culture that Japan has not lost, is what is sometimes called a “read-write” system. Where people can “read” from what is given to them, ie the media, books, education etc. However what is also there is the “write” capability of individuals. Being able to express themselves in many creative ways, for instance, the prevalence of pottery, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, music etc. This “write” component, has been said to have been lost in western culture where “read-only” is the underlying concept.
The third element of Japanese culture I would like to touch on is Spirituality which links to the creativity i mentioned earlier. Japan has a large cultural backround in “looking within oneself” through things such as yoga, painting, tea ceremonies, flower arranging etc, but most interestingly, religion. Shamanism, the original global religion has still has a form today in Japan, Shinto. And as ideas from Buddhism have intertwined with this base of Shinto, there are no “set in stone” ideas, which make it much more interesting, because it is completely up to the individual what to think and base their ideas upon, which is linked to this creativity I mentioned earlier
I have only gained information about Japan so far from reading books and on the internet. Although, I have picked up facts and perceptions of other people, nothing can compare to experiencing a culture for myself, especially a whole year. In order to understand the culture better, I will need to go to Japan, live with Japanese people, learn some Japanese, and fully enrol in society. I want to become part of a community for at least a year and then i feel, not only will I gain an unforgettable experience of learning, I will also be able to share my current experience of Britain and the western world with this Japanese community.
I know with certainty that I can cope living in another country for at least a year for the following reasons. I grew up on a rural farm until the age of 18 which meant that I was very secluded from many parts of society, but what this gave me was individuality and ability to cope with being on my own for extended periods of time. Last summer, I travelled around a few areas in Europe for 6 weeks. The first 3 were spent with friends and the last 3 were spent on my own. The part of the trip that I particularly enjoyed the most was when I was at a glacier in Norway for two days. Most of the time spent here was completely alone where I could not even see any people in any directions. This may be useful at times in Japan, however one of my main tasks will be trying to fully integrate with people and the community*. I know I can also adapt to new situations and people, I am very open-minded, therefore any circumstance that arises in any context will be something that I can deal with, and obviously, change is exciting, so being forced to adapt to things will not only be a challenge, but it will be fun.
I have had a limited teaching experience so far due to my age, but I have tried to get a taste whenever the opportunity arose. I have tutored mathematics and science to a variety of different people: My younger brother, friends and now also I am being employed by the university to tutor university students. I have also spent 3 weeks helping in a local secondary school, where I taught pupils and also encouraged the idea of higher education. Although I do not have language experience in Japanese, I know that if I put my mind to anything, I will succeed eventually. Obviously mastering the language in one year would be impossible, but I will try to learn as much as possible in the time that I am there in order to help integrate in the community and to also to form a basis for possibly longer time spent in Japan.
In terms of teaching ideas, I feel that I definitely could come up with some interesting ones along the way. I have thought about the idea of what could be called a “swap lesson”. In the lesson, I could ask the pupils a question about Japan, and then after, when they have answered, they could ask me one about Britain and the lesson could continue like that. Another idea I had was a food “swap lesson”, in which, the pupils would be given the opportunity to cook something Japanese, and then I would cook something British and then we could share it all by eating at the end of the lesson. Also, it could be that I cook the Japanese food and they cook the English food and then it would be fun to see the results. Other lessons could be watching common English language films that the pupils will have watched, however without subtitles, and then having a discussion at the end.
In conclusion ????
[edit] ideas
Games-> - Competitive is good, however, not so much with games that create a clear winner before it has ended. ie each player should still feel like they have a chance even near the end - Good if the teacher loses, therefore the whole class feels good, not one child is miserable for losing - try to integrate more than one skill to even out chances (maybe possibly take ideas from many areas of language) - don't make a big thing of keeping score, however in certain circumstances, keeping score well can keep concentration
Broken Hearts: Prepare some paper hearts, one per two children. Cut them in two, to create a two piece jigsaw. Depending on age and level introduce the feelings of sad and happy, and the idea of a broken heart. The game is to find your partner. If you have some space get the children to walk around the room pretending to cry. Play some music while they do this. When the music pauses the children find a partner and match hearts. If they are up to it give them the line "lets be together". Children who find their partner can walk around the room together, this time smiling. The game continues until everyone has found a partner. Other jigsaw ideas include cutting up simple pictures (of course you don't have to cut up the pictures - you could just copy each one twice, although doing so makes it easier for the children to "cheat". Use a different picture for each pair (I say pair, though to increase the challenge you can increase the number of pieces to three or four). Children should be encouraged to find their partner by describing the picture. This could simply be a picture of a noun, a ball, a cat, etc, or if you want to practise colours, for example, use the same picture but colour it. Since as I write this it's nearly Christmas I've include some drawings of pigs I've used. Butcher them as you feel fit.
