FukuiNIE2018

Final Thoughts This experience here in Fukui is a valuable one for me as I finally get to observe and immerse myself in a different curriculum, learning environment and students compared to Singapore. As a teacher of the 21 st century, I must have a global perspective and learn from global partners about best practices and their experiences so that I can improve my teaching skills for the benefit of the students. It is heartening to know that wherever I am at, the conversation among teachers always and most certainly revolve around the students’ needs, interests, learning styles, personal lives and so on. This should be the key topic of every conversation that teachers have, and through this conversation, we can better our teaching pedagogy to suit the needs of the students and help them learn better in school.  To me, international practicum was to find a different perspective of how to teach, manage students and how things are done the same or different than in Singapore....

1. Global exposure One of the best things about this TA is the global exposure you get, which I totally did not expect at all. University of Fukui is a teaching university, similar to NIE. During our program here, we were merged with other teachers that came from all around the world. We met teachers from Findlay (America), Bhutan, Myanmar, Philippines and India. We got to know not only about Japan's education system but also other education systems around the world. We got to know more about it through the Rouble Table talks and also through just mingling with the teachers. 2. Visits to Primary, Secondary, Special Education and Kindergarten school. Because we were with many different teachers that taught different levels and subjects, we had the opportunity to visit all the different schools. We were not in just one school but throughout the weeks, we got to visit different schools. Thus, I felt that we got more exposure to the education system in Japan. We also visit...

Hello my fellow juniors! こにちは！ 東京に行きたい？　 じゃ、以下をお読みください！ Try translating that^ Since Rebecca has touched on several administrative procedures and cost breakdown and etc., I will share on my journey from Singapore to Tokyo and Shinjuku (Rebecca flew to Osaka) and how I managed to enjoy Japan so much even though I was alone for an entire week! I flew to Tokyo on JAL and it cost me around $650 (includes return trip!). It's relatively cheap because I flew there on a Tuesday and prices are lowest then. My accommodation came from Homestay! I highly recommend homestaying with the locals there because they know the best food and areas of interest you can go to! Even if you are in a group, some Homestays allow up to 3 to 4 people to stay with them. The prices are much cheaper compared to a hotel and can easily be compared to AirBNBs. Homestay Link for Japan ** IMPORTANT **  Airbnbs in Japan are now strictly regulated (June 2018 onwards) and can be very difficult to get the adm...

It is important to plan your money well. Even though you might be given a lump sum, planning your money is important so you can get the most out of it! So here's my breakdown for the basic things that I paid for. Definitely there is much more to pay for, such as groceries, shopping, basic necessities. But these are the rather big ticket items that you must set money aside!  Plus, bring enough CASH to Japan! They are not into the "iWallet" apps thingy yet. So cash is the way to go! Even paying for rent! 

The next important question that you should have in your mind is "How can the application process and procedures go smoothly." What I felt is that this trip has been entirely last minute and I was required to constantly be on the game for these administrative work. Well, that is part and parcel of growing up yeah. So here are some tips to get through the applications and procedures smoothy. 1. Bring your A-game. The process is the longest, most gruelling process ever. I started application in December 2017 and only settled all the administrative things today (May 2018) and I already am in Japan. So you definitely need to bring on your A-game. You need resilience and be street smart. To handle Visa issues in a different country, using a different language is really no joke. (thankfully we had a wonderful coordinator that helped us along the way). But be prepared to make decisions, fork out money on the spot (because you have to) and most importantly READ THE DOCUME...

Konichiwa!  Hello everyone! So if you're reading this, that means that you're kinda interested or am going to Japan/Fukui like me! I was thinking, how may this blog actually help you in anyway. If I were to write diary entries, I will (probably) bore you to death and after all, each person goes through their own experience and I definitely aren't going to bombard you with mine.  So what's the most important to students? HOW TO SAVE MONEY! Here are some of my tips to save money and make the most of it (of course enjoying the process too!) 1. Fly budget. Cmon, Singapore is so near to Kansai Airport (Osaka), and its just a mere 5 hours away. So budget is really the way to go! I took Scoot that flew me directly to the airport with no transfer and it was pleasant, cos I was sleeping the entire trip! HAHA. But really, fly budget. Baggage is 20kg for check in and hand-carry is 10kg which is more than enough. Well, trust me, I am an overpacker and I brought ...