2024-present
Newsletter Archives

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    Welcome to our first GILE Newsletter of 2024! It was a shock to start the year in Japan with a major earthquake in Ishikawa and a plane collision at Haneda airport. Let’s hope the rest of the year will be more peaceful with fewer natural (and man-made) disasters! This winter issue contains: (1) a description by Jennie Roloff-Rothman of a global issues course she designed on the topic of baseball, (2) an article by Kirk Johnson on a 4-year Peace Wall project he carried out with his students, (3) a report by Timothy Ang about a college LGBT unit he devised for his EFL social issues course and (4) a response by John Spiri to last issue’s theme of banned books. Our special features this edition include a preview of upcoming events for the year 2024 plus ideas on how to teach about the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. This issue also includes a tribute to the late peace educator Betty Reardon, information on Japan’s new 2024 banknotes, a conference report on JALT 2023 (Tsukuba) plus teaching resources for Valentine’s Day, Women’s Day, Landmine Awareness Day and Earth Day.

    Welcome to our first issue of the new academic year! The spring break is over, cherry blossoms are gone and classes are back in session. Our theme this issue is non-governmental organizations. This includes (1) a report by Kristen Sullivan on an “International Volun-teering” course she designed where students support Japanese NGOs, (2) a profile of Seibo Japan which engages students in raising funds for Malawi, and (3) a section on “Teaching about NGOs” that includes class activities, resources, NGO lists and profiles. April 7th marked six months since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a brutal conflict that has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. To address this, we feature an article by Shelley Wong (USA) and Fatima Hamad (Palestine) who share their thoughts on the crisis, describe its impact on Palestinian teachers and students, and outline actions we can take. Also included are teaching ideas for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, a conference report on TESOL 2024 in Florida and a round-up of all the latest global education news. Good luck with your spring semester!