Chutobu Junior High School ──English Room──

At Chutobu Junior High School, we open the "English Room" during lunch breaks. This provides an opportunity for Chutobu Junior High School students to voluntarily interact in English with international students from Keio University and English department staff. Students can have conversations in English, enjoy games, and receive advice about going abroad. In this article, we introduce the "English Room." Please come and visit us.  

English Room is a lunch time program provided 2 or 3 times a week where students have an opportunity to speak with international students from Keio University in English. Students can enjoy English conversation and games in a casual style without making an appointment beforehand. International students are carefully selected on their experience and enthusiasm for helping our students with English. The international students come from a wide range of countries, so it gives students an opportunity to meet people from different countries and cultures. The focus of English Room is to give students a chance to have natural conversation within schools’ hours. Students are encouraged to practice their self-introduction skills as well as express their hobbies and interests.

By exposing students to native spoken English, they can also try developing their own speaking style in English. It is an encouraging environment as Chutobu students practice English and at the same time international students can learn about Japanese culture and school life. All year groups are welcome to come to English Room and there is no homework. Students can come to English Room without any equipment to enjoy English conversation.

English Room is also used to prepare our students who go on our England and Hawaii exchange programs. This gives students an opportunity to gain conversational experience before they go overseas. These students will be encouraged to speak about their life in Japan in English and develop speaking skills to make friends with international people. This is especially rewarding for students who are going overseas for the first time and gives them the courage to go out of their comfort zone.

As an added incentive, we have a point card system to encourage students to participate in English Room. After a student visits ten times, they are given a small prize from which they can feel “international”.

So, let’s try English Room! A convenient, safe, and fun way to enjoy English conversation.