Taoyuan Junior High School - JAPAN Educational Travel

School Profile

School Name	Taoyuan Junior High School
Location	Taiwan
Number of participants	29 people (26 students, 3 instructors)
Age of participating students	13 - 14 years old
Main Purpose of Exchange	Intercultural Exchange

School Exchange Partner

School Name	Kanmaki Junior High School, Kanmaki-Daini Junior High School
Location	Nara
Number of participants	26 people (21 students, 5 instructors)
Age of participating students	13 - 15 years old

Online Exchange Details

Date & Time	14th December in 2022 　15：30～17：00 (JST)
Program	Cultural Exchanges / Recent Status Report
Tools used	Google Meet

Flow of the Day（JST）

15：30～15：35	Opening Ceremony
15：40～16：00	Introduction of School Events (Kanmaki-Daini Junior High School)
16：05～16：25	Introduction of Club and Committee Activities (Kanmaki Junior High School)
16：30～16：50	Introduction of Classroom Activities
16：50～17：00	Q&A
17：00～17：05	Closing Ceremony

Thoughts from Faculty and Students

Thoughts from Faculty

I also believe that it was very fruitful for the students to be able to give presentations in English

Although the students were not actively engaged from the get-go, as they actually presented and conversed with each other through the screen, many of them gradually started taking ownership when interacting with each other in Q&A sessions and taking pictures, and I feel that the exchange was meaningful. I also believe that it was very fruitful for the students to be able to give presentations in English. I thought that the next time around, if we could leave more of the work to the students, such as writing the manuscript and creating the slides in English, we would be able to give them more ownership which would result in an even greater sense of fulfillment.

Thoughts from Students

I never imagined it would be so much fun to communicate in English

I never imagined it would be so much fun to communicate in English. It was the first time for me to have a real conversation with non-Japanese people, and I realized that it is important to speak English, but it is also easier to understand if you use gestures. Taiwanese people are very friendly and, all-in-all, it was such a super cool experience!
I am seriously considering going to Taiwan sometime in the future

I had fun. It was the first time that I ever spoke with someone around my age living overseas, but they tried their best to understand me, and that really made me happy. I wanted to ask a question during the Q&A session, but I couldn't muster up the courage to do so. I had to try my absolute best just to read the prepared script this time around, so I am seriously considering going to Taiwan sometime in the future and doing what I couldn't this time when the COVID-19 pandemic is over and I can actually go there.
I thought it was a good experience because the Taiwanese kids were very fun and cheerful

I was very nervous because I struggled with English pronunciation and was full of anxiety, but I thought it was a good experience because the Taiwanese people were very cheerful and fun. I also realized just how enjoyable it is to speak English.
I refreshed my awareness that it is definitely a very good thing to give your all in everything you do

Even though my English is not very good, everyone tried their best to communicate with each other, listening carefully and trying so hard to make themselves understood. That vibe was so much fun and I truly found it amazing. I refreshed my awareness that it is definitely a very good thing to give your all in everything you do.

Leadup to Exchange (Japanese side)

Details behind the process involved in making the online exchange happen	Both Kanmaki Junior High School and Kanmaki-Daini Junior High School made a sister school agreement with Taoyuan Junior High School in 2019, and had been conducting in-person school exchanges since, however due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they decided to conduct an online exchange.
Advance Preparation (Faculty)	・Preliminary meeting via e-mail ・Preparation for presentation ・Connection check and meeting via Google Meet the day before the exchange ・Translation of the students' presentations into English
Advance Preparation (Students)	・Preparation of Japanese manuscript for presentation while referring to the edited video ・Reading practice of the English translation manuscripts ・Overall rehearsal
Role of the contact person at the local government	Although this exchange was between sister schools, it would be easier to plan for future exchanges if teachers (principals and staff in charge) had an opportunity to meet each other online prior to the exchange, even if it is the first time for the two schools to interact. Teacher-to-teacher exchange leading on to student-to-student exchange. We believe that our role is to first set up an opportunity for teacher-to-teacher exchanges.

Future Areas of Improvement/Secrets to Success (Japanese side)　

Teacher

In terms of preparation, we had several meetings in advance via e-mail, but it was difficult to understand each other's true intentions, and we were finally able to confirm the details in an online meeting the day before the event. It would have been easier for the students to understand the content of the other school's presentation if we had been able to grasp the content and materials at an early stage and provide the students with preliminary information. Also, if we had known about the other school's Internet environment (e.g., whether or not Gmail communication was possible through a "Google account," whether or not it was possible to invite the teachers to Google Meet for consultation, etc.) from early on, we would have had more time to prepare for the event in a systematic manner. As for the day of the event, it seemed that the connection was poor, which made it difficult to hear the voices of the other school members, so if possible, we would like to consult with the participating school to improve the environmental settings of the equipment.