Japanese people in general know so much more English than American people know Spanish. Just think of all the people who work at Dentsu or Hakuhodo who work in some capacity on multi-national accounts. I worked for one Japanese lady in Ehime who still runs 2-3 schools. Hence, wasei eigo and katakana pronunciation viewed as valid forms of English. He shook his head and said, "not at all." Japanese fail to recognize and/ or honor other cultures and forms of communication as valid. It’s easy to find good questions for reviewing accomplishments and setbacks, but to learn as much as possible from a reflection on your teaching, you have to let your gut talk, too. ALTs are largely ill used in the classroom (I am lucky as my JTEs let me engage with my students and allow me get them engaged as often as possible outside the classroom). Obviously, topics like "[Japanese] people and animals dying in WWII [at the hands of foreigners]" and the seemingly high likelihood that a non-Japanese person may command that you "Freeze!" What does the school education is aiming at? To go back to Cleo's point about being taught mistakes are to be avoided at all costs, this is the biggest problem Japan faces. Pernille Ripp and I talk about how to change things. Learn how to plan, record, and enhance screencast videos students will actually watch. Samsung has destroyed Sony, Panasonic, Sonyo, etc. They also are going with the main purpose of pronunciation, as many falsely think that Japanese don't speak English only because they didn't hear native pronunciation early enough. The number 1 problem I see in English "education" in Japan is just that - Japanese arrogance. No-one became fluent in Latin or Sanskrit just by cramming a few grammar rules and vocabulary for exams. In other words grammar is taught as individual segments with little to no relation to each other, rather than as an integrated whole that has meaning. There are "on" readings (derived from Chinese) and "kun" readings (derived from native Japanese). My friends child entered public school in Grade 1 in Vancouver and the father works remotely from Canada. What's more, saying this basically implies that the person never wants to have the opportunity to work for a multi-national company, which is tragic. This means that they learn that the simple past can be used in a whole load of situations where in fact it is not properly used, so that when the present perfect is finally introduced the explanation of when and where it should be used makes no sense to them, because they've already been using the simple past to do the exact same job. When I asked them if their company did any business abroad or in any form with foreigners, the answer was "no.". Well, what are the J-government's goals for their schoolchildren? Sorry to say this but any ALT here would testify that every Japanese student receives the same kind of pronunciation training as you gave. Why not just start with compulsory Kindergarden English lessons and teach the kids English phoncis. The reason the present perfect is difficult for Japanese is that modern Japanese do not have the present perfect. No one likes it when an administrator plays favorites. Learning English also allows for the possibility of finding work abroad, say in America, or for making business deals with corporations in other countries. It really is a kind of hopelessness to teach in Japan. Not entirely true. The JTEs often teach all the grammar in Japanese, and check that the students can follow the textbook by translating the English into Japanese. the real reasons are the three big M's !!! It’s just awful. Some students are in the room with you. ), Japanese people agree that the current teaching style often limits students to what little English they hear from the teachers and what words are put in front of them. No account? If any of you can honestly disagree go ahead but think carefully about your true motives for coming to Japan before telling me off. They have a "Games and Puzzles for English as a Second Language" book that looks interesting but I haven't seen it in person. Long story short, japanese tend to develop great grammar skill but have poor command of verbal language. This is perhaps emphasised in shame cultures, where one is responsible for ones mistakes as well as that which one does deliberately wrong. Yes, it is difficult at first. Grades impact everything from college admissions to whether students get to go on certain field trips. It takes at best two years of concentrated study to have language skills of a pre defined intermediate level or if you want to go real slow beginner level. My main point is that Japan is more complex in it's view towards anything foreign. This surprised me. My god, sincere apologies! Japanese language lessons in high school are as boring as bat sh*# - both for the students and the teacher delivering them. But what if the favorite is you? But you can't blame the youth. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. They have to designate SOME language, I guess. it's unfortunate but, yes, secondary language study needs to be required in schools, however most kids will do the bear minimum just to pass and will just forget everything they learned because they feel like they don't need it. The criticized use has nevertheless gained such ground that it has practically driven out the other one. And for Internet , well, I really dont see nothing worthy on it for someone to learn English , I see only trash sites and thats it , , because internet is actually big place for trolls and haters, so, its not so happy place to be . A mix of what's trending on our other sites, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2mI0X6p07o. Dialogue journals are a powerful tool for building trust with your students. Well, guess what? Sorry, that's a bit harsh. No, not the old "Japanese kids can't learn English because it's not fun" argument at all. How many times have you watched TV when it's all about people laughing at English mistakes. CH3CHO - I think part of this above statement is that grammar patterns are often directly translated from Japanese phrases to English ones, making the style of English very unnatural. Japanese people should watch episodes of "24" with Jack Bauer to learn English. I really wonder how will knowing English pronunciation would help Japan ? She thinks carefully about what will be useful information for teachers, not just what she is interested in. Students in junior high and high school would regularly be sent abroad to boost their English language skills, and schools and the government would create more opportunities in which students could encounter English within Japan. Many years after high school Spanish, I can read most of a Spanish newspaper but cannot hear/speak much at all. This is certainly not limited to Japanese learners, but how many time do you hear a student say, âIâm Japanese, so I will never use English in the future.â Studying English as a language is one of the least interesting things about it. This goes back to 1963, one year before Tokyo Olympics. Such changes usually take time though. "Barbarians"? Japan is basically ever becoming more and more marginalised. I did the bare minimum to pass my classes, and can stumble through a painful bit of conversation in Spanish if I want to. However, this style of learning has been adapted to teach English and it does not work. This makes for slow progress no matter how qualified the teacher. The problem isn't, at its root, anything to do with language. They were smiling as I waved goodbye. Not much room for English there... a/ False mythology about the utility of English. You don’t need an English degree to get really good at helping students build writing proficiency in your content area. So what happened? Good strategies are good strategies no matter what area you’re in; so much is so applicable for everyone! I would like to think that members of the BOE and many JTEs would be reading this, as well. Making each student feel known and respected is always important. If you do not develop the ability by a certain age, you will never get the ability. Anyone who learns English as a second language is influenced by the pronunciation system of the mother language. In this day and age, when multiculturalism is on the rise and with the job climate being so uncertain, learning more than language is becoming crucial as opposed to simply beneficial. Grammer is the biggest hurdle. Students need massive input, and they need a chance to meaningfully use that input to make choices and communicate meaningful responses. Senior teachers model teaching practices for the new teachers, and new teachers are heavily pressured to fall in line with what their seniors advise. In this post, I’ll share my method for teaching argumentative writing. How can we have productive, healthy conversations with students about these issues? To learn anything, you must try and make mistakes. Tests, textbooks, translation...these elements may be symptoms but they aren't the disease. English and Japanese have very similar sounds. The article mentions China and Korea, and this is relevant. "A large number of educated speakers and writers, for whatever reason, object to disinterested in the sense 'uninterested, unconcerned'--a sense it previously had but lost for awhile--and want the word to have only the meaning 'impartial, unprejudiced.' Once again I learned something new! In this narrative, they are taught little about the role of the Kempeitai and how Japanese people suffered at the hands of other Japanese people, or about Japan's role in causing others to suffer â and by extension that Japan's role as victim and perpetrator should underpin the nation's desire for peace. “I’m so sorry to have wasted your time,” she said, “but my husband and I just listened to it and we realized that if our daughter ever heard it, she would die of embarrassment.”. Google translate (etc) are getting better and better such that a University worker with TOEIC 500 level finds it more expedient to use Google translate than his own English skills, at least in the first instance. The reasons your students (or audience members) aren’t participating the way you want them to, and some new things you can try to get a better response. Looking at it from the Japanese students' point of view, that's 2,000 individual sounds that they've never heard before in their lives and never had to make with their mouths. It’s time to re-establish YOURSELF as the one in charge of your classroom. So, it may be difficult for you to relate to the average Joe learning things. Too many schools are producing non-readers at an alarming rate, but it doesn’t have to be that way. One student asked me in a jr. high, 2nd grade class, "Where do you live?" How many people speak English in this World ? I answered, "Yes - my wife and I live here in Japan." When the usual approach doesn’t work, try something different. Yes! What the hell were they learning in their compulsory English classes at school? And their work was plenty rigorous. There seems to be no magic wand to learn any foreign languages. Better if pairs are matched in skill. Here’s a step-by-step guide. ••• Tag them to make sure they apply…” These four research-based principles of instruction will help you focus on what really moves the needle. Pedro Noguera shares ten ways educators can do just that. You do not understand the difficulties of learning a second language. What you said is far often too true (although there are many exceptions). if a student really wants to conquer the second language, they may be held back by the relaxed lessons that don't push the students too hard. So, if Japanese students have to learn specific material for the tests, why should they learn anything else? When is ISN'T about the tests. WHEN they start learning English is not the problem, it's HOW they learn it and WHO they learn it from. Point taken. I'd put that at more than half the problem. Zaretta Hammond helps clear things up. @ratpack. 