Improving English Teaching in Japan

AMLRoss · 2 ヶ月前

You have to make fundamental changes to the Japanese curriculum.

Right now English is only being taught to pass entrance exams into high school and university. The goal for many students is simply to score high on multiple choice tests.

They only learn grammar and vocabulary from shitty text books written and published in Japan (and most likely not proof read by native speakers)

Most of the grammar they have to learn and memorize is useless in real life situations, and a lot of it isn't even used by native speakers at all.

English isnt taught as a language. Its not used for communication. And the kids have very little knowledge of western customs, or culture. (a big part of any language and how it grows and changes over time) In japan, English is static and has stayed the same for years and years.

All this needs to change.

But really, the teachers are the weak link in all this.

They have no training, no time spent over seas and the older teachers cant even speak the language. With most teachers (young and old) making simple grammatical mistakes constantly. (And that's the one thing they are actually teaching!!)

Even when ALTs come in, (seeing the kids maybe once every couple of weeks) all their hard work is destroyed literally the next lesson after. Everything goes back to Japanese and the kids forget anything the ALT does.

They look forward to the ALT because they are a "break" from the normal routine which they hate. ALTs are told to organize their lessons so they flow from one to the next with consistency. This is really just a huge waste of time until the curriculum changes. (which wont happen any time soon)

Personally, im glad im out of it and doing something that's far more rewarding and satisfying. (with much better pay too)

preill · 2 ヶ月前

A good place to start would be to provide training for Japanese teachers for how to do team teaching, which they DO NOT have now.

nikunikuniku · 2 ヶ月前

Require teachers to take a speaking/listening test and or do some study abroad. I've always been appalled by Japanese English teachers who say shit like "Why would you ever go outside of Japan? Gaikoku is scary. Japan is best." or "I can't Eigo, berry berry muzu". Those people shouldn't be teaching a foreign language.

psserenity · 2 ヶ月前

my major beef during my time as an ALT was the complete lack of coordination with the other English classes my students were taking. it drove me nuts that they would be learning English grammar in one class, English speaking and listening in mine, English writing in another... etc. And the classes didn't overlap in any way, so vocab learned in writing class didn't show up and reinforce anything learned in my class or grammar class. When I attempted integration, I was told I must use the textbook because the kids paid for them (fair?) but I felt like we were really being inefficient and purposely making language learning more difficult through this method.

I mean, I also realize this is kind of how they do things there, but three English classes in the curriculum with none communicating...-_- bleh!

joooohn · 2 ヶ月前

You could reform the whole system for how well students would be able to speak English overnight by adding a speaking component to the JHS and HS graduation exams. At the moment they test reading, writing, and listening. Why not speaking?! Massive waste of potential.

TappetNoise · 2 ヶ月前

I think what people need to realize is that it takes A LOT for Japanese people to be proficient in English (or vise versa). It takes 3000 to 4000 hours for an elite American diplomat to be proficient in Japanese enough so they can function in a professional Japanese environment somewhat OK. My own experience of learning English as a Japanese concurs. The curriculum of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy from 100 years ago(!) also allocated around 3000 hours to 4000 hours in English. The current Japanese curriculum only allocates 1000 hours or so over 6 years. That's simply not enough for Japanese to be proficient in English. At least at the level the Japanese government wants them to be.

red--king · 2 ヶ月前

I teach in ES and KG so this is where I see some problems.

Ban the kids learning anything by rote "I'm fine, thank you and you."
Stop calling it "Gaikoku-go". Call it English. There's only one foreign language taught here. Stop emphasizing that it's foreign- you'll never use it.
Start teaching from 1st grade of ES for all students in Japan with a set curriculum by MEXT.
Make English education a component of ES teachers training. 23 year old teachers who can't speak a word of English makes no sense.
Make it part of teacher training how to help teach English, and in particular, stop emphasizing it's difficult. You don't do that for science, math or any other subject.
If there's an ALT teaching your class, this is not a rest class. You're in charge of discipline.
Show the ALT the same respect you show a Japanese teacher (in front of the students at least). If the students don't have to bow for the ALT, are allowed call the ALT -chan or -kun etc. they will never take them seriously or the subject.