Valentine cards: show a few examples, explain that they are usually sent anonymously. A week or so before Valentine's day get the children to make a card. Give the children a blank card with the name of another child written on it. Have the children make a card and then "post it" (make a post box for the purpose). If your children can write then give them the name for their card on a slip of paper. Another interesting possibility is to get children from one class to make a card for those in another. As near to Valentine's Day as you can announce that the cards have been delivered. Let the children try and find the card with their own name on it.
Finally Hug and Hum (from Orlick, page 63), one child per five or six is designated as a "huggit". Give the child a glove or some such. The huggits try to tag the other players. A player is safe when hugging a partner and humming some tune. If the player stops humming then both partners must split and find another. If tagged a player exchanges roles with the huggit. This can be adapted in various ways. Instead of humming children could be required to sing a song in English, or hold a simple conversation or even simply saying words in a given category (animals, food, sports) etc. Not for confined spaces!
I want a happy and relaxed atmosphere when I teach. Children learn through enjoying themselves. Games are a wonderful teaching resource. A game must be fun for all the participants. If you feel you are a loser there is no enjoyment, no fun, and no learning.
Lived in very secluded rural area Travelling on own,
• 2Rural living • 2Travelling on own • 3SAS • 3Tutoring • 3Why teaching language • 1Why japan (jitsu [what it means], other martial arts, samurai, Confucius) • 1Where to be placed, reasons • 2Skills and qualities that i can provide • 1Pilgrimage thing • 2Examples of adapting to new situations and people • 1Jitsu • 3Japanese language • 3“japanese English education has been a target of criticism for decades” • 3Maths, science top in the world for education • 3Language teaching has been lacking • 1Where i heard about JET, and why it is better than all the other ones
"children born into a particular society gradually acquire the beliefs, values, and attitudes held by its members, and use them to explain and interpret their world"
"human beings were considered to be malleable, and like clay, subject to molding by the events of everyday life" [in reference to confucious]
1. Interest in Japanese culture 1a interest in language 1b interest in people 1c interest in history 1d interest in martial arts
2 interest in teaching 2a previous teaching experience MATHS, you want to continue 2b good ability to interact with people, you want to build on this ability to extend it to interacting with people of other cultures 2c you want to learn about japanese culture, and through expressing your own culture you feel you'll learn about your own culture as well- you also feel that such bonds are the building blocks of a greater understanding between the two countries, and will make the world a better place
3 travel experience a you have travelled around both in groups and in alone, you're well adapted to new environments
[edit] General Statement.
This should set forth your reasons for wishing to participate on the JET Programme.
Interest in Japan (Shinto, Buddhism, general philosophy of the east, Would like to teach Would like to experience a different culture, especially something that is rooted on much different things to the western world. (What to do in japan: hiking, shikoku pilgrimage by foot, interested to learn Japanese, firstly because that is the best way to understand a culture, and also I would be interested in working in japan afterwards, so therefore it would be a useful asset to have, and there is no better place to study a language other than the country that you are going to. Also would be interested in extending knowledge of jiujitsu or starting another martial art)
I enjoy hiking very much and after the first year of teaching, I would definitely make plans to undertake the “Shikoku Pilgrimage” by foot as I think it would be a truely unmissable life experience. I think undertakings of those kinds can be profoundly valueable to a person and hence other people because the wealth of happiness can be shared
One particular thing that I read that sparked my interest with eastern philosophies is how it has shaped the education system, but also the way education is approached by pupils, parents and teachers. I read a paper revealing how
I wish to apply to the JET programme for broadly two reasons: i) my interest in japan and ii) my interest in teaching. My interest in Japan roots from interest in eastern philosophies and culture in general. The first which sparked my interest was Eastern religions which are rooted on much different principles to what we have in the west, the Abrahmic Religions. As religion has always had such a huge effect on culture, this has had a huge effect on Japanese culture.
