Exchange program brings Japanese teachers to Norman

The three teachers toured Norman schools Monday and Tuesday, visiting classrooms and talking to teachers to learn about how the public education system works here.

The look of schools and how teachers approach lessons is different here than in Japan, said Katsumasa Watai, one of the exchange teachers.

The classrooms and hallways in Norman schools are very colorful with lots of displays, he said.

He also noticed teachers are integrating different subjects into one lesson. Students may be doing an art project, but teachers include lessons about history, math and science into it, too, he said.

Watai, Mayumi Hirano, and Katsumi Kosuge spent the morning with Truman Elementary School students Tuesday.

The students welcomed their visitors during an assembly with songs, instrumental performances and dancing.

Students focused on traditional American Indian songs and dances to show some of Oklahoma’s heritage. There are students from 81 Indian tribes in Norman schools, school officials said.

The annual Hitachi Teacher Exchange Program is organized and funded by Hitachi Computer Products Inc., which operates a plant in Norman.

The program is in its 15th year, said Jeannie Green-LaCroix, corporate affairs official with Hitachi. Exchange teachers are selected through an application process each spring.

"It’s both a cultural and education program,” she said. "It broadens people’s views of the world, and it also shows them our similarities too.”

Norman teachers visited Japan during the summer.

The exchange has been a wonderful learning experience for her and her students, said third-grade teacher Johnnie Keel, one of Norman’s exchange teachers.

"It was just so interesting to learn about their culture and visit their schools,” Keel said.

Her students were excited to hear about her travels, and she’s been able to integrate it into lessons.

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