UPGRAYEDD_2 · 2 ヶ月前

Get rid of the entire ALT system
Used saved money to improve Japanese teachers' English training
Implement speaking components into college entrance exams
Wait 10 years

bulldogdiver · 2 ヶ月前

A better question might be what is the goal of English education and how does it fit into the student's long term life/career?

For instance, with a few exceptions everyone in this sub has had at least 2 years of a foreign language in high school as part of the requirements for admission into college. A lot of people have had 3-4 years of that language. How many are even remotely fluent? I'm guessing maybe 3-5%.

What was the goal then of all that time and money spent on educating you on a foreign language? I took 3 years of German in high school. I certainly couldn't hold a simple conversation when I was finished. And now I can't speak or understand German worth a damned outside what you would need to survive there and I lived in the country for 3 years. The only reason I took it was to get into college though - so that might explain why I didn't put any effort into learning the language.

SoundOnly01 · 2 ヶ月前

I feel like the introduction of a personal choice would greatly enhance the quality of education in the Foreign Languages in Japan.

I personally do not feel that English is a necessity for Japanese students and should be the only FL they are offered. I think that Chinese and Korean would greatly benefit the future of Japan, plus I think that the introduction of additional FL courses would allow students to personally invest in the choice to dedicate hours of work to learning.

Learning a FL is a very hard thing, no matter the language. If you're not personally motivated to succeed in it, you simply won't. I call this a hook. When I was a kid, US TV was saturated with anime and Japanese pop culture. That hooked me and I've had it has a motivation to study Japanese ever since.

As it stands how, Japanese students are forced to take English. Some students are into it. They like English movies or music, so that drives them to succeed. But a majority of them could care less. Students need to have a choice when it comes to such a time consuming academic pursuit.

I think that Korean and Chinese should be offered to help improve East Asian relations. Japan and America love each other, so English is pushed as a means to strengthen political ties. But we really don't need to make our bond any stronger. Korea-Japan and China-Japan relations are horrible. But people love Chinese food and the kids love Korean dramas/music, so why not allow students the choice to pursue these languages in addition to English.

This would mean an overhaul of entrance exams that require English, but I don't see that as a major hurdle. The US has special SAT tests for FL, I am sure Japan could whip up special entrance exams. (In generally, an overhaul of the Entrance Exam System would greatly benefit Japan. Namely: get rid of it).

shootzkden · 2 ヶ月前

I designed a curriculum for preschoolers based on what i thought was important to learn(useful everyday English). I based this a lot off of what i was trying to learn in Japanese(useful basic everyday Japanese). At my school we also have an ECC junior class which is taught by a native Japanese speaker which i observed. I noticed that the ECC class was mostly singing,dancing, and being overly happy and friendly. I also noticed when someone asked our ECC kids something simple in English (How are you?, How old are you?..etc) but, not overly "friendly" and without a big smile on their face they just froze and had a blank look on their face. So the basic curriculum I designed consists of a "basic knowledge" day where we learn the alphabet,animals,food,etc. A "speaking/conversation" day where I have the kids speak and ask each other simple everyday English questions.(What did you have for breakfast today?, What do you like to watch on tv?, What do you like to do for fun?...etc) These are questions that I think is "useful" for everyday kid life(I need to use the toilet, I dont feel good, I dont like that, etc..) This is where you can REALLY see a difference between "my kids" and the "ECC kids". You can walk up to any of my kids and ask them something simple(Do you have any brothers or sisters?, What toys do you like to play with?,etc..) and %90 will at least try to answer, some might not answer the question correctly but, they still are confident to answer. I also have a writing day, where we practise writing the alphabet or small sentences/words(depending on the age). And, I have a "fun" day where i let the kids watch DVDs or play games on the ipads. I personally think English teaching in Japan would be a lot better if the teachers had more freedom with the curriculum/system/teaching style. I dont know first hand but have heard teachers have to follow a strictly set curriculum/textbooks/etc. I really lucked out at the school im at because i have the freedom to change this or that if i notice the kids not being engaged most teachers dont have that luxury, and must still try to teach boring material to bored kids. It took me about 4years to fine tune my curriculum but im happy with the English that my kids(1-6yr olds) learn when they enter elementary school they might not be able to sing and dance as good as the ECC kids but, you can actually talk to them in English. Most everything I teach is also on ipads(except for our conversation day) which the kids love and seem always excited to start learning.

borgol · 2 ヶ月前

I know you said "other than the Japanese teachers" but a mandatory year of study abroad for those taking language degrees would make such a massive difference. Fact is that for the majority of JTEs English has never really experienced as it's meant to be - a tool of communication. Instead it's a thick vocab list and a collection of formulas to be memorised. No wonder my 40-year old colleague this morning couldn't understand "how's it going".

