Life Onboard LAST UPDATE  July 12, 2005
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February 26, 2005 Global Issues in Language Education – Kip Cates
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Kip Cates
Kip Cates enrolled in his first Japanese class at university because the Russian class he wanted to take was held at the same time as one of his required courses. He had to enroll in a language class, and Japanese was the only language that would fit into his schedule. At first, he wasn’t enthusiastic about the language, but the complexity of the writing system and its uniqueness of expression soon captured his interest. Today, as a peace educator and professor at the Columbia University Teachers College in Tokyo and Tottori National University, Mr. Cates is at the forefront of the Japanese educational system’s growing movement to increase students’ awareness of global issues.
Mr. Cates eagerly shared his views on world citizenship with Peace Boat participants (Photo by S. Mizumoto)
“A foreign language is a window to the world,” explained Mr. Cates, who speaks nine languages. “It’s a key to communicate with people all over the world. The foreign language slot (in a school’s curriculum) is the one chance to give students a window into the world …When I took the job at Tottori, a small country town, I was told two things: Yoroshiku (please work hard) and Please make our students “international”. I kept getting that message, that people wanted their children to be international. It made me think that there was something more I could be doing.”

This led Mr. Cates to develop what he calls “English for Global Awareness/Citizenship”. In his classes, he uses simple, yet highly effective techniques that encourage students to learn English and consider global issues simultaneously. He focuses on integrating not only global issues, but also aspects of other countries into his teaching, which helps to raise students’ awareness about countries other than their own. He is also involved in teacher training, through Columbia University’s Teachers College in Tokyo. There, he shares his ideas about global education with students pursing a Masters degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
Participants enjoyed a special viewing of “Rainbow War”, a language-free film that delivered a strong message of peace.
According to the Japan Association of Language Teachers’ (JALT) Global Issues Special Interest Group (SIG), which Mr. Cates coordinates, “global education is a new approach to language teaching which aims at enabling students to effectively acquire and use a foreign language while empowering them with the knowledge, skills and commitment required by world citizens for the solution of global problems.”

During his first time onboard, Mr. Cates shared his experiences and ideas with Peace Boat participants in a series of lectures focusing on raising awareness of global issues and what it means to be a global citizen. He also held special workshops for teachers of Peace Boat’s Global English/Espanol Training (GET) programme in which he shared his ideas and methodologies.
Terri Jaroszewski, a 27 year old GET teacher from New York with extensive experiences teaching English in Japan, was enthusiastic about Mr. Cates’ ideas. “I think it’s a great idea and a very colorful way to teach language,” she said. “It does make learning more exciting for the students. They have been learning grammar their whole lives and it’s often not very interesting for them; adding a global aspect can offer a fresh new twist and sustain their interest. I think it’s important for them to become better global citizens. Our economies and societies are more and more interrelated and it would be disrespectful not to learn about the other people in the world who help to sustain your life.”