Hi, guys!
I am about to go for a run but I thougt it would be nice to tell you what I think about English education in Japan.
Yesterday, I had a lesson with one of my favorite students who teaches English for kids. I think that she is a great teacher because she speaks great English and she really thinks about her students all the time.
At the same time she is a great teacher, she is also a great learner. I love her English learning attitude.
We both have a experience doing TESOL although her specialty is teaching kids and mine is teaching adults. I have known that she did TESOL but We haven't talked about our opinions about teaching English and the English education in Japan.
However, we somehow started talking about those things at the end of the lesson yesterday and that let me think about a lot of things about English in Japan.
I reckon that it is super hard for Japanese students to learn practical and authenic English in Japan unless you go to international schools. Maybe Japanese goverment has done a lot of things to improve this situations in the past few years. but do you clearly see the difference? I don't think so.
Text books we use in Japan (Total English is widely used) is easy to teach but isn't practical. And sadly not many teachers in school speak great English. I reckon that their grammer skils and reading skils are wonderful but in terms of speaking, I don't think they are great at it.
I really wanted thouse situation would change in the near future but it doesn't seem easy to happen -even a small change. ..
So, what can I do as a teacher?
I think what I can do and have to do is to let my students enjoy speaking English and also give them lots of opprtunities to speak English not only with me but also foreigners.
I can't change those English education systems in Japan easily but I can easily let my students enjoy speaking English. Then if my students advertise how fun English is, others might start learning it too.
I hope this "positive leaning chain" (I named it) will spread all over Japan.
I really wish it will happen.
Last week, I found a great sentence on my notebook. It seems I wrote it when I was in TESOL class. (because it was on my TESOL notebook!!)
"Just learning gramatical rules and sturucture doesn't give learners enough help with learning how to communicate, which is the main purpose of language. "
I think this is so true. I don't know what you think but it's worth to think about it once more.
Why are you learning English?
Why do you want to speak English?
Japanese goverment can not chaneg English education in Japan.
I can not change it either.
but if you guys who think English is interesting, please spread the "positive learning chain"
It might help to change this situation in Japan.
Have a great day and enjoy speaking English.
If you have any opinion about this article please send me message or e-mail :)
Mari