Maebashi was not only the hottest place in Japan, but the hottest place for enthusiastic teachers, parents, and private kindergarten teachers on July 16th. Ritsuko Nakata was invited to give a lecture on the English situation in Japan and English education of children by Chuo Gaigo Gakuin, who have teachers teaching at many local kindergartens and after school classes.
【Ritsuko and Chuo Gaigo Gakuin teachers】
With Japan’s TOEFL scores third from the bottom of the thirty Asian countries near Japan, it is clear that English education of children must be effective and get children to be able to do all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through speaking, children are able to understand what they are reading and learn to write what they understand. As English teachers of children, we must raise the standard of English education to children so that they will grow up to be intelligent speakers and users of English.
In addition to the lecture, Ritsuko demonstrated activities using the MAT METHOD with all the participants. At the end, Lilian, a teacher at Chuo Gaigo Gakuin, gave a cheerful and fun demonstration of how kindergarteners are taught through the MAT METHOD at their schools.
【Lilian gave a demonstration】 【Mothers having a lot of fun doing the lesson!】