[edit] What can you contribute to the Programme?
If you have any experience of living abroad for an extended period, what aspect did you find the most difficult to adapt to? Was there any specific problem you had to overcome?
OR
If you have not had any experience of living abroad, do you consider yourself to be adaptable to new circumstances and people? What situations have you found yourself in that have required such adaptation?
I have not spend any extended periods of time living abroad however I am sure that I would cope very easily with a change of culture. I would consider myself able me to experience any culture and be happy with the culture, the people, and myself.
I actually enjoy spending time alone a lot of the time, I find that this is very peaceful for my mind and can be a great aid to looking inwards to myself. Last summer, I travelled around a few areas in Europe for 6 weeks. The first 3 were spent with friends and the last 3 were spent on my own. The part of the trip that I particularly enjoyed the most was when I was at a glacier in Norway for two days. Most of the time spent here was completely alone where I could not even see any person in any direction. I do think that being close to nature is definitely important for the mind, so in rural areas this strong background of nature can lead to a very peaceful environment where one can focus on the tasks ahead rather than getting caught up in the bustle of the city. I enjoyed the aloneness of the trip in Europe, however now, I am looking for the opportunity to experience new places as well, however, also while actually getting involved in a society. Obviously through me partaking in this programme, I am aiding the ‘internationalisation’ of Japan. Some people consider this ‘internationalisation’ as a bad thing, based on their opinion that global culture becomes more homogenised. I think this is grossly over exaggerated at the moment, and for something of what they are talking about to happen, I feel would only possibly happen after a very long period after our lifetimes. I think, the world is currently going through a cultural exchange of ideas, but this does not imply that everyone will eventually agree on one way to do everything, I think it makes the world a much more interesting place.
One may say that enabling many Japanese people to speak the English language opens them up to ideas in western culture. This is true, however what is normally missed, is that the western society can be opened up to ideas from Japanese culture, and I really thing that some of the ideas rooted in this Japanese culture could be a real breath of fresh air for the western culture that I currently live in. One of the major things that I think would be great to help integrate into western culture is this whole understanding of nature and that we are in harmony with nature rather than separated from it. When we see a squirrel or a tree, we don’t normally feel any relation to it whatsoever, yet there is every reason to, we are all breathing the same air, we all have to cope with generally similar problems of food and water, and we all evolved generally from the same place. That is one of the things that I believe Japan can offer. This idea is rooted in all of us from our ancestors’ shamanic beliefs across the world. Unfortunately I believe that the large part of western society has lost this and has developed organised religions that tell people what is real or not, rather than letting them find out for themselves. Hence, the western society tends to forget about who they are and only look on the outside, to fashionable clothing, to the latest mobile phone that has one more game on, to reality TV etc. Now I am not saying that these ideas are all bad, all I am saying is that the western society has generally forgotten who they are and where they came from, and this I believe is one of the causes of the many problems in this world.
[edit] Teaching ideas
If you have some teaching experience, what methods of teaching, classroom approaches, etc., have you used, and which have you found the most valuable?
OR
If you have little or no experience, imagine you are in front of a class of 40 students, many of whom are not interested in studying English. How would you go about motivating them? What methods or approaches do you think you might use? What advantages do you think they might have?
IDEAS: (logical solution: they are not interested, therefore they must be thinking about something else, or thinking about how their next hour will be very boring. Therefore, grabbing their interest is the first objective. Now, the language is English. The main related thing to this is “England” in which pretty much all of them will not have been to and they will have certain stereotypes about England and English people, in which I will be one of them. Therefore, if anything alters their views on this, then they will become interested. I would say that their ideas about the people rather than the country will be more interesting. So therefore, it would be nice to start off with possibly a humorous introduction to some of the stereotypes that either agree and exaggerate their current views, or alter them. Research on English stereotypes in japan would be useful for this, however general worldwide stereotypes would still apply. Representing these stereotypes will be hard due to the language barrier, so therefore, other means of communication would be required, e.g exerts from films that they might have seen, pictures, things they buy/eat, common celebrities, etc. This would make them slightly interested in the lesson, however maybe not interested in the language yet. To do this, possibly give some examples of things in comparison to Japanese. This would require research of Japanese words
One particular exercise that I think would be very productive would be an “information-swap” which would be a fun activity for all. It would involve
