The Latest News in ELT

June 2005

NHK Molestor Trial Extended
The trial on molestation charges of an NHK director responsible for the popular "Eigo de Shaberanaito" (Can You Speak English?) education-variety show has been extended. Prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for the 39-year old director, who is accused of molesting a high school girl on a Tokaido Line train in April. Sentencing was to have been carried out at the Yokohama District Court this week, but has been postponed to July 12. The defendant received a disciplinary dismissal from NHK on Tuesday.
Eigo de Shaberanaito website
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Korea's First English Teacher's Union
English-language teachers in South Korea are to set up a national union to counter a backlash against foreign workers, according to the Guardian Weekly. The union plan, the first of its kind in the country and considered "long overdue", was agreed at a teacher's conference last month. English language teachers who work on government-sponsored programs are allowed to join a union for Korean teachers, though few do so as the process is drawn-out and complicated. The perceived need to provide union protection for teachers comes in the wake of increased animosity towards foreigners teaching in Korea and a recent crackdown on those working in the country illegally. Ironically it also comes at a time when there is growing demand for English education and the Korean government is trying to increase the number of foreign teachers. An extra 900 teachers are said to be needed in Seoul alone.
S. Korea 'more hostile' for foreign staff
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Tsuda College Explores Children's English Learning
Yesterday's Daily Yomiuri carried an article on Tsuda College in western Tokyo and a volunteer group of students and instructors who are researching English-language education for primary school students. With the cooperation of a local primary school, the group has been developing lessons for students in the third grade and above several times a year. Lessons are topic- rather than grammar-based, focusing on things which are familiar to the students, such as rice. The approach is summed up as being "about what and in what way children talk in English."

College group explores teaching for children (link will expire)
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Osaka Creates Teacher's Guide, DVD
Also in yesterday's Yomiuri was an article on a DVD created by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education to help primary school teachers who are unsure how to integrate English into their curriculum. The BoE made 1,000 copies of the 82-minute DVD, containing scenes of classes conducted at two schools considered successful pioneers of English education, as well as an accompanying teacher's guide. They were distributed to about 730 public schools in the prefecture. On a par with the national average, about 90% of public elementary schools in the region now teach English. But as English is taught only as part of "sogo gakushu" (comprehensive studies), there are no official textbooks or guidelines for how to teach the subject. "The key to keeping students interested in English lessons over an extended period," the guide says, "is to be flexible in responding to your students' and your school's changing circumstances and not to try too hard in organizing classes."
DVD used to guide primary school teachers
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Confessions From an English Boot Camp
An interesting article on OhMyNews.com about a "boot camp" approach to teaching English in Japan, including one at the base of Mt. Fuji. David M. Weber wrote about the 5- and 7-day intensive English courses run year-round by Kanrisha Yousei Gakko. The "Question Training" approach involves a teacher shouting rapid questions at students, who must answer in a similarly intense fashion, similar to a military training camp. Though Weber had his doubts about the effectiveness of some aspects of the courses, he acknowleges that many students came away with a positive impression. (OhMyNews.com is a site run from South Korea with articles submitted by "citizen reporters." It was chosen as one of the Top 50 coolest sites of 2005 by Time magazine)
I Was an English Boot Camp Instructor -or- On Mt. Fuji, no one can hear you scream (while learning a second language)
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Major Eikaiwa's Seen Avoiding Insurance Shake Up
The investigation by the Social Insurance Agency into hundreds of English conversation schools nationwide looks unlikely to produce any real change. It seems that the major chain schools will be able to continue skirting the law relating to full-time employees, at least in its present form (see below). The investigation was looking for schools that fail to enroll their teachers in the company insurance scheme or fail to provide teachers with sufficient information on such schemes. The agency said it was looking at over 750 schools across the country, but the main focus was on the big five.