56:49 Guest(s): Greg Wimmer, Wes Ward, Jim Grandi. 45:26 Guest(s): Katie Novak, Mirko Chardin. Firstly, what is 'Native Speaker English'? when the present perfect is later introduced, the students have no clear idea when or how to use it or what it means, because up to now they thought they were doing quite OK with the simple past. The future for Japan is not so rosy. "I looked at a movie" is going to get your meaning across. Why was it that I was suddenly able to wax lyrical in appalling French? On the other hand, I never had the opportunity to formally study Japanese (a much, much more difficult language than Spanish, at least for the vast majority of native English speakers), but I chose it for myself, and I was extremely motivated, learned very quickly, and continue to derive great pleasure and value from Japanese. This was because the only foreign language teachers they had for the program taught Spanish and French. Celebrating Think-Pair-Share, the Little Strategy That Could, and sharing some best practices for making it work for you. Make English (or maths, or history, or chemistry, or literature) as exciting to a kid as a Monopoly board or a video game, and kids will study without being nagged or tested. So this circle of people who can't speak a single word of correct English continues despite learning it for years in middle and high school. Almost all English speakers don't even bother with correct spelling and grammar when writing (just look on the Internet and you'll see) so why should they be so criticized for mistakes? I answered "Yes I do, but not here." Best shared over a bowl of ramen. Their main purpose is to get the phone numbers of their female students. They said so, just to flatter you in appreciation. Here’s how it works. I guess we have to wait a few more years to see if the kids who started learning from 5th grade are any better, but I'm not holding my breath. The author is spot on. This will never happen unless part of the curriculum involves students spending at least one year abroad studying in an English speaking country. The solutions to many of our education challenges are things we could start doing tomorrow. I even did not come up with the expression, "Pass me the salt" in college cafeteria. The Poor English all around leads to teaching to the examination in university, like it or not. Students would have to accomplish real tasks using language, and those tasks would form the context in which students discover the language. The sit-and-get, one-size-fits-all model is disappearing. English is the current de facto language for people that speak different languages to communicate with. No-one says that German is enough. If we want to provide timely, regular, formative, and meaningful feedback, we need to diversify our practices. As the author pointed out, much of the internet is presented in English. How to run a classroom where each student is working on a different thing, at a different speed? There’s a new movement of teachers who are giving up traditional grading and finding different ways to measure student learning. Japanese social science. For example, students are given made-up passages to read and study that use (e.g.) A digital curation project is a fast way to engage critical thinking in any content area. This is because non-meaning is as scary as death (Proulx & Heine, 2006; Heine Proulx, & Vohls, 2006). English is IDIOTIC language. American Slavery is a difficult topic to teach, and for decades, we haven’t been doing a very good job of teaching it. The fact that you would ask this on a Japanese news website that's written in English is quite frankly disturbing. They need to focus on both writing and communicating because when a student writes "boru" instead of ball thats what theyll say and when they say "boru" thats what theyll write. The idiotic teacher I refer to above also scolded my daughter when she taught the girl next to her how to say 'thank you' instead of 'sank you'.....gotta love the japanese 'I have no friggin idea how to speak english but I'm teaching it to the kids' teachers in this country. I got my first indication of the system of teaching English in Japanese universities in 1971 when living in a boarding house with a Japanese university student. This incredible program combines English, history, and art in a project-based, student-directed learning environment. The ability to speak English fluently and accurately does not come from practicing speaking English, studying grammar and memorizing vocabulary lists, but by listening to truly interesting stories and reading truly interesting books. That's maybe affecting their English learnings yes. Do you have a family?" Japanese made cheaper and more reliable cars than the British companies did. The program requires study in a foreign language. ), te, to etc. Explore six different ways to add more movement to your classroom. Languages have grammar. —Ms Bobbalina. Same as my wife now has the ability to distinguish between R and L when listening, even if she cannot effectively speak either sound with great accuracy. Should be able to come up with more examples, but my brain is fried from waking early to watch collegiate football. And agreed with. And so, Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) focus on the grammar and vocabulary that will be on the test. The English language is full of an amazing amount of slang and commonly incomplete sentences that any speaker would be able to comprehend (I can understand "that, get, me" as well as I understand "Get that for me"). So, efforts in mastering it will not be a waste of time! And for gods sake, after phonics is taught, there should be no katakana in any English textbooks. They shock me when at the coffee shop they call me Rafael and not Rafiil or Ralph or Rah-phee-el, as it happens in the US. This is true. A lot of Japanese can only speak katakana English. The kids don't feel needs of English because their friends are all Japanese.
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