The Growth of MAT-TESOL and USC Rossier Online
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If any JETs or JET alumni are thinking of doing a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), this is definitely worth a read. I also encourage any JETs interested in teaching to join the JETAA Educational Professionals LinkedIn group:
THE GROWTH OF MAT-TESOL
This blog post was originally published at USC Rossier Online and written by Dr. Rob Filback and Dr. Christian Chun. Dr. Filback is Associate Professor of Clinical Education and Co-Chair of the Global Executive Doctor of Education program. He serves as a coordinator for the MAT-TESOL. Dr. Chun is Assistant Professor of Clinical Education for the MAT-TESOL program.
Origins of the MAT TESOL
Our MAT-TESOL degree that launched in 2010 is the product of a multi-year, collaborative redesign process. The MAT-TESOL program (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) boasts a rich heritage at USC and has featured prominent scholars over the decades such as David Eskey, Fraida Dubin, and Stephen Krashen. In 2008 we decided to build on this foundation by redesigning the TESOL program in order to create a new, innovative and forward-looking degree that could better prepare graduates for the new challenges and new opportunities now facing English language teachers around the world.
We began by inviting an external review by a team of experts: Donna Brinton, Maureen Andrade and Lia Kamhi-Stein. Then, using this team’s recommendations, the faculty worked together to overhaul the USC TESOL program. The existing degrees were closed and one entirely new degree, the MAT-TESOL, was created. This included designing all new courses focused on current problems of practice , expanding the role of clinical field experiences, restructuring the capstone and practicum experiences to be more professionally relevant, and integrating technology including offering the degree online through 2SC.
About the Degree
The resulting MAT-TESOL degree directly addresses prevailing challenges being faced by TESOL educators in classrooms around the world. The new degree is also more dynamic and nimble, designed to give faculty the ability to make ongoing changes and to develop new units and modules as new needs are identified. The degree consists of four terms of coursework requiring approximately 14-15 months to complete. The online degree and the on-campus degree utilize the exact same curriculum, faculty, and requirements. The target audience for the MAT-TESOL includes current or prospective teachers who wish to enter or advance in the field of TESOL. Roughly a third of program participants are pre-service or novice teachers, while the remaining students have a range of teaching experiences that include teaching young learners or K12 students, university students, and or adults. About half of the students in the program are situated domestically in the U.S. and about half complete the degree while residing in another country. The majority of participants who complete the MAT-TESOL are U.S. citizens.
Growth of the Program
Since the launch in 2010, the number of enrolled graduate students has increased dramatically, from a 12-member on-campus cohort in the Fall 2010 to 39-member on-campus cohort for Fall 2012. The online cohort students have increased as well in the last two years, bringing the total number of both on-campus and online students in the Fall 2012 cohort group to 71 students! They have come from a variety of countries including Spain, Italy, Japan, South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, and of course, the USA. In addition, the Trojan TESOL society has been reactivated with numerous students planning activities and events for the coming academic year. Several of our MAT-TESOL students have presented on their work at professional conferences including the regional TESOL conferences. Our graduates are currently teaching across the United States and abroad in a variety of educational settings.
To learn more about the MAT-TESOL program, request more information or check out the USC Rossier Online TESOL page!
2013 JETAA Tokyo Mentor Program
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A request from Christian Tsuji (Miyazaki-ken, 2004-08), current JETAA Tokyo Career Chair. Originally posted on the JETAA Tokyo Facebook group. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken 2006-11).
Hi everyone,
I am proud to announce the kick-off of the 2013 Mentor Program.
The purpose of the program is to provide current JETs from all parts of Japan and new alumni with a resource for developing their careers in Tokyo. We are looking for mentors from all walks of life with (in principle) five years work experience post-JET and two years in Tokyo. This is a chance for you to build your own resume and leadership skills while giving back to the JET community. As a mentor, we would expect the following contributions:
– Monthly contact with your mentee through face-to-face meetings, telephone, Skype, Facebook or email
– Advice and suggestions on researching career opportunities in the Tokyo area
– Feedback on job search materials (resume, rirekisho, letters of recommendation, etc.)
– If possible, attendance to the JETAA Tokyo Mentor Program Kick-off in February/March (TBD) and the Program Finale in June/July (TBA)
If you think other resources would benefit your mentee, we encourage you to offer those as you see fit. Please note that you will NOT be expected to offer internships to your mentee. The deadline for mentor sign-ups is February 28th, 2013. We plan to assign mentors and mentees within two weeks of that date. This year we are turning the tables and advertising this to ALL current JETs nationally. Thus we are expecting quite an interest. If you know anyone who like to be a Mentor, please pass this information along. Thank you for your attention and support.
To sign up, please go here!