The biggest eikaiwa school operator, Nova, employs some 6,000 foreign teachers. It recently issued a directive to all teachers that two minutes before and after classes is designated as time for preparation or cleaning up. The remaining time between classes is "free time." The result is that teachers classed as full-timers "work" less than 30 hours a week; Berlitz Japan says that its regulations stipulate that full-timers work 28 hours a week, though in reality the figure is said to be over 30. Only 42 of the company's 1,200 foreign teachers are said to qualify for the employees' insurance scheme; ECC's stance is that none of its 700 or so foreign teachers work more than 29.5 hours a week, and so none qualify for the scheme. Aeon plans for about one third of its 650 foreign teachers to be enrolled. Geos, which employs about 600 foreign teachers, says it has not decided how to respond to the agency.

A Social Insurance Agency spokesperson said, "We expected this investigation to lead to a big increase in enrollment, but even with the new criteria it hasn't happened. There will probably continue to be confusion, but we have made progress in that people are more aware of the criteria." (from an article on asahi.com)

(Foreigners with resident status in Japan -- with some exceptions -- are required to be enrolled in either the national (kokumin kenko hoken) or company insurance (shakai hoken) schemes. The Social Insurance Agency last month clarified its criteria that anyone working at least three-quarters the hours of a full-time employee (40 hours a week) is entitled to join the shakai hoken scheme. Such employees pay 50% of their insurance premiums, with the employer covering the other 50%. Shakai hoken enrollment is usually lumped together with the employees' pension scheme. Regional and individual variations in the various schemes and differences in translation have led to widespread confusion regarding the various schemes. The main force behind the calls for change are the labor unions.)
Article on asahi.com (Japanese)
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A Zooper Day Out!
Despite the poor weather at the begining of the month, more than 260 Shane English School students in the Chiba district awoke to a bright, sunny and hot day for their much anticipated zoo event on Sunday June 12th. The students, aged from 5-14, attended together with their parents, and with a significant number of teachers, Japanese staff and managerial staff also on hand, the total number of SES people involved was well over 500!

Students and staff were divided into 15 teams, each required to visit 7 'zones' around the zoo to answer questions on the animals in that zone and perform an animal action and sound. Stickers were awarded to each student after completing a zone's tasks and these were added to the zoo map booklet. After a "lion-sized" lunch, each team was then asked to perform a series of different animal actions and sounds, and prizes were awarded, based largely on artistic interpretation (and volume). The many other visitors to the zoo were treated to 500 people acting and sounding like an elephant - in chorus!
Shane English School Japan web site
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Montessori Infant-12 School Planned for Yokohama
A private operator in Yokohama is to open the nation's first school that takes children all the way from nursery up through elementary school, according to the Daily Yomiuri. Takane Gakuen currently operates a kindergarten in the city's Aoba Ward and runs after-school and Saturday classes for primary school students. The school plans to switch to the 12-year curriculum in 2007, using the Montessori system. One aspect of Montessori that interests observers is interaction between students of different ages, helping to nurture children's social skills. The education ministry will be watching the school's progress carefully, as well as the results of the Montessori system with students older than nursery school age. The system is used at a few private facilities across the country, but currently all are nurseries. Also, as the law stipulates that a school must own the land on which it operates, the school has applied to the Yokohama city government for designation as a structural reform district toallow it to rent land adjacent to the existing kindergarten and expand the school.

Takane Gakuen's President Sumiko Takane said: "Public administration for education is divided into that for nursery school, kindergarten and primary school. But children by nature need a unified education, which should be characterized by discretion and discipline. We've decided to launch a 12-year education system at combined schools partly because there are strong calls for such schools from parents."
12-year nursery-primary school system planned by Yokohama school (link will expire)
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Chonju Aims to be Language Hub
The South Korean city of Chonju aims to become the country's special foreign language education hub. Major projects include language schools in alliance with renowned foreign universities, branches of international schools and foreign language schools for English, Chinese, and Japanese language studies, according to The Korea Times. The city, located in the southern part of the peninsula, also "has plans for establishing cyber foreign language centers, foreign language camps, an English immersion village and the recruitment of foreign language instructors for middle and high schools." Major benefits are foreseen to the regional economy and the 18-billion won (¥1.9 billion) project is funded by a roughly half and half mixture of public and private funds. The city plans to seek approval from the Ministry of Finance and Economy in August, "after holding a public hearing and deliberations by the municipal assembly." ()

