April 9, 2017 14:00 – 16:00 Shizuoka Kyouiku Kaikan (map)
English education and team teaching in Japanese public and private high schools demand the collaboration of JTEs and ALTs. The roles of each in terms of lesson preparation/materials selection, as well as the perceived agency of the Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) and Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in the present national foreign language curriculum can become sources of conflict and dysfunction. This is an examination of the pre-service and in-service training that JTEs and ALTs receive from their respective boards of education, government programs, and dispatch companies. Current and former senior high school ALTs and JTEs nationwide were surveyed and interviewed. Both parties felt that there needs to be clearer guidelines of their individual roles to team-teach effectively.
Farrah Hasnain is currently in her third year of the JET Program as an ALT at a public senior high school. She is originally from Washington, DC.