This course is designed for new ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) in Japan. The ALTs are not trained and qualified language experts but are young cultural ambassadors from English-speaking countries to assist in the English language classroom in Japanese schools (Amaki, 2008). Japan has a strong pre-conception that all native English speakers make good English teachers. Through this module, the ALTs will learn the differences in the cultural perspectives and motivation of the young students in Japan. This course is designed based on my experience as a teacher/ALT trainer in Japan and my research on Japan's English teaching education system.
The delivery mode of this course is Moodle on the ALTTO site. This is a Japanese non-profit organisation based in Japan that is managed by English language teaching academics.