Retreats are held once or twice a year on weekends, either at Chuo University's beautiful, old guest house in Hayama, on the Kanagawa coast, or at the Chuo Surugadai Memorial Hall in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, or at Chuo University Tama Campus.

At Hayama Retreats, participants can attend for just the Saturday discussion sessions, or stay over from the Friday night. Surugadai Retreats are held on Sundays with a party in the evening.

We began holding the Retreats in 2002 and had our 12th in June 2011. From 2009 we have started also calling the Retreats Faculty Workshops.

The Retreats/Faculty Workshops are supported financially by the Law Faculty at Chuo.

Click on the left side bar for more details and reports from each previous retreat/faculty workshop.

The format and schedule of the Retreats/Faculty Workshops has varied, but they have included:

• poster presentations by teachers on aspects of their teaching at Chuo

• short presentations by teachers in small groups on themes related to their teaching at Chuo

• small group discussions about specific courses or cross-curriculum issues

• reflective pair discussions and individual reflective writing

• individual and small group poster-making to summarize insights

• plenary sessions with all the participants on the overall 'taught in English' programme

Some Retreats/Faculty Workshops have a specific focus such as assessment and evaluation or the development of common course objectives. But each Retreat/Faculty Workhop is also an opportunity to talk more generally about our classes at Chuo, to share successes and challenges, and to get to know our colleagues better, in a relaxed, friendly environment.