Faculty Members

Bachelor of Arts / Lecturer

Richard Kaminski

Education

Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia
Bachelor of Arts Japanese Language Studies, Social Science

Professional Background

Former ALT Japanese Ministry of Education JET Program. 20 Year English Teacher at Fukui Senior High School Head Coach FUT Karate Team and Kanai Gakuen Junior Dojo. Founder and Coordinator of the Sister School International Studies Program

Consultations, Lectures, and Collaborative Research Themes

Course Development. Communication Skills. High Context/Low Context Inter-Cultural Communication, Progressive Language Instruction

Main research themes and their characteristics

「Practical and Effective Life Skills」

　Having spent over 20 years as a high school English teacher and karate team coach I have had a unique and rare opportunity to go deep into the culture of education in Japan. The most rewarding part of the experience was being part of making our successful high school karate team from scratch, and over the period of 17 years making it into one of the top teams in the country, winning at a local, regional, national and even international level. I also had the opportunity to become the first ever foreign national A Rank Referee with the All-Japan High School Karate Federation. The Japanese bukatsu bunka is something to behold and one that I believe would be worthy of replication overseas. The dedication and skill level of the athletes and instructors involved at the top level, has both inspired me and shaped my professional life.
　On the language front however, I soon realized that there were some serious need for attention with regards to practical communication skills. The large amount of time and effort spent on English and the rather poor results at the end was evidence of disconnect. Just like sports, there must be a better way to attain results and I have taken a keen interest over the years to dive deeply into the Japanese ‘English Problem’ which is both self evident and I believe holding the country back on the international stage. From outdated and dry teaching methods to serious motivation issues, there is also a noted lack of understanding of the cultural differences that need to be considered to effectively communicate with foreigners. Along with the entrenched problem of a ‘teach to the test’ mentality there are some great challenge that lie ahead.
　Questions like, “What makes a good communicator?” and “Why do we communicate?” became at the forefront of my research and interests. Effectively engaging and inspiring students is now my simple goal.
　Having moved to the University in 2019 I have set out to create an interesting, practical and enjoyable new style of teaching for our FUT students. Instead of the daunting goal of being able to speak English fluently, I am working on a concept called the 5 Minute Challenge . Simply put, if you can hold a decent, relaxed and free flowing conversation in English for a short period of 5 minutes then this will put you ahead of the curve and in a good position for your future in the global economy. Effective self-expression is a powerful life tool and should never be underestimated. Good communicators, make good leaders, and it is my sincere hope that our team at FUT can lead the way in international communication in the FUTure.