Another idea I've seen thrown around is changing the university entrance exams radically. That's all the schools teach for, because that's how they're judged. There's no speaking involved and they're mostly grammar and reading, so why teach anything but that?

Choooooch · 2 ヶ月前

Scrap the rote grammar memorization and instead focus on survival oral communication. Scrap the crappy text and workbooks and work backwards from outcomes (I.e. The students will be able to ask for directions to the store by the end of the unit). Open-ended tasks and more project-based learning (skype interviews for instance) would really give students ownership over their learning. But again, this is Japan we are talking about...

chomskyite · 2 ヶ月前

Have you ever seen an English test in JHS? You forgot "a" full point taken. You forgot the period, full points taken. So kids hate English. High level HS English is focused on the stupidest grammar points that I can barely explain, it's the equivalent of calculus, good excercise for the brain, but if you are not going to be an engineer who needs it? Learning has to be made more fun and forgiving. With my 2 stoned years of HS Spanish I can get by because we spoke out loud from day one.

Habnot · 2 ヶ月前

Actually incorporating the ALTs into the system more actively would be a nice start.

Give them a tiered license system based on experience, relevant education training (Offering courses through the government would be nice as well), Japanese level, etc. Make it something where someone can work their ass off and get back what they've put in.

If we're talking about English education as something to facilitate actual conversant speakers as opposed to the current "Well, this weeds out some kids for high school, university, and desired jobs" attitude, we need to develop a culture of English education where the teeth sucking followed by "eigo muzukashii ne" isn't considered the norm.

However, as an ALT myself, the ALT system is by and large a waste of money at the moment. There's just SO MUCH potential for recruiting potentially amazing educators, though. Think about it: You have an entire industry founded on a good percent of its constituents wanting to come here by choice. Use that as a base and try to retain the ones who show an interest in teaching and education. The ones who don't like it? Let them go. It's retention that should be aimed for.

We need a reason to not move on after a few years. Getting native English speakers who are trained, experienced, and willing to stay in the field will go a long way to helping out newer teachers both Japanese and foreign. I have taught so many younger home room teachers some quick and easy tips for getting involved in the class. We aren't working with idiots! They just need a little bit of a push in the right direction and the class improves ten fold practically overnight.

I could go on in detail, but I think the points have largely been made already.

KenYN · 2 ヶ月前

Sack all the ALTs with no relevant qualifications who think they are better than GTO, Kinpatsu-sensei and all the rest rolled into one. Yes, that's everyone in this thread.
Hire ALTs with actual real teaching experience and listen to them.
Downvote people with zero English teaching experience who suggest 1. and 2.

Le_Gambit · 2 ヶ月前

I would love to see a change in some of the text books. I would love to see further division between vocab and grammar. At the moment many teachers follow the books and teach both together. This not only confuses the students but causes the new words to become a distraction to the grammar and vice versa. I would love to see more lessons focused on one or the other, and only teaching grammar points with words that the kids are completely comfortable with.

Gambizzle · 2 ヶ月前

In my opinion the current system isn't completely flawed. I guess the only change I would make is to the perception of English in Japan. Currently English is seen as being a language that ALTs speak perfectly and it's generally spoken between Caucasians.

I don't mind the materials currently being used because they are designed by Japan for Japan. Cultural specificity is necessary. Japanese people are used to funny/cute pictures and their own food/culture, so teaching them English using these things makes sense.

BUT... I think the materials should have more emphasis on ESL/EFL speakers speaking high quality English, and getting the job done. You don't need a white fellow sitting there to teach you how to speak English.

IMO the ALT systems is more a post-WWII 'sweetener' than anything because it's under the guise of 'international exchange'. It's a decent, mutually beneficial system because it basically allows graduates to come over on a gap year and help out in Japanese schools. I question whether this role needs a bit of clarification so that it can suit the modern world. If ALTs are going to come then I think their role needs to be better defined and Japanese teacher training has to have more of a focus on how to use ALTs effectively. This includes getting the most out of them AND cooperating (i.e. not just using them as a walking voice box).

