Nishimachi International School

Helping students learn is a collaborative experience at Nishimachi...

Teaching Teams

Teachers at Nishimachi Nishimachi work as members of specific grade-level teaching teams. Teams consist of two or three homebase/advisory teachers, a Japanese-language teacher. Kindergarten and grade one have teaching assistants.

Individual vs. Team Responsibilities

Each homebase/advisory teacher is responsible for their students and meets with them daily. Teachers are responsible for the pastoral care of their homebase/advisory students, for monitoring their academic progress, and for reporting this progress to parents. Teachers often have the opportunity to teach students from other homebases/advisories on the same grade. This gives students the opportunity to learn from a variety of teachers and permits teachers to discuss student progress on the basis of first-hand knowledge.

Each grade level has specific curriculum expectations it must meet. In order to do this, NIS encourages teachers to share individual talents and expertise with others on their team, as well as with their students, so that everyone in a grade level benefits from a range of teaching styles.

Curriculum Planning

The homebase/advisory teachers for each grade level meet weekly to plan and reflect. Each team is responsible for the grade level curriculum, assessment, homework assignments, newsletters, budgets, parent activities, and field trips. Although teachers share specific responsibilities on their teams, communication and working among team members is expected and essential for smooth daily operations and achieving a positive working dynamic.

Specialist Teachers

Japanese-language teachers support the integration of Japanese language into classroom activities and facilitate cross-cultural understanding and communication. Nishimachi has specialist teachers for music, art, physical education, and science (from grade 3); a computer resource teacher; English- and Japanese-speaking librarians; speech and language specialist; and learning support specialist. The grade-level teaching team interacts and coordinates with the specialist teachers to help achieve student learning objectives.

We believe that working in teams supports continuity, maximizes teacher strengths, and provides regular opportunities for reflection and peer feedback.

Flexibility, sensitivity, and an ability to work with others are essential characteristics for Nishimachi faculty, staff, students and parents.

Terence Christian
Headmaster
Nishimachi International School
2-14-7 Moto Azabu, Minato-ku
Tokyo 106-0046 Japan
Fax: +81-3-3456-0197
E-mail: employment@nishimachi.ac.jp