By Ikuko Karacsony | Program Manager
Go behind the scenes of Global Classmates program, an online language and cultural exchange program that connects high school students studying Japanese in the U.S. and English in Japan!
As we are in the midst of preparing for the 2019-20 Global Classmates program, our largest program to date with a total of 70 high schools, 35 from each country, our Global Classmates Coordinators have been busy getting training and preparing to kick-off the program in September. We have six talented Coordinators this year, who all come from a wide range of backgrounds but share a passion for international exchange and being a bridge between the U.S. and Japan.
Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC) ensures a successful exchange program by assigning a Coordinator to each school pair. Coordinators provide teachers support both in English and Japanese, guiding them through everything from how to use the e-classroom to planning activities throughout the program. They also work with teachers to customize the program to meet the needs of both teachers and help all students get the most out of the exchange.
Last month, Coordinators received training in DC on how to ensure a smooth start of the program and talked about strategies to work effectively with a wide range of teachers. The veteran Coordinators shared their tips to the new Coordinators on how to communicate well via email and overcome any language barriers that may exist between teachers. We also had a lot of fun talking about the discussion topics from the past that the students enjoyed and analyzing why it worked so well. The session was so productive and gave us all a boost of energy as we get through this busy time. We are so lucky to have such wonderful Coordinators working tirelessly fro the program!
Here are what some of our past teachers had to say about the Coordinators:
“I believe that the success of our participation of Global Classmates is because of the good organization of the program and the meticulous guidance by our Coordinator.”
“The Coordinator was able to step in and help when I had trouble fully explaining things in English to my partner teacher that it made it easy to take part in the program when I didn’t have a lot of time. Also, my Coordinator’s words of encouragement and warm support raised my motivation level.”
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