my opinions about Japanese Eng;lish education ( No.2)

Here is my opinion about Japanese English education. (NO.2)

（小学校での英語教育について）

３、小学校での英語の授業は必要か？
(Do you agree with having English classes in primary schools?)
I agree with the idea that a language should be taught when a learner is younger. Obviously, the younger is the better when it comes to learning a language, especially in terms of pronunciation. So I think teaching English in primary schools is a good idea. Having said that, it’s totally up to the teachers, teaching methods and materials to decide whether this attempt is going to be successful or be another depressing disaster.

４、小学校から英語を始めることで日本人の英語力は向上すると思うか？
(Do you think Japanese people's English ability will improve by starting English education in elementary schools?)

As I mentioned above, it completely depends on how the teachers teach and what kind of teaching materials to be used. If they can teach properly, I am certain that pupils learn English and be communicative in English. But it is just a start, it shouldn’t be stopped at the elementary school level. It has to be continued onto middle school and high school too. I think there are some changes should be made in higher English education systems too, such as shifting the entrance examination for university or college to less grammar and reading based and more communication-based one so that there will be more listening and speaking classes in the middle and high school.

５、小学校英語教育の問題点、そしてその改善方法は？
What kind of problems are there in the current English education at primary schools? How can we solve the problems?

I think there are many problems in the current education systems in elementary schools. The biggest problem among them is the teacher’s poor English language and teaching skills.

It is no wonder that elementary school teachers are worried about English classes because not only they themselves can’t speaking English and but also they have no ideas about teaching English. I think most of the teachers have forgotten about English itself since they were not required to study English to become an elementary school teacher. Honestly, we shouldn’t rely on those teachers who are not confident in their English and teaching skills. How can you teach properly when you are not sure about what you are doing? I have to admit that present Japanese elementary school teachers are striving to do their best and giving as good lessons as they can. But I still think that is not good enough. Local municipalities and schools are trying to support the teachers by giving intensive English courses where teachers can learn teaching skills and lesson plans and speaking sessions with native speakers. However, the most important thing is the teacher’s English skills. If they are going to teach English as a main teacher, their English has to be very fluent. As an English language learner, I have to say that it takes years to become fluent in a language. Anyway present elementary school teachers are already having a lot on their plates so I don’t think they should teach English.

I think the education ministry should give up on forcing current elementary school teachers to teach English to pupils. Native English teachers should teach English as a main teacher and as a support teacher, the education ministry should consider hiring Japanese professional teachers of English language education. There is a non-profit institution called J-shine and they train and accredit private English instructors so that they have enough ability to teach English in elementary schools. More and more private English instructors are acquiring the certificate and they are waiting to work in schools.

I am not saying that we should do as I’ve suggested forever. We should introduce this teaching system as a temporary solution and at the same time we should train prospective teachers in universities. University students have more time to learn English and teaching skills so they can be fluent in the language and more capable of teaching English.

Lastly, I find it disgusting to know the attitude of the education ministry. I have to say that they are not serious about the English education in elementary schools. I think like this because they don’t provide detailed curriculum or teaching methods to teachers. They devised this textbook called EIGO NOTE but they said that basically teachers can do anything in their English classes, which can create a big difference among pupils’ English abilities when they enter junior high school. I have to say that the ministry has introduced this English education in elementary schools just because other Asian countries are doing it. I think it is quite superficial and it won’t change anything until people in the ministry change their attitudes.

my opinions about Japanese Eng;lish education ( No.1)

Here is my opinion about Japanese English education. (NO.1)

第３回テーマ　日本の英語教育

１、少なくとも６年間は英語を学習しているにもかかわらずなぜ日本人は英語がしゃべれないのか？

(How come Japanese People are very bad at speaking in English even though we learn it for at least 6 years at school? )

・ Lack of motivation and definite reasons for learning English because English is not so important in Japanese society. People’s lives and careers don’t rely on English skills.

・ People have forgotten that English is a language and a means of communication. English is considered just as a school subject and students are studying English just to pass exams which stress grammar and reading. Hence Japanese English education is based on grammar and translation-based learning, not listening and speaking.

・ Teachers themselves have been taught in the old-style grammar and reading-based teaching method and they can’t speak English fluently. They don’t have a clue about how to teach kids to improve their listening and speaking skills. And poor English listening and speaking ability in teachers creates nothing better in students.

・ English is not spoken in English classes to give commands and instructions to students. Mainly Japanese is used in classes.

・ English textbooks are full of explanations and instructions in Japanese not in English.

・ The full potential of native English teachers is not being utilized during English classes. They are just used to practise English words and sentences over and over again like a parrot.

２、どうすれば日本人の英会話力は向上すると思うか？（改善策など）
(What could be done to improve Japanese people's English communication ability?

I have come up with three ideas to improve Japanese people's English skills ( especially for students).

・Creating a new style of teaching.

Making the most of native English teachers and let him/her teach English alone for one period and then Japanese teachers review the class and teach grammar in the next period. In this case, Japanese teachers are not supposed to speak during the native teacher’s session so that the students can concentrate on English the native teacher is saying.

・ Motivating students by creating an oral communication test and making it requirement for the exam.

Currently students are studying English for entrance examinations of university or college which put emphasis on reading and grammar. This is the main reason why grammar and reading are mainly taught in schools. I think it is very difficult to give a speaking test for each examinee because of time constraints. So instead, we should create a new oral communication test like Eiken( but the new test targets listening and speaking skills) and require students to have a high score of the test before they apply for the exams. Then students have a reason to improve their listening and speaking skills. We should also make writing and reading test easier so that students can have more listening and speaking classes.

・Creating an English only TV channel ( especially for children)

People watch TV every day. If there is a TV channel that broadcasts nothing but English programs ( mainly children’s shows), available every day, it could be a very good opportunity for children to become familiar with the language and learn a lot from it.

*This article has been corrected.