Wisconsin schools welcome teachers from Japan

An estimated 16,000 Wisconsin students will have classes with eight teachers visiting from Japan as part of the Japan Wisconsin Education Connection. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Education Association Professional Development Academy coordinate the program, now in its 10th year.

DPI selected 16 outstanding schools in the state to serve as hosts for the teachers, who will introduce Wisconsin K-12 students to language, geography, history, culture, and daily life in contemporary Japan. The teachers will spend three to four weeks in each host school district, visiting many classes and living with local host families. In their first weeks in Wisconsin, the teachers will visit Madison, Minocqua, and Lac du Flambeau community schools as a group.

The Japanese teachers are curious to learn how Wisconsin schools meet the needs of diverse student populations, how schools utilize new technologies, how the curriculum is designed and tested, and how Wisconsin families live. Subjects taught by these teachers in Japan include all elementary subjects, as well as physical education, music, science, chemistry, environmental education, and Japanese and Chinese language and literature.

Since 1997, the Japan Wisconsin Education Connection program, funded by Japanese taxpayers through its Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, has sent 141 teachers to Wisconsin. Visiting teachers will be in Wisconsin until December 11.

Last updated on 10/9/2006