AKITA – March 2014 –Teachers’ reaction to team-teaching with ALTs and an example of a teacher training session
 – Tomohisa Machida, Akita International University. The presenter conducted (and will continue conducting) short-term teacher training programs for local elementary school teachers who are currently teaching or who will be teaching English. Several teaching styles, including team-teaching, were analyzed based on his previous research. Then the presenter provided some discussion questions, so that the participants were able to more deeply grasp the key issues that surround team-teaching. In the final part of the session, the presenter showed a well-organized example of a teacher-training program. The participants saw how ‘anxious’ elementary school teachers could be changed into ‘confident’ ones by employing his program. This presentation was an excellent learning opportunity for teachers who are interested in both team-teaching and motivation issues.

Reported by Mamoru “Bobby” Takahashi