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2023.11.11

Event Report] YBS Weekend Study Abroad

Hello!

This is Aya from GLI Online.

On November 3 and 4, 13 children, including junior high school interns, went to "YBS" (Yokosuka Bilingual School) in Yokosuka for two days and one night.Weekend Study AbroadI've been "doing it for a while!

Located right next to the U.S. military base in Yokosuka, YBS is a place where children of various nationalities study together.bilingual school".

The energetic voices of the teachers and students in both English and Japanese are heard, and the school offers a true "study abroad" experience.

Departing from Shinagawa Station at 8:30 a.m., the GLI children discussed their goals for the day with Mr. Brandon from the train!

I wish I could teach you Japanese!"

I know I sound nervous, but I'll talk to him myself!"

The junior high school students who are interns also have serious expressions on their faces about their role as interns, not as participants.

Day 1 - Classes begin at YBS!

At YBS, in a meeting with the YBS teachers in advance, we decided that we would dare not do anything special and have the students enter their regular classes.

The atmosphere may be overwhelmingly different from that of Japanese schools, but I thought I would learn about the differences and feel something.

I participated in a physical education class!

The GLI kids gradually relaxed after stretching in pairs and playing tag with a ball.

After physical education, the students and the YBS children took an "exploration class" with Mr. Brandon.

The "Exploration Class" is also popular at GLI.

The students took on the "Egg Drop Challenge" to explore the mechanism that prevents an egg from breaking when dropped from a third-floor window.

Bilingual school in physical education classes, exploration classes, and during lunch, recess, and after school.

Children who experienced "study abroad.

In the Bailungal School, where being assertive and assertive is the norm, there were many times when I felt a little self-conscious.

I think there were times when we did not communicate as well as we would have liked.

Nevertheless, during the feedback time after returning to the lodgings

The American kids were smiling much more than me. I should have smiled more myself!"

'Next time you come over, I'd love to play a game with you!'

The kids at the Bailungal School are amazing, they are giving their opinions more and more without being nominated!"

They also talked about how they felt about the atmosphere, which was completely different from that of Japanese schools.

Day 2: Explore Monkey Island

The second day was a 10-minute ferry ride from Yokosuka's Mikasa Terminal to an uninhabited island,Monkey IslandTo!

The mere sound of "deserted island" was enough to get the children excited. They were excited from the moment they boarded the ferry and asked questions to the guide.

Upon arrival at Sarushima, we took a tour and listened to the guide talk about the history of Sarushima and the island's flora and fauna.

The goal of the expedition on Monkey Island is to "be able to tell someone about the charms of the island.

If you can express what you know and like in your own words and communicate it to others, much more communication will occur.

With this in mind, I joined the guided tour.

Sarushima is popular for its scenery that looks like something out of a Ghibli movie, but everyone listened intently to the stories about the history of the war and the buildings on the island that tell the story.

Through the stories of the guides, I was able to find many fascinating and wondrous things about the island.

After 2 days of activities

The experience at YBS was a good opportunity for the children to think about communication in their own way, even though they sometimes felt culture shock.

I want to do this the next time I come here! I was happy to hear so many positive comments about how they would like to do this the next time they come back.

On Sarushima, they were able to stimulate their curiosity by learning about things they had never known before.

In addition, although it was only for two days, we saw many scenes of cooperation and care for others in the group life.

I hope that the participants will gain not only English skills, but also some insights from this two-day experience and have the desire to take new action, no matter how small.

Parents' Voices

We received feedback from the parents of the participants regarding this event.

I was anxious to see what the children felt about their first experience with a bilingual school, staying overnight, etc., but everyone said, "I want to participate again! I am very happy to hear that they are willing to grow and develop for the next time! I am very happy to hear that they want to participate again, and that they want to grow and develop for the next time.

I made friends with both Japanese and foreigners, and I think my communication skills have improved. He is very eager to participate again next time!

He enjoyed getting to know the fellow students who attended the program with him. She also liked the friendly and free atmosphere of YBS and the egg activities.

It was a valuable experience for me to go on a field trip in addition to my experience at an international school, which is not easy to get into. Thank you very much.

The experience was valuable because I could easily participate in it over the weekend. It was a good opportunity to use the English I usually study in the real world.

I was able to participate in the program without any anxiety because of the pre-study and the team building.

After returning home, he told me first thing out of the blue that he had a good time before I even asked him about it.

The one-day study abroad experience was a small success in that I was able to experience the atmosphere in the school and also make friends. Thanks to the teachers, we had the opportunity to learn about the aftermath of the war on Monkey Island, and we were able to have an exploratory experience that will lead us to current news.

I came home with a smile on my face, looking very satisfied.

The children went home and said they would like to participate again next time. I found the reports sent during the activity to be a great experience.

He said that although he was overwhelmed at times, he felt strongly that he too would like to be able to speak someday, and would like to participate again next time.

I came home inspired and with a strong desire to be able to speak more.