On Wednesday, May 27, after school, ６ “teacher training international students”* from Osaka　Kyoiku　University visited the Hirano Campus. This year’s international students are elementary, middle, and high school teachers from countries in Africa, South America, and Asia—regions far from Japan—and they are all very friendly!  They have come to Japan to study the country’s elementary and secondary education systems and teaching methods, and are being hosted by universities all over Japan

To participate in the English Salon, they come all the way to the Hirano Campus on Wednesdays after their morning classes at the university—traveling down from their campus on the hill to the station, then transferring trains to reach us.

At this year’s first English Salon, they introduced the cultures and lifestyles of their respective countries in English. They spoke passionately about their countries—Burkina Faso, Brazil, and Uganda—showing beautiful photos and videos and English language that was easy for high school students to understand. The more than 40 high school students who gathered that day were fascinated by their charming presentations. 

Next time, we plan to have teachers from three countries—Malaysia, Malawi, and India—give presentations, and then have the participating students split into groups to discuss the culture and social background of each country to interact with the international students (teachers at their native countries).

*Teacher Training Exchange Students (Students enrolled in graduate school not for the purpose of completing a degree program, but to receive training on teaching methods for elementary and secondary education, as well as those receiving preparatory education in Japanese prior to this.) 　From the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) website

Mr. Isaac gave a talk on the social context of Burkina Faso. He began by explaining the meaning of the three colors (green, red, and yellow) on the national flag, and then spoke passionately about the country’s politics and culture.

Mr. Felipe gave a presentation introducing Brazil’s diverse society. He spoke about a society made up of people with a wide variety of appearances, incorporating quizzes to make the talk engaging and enjoyable for the high school students.

Ms. Rebecca started with introducing herself in Japanese. She works at HANA International School in Uganda, introduces the wildlife in the national parks. They are a vital tourism resource.

This marks the third annual “Culture Festival Tour.” It is a tour that invites international students to the Hirano Campus Culture Festival to participate in the festival’s programs. This year, eight first-year students served as tour guides, dividing the international students into three groups to introduce them to the festival.

For these international students—who are elementary, junior and senior high school teachers in their home countries—participating in a “Culture Festival” planned and organized by high school students themselves is their first opportunity to experience this aspect of Japanese school culture. The international students who participated this year were from Burkina Faso, India, and Malaysia, and they found the “Culture Festival”—an event not found in their home countries’ schools—to be fascinating. During the tour, they visited classrooms and laboratories throughout the school premises, listened to explanations in English from the student tour guides, bought handmade items at different booths set up by each class, participated in games, and enjoyed buying sweets and other treats as they moved around the buildings. After the tour, the international students shared their impressions and asked questions such as, “I think an event like this, created through student cooperation, will be a cherished memory of student life,” “When do the students start preparing for this?” and “Do all students have to participate?” Once again this year, students and international students came together to enjoy a wonderful time!

As the Expo approached its final day, the Osaka-Kansai Expo site welcomed a full house of visitors on September 27, when the event "Osaka-Kansai Expo Pavilion Tour: Cross-Cultural Experiences with International Students" was held. This event was part of the program organized by Osaka Kyoiku University, which coordinates the WWL Network Building project in the Kansai area, under the [Osaka Kyoiku University Regional AL Network Kansai Block]. A total of 45 students participated, including students from Hirano Senior High School, Osaka Prefectural Imamiya Senior High School, Osaka Prefectural Neyagawa Senior High School, Osaka Prefectural Yao Senior High School, and Osaka International Junior and Senior High School.

The "international students" : teacher training international students at Osaka Kyoiku University (teachers from their home countries' junior and senior high schools), a privately funded international student, and a former government-funded international student who is now senior high school teacher. After gathering at Yumeshima Station on the Osaka Metro Chuo Line, participants were divided into four groups in front of the Myaku Myaku statue to take commemorative photos with the international students. They then toured three pavilions: the Indonesia Pavilion, Bangladesh Pavilion, and Malaysia Pavilion. At each pavilion, the international students explained the exhibits from their home countries in English. The participating students were highly engaged, exploring the exhibits, asking questions in English, and actively learning from the displayed items. This provided a valuable opportunity to learn about the history, culture, daily life, and economic development of each country. The high school students who participated in the pavilion tour also engaged in interactions with students from other schools, and showed enthusiasm for actively participating in future WWL programs. Overall, it was a meaningful and enriching experience.