Regulation of the eikaiwa industry might help too. For example in Australia a language school must be NEAS certified, and as a result you get nationally/internationally accredited qualifications when you graduate from Australian language schools. Part of this involves a requirement that ALL teachers must have a TESOL/CELTA. In Japan it is very common for nobody (native teachers and Japanese teachers) to have any relevant teaching qualifications. Given a CELTA takes ~1 month and you can knock over a TESOL in 6 months, I don't think it would be THAT difficult to require them. Not saying there aren't good teachers out there without qualifications, but in my opinion setting some standards would up the quality of education being delivered in my opinion. It might also justify pay rises...etc and give parents more guidance when choosing an eikaiwa. IMO many parents are tricked by high pressure marketing into buying expensive materials created by language schools. I question whether all of these materials are up to scratch.

So in summary:
1. More emphasis on communication between ESL/EFL speakers in USEFUL situations (rather than Japanese people greeting foreign visitors in poor English as a form of 'international exchange'... whatever that is, it still sounds like a post-WWII sweetener).
2. More clarification about what ALTs actual role is, and more training for teachers/ALTs about how to cooperate/deliver the curriculum. Possibly long-term career options for ALTs who are willing to skill up, train and take it as being more than simply a 'gap year'.
3. Regulate the hell out of the eikaiwa industry because right now it's the wild west and a lot of time/money's being spent on education that doesn't give you a qualification, and doesn't necessarily teach you much.

sleazysauce · 2 ヶ月前

Actual Teaching Methodology - The student teaching program here is a joke. Student teachers spend about 2 weeks in a school. They have no idea how to plan lessons or organize the curriculum. It's not surprising that many teachers read straight out of the textbooks. They have no idea how to begin planning a lesson and organizing units. (This is really a complaint about the lack of requirements and learning in many Japanese universities.)
Japanese teachers - Teachers need some level of immersion when learning English. They should be required to study abroad for a semester in college to get a better grasp on western culture and the English language. To be fair though many of the younger teachers I have worked with have been great compared to the older ones. There are also a lot of students who do spend a semester abroad now.
Start younger - Take the ALTs and use them provide some immersion style learning (this means spending more time interacting instead of 30 min. once a month doing the hokey pokey) for younger students (ALTs will need a bit of training, but nothing drastic). The elementary kids are still learning how to be a Japanese citizens and are more likely to be assertive and less afraid of speaking up. They are also more likely to want to communicate and won't be as worried about what their peers think. Children have less mental barriers and it will be easier for them to acquire/learn a new language.
Tests - Most universities don't have speaking tests for English. Teachers are meant to help students succeed. Why waste time teaching students how to communicate when it won't help them get into college? The tests have to change before teaching and the curriculum does.
Differentiation - Japan does a great job rewarding students who can memorize. The school system as a whole does nothing to help students who learn in other ways. It makes me want to tear my hair out every time I think of how many smart students fall through the cracks because they don't learn well by repeatedly copying or reading the same thing.
Curriculum Coordination between Schools - Many prefectures don't have any links between ES, JHS, and HS. HS teachers have no idea what the ichinensei actually know when they arrive. It is difficult to teach when you are completely unaware of students' abilities. There needs to be a more organized transition and level of standards that allows for a cleaner move between schools/grades. If it wasn't so sad, it would be comical that everyone is unaware of what everyone else is teaching.
Change the Definition of Internationalization - I used to think of internationalization was about meeting, learning about, and interacting with new people, then I moved to Japan. Here it is about seeing people different than you and learning how they're different or what weird things they do. People seem so intent here on highlighting differences when they should focus on finding similarities. You don't develop a relationship or learn how to relate to someone by asking if they do odd things. I will admit things seem to be getting better. Although too often I've seen events where the foreigners are isolated and asked previously thought out questions after giving a talk about their country and then it ends. No genuine interaction takes place a lot of the time. This is why I think ALTs are important. They spend actual time interacting with the kids. Kids realize that foreigners are a lot like them and maybe it would be fun to communicate or meet new people.
No MORE KATAKANA - Why add an extra step that hinders pronunciation? People wouldn't think English words end in vowels if teachers didn't insist on making students use katakana for English words. It's not necessary and it is not as hard as some people pretend. The English alphabet is nothing compared to the amount of Kanji students learn. Skip the katakana and do everyone a favor by teaching them the alphabet they will have to use in HS anyways.

