Saitama Governor says teachers who dislike the national anthem and flag should quit

July 03, 2009

Many teachers over the years have refused to stand up and sing the national anthem and have been opposed to the raising of the hinomaru (national flag) during school ceremonies. Kiyoshi Ueda, the Governor of Saitama, has now told the prefectural assembly that these teachers should quit. He also said that 'those who do not love their own country will not be respected in other countries.'

Many teachers view the flag and anthem as symbols of Japan's militaristic past. Germany adopted new symbols after World War II but Japan's national symbols largely remained the same. There have been numerous court cases over this issue since the government adopted a strict policy of requiring the flag to be raised and the anthem sung at school ceremonies twenty years ago. In a famous case in 2006 the presiding judge stated in his verdict that 'it is an undeniable historical fact that the Hinomaru and Kimigayo were the spiritual props of Imperialism and militarism from the Meiji Era (1868-1912) until the end of World War II.'

New research indicates that reading to children is not very effective in developing language skills

July 01, 2009

Research carried out by Dr. Frederick Zimmerman and others at the UCLA School of Public Health indicates that reading to children is not an effective way to develop language skills. Engaging babies and children in a basic interactive conversation is far more effective. The report suggests that it is better to talk with children before they go to sleep than to read to them. Even if a baby cannot form words, their basic responses to a conversation help develop language skills.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, 'The researchers looked at 275 families with children up to the age of four and measured their exposure to speech from adults, other children and television. The children were later tested for their "language score" to see how well they could talk and converse themselves, even at such early ages.'

Children exposed to conversations scored six times as high as those who were being read to. They had a greater depth and range of vocabulary and made fewer mistakes - possibly because conversations give adults the chance to correct common grammatical errors. Those who mainly listened, whether to stories or adult conversations around them, showed some improvement but it was described as “weak.” Those who were sat in front of the television showed no improvement but also, despite some commonly held beliefs, showed no negative effects on their language either.

“What’s new here is the finding that the effect of adult-child conversations was roughly six times as potent at fostering good language development as adult speech input alone," Dr Zimmerman said. The average toddler is exposed to 13,000 words spoken directly at them during an average day and 400 "conversations" with adults, the study found. The report recommends that parents should make more use of these opportunities. “It is not enough to speak to children. Parents should also engage them in conversation," Dr Zimmerman added. “Kids love to hear you speak, but they thrive on trying speech out for themselves. Give them a chance to say what’s on their minds, even if it’s ’goo goo gah.’”

JALT looking for an ETJ member to take part in a panel on 'three-member team teaching'

June 30, 2009

The JALT Domestic Affairs Committee is looking for an ETJ member to be part of a panel at the JALT international conference in November. The topic will be the "three-member team teaching approach" for elementary schools in which a JAT (Japanese assistant teacher -- usually a community member who has a very good command of English) works with the homeroom teacher and an ALT.

If you are an ETJ member who is familiar with this plan and who will be attending the JALT conference, Nov. 21-23 in Shizuoka, and are interested in being on the panel, please contact Marc Helgesen by clicking here. Marc is the ETJ Coordinator who is in charge of ETJ-JALT liaison.