Two Teachers Talking™

Charles again talks with his daughter, this time about university graduation, future plans, how it feels to set out on a new phase in life, and some of the things learned while studying to become a teacher.

As a non-Japanese English teacher in Japan, there are a million ways to shoot oneself in the foot…or worse. We look at some of the pitfalls that lie in wait when dealing with administration, staff, colleagues, and students.

It’s week three, and the course you so painstakingly crafted over the break is, well, tanking. We talk about what you can do to reboot. Never give up.

We talk a little about last month’s podcast, and then it’s WELCOME TO RETIREMENT for Charles. Sayonara lectures, student workshops, expectations, predictions, adjustments - it’s a packed episode, even without an April Fool joke.

Japan vs. Mexico. No, not the flop sport where players can’t use their hands. We talk with Prof. Alison Kitzman, now at Arkansas State University, Querétaro, about the differences and similarities in teaching English to students in Japan and in Mexico. There are surprises. And dogs.

A discussion on traditional and new forms of cheating, motivations for cheating, how to deal with cheating (with or without institutional support), and a perhaps overly optimistic hope of prevention.

Instead of a look back at 2023, we examine how teaching English in Japan has changed since we stepped off a plane and into a classroom many years ago–and what hasn’t. Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます！

In a pre-holiday frenzy, we tackle three not-so-mini-topics:

Charles talks with his former student Taishi Watanabe about teaching English, and what it's like returning to school after working.

Mentioned:

Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2015, August 11). The Coddling of the American Mind. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/

Haidt, J. & Lukianoff, G. (2019). The Coddling of the American Mind. Penguin Books.

We take a second look at AI and ChatGPT, how they’re changing our teaching worlds, and suggest some ways to ease adaptation.

Be sure to take a look at the list of works we used to create the podcast (on website). Appearance on the list is no indication of endorsement, and quality of the items is all over the map. Some educators asked for their ideas exhibit little understanding of what AI and GPT are. We can learn from that, too.

My short list: Ferlazzo, Mills and Goodlad, Mollick, Qamar, Shipper.