About Us
English is important, but so are many other increasingly in-demand 21st century skills. We want to teach more than "just English"; we want to offer the opportunity to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow as well as life-long learning.
Times are changing. Businesses must come up with new types of services to cater to customer needs or risk obsolescence.
Facing the future, creating new services is our core philosophy - English Language Innovations.
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OWNER AND TEACHER
Andrew A. Kirkpatrick
I am committed to higher standards and innovation in young learner early language education. In this endeavor, I will leverage both my professional training and education as well as my considerable industry experience.
It is my hope that ELI will grow to provide a wealth of innovative learning opportunities for the children of Nagasaki. Also, it is my dream to cultivate a vibrant workplace filled with a community of teachers committed long-term residency in Japan who are passionate about language teaching.
Education
2019-2021
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL
In our ever-shrinking and interconnected world, the ability to teach English to speakers of other languages is a highly desirable skill. And, the ability to teach with both cultural and linguistic sensitivity is even more valuable. With its dual focus, this course provides graduates with an understanding of the complex relationship between language use and context, as well as a strong theoretical and practical foundation in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).
2016-2019
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy, Major in Japanese Studies
Arts graduates are highly sought after by employers because arts degrees ensure you develop strong capabilities in analysis, creativity, research, critical thinking, intercultural awareness and communication – capabilities that are in demand by employers and essential for success in the 21st century workplace. Arts graduates are recognised by employers for their advanced skills in problem solving and their ability to make ethical judgements.
2023
The Language Teacher
Reading Aloud for Young
Learners
In the spirit of communicative language teaching, rather than talking down to our young learners (YLs), perhaps we ought to try actually talking to them instead. This might mean trying to avoid using unidirectional commands such as, “Read this aloud, please.” Of course, they need to practice, but would it not be preferable that learning opportunities arise more spontaneously and with less educational pretense? This activity attempts to motivate YLs (age 3-8) to read aloud of their own accord.
2022
The School House
Exploring Young Learner Education Trends in Japan to Find Future Directions for Young Learner Research
The study of English language is a major and progressively expanding facet of modern young learner education in Japan. This trend might be better understood with the aid of three distinct discourses; globalization, economic, and "younger is better". This article briefly outlines how each discourse interacts specifically within the context of Japan. Although outwardly useful in explaining general young learner education trends, the final section indicates that these discourses are not without room for critique. Therefore, while far from exhaustive, this basic outline provides a point of reference for researchers interested in exploring and critiquing in greater detail the forces at play across modern Japanese YL English language educational contexts.
2023
Explorations in Teacher Development
Children’s Eikaiwa Teacher
Perspectives on Team Teaching
Team teaching is a significant topic of academic inquiry throughout Japanese mainstream English language educational contexts. This study reported on the experiences and perspectives of a small sample of teachers employed within a children’s conversational English school who practised team teaching regularly. Data was obtained via a survey and follow-up interview. In addition to brief statistical analyses, a thematic qualitative framework derived from the literature and the authors’ personal reflections was used to analyse and interpret the survey results and interview transcripts. The literature indicated that teachers in mainstream contexts are primarily concerned over a lack of clarity regarding teacher roles, despite a relatively consistent convention regarding the assignment of roles existing elsewhere in the literature. However, the research presented here indicated the existence of and a preference towards an alternative team-teaching dynamic wherein roles are more dynamically negotiated. This presents researchers with a unique and yet hitherto unexplored perspective on team teaching within this context.