 The many sides of the teaching job in Japan. What do you think of when I say the word teacher? When I think of this word, I think of the teacher when I was a child. The person who talked and I listened. The person who gave me instructions and I followed. I think in today's environment this word has changed. What does the word teacher mean today? We'll look at what the roles of a teacher are in today's ESL world in Japan. What do you think of today's ESL world in Japan? We use many synonyms for the term teacher. In elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools in Japan we use the term out, assistant language teacher, or it, assistant English teacher. In business courses, we use the word instructor. In English schools, of course, we use the term we all know of as teacher. Types of teachers in Japan. Let's take a look at the out or it. This is probably the most common type of English teacher in Japan. The vague role of the out or it is to assist with English lessons in each level of education, elementary school, junior high, and high school. But, the real role of the out or it is that of an ambassador of English in his or her school. The person that also helps and motivates teachers in creating and implementing their lessons. Preparing for the lesson. In Japan, the course textbook is necessary as decided by Japan as educational authority, next, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. For elementary school, an out or it usually prepares the lesson with feedback from the HRTs, homeroom teachers. Each chapter is broken up into four lessons which are taught by the out or it and HRT on just the HRT. When preparing a lesson, we think about engage, study, and activate. The engage portion of the lesson is usually started off with a song, video clip, picture or story. Next, during the study portion of the lesson, we need to prepare either digital flash cards or flash cards that can be displayed on the whiteboard. Flash cards are popular in Japan to make sure students know what is going on. The second part of the study, the out. It should create some kind of game or worksheet for students to either use in pairs or groups. And then the activate portion, where the out or it should create some kind of role play, worksheet, or project where students can use the target language or theme clearly. For junior high and senior high, the lesson preparation falls more upon the HRT. It's up to the out or to understand his or her role in the lesson and to try to follow the lesson. Responsibilities Before for the lesson. The out or it should arrive early in the morning to check the day's schedule. Then, in the teacher's room, visit each grade that will be taught that day and go over the day's lesson plan and agenda. In elementary schools, make sure each HRT, homeroom teacher, knows their role and are confident with what they will be doing in English. Also, make sure they are certain of the day's target. You wouldn't want the HRT feeding students wrong information. This is also a time where you can motivate the teacher, so they get excited about the lesson. In junior high and senior high schools, visit each teacher individually as they may have different teaching strategies. Make sure you as the out or it know your role for each HRT's lesson. This can be confusing, but it's important to know the differences between each HRT's teaching style. It's game time. Time for the lesson. In elementary school, it's up to the out or it to display the appropriate energy for each grade. In first grade, the out or it will need to be more animated, whereas in sixth grade the out or it will need to be entertaining but not as animated. The role of the out or it is to display the engage, study, and activate portions of the lesson including the HRT. It's up to the out or it to follow the time of each portion and that students are actually taking in the information. In Japan, English is actually a graded subject, so students will need to retain the information for tests. It's up to the out or it to make sure students are learning, not just having a good time. In junior high and senior high, the role of the teacher in the classroom varies from school to school, and HRT to HRT. The primary role is to speak clearly and be involved as much as possible. In this aspect, the out or it is truly an assistant. Are you ready to teach English all over the world? The role of an out or it varies in each level of education, but their role of an ambassador of English and their institutions remains the same. Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad. Send us an email or call us toll free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today.