On September 17th, Ako-san, an international student at OKU University who teaches English at a high school in Ghana, led a session where we learned about the illegal small-scale gold mining known as "Galamsey," which has recently become a big social issue in Ghana. Each participating student was handed a piece of Ghana chocolate and asked to consider how the rise in global chocolate prices is connected to the problems in Ghana. Ako-san, who explained the location of Ghana in Japanese while looking at a map of the African continent, created a friendly atmosphere and connected it to some somewhat difficult social issues.

First, we watched a 5-minute video footage from the BBC news, and after Ako-san explained the background and current situation of this issue, we discussed in groups the problems caused by illegal gold mining by examining cards with questions from different perspectives. Here are some examples of the tasks given to the groups:

1. Due to the presence of mercury, a harmful substance, health problems are occurring among local residents near the gold mining sites.

2. Young people in the village are involved in small-scale gold mining out of necessity, as they cannot find other employment.

3. The influx of brokers from overseas looking to buy gold has led to an increase in young people who want to involve themselves in gold extraction, bringing harm to their health.

4. The mining sites are destroying cacao trees, which has hindered cacao production, one of the Ghana's major industry, thereby damaging the environment and threatening the country's economy.

I hope this session helped us reflect on the issue of Galamsey in Ghana, located on the eastern side of the distant continent of Africa, and its connection to the rising global chocolate prices, its social background, the causes of this situation, and the interconnectedness of our world. It was a time to imagine the lives of people affected by these issues. This social issue will take a bit more time, so we plan to invite Ako-san back for a second session.

Once again this year, 6 teacher-trainee international students who are government-sponsored international students enrolled at Osaka Kyoiku University (all are junior/senior high school teachers in their home countries) participated in the English Salon program in June. The activities are to think and learn about global issues with these international students in English for Hirano first-year students on Wednesdays after school.

This year, these international students are from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ghana, and Morocco. They all have long careers as school teachers and know how to be friendly with Japanese senior high school students well, and they both enjoyed their first exchange with each other.

Four of them also participated in the “Cultural Festival” held on June ２1. Guided by students participating in the English Salon, they had an interesting first encounter to a Japanese high school cultural festival. For the students in charge of the event, it was their first cross-cultural challenge to teach these overseas teachers about what is the cultural festival. It surely become an enjoyable experience for both of them as we found many smiles on their faces during their time together.

The JICA Kansai visit, now in its third year, was held on August 20, at the end of the summer vacation.
This year, in addition to our students, students from Kobe University Senior High School and Osaka Prefectural Yao High School, two of the domestic partner high schools belonging to the WWL (World Wide Learning) Consortium Project Regional AL Network, also participated.
In addition, three Osaka Kyoiku University teacher training international students and exchange students (from Brazil, Nigeria, and Malawi), as well as a smart university student studying to become teachers at Osaka Kyoiku University as an interpreter participated.
In total, 40 of us visited JICA Kansai together.
The international students are familiar with JICA activities in their home countries, especially Rafael from Brazil, who had studied in a Japanese language class taught by a JICA volunteer Japanese language teacher in his hometown in Brazil, was very much looking forward to this visit.

This year, JICA Volunteer experience was presented by a nurse who was dispatched to Kampong Cham Province in Cambodia.
She explained about her activities, the social situation in Cambodia, and people's lives, showing many colorful pictures.
During the Q&A session, not only students but also international students raised their hands to ask questions to learn about Cambodian society.
It was a very good orientation for the students who will participate in the “Cambodia Study Tour” scheduled to be held in December this year.

Students who participated in the program have given many positive feedback about the visit such as,
“I have never lived abroad, so I learned a lot from today’s visit.”
”It was a very fulfilling program and I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed the program very much,” .

   From May to June, we held an exchange activity called "English Salon" with international students on Wednesdays after school in the seminar classroom. 4 exchange students (university students in their home countries) and 5 teacher training students (teachers in their home countries) came from Osaka Kyoiku University. They came from Brazil, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Bhutan, Nigeria, Morocco, and Bhutan. Each time around 40 students gather for the event, which is a great success.
   The main activity in May and June was to learn about the home countries of the international students, create a poster, and present it. The students were divided into groups of the international students’ countries and asked about their culture, society, daily lives, political and economic activities, etc. of each country. They used the Internet, printed pictures of world heritage sites of their countries, drew pictures of national flags and ethnic costumes and so on.  Each group made a colorful and creative poster. Each group experienced discovering the charms of the international students' home countries with their own ingenuity and tried to make a presentation in English.
   After the presentations, positive feedback from the participating international students, such as "I was impressed by the high school students' willingness to participate," "I applaud their hard work," and "I was also energized by this experience," encouraged us to continue our English Salon activities in the future.

