The Latest News in ELT

March 2004

English Teachers Found Lacking
An education ministry survey has found the vast majority of public school English teachers to be lacking in language ability. A ministry plan laid out last year called for almost all English teachers to have passed the pre-first level of the Practical English Proficiency Test (known as STEP, or "eiken" in Japanese), but the survey shows that about 90% of junior high and 80% of senior high teachers have failed to do so. The numbers for teachers who have scored the expected 550 or higher on the TOEFL or 730 on the TOEIC are even worse. The survey of 22,000 middle school teachers and 21,000 high school teachers was carried out by 45 regional boards of education and the results released at a ministry-sponsored forum last weekend. (March 31, 2004 )

English Education Reform Zones Steaming Ahead
Among the latest batch of 95 government-approved structural reform zones officially announced last week are eight cities and towns which proposed plans related to English education: Kakuda, Miyagi Prefecture; Mito, Ibaraki Pref.; Koriyama, Fukushima Pref.; Nara, Nara Pref.; Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref.; Shimosuwa, Nagano Pref.; Ikeda, Osaka Pref.; Urasoe, Okinawa Pref. Most are based on integrating English into the elementary school curriculum. In Urasoe City, English will be introduced from the first grade at all public elementary schools, for 1 or 2 hours a week. In the case of Nara, there is also an emphasis on it's reputation as a World Heritage site. Mito City will include English as part of play activities at kindergartens.

Meanwhile in the Gunma Prefecture city of Ota, the very first approved reform zone, a new English-language cram school is due to start from April 1. The school will help students prepare for a new integrated school set to open in April 2005. Despite worries that a school which teaches all classes – except Japanese – in English would not be viable, there has been a lot of demand for places and teaching jobs. 224 students sat the entrance exam for the 150 places at the cram school (90 first grade, 60 third grade) and 82 people have applied for the 10 teaching posts at the proposed school. One possible remaining obstacle is the issue of textbooks, which must be appproved by the education ministry. Officials at the proposed school have opted to translate previously approved texts. ()

Shane Expands to Kyushu, Vietnam
Shane English School Japan recently announced a new business relationship with one of Japan's largest juku (cram school) chains, Meiko Gijuku Corporation. In joining forces with Shane, Meiko assumes the role of "Master Franchisee" in Japan, providing access to significant numbers of potential students. Meiko will open its first Shane English School Franchise in Yakuin, Fukuoka City, Kyushu on April 10. Expectations are that eventually Meiko will go on to help establish further Shane Franchise schools in Kyushu and beyond. An Assistant Director of Studies for Kyushu will be appointed to help train, support and co-manage the seven teachers there. Together with the opening of Nagoya District, this new development points the way for Shane English School's future expansion in Japan, beyond its main base in Tokyo.

Further afield, Shane recently received a licence from the Ho Chi Minh government to operate Shane English Centre Vietnam. Shane bought out International English Centre Vietnam – which already offered Shane courses to over 300 students – in 2002 and spent a year applying to become one of the very first 100% foreign-owned English language schools to open in the country. Two new branches will be opened in Ho Chi Minh City over the course of 2004. September will also see the school hold its first in-country teaching skills course for GAP volunteers about to begin work in Vietnam. The Vietnamese ELT market is growing rapidly in the two largest cities and the country is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for ELT professionals. (March 30, 2004 )

LIOJ to Close, Reopen as LIOJ-II
Jim Kahny will be stepping down as director of Language Institute of Japan (LIOJ) at the end of March, and the institute in its present form will close. From April 1, a new school, "LIOJ-II," will begin, and a triumvirate of Keisuke Nakayama (CEO), Kazumi Masuda (general manager), and Stuart Abrahamson (director of studies) will form the new leadership team. The 2004 academic year will be a transitional period for LIOJ-II and few changes are planned. Kahny says, "It has been my great honor to serve as director of LIOJ for the past eight years. It has been a privilege to work with students and participants in all our programs. I have enjoyed working alongside many dedicated teachers and office personnel. I am grateful to the MRA Foundation for the opportunity to learn so many things at LIOJ. To those responsible for implementing LIOJ-II, I extend my best wishes for a happy, healthy future."
Language Institute of Japan ()

English Teacher Dies in Hit and Run
A fisherman was arrested Sunday on suspicion of negligence and hit-and-run in a Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, road accident in which an English teacher from the United States was killed and his compatriot seriously injured, police said. Jeffrey Sanderson, 23, was killed when he was hit at a crossing by a passenger car that sped off. Patrick Pope, also 23 and an English teacher, was seriously injured by the same car and then by another car, they said. (Kyodo News) (March 29, 2004 )

