“Will the number of junior high and high school students who can be good at using English, rapidly increase, considering the situation of English education in Japan?” A little teacher at junior high and high schools can answer affirmatively. It is the fact that they are dealing with their jobs; meanwhile, they have little expectation for the future of English education. I want to say “No” against the educational systems in Japan until now. We do not have much aim for the reformation of English teaching if some potential things are not changed. Then, what should be changed? Here, I want to show my clear points of two; 1) English teachers should be who are English-literate Japanese, 2) the teaching of English should be started form elementary schools.
The Minister of Education officially announced “the tactical design” on July in 2002, including the reformation of English-teaching. Six months later, he made “the plan for conduct” public, and all English teachers in Japan have been trained under the English training program since April in 2003. Still, there seems to be a little difficulty to import English teaching into elementary schools. I personally would like English to be curriculum, however, the condition is not ready; such as the system “in-service training” has not yet been arranged, the organization of appointment of members of society who are good at English, and the curriculum for bringing along “English teacher of elementary schools” is not widely innovated to universities. The government should repair these issues as soon as possible, and at the same time, they should declare how many periods will be applied to the English-teaching.
In junior high schools, students are required to learn grammars and vocabularies in just three periods a week. On the other hand, if elementary schools aim for “understanding English from ears”, the situation is getting better, I think. In Japan, it can be said that there are vast gaps between the high level in intellectual of the first year students and literally, the basically English. The schooling cannot be successful unless the content of education matches for the intellectual standards. The content of English textbook which weighs 30 to 40% including the expression like “This is~, or What sports (food) do you like?” can be rather fitted with elementary boys and girls. Due to this fact, the content of junior high’s textbooks gets thin, and the good point is that they can use their time for English communication in classes. This is one of the examples that the introduction of English to elementary schools can necessarily change the English teaching of junior high.
The most important thing for kids is to touch foreign languages (English). Once they are interested in words, their communication skills of their mother tongue (Japanese) naturally. In Korea, one of the government’s views of the aim for English teaching is to “develop children’s ability in their language”.
I heard the English lesson will be held only once a week in elementaly school. What do you think about it? As far as I'm concerned, this is not enough..
ReplyDeleteThe goal of introducing English education at this time is to produce opportunities for students to touch the English from their early age. What the most important thing is a process. It can be useful for students if teachers would have higher ability to get students interested in English.
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