　From May 19 (Sun.) to May 23 (Thu.), 2nd graders went on a study tour to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
　On the first day, we visited the Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City.  Many students enjoyed the atmosphere of Vietnam, which was new to many of them.
　On the second day, students were divided into groups for elective study.  It was a good opportunity to think about Vietnam, tracing its footsteps from the Vietnam War to its reconstruction.
　On the third day, we had a school exchange with Ho Chi Minh City Normal University and a dinner cruise.  In both cases, the students took the initiative in thinking about the content of the activities and created something very wonderful.
　On the fourth day, the students were divided into groups for elective experiences. They wore ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese costume, and spent the day cooking and experiencing Vietnamese culture in a peaceful atmosphere.
　The trip was over before we knew it, and we were back in Japan in no time at all. I am looking forward to seeing what they will do in the future.

ENGLISH Section is available.
We will inform you about the English Salon and the World Wide Learning (WWL) Program.
Please look forward to it.

　On Saturday, January 20, the 3rd International Conference for High School Students was held as a WWL project at the Tennoji Campus of Osaka Kyoiku University.
　The event was attended by approximately 600 high school students, including first and second year students from the Hirano Campus, Ikeda Campus, WWL partner schools such as Kaohsiung Normal University Senior High School in Taiwan and Cheongju Foreign Language School in Korea, as well as domestic partner schools such as Okinawa International High School, Okayama Kinko High School, Wakayama Seirin High School, Osaka Prefectural Senri High School, and Osaka Prefectural Senboku High School. (Some high schools participated online).
　In the morning, five workshops planned and prepared by Hirano School students were held: “On-Line Meeting with Overseas Partner Schools,” “Card Game with International Students,” “Free Talk on Research Issues,” “Trade Game,” and “Quiz on SDGs. All the venues were very lively, and the high school students who participated in each program had a great time.
　Meanwhile, in the afternoon, presentations were made at four breakout sessions on the research topics they are working on on a daily basis.  The themes of each session were “Education,” “Innovation,” “Equality, Gender,” and “Community, Well-Being,” and a total of 16 teams presented their research, including presentations by students from the Hirano campus, students from partner schools in Japan and overseas, and presentations of joint research between the Hirano campus and Kaohsiung Normal University High School.  The program was closed with the “Well-Being” session, in which 16 teams presented their research, including presentations by students from the Hirano campus, presentations by students from overseas and domestic partner schools, and presentations by students from the Hirano campus and Kaohsiung Normal University High School.
　In the “Closing Ceremony” that concluded the day's program, a second-year student from our school, representing the participating students, made a “High School Student Declaration” expressing his determination to create a better society for the future.
　This international conference for high school students has been planned and prepared by the students since the first semester as one of WWL's initiatives.  We look forward to welcoming even more high school students to participate next year (the 4th conference).

On Wednesday, December 20, students participating in English Salon activities strolled around Sakai City with 5 international students from Osaka Kyoiku University's teacher training program.
First, we visited “Sakai Risho no Sha” to learn about the history and culture of Sakai, which prospered through trade with the Nanban (barbarian) peoples.  They also listened to an explanation about the tea ceremony and enjoyed matcha (powdered green tea) while thinking about the land that gave birth to Sen no Rikyu and Yosano Akiko.  After lunch, the group moved on to the Mozu Kofun Tumulus Group, which is registered as a World Heritage site.  After listening to a tour guide at the Visitor Center, the group strolled through the Japanese garden in Daisen Park. Blessed with fine weather, we were able to spend a memorable and enjoyable day together with the international students.

　The 1st OKU-WWL Student Online Meeting was held on Wednesday, September 27th at 4:00 pm.
　As a part of the International High School Student Meeting, one of WWL's programs, high school students from domestic and overseas WWL partner schools were connected online to discuss the SDGs in English.
　The high school students participating this time included 15 students from Hirano High School, 18 students from Kaohsiung Normal University Senior High School, with which our second-year students had an exchange program in Taiwan in May, as well as students from Ikeda High School, Osaka Prefectural Sumiyoshi High School, Osaka Prefectural Neyagawa High School, Kyoto University of Science and Technology High School, Kyoto Prefectural Toba High School, Nara Prefectural International High School, and other domestic partner high schools. The total number of students was 50, including 17 students from domestic partner schools and WWL-related schools such as Osaka Prefectural International High School.
　At first, the students looked nervous as they spoke in English to their new acquaintances, but as they took part in quizzes and self-introductions, their nervousness melted away, and later they were divided into groups to give presentations on social issues they thought about.
　The exchange lasted about an hour and a half, but it was a very enjoyable and valuable time.

