We get a lot of ESL students coming through the Canadiana every year. The majority come from the EU, South and Central America and Japan. But most ESL Schools here in Canada requires a fairly strong basic knowledge of spoken English so they can work on the written language as well.
But what if a students’ basic knowledge of English is weak or even virtually nonexistant? We have a “school” visiting from Japan that addresses just such needs. FIA Language Training Company is based in Shizuoka Prefecture at the foot of the beautiful Mount Fuji.
As specialists in corporate training FIA has a program called “Adventure School” – or simply AS for short. It is a unique program for University graduates who have been given what is effectively a “gap year” subsidized by their future employers.
Now in it’s 14th year, AS has evolved from a short ski holiday to a year-long home stay/immersion program. FIA founder Shoicic Kaneko has developed some unique ideas about language learning for Japanese students. One of his most important philosophies is “A classroom without walls.”
AS participants don’t attend regular ESL classes. Instead they are immersed in local culture through home stay and becoming active in their local community. It is sort of like being tossed into the deep end of the pool when learning to swim.
This year a select group of participants have started their year at our hostel in order to get used to meeting people of other cultures and to start utilizing the very basic English they have already studied in Japan.
In the short time they have been with us, we have already begun to notice some signifigant progress. We’re certain they will do well in their home stays and we wish them all success.