Nova Hit for "Abuse of Power"
Last Friday, the Kyoto District Court ordered Nova English language school to reverse a decision to transfer a teacher for union activism. American teacher Robert Bisom (60) was transferred from the Shijo Kawaramachi school in Kyoto to another branch last year, for reasons he alleged were related to his involvement in a labor union. He took the case to court last October. In handing down his decision, Judge Hidetoshi Asada said the court found "no professional necessity for the relocation". He added, "I believe the decision to relocate him was based on his labour union activities. The transfer was an abuse of power." Bisom, a Nova teacher since 1997, joined the nationwide union in 2001 and was active in encouraging other teachers to join. ()

News Roundup
A roundup of some recent ELT-related news and articles since mid-March:

Last week, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi launched an English version of his widely read e-mail newsletter. U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker contributed an essay titled, "The Best Team" to mark the 150th anniversary of the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Peace and Amity.
Japan, U.S. to fete friendship (link will expire)

A Korea Herald article reveals one high school teacher's misgivings about the education system in his country, which sound very similar to those ofgten voiced in Japan.
Reform Korean education

In his March 25 Practical Linguist column in the Daily Yomiuri, Marshall Childs wrote about how pragmatics is at the center of an emerging modern language theory - what he calls the "attractor theory". He discusses the importance of sociologial and neurological aspects of language and how corpus linguists are "poised to take the place of grammarians".
Practical Linguist (link will expire)

The Utah Daily Chronicle recently reported on the death in a traffic accident of 23-year old Japanese university student Yasuo Iwasaki. Described by his ESL teacher as "an amazing student", he was planning to obtain an ESL degree and return to teach English in Japan. He died on the way back from a trip with friends to the Grand Canyon when their car rolled over on an Arizona highway.
U student dies on a Spring Break road trip

The March 10 "Quote of the Day" from a 38-year old mother on the Japan Today site: "I started my daughter learning English when she was 2. Now she's 10, but can't speak either English or Japanese properly. Rather than being bilingual, she's hopeless in both languages."
Readers' comments ()

Changing Boats Mid-stream
Robert Habbick, a veteran ELT publishing consultant and well known presenter has left Oxford University Press to take the position of ELT Manager at Macmillan Language House. Habbick, an ELT senior consultant at Oxford, worked for OUP for thirteen years, including assignments in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. He starts at Macmillan from April. (March 12, 2004 )

Asian Dimension of English
The English-Speaking Union of Japan and Keio University will sponsor a lecture by The Lord Watson of Richmond, CBE, Chairman of the International Council of the English-Speaking Union on April 13. The lecture, on the theme of "Asian Dimension of English", will be held at Keio's Mita Campus. Lord Watson is a member of the UK House of Lords and a former presenter of the BBC programme Panorama. Admission is free and the lecture will be followed by a cocktail reception (¥2,000)
Details (Japanese) | Access map ()

And They're...Off
The education ministry has decided to undertake a formal study on whether English should be made a compulsory subject at the elementary school level. Under instruction from Education Minister Takeo Kawamura, a panel of foreign language experts of the Central Council for Education is to start discussions in April with the aim of choosing a direction within the next academic year. Whether to introduce English to the primary school curriculum will be considered as part of the overall plan to improve English levels during the course of compulsory education. The ministry has stated that even if it is decided to make English compulsory for younger students, the effect on other subjects must be considered before such a plan would be implemented. The teaching license system would also have to be revised.
Story in Japanese | Education Ministry (March 11, 2004 )

Fatal Misunderstanding
The Australian Daily Telegraph carried an article yesterday on how foreign tourists have died due to a lack of language skills. In particular, it told of 19-year-old Japanese student Shohei Kusano, who died on a notorious strip of Bondi Beach because he didn't understand the flags posted on the waterfront. Other visitors interviewed on the beach clearly didn't understand the meaning of the red and yellow flags used to indicate dangerous waters.
Article: Our tourists are dying of confusion ()

Stirring Up a Hornet's Nest
The recent (February 24) Japan Times article on the "McDonaldization" of English teaching in Japan seems to have "provoked a flurry of responses". Yesterday's edition of the newspaper carried a selection of letters from readers, most agreeing with the article's criticisms of the eikaiwa industry, but some taking writer David McNeill to task for presenting only one side of the story.
Rumble in the Whiteboard Jungle | Original article (March 10, 2004 )

E-wave of the Future
Yesterday's Daily Yomiuri carried an article on NPOs trying to address the lack of direction in primary school English education. The Association for Planning Reforms in Education, known as "e-wave", is one such non-profit organization, which recently held its first examination of elementary school teaching skills. Based in Gifu Prefecture, where the take-up of primary school English is nearly 100%, e-wave is "planning to display the names of good teachers on our Web site. I hope our efforts will be recognized publicly," according to founder Norio Nakamura. Another similar organization featured is STETS Nagano, which holds certification tests twice a year as well as five seminars annually. According to organizer Tokio Watanabe, "English taught at primary schools should ... not make children dislike English. I think English-language teachers at primary schools are very important for this purpose." He also said, "In primary schools, I think it's enough if children understand English by listening."Daily Yomiuri (link will expire) | E-wave ()

