Event

Out of the Hat: Challenge, Choice, Chance and Children

Sunday, May 12th, 2002, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Speaker: Chris Hunt

Challenge, choice and chance and three words that begin with 'ch'. Children is a fourth. The secret to successful children's classes is the blending of challenge, choice and chance. As Louis Pasteur wrote "Chance favours the prepared mind." Come and prepare yours! A popular presenter at JALT's Teaching Children conference last November in Kita-Kyushu, Chris Hunt has been living and teaching in Japan for almost ten years. Since moving to Niigata, his focus has been on teaching children, and he and his partner Hideko Kato have taught over 1,000 students through demonstration classes in Japanese elementary schools. Originally a founder of a company producing games in England, Chris believes in non-competition, and non-teaching. Here are some of his precepts of non-teaching:

1. Embrace chance. His planning incorporates chance and he values spontaneity.
2. Defuse and reduce hierarchy, especially hierarchy based on power and information. Accordingly he uses co-operative and non-competitive games and activities and seeks to reduce competition.
3. Offer learners choice, encourage them to make choices and respect the choices they make.
4. Make learning real. He engages the real world and encourages learners to learn by doing so.

Organization: ETJ Hiroshima (English Teachers in Japan) (ETJ Hiroshima)

Cost: 500 yen

Venue: Crystal Palace, International Centre, Hiroshima

Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

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