Preserving Prestige in the Classroom
In his latest "Indirectly Speaking" column in today's Daily Yomiuri, Mike Guest shares what he describes as "the most valuable teaching skill that I have learned" in 16 years teaching in Japan. He talks about how to deal with the "prestige factor" when calling upon students in class, describing an all-too-familiar situation where a student, when suddenly asked to answer a question in front of his classmates, first consults with those around him before shrugging and remaining silent. Guest provides alternatives approaches to getting the best out of our students, even allowing them to consult one another or speak in Japanese.
Preserving prestige in the classroom (link will expire)
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Maruzen English Teaching Materials Fair
Major bookstore operator Maruzen recently announced that it will hold a Maruzen English Teaching Materials Fair this summer. The fair will take place during July and August at seven stores nationwide (Okayama, Kyoto, Tokyo, Sendai, Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka). The major publishers will display their latest wares and conduct seminars, and books will be available at discount prices. Admission is free but advance booking is required for those wishing to attend.
Maruzen bookstore web site
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Hungry For Words Ties Up With Waseda Juku
Hungry For Words Japan this week announced a tie up with Waseda Juku to add a new category to its free online English study service. "Juken Eigo" is the 11th category to be included in the eFlashcard "mail magazine" service, which delivers topic-based vocabulary, accompanied by sound recordings by native English speakers, by e-mail to subscribers. Other topics include Business, Travel, Fashion and TOEIC. The service currently has over 295,000 subscribers. Since 1979, Waseda Juku has been helping high school seniors prepare for entrance exams to top-tier universities. The company has a database of about 100,000 words that are most frequently used in entrance exams, and also a license agreement with Time magazine to mine its contents for test preparation exercises.
Hungry For Words Japan web site
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ALTs on Stage
A group of foreign residents, including about 30 participants on the JET Program, recently put on a fund-raising play in Fukui City. "The Tale of Wali Dachi" is an original piece written by a CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) from Singapore and an American ALT (Assistant Language Teacher), and is loosely based on an Indian fairytale. It was presented in a mix of about 80% English and 20% Japanese. The play was organized and promoted through the Fukui International Association. All proceeds went via an organization for Indonesian exchange students to support the relief efforts following last December's Sumatra Tsunami. (June 22, 2005 )

Hagi Int'l Uni. Files for Rehabilitation
Hagi International University is to become the first third-level institute to file under the Civil Rehabilitation Law due to a lack of students. With an aggregate debt of over ¥30 billion, the school plans to file today with the Tokyo District Court. Established in 1999, the Yamaguchi Prefecture school received financial support from the prefecture and Hagi city. It has relied heavily on Chinese exchange students and has seen dwindling student numbers and revenues over the last few years. With a maximum enrollment in the international communications department of 300, the course currently has 194 students, 116 of whom are Chinese. The international studies department has just two courses, communications and a course in "golf culture" introduced in 2004 - the school has its own golf course. There is also a business department. In the spring of last year, the faculty was cut from 50 teachers to just 23 in an effort to cut costs. The school decided to file with the court before reaching financial meltdown, in order to protect the students' ability to continue their studies. it is currently operating thanks to financial aid from a Hiroshima company.

