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There is growing interest in international exchange classes that connect Japanese and overseas schools online for global human resource development.However, it is not easy to introduce it because it requires a lot of work such as finding overseas partner schools, managing classes, and evaluating grades.With The World is promoting educational projects that focus on this issue.

[Foreign classmates in the classroom]
Last year, Kwansei Gakuin High School (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture) connected online with Harapan High School in Bali, Indonesia, and conducted a one-year trial of PBL (Problem Based Learning) type international exchange classes.
A total of XNUMX people from Japan and Indonesia participated (conducted in two classes), formed mixed teams of XNUMX to XNUMX people each, and conducted PBL using skype once a week.The theme is solving social problems in Japan and Indonesia.
In line with the United Nations SDGs, each team was given a theme such as "food loss," "poverty and education issues," "garbage issues," and "decline in traditional industries," discussing solutions across borders and embodying ideas.I gave a presentation in the final class.

“We create an environment where foreign classmates are in the same classroom. At Kwansei Gakuin High School, we implemented ideas that we came up with at cultural festivals and other events, and commercialized them. XNUMX students from Japan and XNUMX students from Indonesia participated in the training, interacting with teammates and doing fieldwork.In addition to improving their English skills, they also acquired international communication skills and problem-solving skills. The satisfaction level of the students in both countries is very high,” says Shunta Igarashi, representative of With The World, which organizes and manages the program.

Although the technical hurdles of international exchange projects have been lowered with the development of high-speed network lines and the development of tools such as skype, educational institutions still face many challenges.

“High school teachers are very enthusiastic about international exchange classes. , There are various hurdles such as setting the theme of the exchange class, creating a program, conducting the class in English, etc. I have heard many teachers saying, ``I have an ideal (for an international exchange class), but I don't have the time''. rice field"

Therefore, With The World handles all operations related to international exchange classes, from communication with overseas schools to program creation that meets the needs of teachers, actual class management and facilitation, and grade evaluation support, as well as coordinating implementation training.On the Japanese side, staff and university interns are in charge of operation and evaluation, and facilitators are also on the Indonesian side.

[Develop students' individuality and report their growth in detail]
When students from countries with different cultures and values ​​form teams, flexible ideas and “learning” are born one after another.

The “Food Culture and Health” team has developed a new recipe that integrates Japanese food and traditional Indonesian food to solve the shortage of vegetables.Students made prototypes at home, put up recipe posters on campus and at events, and proposed recipes to school cafeterias. The "Family Issues" team commercialized LINE stamps for families designed by Indonesian students in order to correct the lack of communication within families in Japan.

During the course, students saw significant changes. “At first, there were many Japanese students who couldn’t speak English because they didn’t have confidence in their English. Once Japanese students are able to communicate their English, they will feel happy and start studying on their own, thinking, 'I want to talk about this next time.'"

A questionnaire survey of students in both countries showed an average satisfaction rate of over XNUMX%. "At first, it was painful because I couldn't understand what they were talking about, but as the number of sessions increased, I became able to enjoy the conversation." It is said that there was also an answer.

The teacher's evaluation of the class is also high, and in particular, the support for grade evaluation, which was difficult in PBL, is strong. “In addition to our staff, we will record the growth of each student from three perspectives: university interns assigned to the team, and overseas staff. You will be able to evaluate student grades in a different way.”

[To a world where schools all over the world are connected]
The company is currently holding international exchange classes for first-year junior high school students once a month from October, together with Shigeo Yamamoto, a teacher at Nitobe Bunka Gakuen who teaches classes without teaching.

Mr. Igarashi is also developing a web platform that will allow schools around the world to freely connect.After registering your school's information, you can enter the country you want to conduct international exchange classes, the grade you want to connect with, and the theme of the class. are considering.

“I would like to build an environment where I can increase the number of classmates, such as one day in the United States and the next in Indonesia. We plan to keep the price range low enough for public high schools to use it.”

Mr. Igarashi studied social issues such as food loss and poverty when he was a student, and traveled to the Philippines to learn about the actual situation overseas and participate in NPO activities.Through his interaction with the children working on the garbage heap, he said that he realized the need for "education" to overcome his indifference to social issues and broaden the future of children.After graduating from university, he experienced sales, regional revitalization business, and new business development at Pasona, a major staffing agency.In April XNUMX, he launched With The World.

“Through this project, I want to create an environment where Japanese schools can have discussions with overseas students as if it were a matter of course. I truly believe that if people are born from all over the world, there will be no conflicts between countries,” said Igarashi.

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