NISHIDA Koichi

This short essay is a report of what I did during my research travel to Florida in the late September 2024. It is explained why the University of West Florida is good for YPU students who are willing to study abroad in America. It is also proposed how to take advantage of one’s study abroad experience to improve his/her language proficiency to the CEFR C1 level where they can enjoy leisure topics in a foreign language. My proposal is based on the findings from my pragmatic research on parody and cultural accommodation, and consists of three steps. First, express yourself poetically. Second, edit the words given by others. Third, tell your identity. These steps are designed to combine language proficiency with proactiveness, thereby contributing to nurturing Global Communicators, as stated in the new diploma policy of the Faculty of Intercultural Studies.

The “GIGA School Initiative,” announced in December 2019, is a Japanese government program to enhance the digital learning environment in schools. It focuses on providing each student with a personal device and improving internet connectivity to support modern, technology-driven education. Considering this initiative, we have initiated a research program focusing on training language professionals with high digital competency. Since FY2022, we have developed and validated an initial instruction curriculum for English and Japanese through collaboration with the municipal government and local communities. We aim to address educational challenges in a global and multicultural society. In FY2024, the project’s third year, we intend to concentrate on two primary areas: 1) enhancing students’ digital literacy and 2) fortifying regional collaboration. Through these endeavors, we aspire to promote further the training of language teachers with advanced digital competencies and contribute to addressing educational challenges in a global and multicultural context.

The Faculty of Intercultural Studies at Yamaguchi Prefectural University focuses on the Teacher Training of Japanese and English Languages, featuring a curriculum that utilizes collaboration (units) between teaching and nonteaching subjects. This research was funded by the Yamaguchi Prefectural University Grant, as part of the project titled “Development and Verification of the Curriculum for Basic Instruction of English and Japanese through Collaboration of Administration, Schools and Local Communities Aimed at Solving Educational Issues in a Global and Multicultural Society”.This paper reports on the progress of the “Tego-project” by students of the teacher training program for Japanese and English Languages in 2023 and discusses the prospects for human resource development in the language education profession.

This is an interim report on the background and implementation of the ongoing "Tego Project" activities by students in the Japanese and English teacher training programs. In the "Tego Project" activities, students in the Japanese Language Teacher Training Course and students in the Junior and Senior High School English Teacher Training Course (hereinafter referred to as "Language Supporters") will support students who need Japanese and English language instruction. In addition, to improve the support for these students, we will develop and test a curriculum for teaching Japanese and English through online learning. The goal is to build a "Japanese/English Start-up Learning Tego Site" and eventually disseminate the results of the project.