Hidekazu Shoto’s innovation in teaching has been to create methods of teaching fluency in English without needing foreign travel or study abroad.
In his youth, Hidekazu himself wanted to study abroad to become a better English speaker, but financial circumstances did not permit it. After becoming a teacher, Hidekazu taught a student who liked English and wanted to study abroad, but could not travel: a physical condition meant she was not able to leave Japan. Moreover, in Japanese classrooms, students do not have opportunities to learn English in a way that develops real fluency. These experiences set Hidekazu on the path to teaching advanced English language skills without foreign study.
A large part of Hidekazu’s approach is informed by tools such as Skype and Minecraft, which enable communication in English with students in other countries. His students make friends quickly and have collaborated with primary school students in up to 10 foreign countries to create buildings in Minecraft. Through this activity, students learn new skills such as communication, teamwork, imagination, and logical thinking. Another way that Hidekazu has innovated is by connecting different academic subjects using these technologies. Combining subjects such as English and Programming through Minecraft has also made it more manageable for other teachers to cover these subjects.
Take a class with one of the top 10 finalists for the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. Each live, 30-minute lesson will showcase the different methods, learnings and values that helped to secure the teacher's place in the final of the US$1 million prize.
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