　From August 16 (Wed.) to 21 (Mon.), 37 first- and second-year students who wanted to study abroad went to Siem Reap, Cambodia. During the program, they visited general incorporated associations and NPOs engaged in overseas support activities to learn about the current status and issues of social contribution activities, and also visited museums to learn about the history and peace of Cambodia. The main itinerary and activities are as follows.

August 16 (Wednesday)
　From Kansai Airport to Siem Reap Airport in Cambodia. Then arrived at the hotel.

August 17 (Thursday)
　After visiting a local market, we visited KUMAE (general incorporated association). We visited a mountain of garbage collected from Cambodia near KUMAE and observed the current state of the mountain. After that, we headed to Tonle Sap Lake to see the stilt houses on the shore and how the people there live on the water from the boat. In the evening, we had dinner and shopped at the Old Market.

August 18 (Friday)
　The group visited IKTT (Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles, Forest of Tradition) to hear about the activities and current efforts of Mr. Morimoto, who has devoted himself to the revival of Khmer silk, a traditional craft, and to experience dyeing silk handkerchiefs. After that, they moved to Bayon Junior and Senior High Schools, where they interacted with local junior and senior high school students while introducing Japanese culture such as origami and experiencing pot splitting, which is done during the Cambodian New Year's holiday. In addition, our school's teachers conducted a chemistry experiment class for first-year students of Bayon High School, and our students participated in the class and learned together with the local high school students. At dinner, the students watched an Absala show, a traditional Cambodian dance performance.

August 19 (Saturday)
　In the morning, the students were divided into two groups: “Kulen Elephant” and “Biodiversity Center. At Kulen Elephant, participants fed and walked protected elephants, and at the Biodiversity Center, they observed conservation activities for animals that cannot be returned to nature. Next, at the CMAC (Cambodian Mine Museum), the participants learned about the horrors of the Cambodian Civil War, and learned about the actual situation of landmine removal work that still remains today. After that, they visited the Subaek Orphanage and experienced making traditional leather crafts. In the evening, they had dinner and shopped at the Old Market again, where they were also able to ride in a tuk-tuk, a local vehicle.

August 20 (Sunday)
　On the last day, we visited the Angkor Complex (Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm, and Angkor Wat). While listening to the guide's explanations, we came into contact with the history of ancient Cambodia. In particular, at Angkor Wat, we toured the corridors and observed Hindu reliefs. After that, we took a late-night flight back to Japan.

　From May 21 (Sun.) to 24 (Wed.), second-year students went on a study tour to Taiwan. The weather was mostly fine, and the program was very fulfilling for each student. The itinerary and program are as follows

May 21: Arrive in Taipei, visit Longshan Temple
May 22: Optional experience tour of the Zhongzheng Memorial Hall
May 23 Kaohsiung Course = School exchange (Kaohsiung Normal University High School), walking tour of Kaohsiung
May 23 Taipei Course = School exchange (Taipei Municipal Songshan Senior High School), Stroll in Jiufen and Jiufen
May 24: Tour of the National Palace Museum Return to Osaka

　During the school exchange visits to Kaohsiung Normal University Senior High School and Taipei City Songshan Senior High School, the students deepened their mutual exchange through the use of English.
　In particular, at Kaohsiung Normal University Senior High School, one of our partner schools and WWL's overseas partner school, the students presented their research projects to each other and had discussions about their future plans for international joint research. After returning to their home countries, students from both countries continued to exchange messages, making this a valuable experience for making friends overseas.
　In addition, during the optional study tour, the students were able to learn about gender issues in Taiwan, hear about various activities in Japan and Taiwan from business people, and rethink the history and culture of Taiwan and Japan during visits to various facilities.
　The study tour was planned by the travel committee members, who took the lead in the four-day, three-night program based on the bookmarks prepared by the students. The planned grade-level recreation was also highly accomplished, and the true essence of the 51st students was beautifully condensed into a study tour that will remain in the memories of their high school years.