According to the education ministry, in the 2003 academic year there were 556 private universities and 436 private junior colleges nationwide. Of those, 30% of the former and 40% of the latter failed to achieve full student enrollment. In April 2003, Risshikan University in Hiroshima Prefecture closed. Most students were able to transfer to other schools nearby. It is not yet known what will happen in the case of the Hagi Int'l U. students.
Hagi International University web site (Japanese)
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Teachers Want Rid of "Sogo Gakushu"
A recent survey has shown that the vast majority of middle school teachers are unhappy with the "sogo gakushu" system, according to the Daily Yomiuri. The classes, usually called "comprehensive studies" or "general studies" in English, were introduced to the national curriculum in 2002, with more emphasis on teachers to create new and original lessons focusing on such things as environmental or international issues. In the case of the vast majority of primary schools, this resulted in many teachers having to introduce English for the first time. But the latest education ministry survey shows that while a majority of primary school teachers feel the classes are a success, almost 85% of middle school teachers think lesson preparation causes an excessive workload. Also a large number of students either don't like the classes or can't see how they will be of use in the future. The main concern among parents is the perceived decline in academic standards since the system was introduced. A majority favor a national test of academic ability and an increase in classroom hours.
Survey: Nix general study classes (link will expire)
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On the English Merry-Go-Round
A new English-only childcare facility recently opened in the Kagawa Prefecture city of Takamatsu. The privately-run "Merry-Go-Land Takamatsu-en" childcare center is not licensed by the city, and is a franchise of a company that operates two similar facilities in Hyogo Prefecture. Established by Rainbow Kids owner Terasawa Eitaro, the center opened at the end of May. Terasawa, who in his youth travelled abroad as an amateur golfer, feels that how he learned the sport is similar to how he acquired his English. A hands-on approach, which in the case of his young charges means reading English books, singing and listening to English songs, is the most natural and effective way to learn, he says. The cost of sending a child to the facility is ¥1 million a year for a 3-year old, more than double that of an average daycare center. There are also those who question the idea of teaching a second language while a child's native language is still at an early developmental stage. A spokesperson at the Merry-Go-Land head office says, "We don't deny that there are those who are against early English education, but the demand is high. We are trying to create an environment where children can become bilingual in Japan." (from a story on asahi.com)
Story in Japanese
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Your Language Needs You!
Did you eat a balti before 1984 or have a mullet before 1994? And do you know how they got their names? In conjunction with a major forthcoming BBC series, the Oxford English Dictionary invites you to hunt for words and help rewrite 'the greatest book in the English language'. The OED's web site has a list of 50 words whose origins are unknown, uncertain, or possibly date back further than has been verified so far. They include "cyberspace" (1982), "full monty" (1985) and "back to square one" (1960). As with any major dictionary, the OED is a constantly evolving project which is always seeking to provide the earliest verifiable usage of every single word in the English language, currently over 600,000 in the full OED. The new BBC TV series will draw partly on the OED appeal, and is expected to be broadcast in the UK in early 2006. For more details of the OED-BBC Wordhunt and how you can take part, see the OED's web site.
OED-BBC Wordhunt
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TOEIC Applications to Go Online
The foundation which administers the TOEIC test in Japan is to launch an online application service for those wishing to take the test. The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) yesterday announced that it will begin its "TOEIC Internet Service" on July 4 for those wishing to take the 117th test on September 25. Users will be able to check their test results online about one week before test certificates are sent out by mail. Meanwhile, IIBC will hold explanation sessions for its TOEIC Bridge test for beginner and intermediate-level students in six cities during July. The TOEIC Bridge Division of the TOEIC Steering Committee holds the sessions several times a year. The free session consists of a test explanation, sample tests with self-scoring, Q&A, and guest speakers.
TOEIC Japan web site
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Curtis is No Longer Available, Ladies!
Our heartiest congratulations go out to regular ELT News contributor Curtis Kelly and his wife Yoshimi, who got married in Hawaii last week. Curtis and Yoshimi exchanged vows they had written themselves, including several that Curtis had composed with the help of some students in his "Psychology of Love" class at Osaka Gakuin University. When I aksed him why they chose Hawaii, Curtis said, "A distant marriage site like Hawaii is more than romantic. Only the people intensely interested in your marriage come, and the families get 3-4 days to get to know each other as they explore Paradise together. We bonded far more deeply than if we had had the wedding in Japan." In his acount of the waterfront wedding, friend Tim Craig summed it up as "one of the nicest weddings ever, with the perfect balance of love, happiness, and fun!"

