1. Banana Kids
Banana Kids was established in 1996. Most of our students are children that are currently enrolled in kindergarten. Presently we are teaching at 15 different kindergartens and close to 700 students. We use a pair teaching system, which means a native English teacher is paired with a Japanese teacher. And together provide an effective teaching curriculum. We currently employ five full-time and two part-time foreign teachers、as well as six full-time and three part-time Japanese teachers. In addition to the kindergarten classes, we also have adult classes and private classes that are taught at our school. We also offer private one on one classes that our taught either at our school or at a students home.
2. Location
Our school is located in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. Utsunomiya is a city of about 500,000 people situated 100km north of Tokyo. The city is close to the mountains for great hiking, climbing, skiing and snowboarding. Nikko, a world heritage city, is also close by. Access to Tokyo is 90 minutes by regular train and 45 minutes by Shinkansen (bullet train). There is also a direct bus from Utsunomiya to Narita International Airport. The bus ride takes two hours and 50 minutes.
3. Types of Lessons
We have two types of lessons for children at the kindergartens, one we call the 'morning lesson' and the other is A - F lessons. We also have lessons for children and adults at our school
3-1 3.1 In the morning lessons, native English teachers and Japanese teachers visit local kindergartens and teach on location. The main purpose is for the children to enjoy English and get used to hearing English. We want all the children to have a good time with us. We do a lot of singing, dancing, games and storybooks.
3-2 3.2 For the A - F classes, the children are divided into groups depending on their age. Group A is for students three years of age, Group B is for students four years of age, and so on. There are 10 -13 students per class and pair teaching is used as well. The A-F lessons are more involved than the morning lessons. We work on pronunciation and writing. We are also able to use more individualized teaching than in the morning lessons.
3-3 The lessons for children at our school follow the same ideas as teaching on location at the kindergartens. Native English speaking teachers teach together with the Japanese teachers. We teach children from 2 - 12 and there are 6 - 7 students per class. In the two-year old classes, the mother's are in the class with their children. A-class is for three-year olds, B-class is for four-year olds and C-class is for five-year olds. Elementary school students are divided into classes depending on their ability. For the adult learning program, the classes are kept small with no more than six students. These classes are taught by a native English speaker without the aid of a Japanese teacher. At Banana Kids we make every effort to keep our teachers with the same students. It is important for the teachers and students to build a positive relationship, making our students more comfortable. This is important to more effectively measure our student's progress.
4. Summer Camp
Us at Banana Kids, feel that it is important for our students to be given the opportunity to apply what they have learned. At the end of every school year we organize a camping trip for our students that are between the ages of nine and twelve.
The camping trip takes place over a weekend and our students enjoy many different activities as well as having an English lesson at the campsite. In past years many of the trips have been to a campsite here in Japan, but we have also taken a group of students to Canada. After taking the kids to Canada, we could see the benefit in giving our students the opportunity, to use and learn English in it's natural environment. Because of the trips success, Banana Kids has made an overseas camping trip part of our curriculum.
5. Cambridge English Test
Banana Kids is an authorized testing center for the Cambridge English Test. This test measures the students' proficiency in English. Speaking, writing and listening proficiency is measured. Cambridge University in England grades the tests and students are assigned a number of stars depending on their ability. Five stars is a perfect score. This test is recognized the world over.
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