Dear Nagoya International Center

What got you interested in Japanese learning guidance?

There are many local governments that carry students who need Japanese learning guidance(It’s the most common throughout the country). And of course Nagoya city is not an exception, so to support many students who need Japanese learning guidance, we started our activity.

What kind of approach is it carried out for the students with foreign nationality?

At Nagoya International Center, we are carrying out the following projects.

Provision of information and educational consultation for foreign students

Corresponding consultation regarding children transferring school at the time of departure or returning because of their family working abroad is done by the counselors connected closely with related institutions or organizations.

Provision of path guidance for foreign students and their guardians

We are carrying out the path guidance to provision information of students who graduated from junior high school and to correspond to consultation with the corporation of related organizations such as the board of education and schools.

NIC Japanese learning class

Target

Children between 6-15 years old whose mother tongue is not Japanese

Implementation schedule

May ~ July
September ~ November
January ~ March

During the summer vacation ※Each season has approximately 10 lessons

Quota

60 people each

50 people

We are implementing some Japanese classes composed of small groups with the help of volunteers to provide foreign students opportunities to learn Japanese needed in daily life. In addition to the guidance of basic interpersonal communicative language, we also teach cognitive academic language which is the language required when learning other subjects.

NIC Japanese learning class for high school students

Target

Whose mother tongue is not Japanese, either students currently enrolled in high school or young people who passed the age of compulsory educationand are aiming to enter high school

Implementation schedule

May ~ July
September ~ November
January ~ March Each season has approximately 10 lessons

Quota

20 people each

We are implementing guidance for high school students and young foreign people who passed the compulsory education age but aim to enter high school to teach basic interpersonal communicative language needed in daily life and cognitive academic language which is needed when learning other subjects. Moreover, by interaction between peers and volunteers, we are providing a place to lead them develop their career by cultivating social skills.

Supporter training of foreign children and students

Target

Begginer

Anyone who is interested in supporting education for foreign children

Practitioner

Any educators, volunteers, interpreters, counselors, or staff who is related to this support project

Target

Begginer

Anyone who is interested in supporting education for foreign children

Practitioner

Any educators, volunteers, interpreters, counselors, or staff who is related to this support project

Quota

40 people each

argeting anyone who is interested in supporting education for foreign children, we are implementing classes and workshops to learn mental preparation, knowledge, and skills when supporting.

Do you get any consultation from guardians about children’s education? If so, what kind of concerns do you receive to be exact?

At the information service center for foreign students, we are available for three types of consultation below

People who go abroad from Japan
Returnees
Foreign people (133 cases in 2019)

For example

About the high school
entrance examination

Not only Japanese but also math and English, since it is written in Japanese, it is difficult to understand the question.
Furthermore, in the examination of public school, it also assigns science and social study, so it becomes much harder to pass the examination.
Even though there are schools that introduce special entrance examinations within the prefecture, the numbers are very limited.
Although they make it to pass the examination, since they don’t understand Japanese enough, it is very tough for them to keep up with the classes after entering the school.

Aichi prefecture carries the largest number of foreign children who need a Japanese learning guidance (approximately 9000 people). However, there are many students taking the examination right after they come to Japan in the face of lack of education, so high school entrance examination is being a great wall for them.

If there was an international child in our same class, is there anything we should do?

International kids mainly face three big barriers. First is “Education system’s barrier”, the second is “language barrier”, and the third is “mental barrier”. It is important to understand these barriers when you come into contact with them. For instance, by speaking to him/her, they could feel relieved and think “I’m not alone”. It is crucial to accept their existence by whatever their gesture or expression, even though you don’t understand the language. However, there are some things you need to care about. For example, when you point at the ballpoint pen and teach them,“We call this ‘ballpen/ぼーるぺん’ in Japanese”, do you think they are having fun? Certainly, they would feel happy to be taught kindly by you, but rather than one sided teaching, we would like you to take an attitude of “learning from each other”. For example, you can acknowledge each other's culture by having a conversation like “Wow, I didn’t know there was such a culture!”, or eating each other’s cultural food. If they just need to learn Japanese, they could simply go to Japanese class, but not only that, we would like you to make the most of the environment being in the same class with them and have an interaction that “can only be done specifically at school”.