Understanding English Education in Japan

Transcription

1 1 Understanding English Education in Japan Harumi Hirasawa Cal State University East Bay How do Japanese learn English? How does Japanese English Education Reform affect current English Learners? Description The poster introduces both traditional Japanese approaches to English education and the national reforms toward Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) that were enacted in Japan in Since 1999, many Japanese schools (from elementary to college) have tried to adopt new curricula to teach communication skills rather than relying on traditional grammar translation methods. Although the Japanese university entrance examination still relies on a traditional grammar translation approach, educators have worked to include CLT approaches in various schools. The poster explains both the progress and the challenges that administrators and educators have faced in moving toward English-language curricula that focus on communication skills in the Japanese EFL situation Background Why do many Japanese have difficulty speaking English? Many Japanese do not speak English fluently although they have grammar knowledge. Problems in English Education in Japan English language education emphasizes reading and writing, and underestimates the importance of spoken proficiency. 1 English Curriculum is not Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) a) Long History of Grammar Translation Method with textbooks Most English lesson approaches are translated from English into Japanese/ Japanese into English. b) There is a lot of memorization. 2 The Entrance Examination System Students need to pass paper tests that require much translation and grammar. Teachers focus on having students pass the entrance examinations. 3. Few Chances to Speak English/Lack of Native Speaking English Teachers a) Limited Chance to Speak Students have limited chances to speak English. It depends on where learners live. Some students have opportunities to communicate with people from foreign countries, but others rarely have a chance to talk in English b) Limited Numbers of Native Speaker Instructors In most schools, English teachers are Japanese, not native speakers of English. Thus, many students do not have much chance to learn pronunciation/intonation from native speakers.

2 2 4. Japanese Teachers of English are not used to teaching CLT. Most teachers need to follow curriculum and to focus on the requirements. Most teachers need to teach so called Jyuken Eigo : The English for Entrance Exam to students. Most English teachers in the past just took paper-based tests of English with other subject requirements to get their credentials. Many English teachers in Japan had not been trained to teach communication skills. 5. Shyness of Japanese Character Due to the collective culture, many students are educated to value harmony with others, so they are likely to hesitate to express their ideas and thoughts in public. Nowadays, this typical characteristic has been changing, but the tendency of traditional shyness still remains in the school learning environment. Many Japanese students are used to learning via a Teacher- Centered approach. The Trial for Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) by Japanese Government Realizing the importance of conversational skills in international society, the Japanese government (Educational Ministry) tried to adopt new policies for English Education. 1. Job Opportunity for Native Speakers of English as Educators (This information is limited and based only on the research of this poster presentation) a) JET Program since 1987: The government launched the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in 1987 to invite native speakers of English as foreign language assistant teachers. Positions: 1. Assistant Language Teacher (ALT): Majority of participants 2. Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) 3. Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA) b) Other organizations/private sector Many organizations and private enterprises introduce native speakers of English to many public/private schools. < Private Sectors> 1. Interac (International Co-operation Agency): private provider of Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) to many institutions Altia Central: ALT support services 3. HotJobsJapan by W5 staff services in Japan Teaching Job offer site: 1. Ohayo- sensei: The Newsletter of Teaching Job in Japan

3 3 Some educational districts/organizations started to hire native speakers of English directly. 2. Curriculum Development Action Plan to Cultivate Japanese with English Activities in 2003 The Education Ministry guidelines were proposed by MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology). Progress: Trials for Changing from Grammar Translation Method to CLT 1. Curriculum Changed All high schools teach Oral Communication Class at least twice a week. 2. Native Speakers of English are available more than before. More districts/institutions welcome native speakers of English participants work at Japanese schools (elementary to high schools) as ALT( Assistant Language Teachers) in New textbooks are available based on CLT Many descriptions focus on CLT. 4. The Entrance Examination System is partially adjusted to CLT. Some high schools and colleges create new listening comprehension tests for the entrance examinations. College entrance exams, in particular, vary depending on the departments of institutions. 5. Training sessions for Japanese teachers are available. The government and districts offer many training opportunities for teachers to be able to teach CLT. 6. Technology enhances learning motivation. Students are able to communicate with many students overseas by networking at school. Many learning resources (Internet/web information, audio materials) are available. Challenges: Although many approaches are adopted, there are still many challenges in teaching environments. 1. Curriculum for CLT varies depending on the district/school policy. 2. Availability of Native Speakers varies due to the budget of the district. 3. Teachers qualifications (both Japanese and Native speakers) vary. 4. The Pressure of the Entrance Exams remains. 5. Text-books based on the entrance exams are widely distributed rather than CLT approach resourses.

