Introduction

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I am Mark Pickard (ピカード・マーク) and ​I am an English language teacher or ELT (英語教師) at LIFE Jr. College (専門学校ライフジュニアカレッジ); I am certified to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL) here in Japan (日本).

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I have been teaching the English language here in Japan since 2001. Throughout my years in Japan I have predominantly taught the English language to vocational college students (専門学校の学生). Generally my students here in Japan have been 18 years old and older; young adults (若年成人).

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Since 2015, I have been a full-time faculty member at LIFE Jr. College. LIFE Jr. College is an accredited, two-year, post-secondary, academic institution. LIFE Jr. College is located in Naha City (那覇市), Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県), Japan.

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The majority of my teaching experience here in Japan has been with Japanese students (日本人学生).

 

However, since joining LIFE Jr. College in 2015 I have had the opportunity to teach English to college students from many other foreign countries such as Russia (ロシア), Kyrgyzstan (キルギス), Nepal (ネパール), Sri Lanka (スリランカ), Mongolia (モンゴル), China (中国), the Philippines (フィリピン), Indonesia (インドネシア), New Caledonia (ニューカレドニア), and Malaysia (マレーシア). I have utterly enjoyed this experience.

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At LIFE Jr. College I also work as the study abroad coordinator (海外留学コーディネーター). I have been coordinating various study abroad programs (e.g., long-term, short-term, working holiday, Au Pair, etc.) for Japanese students since 2001, so I am quite experienced in the field.

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I have coordinated study abroad programs for students from Japan to several different overseas locations such as the United States of America (米国), Canada (カナダ), Australia (オーストラリア), and New Zealand (ニュージーランド).

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I am also capable of coordinating various study abroad programs to other overseas countries such as the United Kingdom (英国), Ireland (アイルランド), the Philippines (フィリピン), Singapore (シンガポール), Malaysia (マレーシア), and elsewhere.

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​As a full-time faculty member at LIFE Jr. College I also have the responsibility of being a homeroom teacher (担任の先生), which is akin to being both an academic advisor and a counselor.

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​In addition to my other duties and responsibilities at LIFE Jr. College, I am heavily involved in public relations (広報) and marketing (マーケティング).

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​Prior to working at LIFE Jr. College I worked for 11 years – from 2004 till 2015 - at Shogakuin International Business Academy (or SIBA), which is part of the Shogakuin Group.

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Similar to LIFE Jr. College, SIBA is also an accredited, post-secondary, academic institution in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. 

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​I also worked part-time at the University of the Ryukyus (“Ryudai” for short) from 2006 until 2009. At the University of the Ryukyus I worked specifically as an Assistant English Teacher (AET) at the junior high school attached to the College of Education.

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Here in Japan AETs are also commonly known as Assistant Language Teachers or ALTs.

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Foreigners such as me are not allowed to work for more than three years at the University of the Ryukyus and other such national universities here in Japan, which was unfortunate because I truthfully loved working there.

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Working at Ryudai was wonderful experience for me to learn more about the educational system here in Japan, which is quite different from the educational systems in such countries as the United States and Canada.

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​Very early on in my English language teaching career here in Japan, I taught at another post-secondary academic institution named Seattle Universities East-Asia Network Okinawa (SEA Okinawa for short).

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Additionally, I taught English part-time at a couple of English conversation schools, cram schools (juku), companies and businesses, and in private lessons.

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English Language Classes I Teach or Have Taught

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Throughout the years I have taught a variety of English classes including:

• Study Abroad Preparation English

• Au Pair Study Abroad in America Preparation English

• Working Holiday Visa Preparation English

• English Conversation - Oral Communication - English Listening and Speaking - Pronunciation - Discussion

• English Grammar - English Grammar and Writing - English Composition

• English Vocabulary and Reading - English Reading Comprehension

• English Language Proficiency Test Preparation: TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication): Reading Section, Listening Section, as well as the Speaking and Writing Tests

• English Language Proficiency Test Preparation: TOEFL-iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language): the Reading Section, the Listening Section, the Speaking Section, and the Writing Section

• English Language Proficiency Test Preparation: STEP EIKEN (英検) 1st Grade, Pre-1st Grade, and 2nd Grade: the Reading Tests, the Writing Tests, the Listening Tests, and the Speaking Tests

• English Language Proficiency Test Preparation: STEP EIKEN (英検) Pre-2nd Grade and 3rd Grade: the Reading Tests, the Listening Tests, and the Speaking Test

• English Language Proficiency Test Preparation: STEP EIKEN (英検) 4th Grade and 5th Grade: the Reading Tests, the Listening Tests, and the Speaking Tests

• Teaching English to Children

• British and American Culture

• English with Computers and the Internet

• English in Action (using music, movies, karaoke, games, etc.)

 

 

My Teaching Methods and Styles

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When people participate or observe my English classes they often think I am simply an entertaining and fun teacher. However, I am quite serious about my profession.

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I believe in student-centered English lessons as opposed to teacher-centered lessons.

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In principle I make use of a highly interactive “Communicative Language Teaching” approach in my classes.

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I do so for two main purposes: 1) to periodically check the students' comprehension and 2) to keep the students engaged in the lesson.

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I make use of many other different teaching methods in my English language lessons.

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​For beginner level English students I often use the PPP (Presentation, Practice and Production) teaching approach because lower level students often need a more structured lesson format.

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Occasionally - especially with English pronunciation drills - I make use of the Direct teaching method. 

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There are times when I make use of the Total Physical Response in my classes because quite a number of English language learners retain information more effectively using this teaching method.

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In essence I believe students learn visually, audibly, physically, and emotionally. And, besides, actions speak louder than words. 

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​For intermediate level English students I most often use the Test-Teach-Test teaching method, which allows me to bypass teaching content that students already have knowledge of and to focus class time on content they do not have knowledge of yet. 

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I also believe in using the Discovery teaching method where teacher's role is that of a learning guide or a facilitator helping students to discover the meaning.

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Moreover, I strongly believe that my role as a teacher is not simply teaching a subject but teaching students how to learn more efficiently by themselves. 

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​I believe in making use of both authentic English language teaching materials as well as graded (or leveled) English language teaching materials.

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Ideally, I would prefer preparing my English language students for the real world or realistic scenarios. However, academically, I still need to help my English language students prepare for English language proficiency tests. 

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​No matter the content of an English language lesson or the teaching method being utilized I believe it is vital to create an atmosphere in the classroom that fun and enjoyable plus encouraging and rewarding.

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If English language students are afraid to speak the teacher has failed.

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Life Long Learning

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Finally, besides teaching the English language I want to make a position impression upon the lives of each and every one of my students.

 

I try to be a positive influence and not simply another teacher. 

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I hope my students will remember me long after they graduate and move on with their lives.

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I aspire to inspire others.

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"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." - John F. Kennedy

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