KKC Fellowship Program Online Meeting How to Cope with the Coronavirus in the Educational Field
August 21, 2020
Tokyo
The 2020 KKC Study Tour to Japan was cancelled, because of COVID-19.
To continue providing content about Japan to North American teachers, the Keizai Koho Center held the first meeting of a series of online programs.
9:00 am -10:30 am, Japan time
| Opening Remarks： | Atsushi Yamakoshi | Managing Director, Keizai Koho Center |
|---|---|---|
| Remarks： | Peter Kelley | President, National Association of Japan-America Societies |
| Presentations： | Naomi Oyadomari | Middle and High school teacher & 2019 KKC Fellow, California |
| Alyssa McLean | High School teacher & 2018 KKC Fellow, Maine | |
| Kenichiro Shinoda | High School teacher, Tokyo | |
| Mai Yoshida | Middle and High school teacher, Tokyo |
Four teachers from both the U.S.A. and Japan made presentations on their current situations.
Ms. Naomi Oyadomari reported that her district has three options for learning: virtual academy for Grades 2-12, distance learning for Middle and High School, and the operation of a hybrid schedule, consisting of alternating days of in-person learning and distance learning for the Elementary School. As of the day of the event, her district was the only one in her county to get approval to re-open school. Ms. Alyssa McLean presented how her district plans for school re-entry. Currently, her district is planning that students will return to school two days a week, other three days will be remote. She stated that this pandemic situation has allowed teachers and students to be more creative and connect with people online from all over the world.
Mr. Kenichiro Shinoda presented that his school has already re-opened with shortened periods. He shared his students’ reactions during the school closures that they seemed to enjoy themselves and did their best with remote learning independently even though they were anxious about the risk of COVID-19. Ms. Mai Yoshida spoke about how her school dealt with remote learning during the school closure. She also shared that she was relieved to have all of her students in her class again and was able to teach them in person. She realized that she should be grateful for the things she took as ordinary before now.
After the presentations, the attendees exchanged views on their challenges, such as how to look after their students in the uncertain situation and which platforms they recommend to for distance learning.
The presentations and discussion emphasized the common difficulties teachers are facing in dealing with remote learning the current pandemic, regardless of location. The discussion seemed to give teachers a feeling of solidarity with each other while exchanging practical ideas.
Keizai Koho Center will hold a series of online meetings on various themes of political, economic and social issues.
About the KKC Study Tour to Japan