ABOUT US

Rivercity English School’s methods

• Q

  Please tell us your background and how you started Rivercity English School.

  J

  Originally, I was a government employed music teacher in Australia. I came to Japan in the 1990s as a musician. I had a private English school in Shinagawa and Tamaki and I opened Rivercity English School in Tsukishima.
  We later opened the Learning Network International Preschool in 2006.

• Q

  What type of educational policy do you have?

  J

  “The Creative Curriculum” helps create an environment where every child is enabled to become creative and confident thinkers. We want the children to develop their own imagination, creativity, love of learning and build confidence through first-hand experiences.
  Regarding English learning, we cover the basics. By repetitive pronunciation practice, as well as reading, listening, speaking and writing exercises, we help students build their fundamental English base.
  We like to correct English mistakes immediately, and encourage students to repeat after the teachers to understand that they made an error. It is often the case that Japanese teachers are too kind that they can’t bring themselves to always correct children’s mistakes. However, we encourage teachers to constantly be a little aware and strict. We don’t want students to be speaking incorrectly throughout the whole year, so it’s important to fix the issue from the beginning so that poor English use won’t become a habit.

• Q

  Where are the students from?

  斎

  There are many families who live in the suburbs, such as Koto-Ward, Sumida-Ward, Edogawa-Ward, who attend our school. We try to keep the lessons fun and help the children be enthusiastic about learning. Some students who only study for test results won’t have this attitude when it comes to speaking English. This is why we encourage children to have fun as they learn as a positive learning process.
  English has become a business language around the world. However, most public schools do need teach the necessary English skills because a lot of teachers cannot speak well enough. That’s why a lot of our students come to Rivercity after school to continue their English studies with Native teachers.

• Q

  Will you be able to speak English after attending this school?

  斎

  We like to teach letter sounds rather than letter names so as to get students reading faster and better. We also spend a little time on phonemes and phonics. We want to help children speak their minds and express their opinions. This is why we encourage open-ended questions with students.
  The popular opinion holds that children at a young age find it easier than adults to learn a second language. However, age is not the only factor here; it has been proven that students who are actually interested and have fun learning their second language, show more positive results. Children who are forced to study will show mixed results.

Rivercity English Schoolで長年クラスを担当し、
ヘッドティーチャーでもあるベテラン講師。

• Q

  Why did you want to work at RES?

  J

  I am very fond of children. They are full of energy and curiosity and teaching them challenges me to create a safe and fun learning environment that I myself enjoy. At RES, we use a creative curriculum that aims to make very young learners become creative and critical thinkers while fostering their cognitive, physical, social-emotional, language development and self-esteem. I am highly motivated to bring out the best in every child in my class and this is why I chose to work at RES – The management and staff work very hard together and constantly support each other in order to maximize student’s learning potential.

• Q

  Please tell us about the school.

  J

  Rivercity English School is a place where students can become
  more creative and logical thinkers. As educators, we are actively aiming for fast language growth from our students. By using a creative curriculum, we hope we can support children to get the best results. For this reason, we actively communicate with the management and parents on a daily basis.

• Q

  Final Note

  J

  For parents who are still wondering which school to attend, we would like to assure you that Rivercity English School is full of fun, well thought out activities and lessons for your child. We can promise you that children will enjoy themselves in our classroom. We can’t wait to meet you and your child and to help them explore this world with English.