Tell us more about your company?

Global Stars is a new devision of Gaba Corporation that specializes in man-to-man English lessons with children, aged between 4-12. We've been operating since September 2006, so we're a very new business.

Because we're so new, the people who work here have a lot of say in the direction we want to take the business, so it's a very exciting time to be working at Global Stars.

What is your philosophy towards child education?

Children need a well structured and consistent approach toward learning anything - learning English is no different. Children need to be constantly reviewing in order for them to retain the language and progress onto the next stage. Confidence is also a key factor - children need to build confidence in order to stop worrying about making mistakes.

Why are there so many jobs teaching children these days?

The English learning industry has grown considerably over the past 10 years.

It is no secret that English is the most spoken language in the world - More and more parents are now realizing the importance of English, and are ready to support their children's English learning needs.

Now tell me about the money?

Global Stars offers two different pay rates depending on what type of position you are interested in. Our full-time instructors earn from 260,000 yen and above per month depending on their experience. We also offer per-lesson contracts which allow instructors the freedom to design their own working hours. Instructors on this contract are paid 1,600 yen per lesson. Global Stars is currently hiring for both positions.

What happens in a typical class?

We teach 40 minute lessons, using a textbook as a guide.

1. Warm-up / Homework Checking (5minutes)
   The warm-up consists of - a very short activity, a review of last lessons language, go over the calendar and weather, check homework.
2. Practice Textbook (10minutes)
   Working on the textbook.
3. Application / Games (10minutes)
   Reaffirming the students' knowledge of the language in the textbook, through flashcard activities or a number of alternative games.
4. Phonics (10minutes)
   Working on the textbook
5. Warm-down / Homework Setting (5minutes)
   Reviewing some of the language that was covered in the lesson, and confirming what homework should be covered.

Do you teach on your own?

Yes, we specialize in man-to-man. We give new instructors as much support as possible, and then let them find their own feet.

Do you have to sing songs?

Of course you have to sing songs. But, none of us here are any good singing !!

In your opinion, what does it take to be a great children's English Teacher?

Is some kind of training offered?

Yes, training is mandatory. New instructors go through 2 days of initial training, and then follow up training is provided at later dates.

What's good about teaching children at Global Stars?

With the exception of returnee students ( children returning from a foreign country ), all of our students follow the same curriculum so once you get used to the textbooks, preparing and teaching lessons is a very simple task.

Our working environment is very pleasant and enjoyable - we love to joke around and play lots of games with our students in the communication space, before and after lessons. It's really a great place to work.

What's bad about teaching children?

It's easy to get very attached to your students here, especially as the lessons are man-to-man. Some of our children are studying to prepare for a life abroad, so we feel very sad ( but proud of what they've achieved ) when their course comes to an end.

Is discipline a problem?

Not at all ! In a man-to-man teaching environment, we can direct 100% of our attention to one person, the student. Children who get lots of attention are generally very happy !

In your opinion, what does it take to be a great children's English Teacher?

What kind of person are you looking for?

We're looking for people who are professional and ambitious, but don't take themselves too seriously. They must have good values, and must be genuinely interested in children's education and wellbeing. This business is rapidly changing and always shifting direction, therefore we need flexible team members who enjoy change. Anybody is welcome too apply for this position - gender, nationality, age - is not a concern to us at all !!

Do you sponsor visas/provide apartments etc?

Global Stars can offer visa sponsorship. Applicants currently on a Specialist in Humanities can extend their visa up to three years with us. We can also offer visa sponsorship for applicants currently on other visa types (e.g. an Instructor visa) although the process for changing visa can take up to 3 months for Japanese Immigration to complete.

We don't currently offer apartments but prefer to give people the freedom to choose their own accommodation. The Global Stars staff are more than happy to help people out with some apartment hunting information.

Tell us about a great work experience you have had.

Recently, one of students moved to Panama because of his fathers work. On his first day of school his mother taught him how to get to school and told him which bus he should take. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to tell him to.

Tell us about New Finding Out?

The New Finding Out series takes a child-centered approach where children are encouraged to "discover" and "notice" how language works. The children are led towards a succession of achievable language targets, but they are not ‘taught' these targets. They find them out for themselves in games, puzzles and other fun activities.

New Finding Out uses a tried-and-tested approach to phonics and language learning that was designed to meet the needs of young learners. It gives a balanced development of all four language skills, including meaningful conversation patterns that encourage children to talk. New Finding Out also has numerous activities which motivate children to use English to discover the world outside the classroom.

The original Finding Out was developed and refined at David English House with a lot of feedback from teachers over a ten-year period before it was published. The course was developed in the classroom in response to the needs of the students with no plan to try and get it published. When it was published, the course quickly became a bestseller and remained so for fifteen years before a new edition was published. During this fifteen-year period, many schools and teachers suggested additions and improvements, and New Finding Out is the culmination of all this feedback.

What's the benefit of using books in class?

There are many important benefits of using books in class, a few of them being:

• Books give teachers a clearly designed, tested syllabus to work from, making their lessons more consistent and their planning easier.
• Students and parents have a clear record of what they have studied and can see what they are going to study.
• Textbooks follow a certain format. Once students are used to a textbook, they can anticipate what they are going to do in the class which reduces their anxiety.
• Books make it easy for teachers to review previous lessons and to evaluate their students' progress.

But, if I use books the student's Mothers complain. Any comments?

I think this would depend on the nature of the complaint. I think that most mothers who are having their children study English are happy to use a textbook - as long as they feel it is the right one for their child.

In order to make it easier for teachers to explain the benefits of New Finding Out to parents, a Japanese edition of Finding Out 1 Teacher's Book (original edition) is available online at www.mlh.co.jp. The individual lessons have changed to reflect changes in the new edition, but the first 33 pages explaining the methodology behind the course are basically the same.