JET Alum Author Beat 1.20.13
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Gemma Vidal (Okayama-ken, 2010-12) is a recently returned JET seeking work in product licensing and copyright (if it’s within the publishing industry, even better!). You can usually find her in her little web spaces Gem in the Rough and Peachy Keen (her JET adventures) or training with San Jose Taiko. If you know of any authors/aspiring writers you’d like to see featured in JET Alum Author Beat, just contact Gemma at gem.vidal [at] gmail.com.
- It’s less than a month until Robert Weston’s (Nara-ken, 2002-04) release of his new book, Prince Puggly of the Spiff and the Kingdom of Spud, and to mark the countdown he posted some of the artwork for the book. Victor Rivas is also behind the illustrations of Robert’s previous book, Zorgamazoo. Speaking of Zorgamazoo, it seems like we might be seeing this on the big screen! By the producers of Shrek no less! Congratulations on the film option Robert!
- What’s going on in the Japanese pop culture arena? Take a look at Roland Kelt’s (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) blog on his brief picture post on Japan’s Comiket, the mecca of all things self-published. Looking at his website made me realize that it was Hayao Miyazaki’s 72nd birthday this month. Shame on me, I know.
- Ari Kaplan, JET Alumni and author of Reinventing Professional Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Marketplace, recently had his book translated into Japanese, which is under the title ハスラー プロフェッショナルたちの革新 . The translated book can be found at the publisher’s website. Here is what Ari had to say about his book being translated:
The publication of the Japanese edition offered me the opportunity to express my gratitude for the remarkable experience I had almost two decades ago. I dedicated this version to the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education, Kobe Kohoku High School (where I taught), and the head of the English department at my school, among others.
Until next time JET alumni!
2013 Career & Networking Forum: University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies
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Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even
sooner by email.
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The JET Alumni Association and the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim will host the 2013 Career and Networking Forum. JET Alumni and MAPS graduates are invited to attend the event, network with their peers and meet organizations looking for employees, interns and volunteers.
University of San Francisco McLaren Conference Center
2130 Fulton St
San Francisco, CA 94117
Friday, February 22, 2013 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM (PST)
Details here: https://2013cnf.eventbrite.com/
Life After JET: Matthew Kohut, Psychotherapist
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Matt Kohut (CIR Aichi-ken, Shitara-cho, 1998-2000) is a psychotherapist is New York City. He is not a writer but wrote this piece. For more about Matt please visit: www.mattkohut.com.
*Have your own “Life After JET” story that you think would be of interest to the JET/JET alum community? Email jetwit [at] jetwit.com.
PRACTICE
Matthew M. Kohut, LMSW
JET was always part of the plan. Since studying abroad in Japan in my teens and twenties I felt the need to keep my love for Japan alive. I had each step planned. First do JET, learn Japanese, then work at a high-profile company pushing billions of Yen around the world, bow, firmly shake hands, exchange business cards without pocketing them until outside the room, guzzle Kirin black-label with colleagues until shuden, show up for calisthenics the next morning, pretend like none if it happened, live long, prosper and die. It was a nice plan, cinematic and to the point. But, exciting? Debatable.
I did ok at making the plan work until I got to the point of pushing billions of yen around the world. Upon returning from JET in 2000, I landed a job at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco as Assistant to the Cultural Attaché. I was hobnobbing with National Living Treasures, speaking Japanese in huddles of diplomats by day, and lazing around home with my Japanese boyfriend by night, ne-ing and yo-ing about it until bedtime. It wasn’t the plan, but it was close enough.
And it was good enough too– for a while. But about my third year of working at the Consulate I Read More
DISCO International Career Forums
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Via JETAA PNW. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Career opportunities for Japanese-English bilinguals
Posted by: DISCO International, Inc
Type: Career Forum 2012
Location: Tokyo 2012 & New York 2013
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
—Tokyo Winter Career Forum 2012—
Date: December 19 & 20, 2012 (Wed. & Thurs.)
http://www.careerforum.net/event/tkw/index.asp?lang=E
Some of the companies participating are:
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH / BLOOMBERG L.P. / COSTCO WHOLESALE JAPAN / ELI LILLY JAPAN / MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC / OTSUKA CORPORATION GROUP /
TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY LIMITED and many more! Read More
Life After JET: Return to Japan? You can, and I did, as a Rotary International Peace Fellow
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Mark graduating with his MA in Peace Studies from ICU, Tokyo
As a JET alum, have you ever thought about returning to Japan in a different capacity? Are you interested in earning a fully-funded MA in Peace Studies in Tokyo? You can, and I did, as a Rotary International Peace Fellow. (In fact, there have been at least five JET alums who have gone on to be Rotary Peace Fellows) For me, it was a perfect chance to return to Japan and advance my career at the same time.