4 4 Additional Information 1. Examples of Teaching Models of CLT 1. Public School in Ibaraki Prefecture (Suburb area of Tokyo) Native instructor s lessons The Content of the Lessons Elementary School 1 st 4 th grade 1-2 / quarter Song, Game, Greeting, Basic Vocabulary Elementary School 5 th & 6 th grade 1-2/months Song, Game Some sentences, Discussions Junior high school 7 th 9 th grade 1-2/ months Songs, Game, Basic Vocabulary, Roll Play, Discussions Main Lessons: Grammar teaching and reading by Japanese instructors High school 10 th 12 th grade 1-2/months for 10 th grade 1/month for 11 th & 12 th grade Songs, Game, Basic Vocabulary, Roll Play, Discussions by selecting topics Main Lessons: focus on the entrance exams( reading & writing) by Japanese teachers of English Especially, 12 th graders need to practice intensive questions for the exams. 2. The Example of Public High School in Nagoya (Southern part of Japan) High school 10 th 11 th grade Native instructors lessons 1/week Oral Communication by TT( Team Teaching: collaborative teaching with Native English speaking teachers and Japanese teachers of English ) Activity for real life settings. Using dialogue in the textbook. Roll play Focus on: Listening/comprehension CLT with grammar points

5 5 Additional Information 2: The Survey of Native Speakers in English Education in Japan by Patrick Kernan at Tokyo Denki University Population: 30 Americans, 14 Canadians, 16 British, 2 Australians, 9 Other

6 6 Additional Information 3: Voice from Teachers, Students and Parents Teachers Voics Teaching is rewarding, but six years of English education produce no discernible results other than an ability to pass poorly constructed and often grammatically incorrect college entrance exams. (Previous College English Instructor in Tokyo)) Some faculties in Japan don t want to try out our new ideas. (ALT teacher in Chiba Prefecture) I enjoy working with the students during the off-hours, so I can continue to study Japanese & experience Japan. (ALT in Chiba Prefecture) Teaching children was not as financially rewarding, a lot more work, but much more satisfying as students actually wanted to learn and you could see definite progress. (Previous English Instructor in Junior & High schools) Students Voices We really enjoy our ALT s lesson because we do not need to learn boring grammar our native teachers classes (Junior high school students in Ibaragi Prefecture) Our ALT Teachers in my high school are very nice, but we just had a fun in their classes, and did not learn much.( an ESL student from Kyushu area) My 6 years of English Education is not useful for my communication skills. (an ESL student at CSU East Bay). Our Japanese teachers taught English in Japanese-like intonation and pronunciations. (ESL students at CSU East Bay) Most our Japanese teachers can not explain the grammar points in English and students do not understand although teachers try to use English in class(an ESL students from Tokyo area) Parents Voices I wish my children spoke English fluently as I still struggle in communicating in English. (Parents of College Students) We expect our children to pass the entrance exams, but in order to improve their speaking skills; we need to take our children to private English classes. (Parents in junior high schools and high schools) We expect the schools to have more native English speakers lessons. (Parents from junior high schools)

7 7 References Kernan, Patrick. The Native Speaker in Language Education in Japan Today. JALT(The Japan Association for Language Teaching) 2004 Conference Proceedings, Tokyo. Japan. Matsuura, Hiroko, Reiko Chiba, and Paul Hilderbrant. "Beliefs about Learning and Teaching Communicative English in Japan." JALT(The Japan Association for Language Teaching) Journal (2000): Web. 1 Dec < Nishino, Takako, and Watanabe, Michinobu. "Teaching Issues: Communication-Oriented Policies versus Classroom Realities in Japan." Tesol Quarterly 42.1 (2998): Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec Reesor, Matthew. "Japanese Attitudes to English: Towards an Explanation of Poor Performance." NUCB ( Nagoya University of Commerce and Business Ed. George Watt. NUCB Journal of Language Culture and Communication, 2 May Web. 13 Dec < Riley, Paul A. "Reform in English Language Teaching in Japan." Ningen Kankyo Gakkai ( Men- Environment Research Association) 9 (2008): Web. 13 Dec < Sakui, Keiko. "Wearing Two Pairs of Shoes: Language Teaching in Japan." ELT Journal 58 (2004): Academic Premier. Web. 1 Dec < Torikai, Kumiko. "English Language Education in Japan: Past, Present and Future. The Language Teacher. JALT Publications Online Ed. Steve Brown. Japan Association for Language Teaching, July Web. 2 Dec < Yoshima, Tomoko. "Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language: The Japanese EFL Context." The Modern Language Journal 86 (2002): Academic Premier. Web. 5 Dec <