ELI at Kanda University of International Studies

ELI Lecturer Dwayne Cover discusses various aspects of Japanese student and university life that teachers should consider in their day to day practice. Mr. Cover is a fourth year lecturer, co-coordinator of the International Communication Department’s Basic English Proficiency Project, and active member of the ELI’s Professional Development Committee. In April, he offered a workshop titled, “The Japanese University Context: A long way from home.” Cover says, “The most dangerous thing for people to do is to just come in and say…this is a university and this is how universities work.” Watch this video for practical advice to enhance your teaching approach in a Japanese University context. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on this topic.

An abstract of Mr. Cover’s workshop follows:

The Japanese University Context: A long way from home
When new teachers arrive at KUIS, they are often entering the university teaching context for the first time. Naturally, they have assumptions and expectations for post-secondary institutions based upon their personal experiences; however, there are critical differences between Japanese universities and Western-based universities that present a significantly different teaching environment than what is often expected.

This workshop will offer an overview of the Japanese university context, e.g. Where do our students come from? What are their expectations when they arrive? What is daily university life like for Japanese students? What is expected of students when they graduate and join the workforce? The information presented in the workshop will be drawn from a number of sources: research projects conducted at KUIS, relevant literature, individual experiences, etc.

This workshop should be beneficial to instructors with differing levels of teaching experience in Japan: those who have taught in Japan will be invited to share their experiences with their colleagues; those who are new to this teaching context will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain a stronger understanding of the Japanese system, hopefully allowing them to acclimatize more easily.