Like many JET alums, I’d always thought it would be nice to live in Japan once again, but was not as interested in taking the Eikaiwa route. I had a wonderful experience as an ALT in Nagasaki (2000-04) and truly treasured my time there. After my time on JET, I had returned to the States and was living and working for the US Govt in Washington, DC through the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. Still, I missed the experience of daily life in another culture and was looking for a way to make it happen. Through a friend of mine named William Daniel Sturgeon, who is also a JET alum and a former Peace Fellow, I learned about this great opportunity. Thanks to his great advice and mentoring, I was able to complete the application and selection process successfully and become a Rotary International Peace Fellow in Japan in 2010.
Through the Rotary Fellowship, Read More
JETAA Chicago Career Forum Videos
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Here are a couple videos from the recent JETAA Chicago Career Forum. (Thanks to JETAA Chicago Treasurer Thomas Osugi and Jobs/Social Activities Coordinator Dan Martin for making this available.):
JETAA Sydney Careers Night
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Via JETAA Sydney. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Have you recently returned from Japan? Or are you just looking for a new direction?
Come along to the JETAA Careers Night to hear from expert speakers about how you can take the next step in your career. You will receive individually-tailored advice from recruitment professionals about how to make your experience on JET work for you here in Australia. And it will be a great opportunity to network with other former JETs and members of the Japanese community in Sydney.
When: Friday 26 October, 6 – 9 pm
Where: The Japan Foundation, Chifley Plaza, Sydney
Cost: Free! (drinks and snacks will be provided)
RSVP: sydney@jetalumni.org
Don’t forget to bring along your resume!
UPDATE: JETAA NY Career Panel: The State of ESL and Language Education in Japan and the US
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Update #1: We’re pleased to announce the addition to the panel of Matthew Cook (Osaka-fu, 2007-12), former AJET Chair and now advisor to the Osaka Board of Education’s Native English Teacher (NET) Program.
Update #2: We are planning on webcasting the event through my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/stevenwaseda?feature=mhee). Go to that link at 6:30 pm (NY time) to watch live (and post comments and questions). Or, go there any other time to watch the recording. (Apologies in advance for any technical difficulties. This will be my first time trying a webcast using Google+ and YouTube.)
JETAA NY Career Panel: The State of ESL and Language Education in Japan and the US
- WHEN: Tuesday, Aug 28, 6:30pm-8:30pm
- WHERE: Japan Local Government Center office, 3 Park Ave., 20th Floor
- RSVP on JETAANY Facebook Event page, or by email to professional [at] jetaany.org
This JETAANY Career panel will consist of a presentation by JET alum James Rogers, Assistant Professor at Kansai Gaidai, followed by Q&A with James and a panel of JET alum language teachers, including former AJET Chair and now .
Presentation: The State of Language Education in Japan: Job Opportunities and Living in 21st Century Japan
This presentation will discuss various issues regarding working in the language industry in Japan. University work and the conditions and benefits of various levels of such positions, agent out-sourced jobs, union membership, the value of higher degrees and certificates, Japanese language skills, the nuclear crisis and the safety of living in certain areas, and the value of scholarly research will be discussed. The information presented at this event should be beneficial to JET alumni who are considering moving back to Japan and up in their career to the university level, and also those who have some university experience but are interested in learning more about what is needed to be successful at that level. Read More
Career: JET alum makes her mark in international exchange role with Hostelling International
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Thanks to Megan Johnson (Mie-ken, 2001-03) who works for Hostelling International, for sharing a bit about her career path in the field of international exchange programs, a very popular field for JET alumni. (Join the JET Alum International Education and Exchange group on LinkedIn to connect with other JET alums in the field.) Megan recently also shared a very JET-relevant job opening at her organization which we posted to JETwit.
During the two years I spent teaching in rural Japan, exploring the country, and traveling throughout Southeast Asia, I gained an immense appreciation for responsible, culturally sensitive travel and the power of travel to build positive relations among those of different cultures. Before I left Mie-ken, I knew I wanted to find an organization in the U.S. that I could get involved with that would allow me to interact with travelers and exercise my passion for utilizing effective intercultural communication skills to learn more about the world and its people. Hostelling International USA turned out to be that organization.
HI-USA is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to “help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people, through hostelling”. There are 60 HI-USA hostels throughout the country, and luckily one of their locations is in Chicago, where I moved after JET. Because of a stroke of luck–the replacement ALT in my tiny town in Mie-ken happened to be from Chicago and happened to be a volunteer at the hostel in Chicago–I found myself accepting a job as the hostel’s Education Coordinator. Read More
JETAANC Pacific Bridge: Connecting with Japanese Exchange Students through Ayusa
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By Rachel Peters (Fukuoka, 2004-07) for the JETAANC Pacific Bridge magazine. Rachel works at Ayusa International and is helping out with the upcoming Tomodachi Initiative to bring Japanese high school students to the Bay Area during the summer.
