Help 2000 students from US & Japan connect online!

With the 2018-19 Global Classmates program wrapped up, we dove right into the Student Exit Survey responses. These are often filled with great insight into what students learned through the program and what aspects they particularly enjoyed. While this year’s program was our biggest yet, with 1,764 student participants from 66 high schools across Japan and the United States, we were ecstatic to see that the student satisfaction rate for the program remained at 95%! We are so thankful for all of the dedicated teachers who worked countless hours with our coordinators to run the exchange program smoothly, as well as our supporters who made this program possible. 

Over the duration of the program, students discussed a wide range of topics such as “favorite food,” “favorite music,” “if you could have any super power,” “bucket list,” and much more. One of the more unusual topics covered this year was “The most embarrassing experience you’ve ever had.” Students came up with this highly engaging discussion topic and made a game out of the topic. Each student wrote two true embarrassing moments and one that was a lie. Students then guessed which was not true. Sharing embarrassing stories such as a Japanese student having the bathroom door on the shinkansen fly open while she was in it, to several students accidentally calling their teacher “mom” helped students break the ice and bond with one another more quickly. 

In addition to bonding with one another and learning about each other’s cultures, students also learned important communication skills and increased their Japanese/English language skills. The students are encouraged to not fear making grammatical mistakes and do their best in communicating with their partner students throughout the program. As a result, they learn how to use what they already know and build confidence in their communication abilities. 93% of students said that they learned how to better get their point across and felt more motivated to communicate in English/Japanese.

Below are some testimonials from student participants:

U.S.

• I’ve gained the confidence in my communication skills. Global Classmates allowed me to get over my anxiety of using my Japanese to communicate with others. It slowly and slowly became more of a daily life action as I use my Japanese to communicate with the Japanese students.

• A skill I gained by participating in Global Classmates is to be able to better express myself online overall. Previously, I barely posted online and was quiet most of the time in real life. However, getting to post about myself on Global Classmates gave me some practice on how I could express myself to others, which can then be applied to other places.

• Communication of ideas across any language barrier is the primary skill that I have gained. This doesn't necessarily mean that I've only learned how to communicate across the Japanese language barrier, though; I have learned what main concepts need to be communicated in order to effectively convey an idea.

JAPAN

• I used to be reluctant to communicate in English because I felt that I was not good at it. Now I am not afraid of making mistakes and am able to actively communicate in English.

• I don’t feel as hesitant to speak or write in English now. In a class, you are expected to use correct grammar and vocabulary; however, when you actually speak to someone, they understand you through nuance even if it is not the correct grammar. And if there are words you don’t know, they can explain to you using different words or different combination of words that it made me feel comfortable to participate in the exchange.

• I learned to take more initiatives. I used to be uncomfortable initiating conversations and often felt anxious but by participating in Global Classmates, I was able to feel the excitement of communicating and being understood.

These wonderful feedbacks from our participating students have given us so much energy as we prepare for the 2019-20 Global Classmates program. We cannot wait to bring this program to another group of students in September and continue to foster mutual understanding between the US and Japan.

Links:

• Kizuna Across Cultures