English Blast Guidelines

Members

		English Blast children live in Japan.
		English Blast children are generally between the ages of 3 and 12.
		English Blast children are English speakers.
		English Blast children attend Japanese schools or are home-schooled.
		English Blast children can be from international marriages, originally
		from other cultures now living in Japan, Japanese returnees or children of English-speaking parents committed to bilingualism.
		English Blast parents participating in classes are English speakers,
		whether non-native or native.

Three Key Components

		English Blast maintains a supportive peer group as the primary
		motivator for the children.
		Parents and children participate as both teachers and learners.
		The program demonstrates a commitment to inquiry-based learning
		toward developing critical thinking skills.

Program Philosophy

		Parents attend English Blast with their children; one parent from each
		English Blast family participates in each class.
		Parents share teaching and leading responsibilities of classes.
		The program is cooperative -- between children, between parents, and
		between parents and children.
		Parents and children are both teachers and learners.
		Classes meet weekly or near-weekly throughout most of the year.
		The curriculum revolves around themed Units of Inquiry, topics of which
		are agreed upon by the group.
		During classes, children and parents use English at all times.  Even
		outside class, members strive to use English with each other when interacting.
		The program is international and intercultural in its curriculum and
		attitude: no single country’s educational approach is used; there is no religious angle; respect for different cultures is fostered.
		English Blast treats the family as a cooperative learning community:

		One parent attends each class.
		Occasional family days involve all family members.
		Mixed age groupings mean that siblings study the same topics in
		themed Units of Inquiry.  Children of different ages are concurrently involved in the same types of research and presentations even if at different ability levels.
		Parents reinforce the English Blast work at home.

Educational goals

		To improve children’s self-esteem and self-confidence as English
		speakers.
		To help children develop legitimate pride in their intercultural identity.
		To provide a supportive and nurturing environment in which to develop
		English-language communicative, academic, social and emotional skills.
		To help children develop creativity by including visual arts, dance,
		music, poetry, fiction writing, story telling, drama and other arts in the Units of Inquiry.
		To develop critical thinking skills.
		To help develop social skills in a multicultural environment.
		To encourage exploration of a wide variety of topics through themed
		Units of Inquiry.

Learning styles and approaches

		Children are placed in mixed-age/ability groups for Units of Inquiry,
		while for Language Skills they are grouped according to ability.
		Parents employ teaching methods that help develop critical thinking
		skills and encourage children to question, evaluate, and search for answers.
		Inquiry-based learning is emphasized.  Parents teach children how to
		question, search their environment for answers to questions, and gain knowledge in a variety of ways.
		Children learn to convey information through discussions and
		presentations.
		The family often acts as a learning team in Units of Inquiry.
		Collaborative learning is valued through activities such as task groups,
		team games, discussions, and drama.
		Many Units of Inquiry feature Learning Centers -- simultaneous
		activities set up in a room with a parent stationed at each so children can go from one to the other -- especially useful when studying cultures.
		Parents teach using a variety of approaches taking into consideration
		attention span, interests, need to move about, etc.

ENGLISH BLAST!