After returning from the JET program in 2007, I was eager to enter a field where I could continue to promote cross-cultural understanding, tolerance, and awareness. I was extremely fortunate to find my way into Ayusa International, a division of Intrax Cultural Exchange that brings foreign exchange students to the United States for both year-long and short-term programs.
At Ayusa, I work in our Partner and Participant Services Department, which is where I cultivate and maintain relationships with our international partners and resolve issues that arise with our students while they are in the United States. I’ve also had the opportunity to visit our branch office in Japan, travel domestically to visit our students, host families and staff, and work on a variety of projects that foster international exchange.
Working at Ayusa has been a rewarding experience for me both professionally and personally. It’s inspiring to see the impact of the work we do in the lives of our students and the families who graciously host them. This coming summer, I am thrilled about a new program that we will be facilitating here in the Bay Area—the Tomodachi Softbank Leadership Program—and feel that it would be a great opportunity available for JET alumni in the Bay Area.
JETAA Ottawa Newsletter: Q&A with JET Alumnus Colin Rivers on producing a play in Japan
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By Gemma Villanueva (Fukushima-ken, 2008-11), editor for the JETAA Ottawa Newsletter. Visit the Canadian chapter’s website here for more stories. Written and photo submissions are always welcome. Please contact the editors at newsletter[at]jetaaottawa[dot]ca.
The Canadian play “2 Pianos 4 Hands” is giving its farewell performances as creators-performers Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt retire from the show. “2P4H” follows the youngsters “Ted” and “Richard” as they tackle their love-hate relationship with piano lessons, exams and recitals. In January, “2P4H” played at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The show, which made a three-week stop in Tokyo in 2004, finds itself again in Japan this May.
Colin Rivers (Nara-ken JET, 1997-2000) is now the Theatre Producer/Agent for Marquis Entertainment, which produces “2 Pianos 4 Hands.” I had the chance to ask him about his time on JET, life as a producer and bringing 2 Pianos 4 Hands back to Japan.
What is it like to be a producer?
“A Producer manages the business behind the show. A General Manager does the same thing, but without the risk and the pressure to find the money. A New York theatre blogger sums it up perfectly… “Producers do everything! We are the bank, the therapist, the negotiator, the scapegoat, the creative, and we rarely get credit! I should add it’s awesome. Because I think it is.”
How was your JET experience been relevant to producing?
“The JET experience strengthened my Read More
JET to EPIK: One JET’s ESL journey from Japan to Korea
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By JET alum Kyle Timmermeyer (Ibaraki-ken), currently teaching English in Korea on the EPIK program. Note: For the past three years I’ve been trying to find a JET alum who also taught English on the EPIK program in Korea to write about some of the similarities and differences of the two programs. So thanks to Kyle for his contribution.
After teaching mostly elementary school English in Japan for 4 years, I decided I needed a slight change of pace. I got JLPT N2 certification, but my idealized vision of translation and transitioning into business or “international relations” had hit a wall in terms of motivation. I was desperately bored, and extremely restless. So, I decided that doing the same (rather easy) job in a different country was the sweet spot. Korea seemed like the obvious choice from the first, and after plenty of additional research and reflection, it won out.
After getting into JET, I figured that acceptance into the Korean equivalent, EPIK would be just as easy. As a bonus, unlike JET which doesn’t cover Tokyo at all, EPIK has a specific subdivision responsible for recruiting teachers into Seoul called SMOE. The names–EPIK/SMOE–tend to turn into consonant salad in my brain, in part because of politics and some corruption in a former iteration of the Seoul division. Naturally, the vague, seedy story made me wary, but piqued my interest at the same time. After total immersion in a rather stagnant Japanese position, I could see the silver lining on a Korean cloud that seemed to be ready to purge itself of the acid rain of corruption. And, regardless of the politics of the situation, I was craving some of that big city excitement. And so, after living in Nagasaki and Ibaraki for 2 years each, this native Kansan set his sights on the big city. Read More
Job: Economic Advisor, Embassy of Japan (London) 03.30.12
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Via JETAA UK. Posted by Kay Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97).
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The latest from JETAA UK – Job Vacancy
Economic Advisor, Embassy of Japan – Embassy of Japan in the UK – Embassy of Japan, London, W1J 7JT
To view details about this job vacancy visit: http://www.jetaa.org.uk/jobs/economic-advisor-embassy-of-japan/
