日本の高校生グループが弊学に来てくれて話す機会がありました。私は日本の若者の現状について肯定的です。優秀でやる気があり、色んな人と話せるし、礼儀も正しい、世界のどこに行っても活躍できる若者が一定数いるという印象を持ってます。もちろん見ている集団に偏りがあるとも思うのですが、世代を任せられそうな人に会うことは少なくないので、日本の若者もそんな捨てたもんじゃないと思っています。
ところで私は過去 20 年間アメリカ・シンガポールと住んで、大学に近いところで仕事をしてきたので、高校生や大学生の海外訪問の手伝いをすることが比較的多いと思います（最近は毎年数件くらいですが）。とりわけ昨今の風潮もあり、海外交流・視察のための公的予算が付きやすいのではないでしょうか。一方でプログラムの質というか、学生を受け入れて話す際の印象にバラツキがあるのも事実です。税金を原資とした公的予算を使うのですし、良いプログラムを作って欲しいと思っています。
良いプログラム、というのも幅広い意味があると思うのですが、下記に自分の考えを述べたいと思います。
１．アウトプットのあるプログラム
大前提として「海外を見てこよう、何か良い話を聞いてこよう」という目的のプログラムが良いプログラムであることは稀です。学生が特定のトピックを準備して、発表してくるくらいが最低ラインになるべきだと思います。これは自分の経験に基づく考えですが、私は旅行が好きで 50 ヵ国以上訪問している一方で、インターンなどを含めて 7 ヵ国で仕事をしました。広義の project-based learning なのだと思いますが、実際に何かをやることで滞在先についての理解を深めますし、自分が何者であるかの理解も深まります。人が話した英語がわからないのはすぐ忘れますが、自分が人前で話して英語が伝わらなかった経験は記憶に残ります。自分たちに一方的に話した講演者は自分たちのことは覚えていませんが、一緒に何かをやった相手はその先に繋がる関係になるかもしれません。たとえ 5 日でも 1 週間でも、視察だけではなく、訪問先で何かやってくる、というのを前提にしたプログラムを考えるのが良いと思います。
あと、私が良いと思うのは、参加学生が自分で内容を組む自由度の高いプログラムです。研究室訪問、面談のアポなど、自分でセットアップするからこそわかるものがあると思います。これは次の点にも繋がると思います。
２．ミドルマンに大事な部分を企画させない
これは以前書いたことがあるのですが（中間エージェント）、海外訪問をアレンジする際、現地の旅行代理店などに頼り切ってプログラムを作っても、あまり良いものにならないと思います。移動・宿泊・観光のような部分はお願いしたら良いと思うのですが、講演や大学訪問などについては旅行代理店は専門性を持ちません。学習の趣旨に沿ったプログラムができることは稀だと思います。
旅行代理店ではなくても、体裁を整えることが目的になっている訪問だと、現地の協力は得られないんじゃないかなあと思います。以前に日本の大学の方から連絡があり「ハーバードの研究者の講演を企画したい」『どのような専門の方を希望されていますか？』「どなたでも構いません」というようなやり取りがあって、興ざめしたことがあります。依頼者の立場でやるべきことも理解できないことはないのですが、一方で「どなたでも構わない」講演に駆り出される講演者や、それをとりもつ人、それを聞く学生への想像力が全て欠けており、誰も関係者が幸せにならない講演になります。私はこのような連絡は即時お断りすることにしています。
３．受け入れる側の感覚
訪問を受け入れる側がどう感じるかを考えるのは大事だと思います。この手の海外訪問について有名な記事で、シリコンバレーでは表敬訪問が嫌われる、という記事があると思います。こちらの記事の内容も十分に理解できますし、とりわけビジネス業界では留意しておく点なのだろうと思います。立場によらず、訪問者の意識が大事、という趣旨には全くもって同意です。
シリコンバレー訪問と大学訪問で違う点があるならば、教育業界は時間軸が長いし、リターンのステークホルダーは誰かという考え方が違います。ボストンにいたとき、その訪問自体からは私が得るものが少なそうな大学生の訪問者を受けて、留学相談などに答えてたことが何度もありました。そういう学生さんが忘れた頃にアメリカの PhD プログラムに合格して「あの時はありがとうございました」って声をかけてくれたことは少なくないのです。覚えてるだけでも５人くらいいます。これは本当に嬉しいことです。時間軸を長くとり、自分の利益を広く定義できるならば様々な価値が見えることもあります。私は教育関係者の矜持として、学ぶ意思のある相手には短期的なリターンは求めない、と綺麗事を言い続けたいと思います（そうじゃなければ大学で働く意味もない）。
とはいえ私のような飛沫教員でも、自分だけでは対応しきれない数の訪問依頼を頂くのも事実です。最近は手伝うかお断りするか、自分なりの方針を決めています。感覚的ですが、依頼者が本気で、自分が気持ちよく手伝える、というのが基準です。例えば学校の先生が本気でプログラムに参加してる、というのが私の琴線に触れるポイントです。高校の先生にとっても初めてのことが多く大変だと思いますし、そこにリアルがあるのだと思います。「学生の成長を！」と言ってる先生が率先して自分から英語を話したり、現地の人とやり取りしたりしてると多少忙しくても継続して協力したいと思います。先生は学生の前で失敗したくないと思うんですけど、現実問題、英語に慣れてなくて威厳など保てるかわからないじゃないですか。そういうのを乗り越えてる先生が作るプログラムには真剣味があります。学生にグローバル人材になれと言う前に、大人がそうであって欲しい。シリコンバレーの外には義理人情の世界が広がっていますので、そういう真摯な姿勢に手を差し伸べる人は少なくないと思います。
以上 3 点、昨今の海外研修にまつわる自分の意見を述べました。せっかく国の予算がついて、様々な機会がある昨今ですから、高校生や大学生のためになる有意義な予算の使い方ができると良いと思っています。ふと思ったのですが、この手の海外研修について、事例ベースでケースの共有などをしても良いかもしれませんね（既にあるでしょうか？）。プログラムを企画する高校や大学の先生にとっては非常に参考になるかと思います。
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