Levi Malcolm

Hello, my name is Levi (リヴァイ   マルコム). I came to Japan from England in 2019 as an ALT on the JET Program. I have been teaching at Elementary schools and Junior high schools in Shimanto, Kochi-ken for over 2 years.

I have gained a great deal of experience from teaching at eight different schools with a wide variety of class sizes, teaching styles and work cultures during my time in Japan, ranging from classrooms with only 2 students, all the way up to Teaching over 50 Elementary students together. I have been able to combine my unique background in video game creation with my passion for teaching English in Japan to make learning as fun as possible, whilst maintaining a healthy lesson structure and providing great learning opportunities. I believe that fun is fundamental when encouraging students to learn a new language, especially students who may be reluctant to learn initially.

My unique skill set has also allowed me to provide Interesting new experiences for students, for example I was able to create and 3D print a character that my students had previously drawn and described to me in English, they were then able to enjoy painting the printed sculpture, while describing the characters home, hobbies and the things that character likes. 
I’m enthusiastic about furthering my teaching career in a different prefecture in Japan as well as adapting to the challenges that come with that, I pride myself on my ability to adapt quickly to new work environments, so I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and improving my teaching skills by learning from others. I enjoy overcoming new challenges as it allows me to grow not only as a teacher but as a person too.

Teaching Experience
Japanese Elementary school
September 2019-Current – I have worked at 3 Elementary schools in Shimanto, Kochi-ken.

Here class sizes varied from 5 students per class up to over 50 students for rare combined reading, games and sports classes. I learned a lot about bringing a good energy into the classroom and found that the students love to play memory games with English flashcards. I also found that they learned the most in lessons that they found the most fun.

Japanese High school 
September 2019-Current – I have worked at 5 High schools in Shimanto Kochi-ken.
Here class sizes varied from 2 students per class up to 26 students per class. I found that whilst students here still liked games, many students got more enjoyment from discovering the utility of learning a second language. Smaller schools allowed for individual one on one conversations using the new English words that students had recently learned, but bigger classes enjoyed splitting into groups and having debates with each other, on topics such as “which is better Christmas or Firework festival”

I was also able to learn important skills such as simplifying difficult words and phrases, I also learned that having a clear intonation was vital when introducing new words to the students. Occasionally when students became completely stuck, I found that giving them small hints in Japanese would encourage them to keep trying.

Teaching at many different schools has allowed me to become versatile and able to alter my teaching approach depending on the class size, level, ability and the teaching preferences of each individual teacher, it has also given me a greater understanding of how to support students in class including students with learning difficulties.

Glo-active (Gloucestershire, England)
November 2018 - May 2019 (English support center for people with learning difficulties.)

Before coming to Japan, I worked at Glo-active on weekends to support people of all ages with reading, cooking, sports, using computers, playing games and many other activities. Our aim was to create a friendly supportive environment for people who have difficulties learning. I also volunteered during the week to teach children woodworking skills; we also built a mini golf course for people to enjoy.

These experiences taught me the importance of patience and kindness, I also found that meeting people with a smile and being approachable every day are important skills for creating a friendly enjoyable environment.

September 2019 - JET Program / CLAIR Teacher training
My first week in Japan was spent learning about teaching techniques and workplace expectations at the Jet orientation conference in Tokyo, I have also attended three (2 day) Teaching conferences over 2 years in Kochi city, here we were taught in more detail about useful teaching approaches for students of different ages and abilities.
                         

                    University Education
September 2015 - June 2018
Awarding institution: Staffordshire University
Main field of study: Games Technical Art
Level of Qualification: First degree with Honors 
Qualification Achieved: Bachelor of Arts with Honors 2:1
Date of award: 01/06/2018

Language of Assessment: English
Language of Instruction: English

2017/2018          Advanced 3D Modelling
                  Individual games technology project
                  Senior collaborative games development and testing 
                  Individual games technology portfolio
                 
2016/2017          Character concept design 2
                  3d character modelling for games
                  Junior collaborative game development and testing
                  3D Environment modelling for games

2015/2016         Introductory modeling and rendering 
                 Introduction to 3D games engines
                 Fundamental art skills for games
                 Introduction to 3d modelling for games