Yu and Me
TV personality and former "idol" singer Yu Hayami (38) has released a CD of English songs with her daughter, who is all of two years old! Hayami and her eldest daughter Alisa sing 24 children's songs on "Let's Sing Together," which was also produced by "mama". Most are classics like the "ABC Song" and "Humpty Dumpty" but there are also 4 original tracks, including "Alisa's Voice." Hayami, who also has a one-year old daughter Karen, spent most of her childhood in the US and speaks fluent English. (March 09, 2004 )

No English For Taiwan Tots
Taiwan's ministry of education has said that it will revoke the licences of kindergartens that teach in English or offer bilingual classes to children under six years old. The move has raised fierce criticism from operators of private pre-schools and parents who believe early exposure to English will boost their children's chances of success later in life. But Wu Tsai-shun, director of the ministry's department of elementary education, said that kindergarten education should focus on health, games, music, general knowledge, first language and identity. "A second language is just not a priority in the education of kindergarten children," he told Taiwan News. (Education Guardian) (March 08, 2004 )

The Use of Electronic Dictionaries
The Electronic Lexicography Society will hold its first convention at the end of this month. There will be 14 presentations on subjects such as the general use of electronic dictionaries, the use of online dictionaries, and how they can be practically used in English composition. The event will be held between 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on March 26 at Waseda University (Building 11, 4th floor, rooms 402 & 403). Participation is free. ()

Symposium on Learner Corpora in Asia
The International Symposium on Learner Corpora in Asia will be held at Showa Women's University in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo on March 13 & 14. The event aims to gather those involved in designing, compiling and using corpora of second language learners for the purpose of studying interlanguage features, second language acquisition, and language teaching and learning, especially in Asian contexts. There is a workshop (¥1,000) and reception (¥3,000) on the Saturday and lectures on the Sunday (free). Reception (Saturday): 3,000 yen
International Symposium on Learner Corpora in Asia (March 05, 2004 )

Eijuken Meeting
The Kanto branch of the Japan Association for the Study of Teaching English (Eijuken) will hold its 107th regular meeting later this month. There will be presentations on such topics as the use of e-mail to increase writing skills and setting the rhythm and tempo of a class. The event will be held at a Tokyo junior/senior high school affiliated with Tsukuba University on Saturday, March 20. Admission for members is free, ¥700 for non-members. For details (Japanese only), see below:
Japan Association for the Study of Teaching English ()

Eiken System to be Revised
The Society for Testing English Proficiency (STEP) has announced changes to its STEP test (known as "eiken" in Japanese). The formats of the first-stage exam at 1st Grade and Pre-1st Grade and the second-stage exam between Pre-1st Grade and 3rd Grade are to be revised. The changes, which are to allow for better measurement of writing and speaking skills, will be applied from June, 2004. In the 1st Grade writing test, composition topics will allow a greater degree of freedom and the length will be doubled from 100 to 200 words. In the first-stage, Pre-1st Grade exam, a new descriptive type of exercise will be added. For the listening test of the top two levels, realistic situations such as meetings, answering machines and airports will be used. In the second-stage exams, there will be an increased emphasis on students expressing their opinions and questions about their daily lives rather than just the chosen topic.
Society for Testing English Proficiency | STEP Announcement (Japanese) | This story in Japanese (March 04, 2004 )

Next ETJ Aichi Meeting
ETJ Aichi is one of the most active of the regional groups of English Teachers in Japan. If you live in the area, you won't want to miss their upcoming workshop, to be held this Sunday, March 7. The topic is "Lesson Planning: As Easy As PIE" by Lesley Ito, co-owner of Sunrise English School in Nagoya. The workshop runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Nagoya Keizai University Takakura Jr/Sr High School, Yokota Campus. Admission is ¥500. To reserve a place (limited to 50), contact Chris Williams.
ETJ Aichi ()

Shane the Matchmaker
Shane Global Village (SGV) Auckland recently witnessed a very happy event when two of the school's students were married. Itsuki Kusuda and Sanae Hanamitsu, both from Japan, are long-standing students at SGV Auckland. They were married at a special ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, located on the harbourside and just a few minutes' walk from the school. The ceremony was conducted by Warwick Thorley, husband of long-standing staff member, Jacqui Thorley, who was assisted by teacher Michael Collins. After the ceremony a reception was held and the occasion was attended by around 50 students, teachers and staff of the school. The best man was another SGV student, Kenji Shibata, who carried out his duties perfectly and later ensured that the drink flowed in order to toast the happy couple! Itsuki and Sanae are now back at school - we wish them every happiness in their new life together.
Click for larger photo (March 03, 2004 )