All of us here at eigoTown and ELT News wish many years of health, wealth and happiness to the new couple! ()

Gaba to Open New School in Ginza
English school operator Gaba is to open a new "learning studio" in Ginza aimed mainly at women. The new school will open on a floor above the famous Cine Switch movie theater in Ginza 4-chome on July 13. With the upscale image of the area in central Tokyo and its popularity with women, the new school will provide what it describes as "high-quality services" aimed at those students. These include an "executive booth," a waiting lounge, a powder room and extra-curricular activities such as wine tasting. Gaba specializes in "man-to-man" lessons, and the new school will expand on this concept to offer counselling and order-made lessons. The company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first school, also in Ginza, next month. With most of its schools in Tokyo and the surrounding areas, Gaba currently has over 80,000 students.
Gaba web site
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Students Gather in Vietnam for Green Summer Campaign
A delegation of volunteer students from Stanford University in the US arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on June 13 to take part in the city's Green Summer Campaign 2005. The US students have presented 50 computers to the municipal committee of the HCM Communist Youth Union. During their two-week stay in the city to join local youth in voluntary activities, the 14 students from Stanford University will design an online English-language classroom, teach English, and provide guidelines for using English learning software on the Internet. Kevin Siew, the head of the group, said he admired the young Vietnamese people's fondness for learning. The Ho Chi Minh City's 2005 campaign has drawn the participation of six delegations of foreign students. They include nearly 100 students from France, Singapore, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the US. (Vietnam News Agency)
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Give Them a Break!
Mobile phone company KDDI is to launch a new e-learning content menu on its EZWeb service this month. The "manabi" (learning) menu, to be introduced on June 20 (though the service will officially open on June 30), will have 38 titles, including a variety of English language learning-related tools. They will be divided into categories mainly focused on test practice and preparation, such as entrance exams for junior and senior high school and university, and the STEP tests (Eiken). Charges will range from ¥50-500 per category. Part of the new service is aimed at the growing number of elementary school students attending juku (cram schools) who have mobile phones, with the expectation that they will cram in a bit more study on their way to and from juku.
KDDI press release (Japanese)
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Adults Can Be Retrained To Distinguish L and R
Adults can be retrained to learn second languages more easily, according to research presented at the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) Workshop on Plasticity in Speech Perception this week in London. Organised by researchers at the Centre for Human Communication at UCL (University College London), the workshop is co-chaired by Valerie Hazan and Paul Iverson. Findings reported by Iverson build on "an important new theory that the difficulties we have with learning languages in later life are not biological and that, given the right stimulus, the brain can be retrained," according to the RedNova web site. It has long been believed that adults cannot distinguish the subtle sounds of a foreign language to the same extent that young children can because the "plasticity," or ability to change, of the adult brain is set. Using a study group of 63 native Japanese speakers in Japan and London, Iverson and Hazan showed that a training course of 10 sessions could produce an average 18% increase in their ability to distinguish between l and r sounds.

Dr Iverson said: "Adult learning does not appear to become difficult because of a change in neural plasticity. Rather, we now think that learning becomes hard because experience with our first language 'warps' perception. We see things through the lens of our native language and that 'warps' the way we see foreign languages.