What methodology does the series uses?

The methodology behind New Finding Out is very important. It is a child-centered course, using the “Questioning Approach”, a 6-step approach to new language:

1. Notice - Children notice that there is some language they do not know. In New Finding Out, the new language is often introduced in the context of a game or a song, adding a few words and/or a new structure.
2. Wonder - They wonder what it might be.
3. Try to “Find Out” - They try to figure out what the language is.
4. “Find Out” - They find out what it is (through help from other students or the teacher).
5. Play with - They play with the language, usually in a game or song.
6. Relate - They make connections with language they already know. Oftentimes these initial connections are not completely correct or accurate, but as they continue to learn new language, they constantly correct and adjust these links.

The importance of this methodology has to do with the students' language environment. Most children in Japan who are studying English do not have a real need or desire to learn English. Using the questioning approach creates a sense of needing to know the language and allows children's English language ability to develop much in the way their own native language ability develops.

What is the aim of the book?

The main aim of the series is to build a strong foundation in English, giving students confidence and the ability to continue to expand their knowledge on their own.

How many steps are there in the course?
Are the steps easily bridged?

New Finding Out has five levels. Each book builds on the one before it, and within the books each unit builds on the previous units. Because the graduation of levels happens throughout the books, students do not have trouble going from one book to the next.

A generalization of the breakdown of the levels is:

• Basic phonics and communication - Throughout the first level students are focusing on basic phonics with some double-letter and blending sounds at the end. They learn some basic question/answer patterns which can be used in conversation. By the end of level one, students are able to read simple texts using the phonics patterns they have learned.
• Building patterns and fluency - In the second level students learn more extended phonics patterns (including the silent “e”) and focus on learning more sentence patterns. Students are able to write sentences in this level.
• Moving into stories and situations - In the third level, students do not focus as much on phonics, but will continue learning some irregular phonics all the way through level five. This level has much more work on helping students “relate” the language and create links, while telling stories.
• Developing personalization and a global perspective - From level three, a section called “Children like us” helps students learn more about other cultures. This section is developed more in level four.
• Immersion in English with all four skills - The fifth and final level of New Finding Out continues to introduce more language, and further strengthen children's English ability in all four skills.

Do you recommend any bridging texts?

Because the books themselves are leveled throughout, and the course works to reinforce language and create a strong foundation, bridging texts are not needed.

From Book 3, there are more longer reading passages included in the Class Book of New Finding Out. To introduce more reading using the phonics the students have learned Macmillan's Springboard reading series makes an ideal companion.

Tell me about a typical lesson using your textbook,
teaching a class of 5 six year olds?

A typical lesson might start off with a game, using some language the students already know. As the children are playing the game, some new language will be slipped into the game. The students will try to find out what this new language is in order to continue playing the game. We will stop playing the game before the kids want to stop - this way the students are still focused, and since they have not played the game until they are bored with it they will want to play it again.

We will then move on to another activity, which may be spoken language used to introduce some useful conversation and add variety to the lesson.

Then we will come back to the language used in the earlier game, maybe in another game or activity. Going away from and coming back to the language helps students consolidate and remember the language much more easily and quickly.

At this point, we may do a “listen and draw” or “listen and write” activity to work on the written language, and after that, another game or a song.

The lesson would most likely finish with a writing activity followed by Home Book preparation.

The most important thing in the lesson is to keep up a good pace with a variety of activities using the target language. If you spend too long on an activity and don't have enough variety, you will lose the students' interest and they will have a harder time recalling the language later. Sample lesson plans for every unit can be found in the Teacher's Book.

Does the book include any supplementary materials?

New Finding Out has a wealth of supplementary materials.

• Each Class Book comes with My CD which has fun recordings and songs for students to listen to in the car or at home.
• The Home Book is designed so that children can practice reading and writing at home between lessons.
• The Teacher's Book is full of general advice on how to teach children and detailed suggestions for teaching each unit. Each Teacher's Book contains a free CD-ROM which contains extra worksheets, progress reports, certificates, small flash cards, and much more!

• Each level has a set of colorful B5-sized Flash Cards. At the upper levels these cards contain complete sentences and phrases.
• The Class CD for teachers to use in class contains the vocabulary, dialogues and songs (with words and karaoke-version) that are in the Class Book.

There is also an online community called Active Learners where teachers share ideas and activities. You can register to join this users' group by sending an email to David Paul (david@davidenglishhouse.com).

What guidance for my lessons does the book provide?

The Teacher's Book provides a whole section at the beginning of the book which introduces the methodology of New Finding Out and has general teaching tips. Each unit is broken down into two lessons with detailed lesson plans for each lesson. The following pages then explain in more detail how to implement the lessons.

What are the particular merits of this book?

• It builds confidence in students and nurtures their natural curiosity.
• It gives students the tools needed to learn language on their own, so they don't always need to rely on the teacher to tell them everything and learn much more quickly.
• It doesn't introduce too much language too quickly. This means that students have a chance to properly learn and remember language, creating a stronger foundation and allowing them to truly improve their level.

Can you tell me three good games I can use
in class to complement the book?

Only three? New Finding Out is loaded with more than 50 games that are easy to implement, with clear instructions for how to use them in the Teacher's Book. (Of course, according to the methodology of Finding Out, you are expected to adapt and let the kids adapt the games.) Some of the games found in New Finding Out are tic-tac-toe, fruit basket, concentration, picture dominoes, word dominoes, tiddlywinks, bingo, snakes and monsters. Go fish and old maid (babanuki) also work well with any vocabulary and language patterns! Throughout the series, there are also an additional 19 “Phonics families” game boards which can be found in the Class Books and on the Teacher's CD-ROM.