Some of these things could be fixed easily and others would require drastic changes and a lot of time. I also believe a lot of things in Japanese culture work against language learning/acquisition. Things like aisatsu don't really translate as we don't have that level of formality when it comes to greetings and ceremonies. I feel like a lot of kids get stuck in a rut for repeating the same phrases because it would make sense for people to always say "I'm fine" in the same way they are required to say ohayo gozaimasu or otskaresama desu. The lack of assertion is a killer. The only way to improve your second language is to speak up and look stupid. You will learn from your mistakes. This is a problem in any country, but here it seems to just be bigger.

kabajingai · 2 ヶ月前

A lot of the frustrations with the English teaching system in Japan is very similar to inadequacies in foreign language teaching in the UK. The British government passed a mandate recently forcing primary school kids to learn a foreign language. Except 95% of the teachers in that sector don't have any qualifications in a foreign language and haven't studied it in years.

Personally I think they should be fast-tracking foreigners onto a training course so they can become fully qualified language teachers in Japan. The problem with this though is that not many people would go through the effort of learning Japanese to N1 and beyond and even more would not want to live in Japan for a long-time. (But maybe this would increase if should conditions existed, who knows?)

o33o · 2 ヶ月前

Stop trying to teach about robots, land mines, global warming, different kinds of cherry trees, the holocaust or natural disasters in English. Kids can learn about those in Japanese in social studies class.

Teamonsterggg · 2 ヶ月前

Perhaps doubling up the amount of classes and finally using the ALTs properly. The JTEs teach the new stuff in one period then students practise it with the ALT a little later. There seems to be wilful ignorance or actual ignorance of the whole idea of learning with a native speaker so have JTEs read up on that and finally GET WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR ALL THESE YEARS.

Have the JTEs use English as much as possible, as it isnt uncommon to have while classes in which little to no English is spoken at all. Offer counselling and reassurance that native speakers arent there to show them up but help them. Perhaps make a mandatory class once a week with the ALT teaching the JTEs things such as Basic commands and how to conduct a full class in English.

Have the ALT do after school classes that are optional for students who are interested in English. Let this be a smaller, more informal affair with DVDs, games and so on.

Students could learn to read and write at elementary school. I know this is hard but I have managed it many times over before. Run a phonics module early on.

Related to the above - get the dispatch companies such as Interac out of here! They are penny pinching and damaging everything. If you look at how they have squeezed the wages over the rrecent years, you'll see what I mean. The BOEs still pay the same money but the teachers now get a lot less in wage and holiday time. I guarantee you ALT quality and effort is sliding down accordingly. They (dispatch companies)arent needed and intefere with everything.

loveandhugs · 2 ヶ月前

Changing the current teaching system is a monumental task because the problem lies in a whole bunch of things

1) The teaching system relies too heavily on memorization and not enough on actual learning. I know this point has been repeated thousands of times before, but as an ALT it's disheartening how much time kids waste learning useless shit. I remember when I used to teach at JH, the kids were memorizing these stupid passages about New Zealand and seeing eye dogs which they memorized perfectly. And yet if you asked them 'What do you do for fun'? they had no idea how to answer. Similarly, I've seen kids practicing how to write words they didn't know the meanings or pronunciation of.

2) The ALT system is a joke and I say this as someone who enjoys some aspects of the job. The companies don't give a shit about you so there's no incentive so stay for long. Also, you might end up getting moved around from place to place, making it difficult for you to really work at improving the curriculum.

3) The BOEs are also at fault for contracting these companies without caring about the teachers either.

4) At the elementary level, there are no grades or tests given so kids have no incentive to study.

onchroe · 2 ヶ月前

Who gives a shit? If you want to learn a foreign language, you'll learn it. I seriously doubt any of the people on this subreddit who learned japanese to a business functional or fluent level would attribute their success to their college classes or whatever.

The only way to learn a language is to be surrounded by it constantly. I took years of spanish in middle and high school and remember hardly anything. Improving the curriculum is hopeless, because even if it was improved to 100%, it would still have 0% effect. You don't learn a language in a class. You learn it through life.

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