"It is very difficult to undo this learning. That is, we change our perception during childhood so that it becomes specialized to hear the speech sounds in our first language. This specialization can conflict with our ability to learn to distinguish sounds in other languages. Through training, we can essentially change our 'perceptual warping' to make second-language learning easier. I hope that this research will lead to new ways of training adults to learn second languages."
RedNova.com article
Plasticity in Speech Perception 2005 web site
International Speech Communication Association web site
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Skills Seminar for Japanese ETs
Study-abroad specialist ELS Japan has teamed up with Yoyogi Seminar to produce a seminar for Japanese teachers and prospective teachers of primary, middle and high school English. The two-day seminar, "Eigo Kyojuho Master Koza," was developed by Takahiko Hattori, a professor at Otsume Women's University, Waseda University and Murray State University in the US, and a former NHK English language teacher. With the aim of imparting the best of English-teaching approaches used abroad, it will focus on such topics as getting the most out of team teaching with native English speakers, and preparing for the new English listening section of the National University Entrance Examination. The seminar will be held at the main Yoyogi Seminar school in Yoyogi, Tokyo and broadcast live to the other 23 schools nationwide on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17. The standard fee is ¥36,000, and group and students discounts are available.
ESL Japan - Seminar information (Japanese)
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The Steiner Approach to English
Yesterday's Daily Yomiuri carried an article on Steiner schools in Japan. Based on the educational theories of Austrian educator Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), the Steiner (or Waldorf) approach is in use at 950 schools worldwide, seven of which are in Japan. The article focused on the teaching of German Steiner expert Christoph Jaffke, a 6-month visiting professor at Hiroshima University, who has been teaching English to children at a local primary school for the last few months. He leads the young students through games and songs during the 15-minute extracurricular class. Though the school has been offering English classes for a few years, Jaffke's classes use a radically different approach to that used before he first arrived. Among the principles applied at Steiner schools are that students learn two foreign languages from when they enter at the age of 6, after they have a solid grounding in their mother tongue; teachers speaking the target language all the time provide the role models for younger students, rather than multimedia tools such as CDs and computers; realia, or authentic materials, from the country of the target language are used whenever possible. The main problem Jaffke observed in English classes in Japan is the over-reliance on translation. He believes that it should be made compulsory for prospective English teachers to study abraod first in order to develop confidence in their speaking ability.
Hiroshima kids sample Steiner approach (link will expire)
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Jenkins to Visit Mother After 40 Years
Former US Army deserter Charles Jenkins (65) is to visit his 91-year old mother for the first time in 40 years. Travelling with his wife Hitomi Soga (49), who was one of the many Japanese citizens kidnapped to North Korea over the last few decades, and their two daughters, Mika (22) and Belinda (19), they leave for North Carolina this morning. Upon his arrival from North Korea last year, Jenkins was detained by US military authorities and served a nominal 25-day sentence for his desertion in 1965. Since his release, he and his family have been living at Soga's home on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. Among the activities that he has been engaged in as he adjusted to life in Japan has been teaching English at a local conversation school. He was forced to teach English to potential spies during his time in North Korea. (June 14, 2005 )

Virgin Offers Learners a Head Start
Virgin Atlantic recently announced the addition of a language-learning course that allows passengers to take lessons on flights to and fom Japan. Since June 1, all passengers on flights between London and Tokyo can now study Japanese or English. Virgin first offered this kind of service in October 2004, with Spanish lessons for tourists and business people. The service is available on demand as part of the award-winning in-flight entertainment system v:port. The program was developed by Swedish company Univerb Publishing House, who produce and sell self-study bilingual language courses across Europe. Univerb's audio based methodology is regarded as one of the most effective ways of learning a foreign language.

