グローバル化の急速な進展に伴い、2020年を目処に日本中で英語教育の大改革が行われています。

大学入試ではセンター試験がなくなり、英語は４技能（読む、書く、話す、聞く）評価となり、英検やTOEICなどの外部試験が活用されるようになります。

小学校では３年生から外国語活動が始まり、５年生からは教科としての英語学習が始まります。学習指導要領も改定され、来年度から先行実施されます。

Obon has passed and regardless of the hot weather, you will see less and less people swimming at the beach. About a decade ago, I was advised not to go swimming after Obon. This old-time myth says that enko (mythological sea spirits) would grab onto your limbs and pull you down, drowning you. However, about two years ago I was given another warning. After Obon, jellyfish tend to come closer to shore and that it would be dangerous to go out for a swim.

So even though I heard about this, I went to the beach anyway (call me a rebel 😊). The beach was pretty much empty despite it being a beautiful sunny day. I scouted the shallow waters and I spotted one jellyfish about the size of a small bread roll. I figured it was safe enough for my family to go swimming and so we had a fabulous day. I hope to go one more time before summer ends and will be super careful about the jellyfish.

One of Britain’s most popular game show hosts died last week, he was 89 years old. It’s been many years since I’ve owned a TV, but the news made me remember the shows I used to watch as I was growing up. There is such a wide variety of game shows from general knowledge quizzes to games of chance to obstacle courses. The scheduling would often coincide with tea time and many families watch these shows together. One of my was called “The Krypton Factor”, it comprised of several rounds, including: mental agility; response; observation; physical ability; intelligence and general knowledge. My brother and I would often try to answer the questions before the contestants! I thought that the most exciting round was the flight simulator, each contestant was scored on how well they could land an aeroplane – some contestants were much better than others – I found it very funny when a contestant landed far away from the target because I knew that, if I had attempted it, I would have been way off target too!

Speak a little English every day. The absolute best way to learn any new language is just to speak it. It doesn’t matter if you only know five English words or if you’re practically fluent — speaking English with another person is the fastest, most effective method of improving.

• Don’t wait until you “feel more comfortable” speaking in English — you probably won’t reach that level for a long time, so push yourself outside of your comfort zone and start speaking English today. You’ ll be amazed at how quickly your language skills improve.
• Find a native English speaker who is willing to spend some time speaking English with you — you may be able to offer them a language exchange, where they spend 30 minutes speaking English with you and you spend 30 minutes speaking your native language with them.
• If you live in an English-speaking country, you can practice by starting simple conversations with the people you meet, whether it’s saying “hello” to a shopkeeper or asking a stranger for directions.

英会話・英語塾のアミックは夏休み中ですが、

高校生の保護者の方からメールで今とっても嬉しいお知らせを頂きました！ 🙂 

アミックでプライベートレッスンを受講中の県立高校３年生のN君が、

７月に受験した公式TOEICで満点の990点を取得したとのご報告でした

日頃の努力の賜物ですね。素晴らしいです！

アミックとしても本当に嬉しいです。

世界に羽ばたく高校生を、これからも全力で応援していきます。

今日は丸一日皆で衣山校に集まって、英語ティーチングの研究会

よりよく教えるために研鑽を積んでいます 🙂 

和食ランチで休憩中

Japan’s most recent addition to its list of national holidays, Mountain Day falls on a Friday this year. Hooray for a three-day-weekend! To celebrate Mountain Day I have decided to climb up Mount Katsuyama to visit Matsuyama Castle.
It makes me wonder why it’s called a mountain when it is only just a little over 130 meters high. How high does it have to be, for it to be considered a mountain? It is tough to define. Up until the late 1970s, people had defined a mountain as being over 300 meters and that anything lower than that a hill.
For me, hills are an elevated portion of a plain that appears rounder at the top and usually unnamed. Mountains are generally high, steep, have a defined summit, and stand tall in contrast to its surroundings.
Mount Katsuyama is fairly steep, but not really a hard climb and I plan to head up later in the afternoon when it’s much cooler. You can get a good view of Matsuyama and can clearly see as far as Iyo, too. Plus there’s a lights display on which is really the main reason why I’m going. 🙂

A new report in Europe has revealed that there could be a significant increase in deaths related to the extreme weather that climate change is causing. Most of these would be due to heat waves. In Japan the temperatures that are being seen across Europe may seem bearable, perhaps even on the cool side, but in fact they are much higher than the usual temperatures. Climate change and the increase of greenhouse gasses are not new topics, and several attempts at reducing them and the impact they will have on our environment have been and are in the process of being implemented. From electric cars, to buildings which incorporate forests we have found some innovative solutions, will it be enough though?
What do you do to help mitigate climate change? Do you have any ideas that could help to reduce the effects of climate change?

One of the biggest fireworks displays in Ehime is scheduled to light up the night sky this coming weekend. I have been to Mitsuhama fireworks a handful of times and each time has been memorable. The getting home part is another story itself, however, still memorable.
This year unfortunately, I won’t be going. There’s a huge typhoon making its way to Japan as we speak and is forecasted to hit Ehime by the weekend. I’m not sure how badly it will hit Matsuyama, but you can’t be too careful. This time around I would much rather stay indoors, stay dry and stay cool.
For those going to either Mitsuhama or Onmaku in Imabari – enjoy the show and fingers crossed the typhoon doesn’t ruin your experience.

As we get nearer to August I feel myself becoming a little homesick, mainly due to a month long, citywide set of festivals that happen in Edinburgh during August. The entire city goes through a transformation during July, ready to begin the celebrations in August. There are several festivals that happen at the same time, the Fringe Festival, International Festival, Jazz Festival, Book Festival and the Military Tattoo. The result of having so many festivals happening in one city at one time means that it gets very busy! I’ve heard that the population quadruples during August, although I’m not sure how accurate those figures are, it certainly feels like it when you are walking the streets!
The entertainment ranges from circus acts, to comedians, to ballet, to cabaret, to exhibitions, to street performers, it seems the list is endless. Performers come from all over the world, one of the main regularly returning acts are The Ladyboys of Bangkok, giving a truly wonderful show. I also saw my first Taiko Drumming group during the 2010 festival, it was an absolutely stunning performance.
The prices of the shows range from free to very expensive, and the quality can vary too, although most people are there for a good time and make the best of a poor performance enjoying drinks with friends and performers alike. Having said that it can be quite difficult to get a seat at any of the local pubs during the festival, despite them being open for much longer hours.
The thing I miss most about the festival though, is the end of festival firework display. This display is coordinated with live orchestral music, and is simply spectacular. I used to have a tradition of inviting my friends for food and drinks before the fireworks, then grabbing a blanket and a few bottles of beer and a radio before heading to the park a few minutes away from my flat so get a good view.