English students from Japan visited the Department of Language and Communication Studies

The intensive course, organized by the Department of Language and Communication Studies, was designed for students preparing to become English teachers. The course covered topics related to teaching and language instruction, such as teacher identity, language assessment and teaching vocabulary. Lectures were delivered by professors, lecturers and researchers from the Department of Language and Communication Studies and the Centre for Applied Language Studies.

In addition to the lectures, the week’s programme included a guided tour of the University of Jyväskylä’s Campus as well as a visit to the Teacher Training School. There, visitors had an opportunity to observe English language teaching in a Finnish school at both lower and upper secondary levels.

The intensive course was based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Jyväskylä and Juntendo University.

The intensive week was a rewarding experience for the students, and they particularly appreciated the opportunity to learn about English language teaching in Finnish schools. In their free time, the visitors attended a JYP ice hockey match and visited the Moomin Museum in Tampere, amongst other things.

“International visits are always rewarding for the organisers. It is interesting to discuss the differences and similarities between educational cultures in different countries with the visitors,” says Professor Anne Pitkänen-Huhta, who was responsible for planning the intensive course. Paula Aukee, coordinator from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the other organiser of the intensive course, was particularly inspired by the collaboration with the young students.

The visit was a new collaborative initiative between the University of Jyväskylä and Juntendo University. It strengthened our university’s ties with Japan.