Derek Larner

Background

About Derek Larner

Since I have been involved in education in both private and public institutions. During this time, I have worked with a variety of students, ranging in ages, occupations, interests, and goals. The rich variety of learning experiences I have been a part of have afforded me the opportunity to continuously adapt my teaching methodology, and grow as an individual. I have always held my students to a high standard of personal and interpersonal accountability, in such areas as the quality of their work, their commitment to the fulfillment of their goals, the respect that they have for each other, and the enjoyment of the learning process. For me, teaching is as much a profession as it is a reflection of my personality. The relationships that I form with my colleagues and students are as strong as some of my familial ties because of the passion that I have for those people that I work with. I have been a founding teacher at GKA (Gunma Kokusai Academy),a private school teaching students in grades 1-12, and have taught English Language Arts, Math, Science, Morals education, Art, Computers, and Physical Education. My duties have included lesson planning, instruction, supervision, chaperoning duties on field trips and homestays, proctoring tests, evaluating students and meeting with parents. Serving as a head teacher since 2012, I have overseen the planning of schedules for my assigned grades, managed the allocation and distribution of Human Resources, prepared school publications, mediated disputes between students and colleagues, prepared unit and lesson materials, as well as I am also the founder of the English Drama Club at GKA. I believe that drama is a very effective tool in enabling students to build students intonation, diction, pronunciation, and I have found it to be very effective in building students' motivation to speak in English. I have produced live stage productions of plays, sketch comedy series that have been published online, and a small number of musical videos.