Study in Canada Fair
The Canadian Education Alliance (CEA) will host a special Spring Study in Canada Fair at the Candian Embassy on March 14. Representatives of more than 25 leading universities, colleges, private language schools and high schools will participate. Admission is free and there will also be a draw to win a free one-month study trip and other prizes. This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan.
Canadian Education Alliance ()

Survey on ELT Working Conditions
The NUGW (National Union of General Workers) has compiled a set of online questionnaires for non-Japanese teachers employed in universities, junior and senior high schools, and language schools in Japan. The aim is to compare their employment conditions with Japanese nationals in the academic year 2003-2004. The deadline for completing the questionnaires is March 31.
Universities | Junior/Senior High Schools | Language Schools (March 02, 2004 )

Kids Choke on English Shoved Down Throat
A recent Mainichi Daily News report: Teaching Japanese kids English from an early age could ruin their brains, a sizzling claim states in Josei Jishin (3/9). With some elementary schools in Tokyo planning to include English on their curriculums from April, hopes have been raised that the traditionally terrible linguistic skills of the Japanese can be improved.

But recent research at Dongduk Women's University in South Korea, a country the women's weekly refers to as an English learning superpower, turns on its head the common belief that instruction in a second language is more effective the younger the student, suggesting that the early start is virtually worthless.

"About 70 percent of the teachers at English language schools for children have no prior experience and you really must question the quality of instructor," one of the Dongduk professors involved in the study tells Josei Jishin. "Loads of side-effects exist in forcing kids to learn English at an early age when they're not ready for it. They develop bad pronunciation habits they struggle to shake off, are enormously stressed out and their cerebral development can be hampered."

Dongduk's finding has sparked a backlash among Japanese educators irked at the national government's decision to force them to shove English down kids' throats at increasingly juvenile ages.
Read the full story ()

Free SIG for JALT Members
Among the changes announced at the annual JALT Executive Board Meeting was that the¥1,500 membership fee will be waived for one Special Interest Group during a one-year promotional period starting April 1, 2004. This year is JALT's 30th anniversary, and it is hoped that this move will foster greater professional development, encourage members to become more active in JALT, and move JALT to be more in line with other international organizations. They also hope that membership will increase as a result of the added value of membership benefits.

In other decisions, the appointment of Amanda O’Brien as the Publications Board Chair, replacing outgoing Chair Brad Visgatis, was unanimously approved; a system of penalties was created to prevent late annual report submissions by regional chapters and SIGs; a three-tiered chapter status system was approved. The system is designed to give newly forming chapters a step-by-step plan to become a "full-fledged" chapter, by defining goals for each of the three steps. It also provides a warning for chapters that are becoming inactive or are experiencing falling membership.

The JALT Executive Board Meeting was held at the Teachers College Columbia University, Tokyo on the weekend of January 24-25 to plan for the upcoming annual conference, to prepare an annual budget, and to discuss motions made by its members.
JALT Web site (March 01, 2004 )

Nadai Gives No Time to Answer
Students taking an English listening test in the entrance exam for Nagoya University had their test papers snapped up before they could finish. After the broadcast section of the test, students taking the exam for the Economics department should have had a minute and a half to answer Part III of the test. But administrators in one of the four classrooms collected papers immediately after the broadcast. All the students affected have been awarded full marks for the section. ()

ETJ Kyoto Kicks Off
The new Kyoto regional group of English Teachers in Japan (ETJ) held its inaugral meeting on February 22nd. Six committee members and 23 participants took part, all teachers of young learners, and more than half of whom were new to ETJ. The committee consists of 3 native-speaker teachers and 3 Japanese, while the participants' make-up was 18 foreign and 5 Japanese. For the first meeting, which co-ordinator Irma Santana described as "buzzing," the format followed small-group discussions of ideas on warm-up activities, together with introductions and exchanges of information. Decisions were also made for the group's next meeting, provisionally planned for mid-March.
English Teachers in Japan ()

Nova Loses Out to Shane
Two of Japan's biggest English conversation schools battled it out on the football pitch in front of a crowd of at least 25 (plus a couple of stray dogs), but it was Shane who came away the winners, beating Nova FC 2-0 in a recent game of the new Tokyo Metropolis League. A goal in each half, the first a penalty (photo), were enough to doom the Nova boys, still missing their captain Daniel Bard, for the 2nd week in row. Shane himself was there to cheers his teachers along, very impressed in their performance as they continued to rise to 3rd place in the 2nd Division table, just above the Saitama JETs.
(Story and photo from Tokyo Metropolis League) ()

Top