Katie Marks, Programming Coordinator for Virgin's Onboard Media, said: "We are very excited to offer our passengers the opportunity to learn Japanese. We are sure they will find using the Univerb service both educational and fun, particularly when flying on our popular route between London and Tokyo. Passengers can learn basic phrases or can brush up on fluent conversation, which is perfect for business or leisure travellers." She added, "We hope to expand the selection of languages available in the future to include Cantonese and Mandarin to link in with our other Far Eastern routes."
Univerb web site (in Swedish!)
Virgin Atlantic web site
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Get Your Students "Up and Running" in English
In his latest "Practical Linguist" column in the Daily Yomiuri, Marshall Childs looks at what can be a surprisingly effective, yet under-utilized process in getting a new language "up and running in your head." He refers to the concept of "mustering up" a language, a brain function that concentrates the mind on elements of the language one has heard. He mentions a couple of examples of people who are successfully utitlizing this kind of approach: Prof. John Rassias at Dartmouth College in the United States, who is famous for his "Rassias Method" that uses drama techniques to help "students get languages up and running rapidly"; a teacher in Japan who offers a program called ABLE (action-based language empowerment), which consists of 10 or 12 lessons to raw beginners in a foreign language using "carefully designed materials, developed over many years, and taught by native speakers in a highly interactive way." While students don't come away from such short intensive programs as fluent speakers, they have overcome a major motivational hurdle in that they can engage native speakers of the target language in real-life conversations.
Getting a language up and running (link will expire)
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Center Shiken Has a Rival
For many years, the National University Entrance Examination (popularly known as the Center Shiken) has been the sole standard for entering all national universities and, increasingly in recent years, many private institutions. But this week, a non-profit organization announced that it will become the new competition. The Tokyo-based NPO, "Kyoiku Seido Kenkyu Forum," will offer a multiple-choice style test for high school seniors called the "Zenkoku Touitsu Gakuryoku Hantei Shiken" (National Unified Test of Academic Ability." It will cover five subjects: English, Japanese Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. According to the NPO, six universities and junior colleges in the Kanto region have already formally agreed to use the test and 30 to 50 schools are considering joining within the current academic year. As a result, some 50 high schools will start using the test.

With the declining birthrate, universities are increasingly having to compete for the best students and, with this in mind, the new test will be held in October, several months earlier than the Center Shiken, which is held in January. Currently about 570,000 students sit the Center Shiken each year, while the new test will have about 10,000 this year and aims for 100,000. This year's test will be held at 28 centers nationwide on October 9. The cost this year is ¥5,000 for three or more subjects, though this will increase from next year to somewhere closer to that of the Center Shiken, which was increased this year to ¥18,000.
Kyoiku Seido Kenkyu Forum web site (Japanese)
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Olympics Fanning Flames of English Boom in China
The number of people studying English in China is already over 300 million and is increasing by 20 million a year, according to an Asahi.com story. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said on a visit in February that, within the next 20 years, the number of English speakers in China will outnumber native speakers in the rest of the world. Fanning the flames of this language-learning boom is the Olympics, which will be held in Beijing in 2008. The city government launched a 5-year campaign in 2003 to create "Citizens Speaking Foreign Languages," with one in three citizens (about 5 million people) expected to be able to converse in basic English. Free English lessons, debate competitions and new langauge-learning TV programs are all part of the plan. English tests have become compulsory for taxi drivers, subway workers and other employees in some districts.

The business of English is also booming nationwide, with students at some 50,000 schools fueling a 10-billion yuan (¥130 billion) industry. New Oriental, the biggest school operator in Beijing, has about 130,000 mostly adult students. Many students speak of the pressure to study, in order to get a higher salary, to avoid layoffs or, in the case of one university teacher, just to stay ahead of their own students. Attending English cram schools, often seven days a week, is common among younger students.
Asahi.com article (Japanese)
New Oriental web site (Chinese)
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Widespread Investigation Underway of Eikaiwa Industry
The Social Insurance Agency has launched a widespread investigation into foreign language schools that fail to register their teachers for social insurance. Some 750 companies nationwide, the vast majority of which run eikaiwa schools, are being investigated, with agency officials visiting schools to examine contracts and other documents. All full time workers employed for more than two months, regardless of nationality, are required to join the national health insurance and welfare pension schemes. The agency's stance is that schools are failing to sufficiently explain the system to foreign teachers, largely to avoid having to pay half their premiums as required by law. Some companies have been warned in the past, but the problem is still widespread, prompting the latest full-scale effort. Of the 1,200 teachers employed by Berlitz Japan, only 100 have voluntarily joined the schemes. Some companies, such as industry leader Nova, have teachers join insurance schemes run by their own subsidiaries.

According to a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry survey from 2002, the industry employs some 15,800 foreign teachers. Under the medical insurance scheme, the majority of medical expenses are covered by the government, with the employee paying 30%. Without coverage, all expenses must be borne by the teacher, such as in the case of a 32-year old Nova employee of five years who had to pay out ¥300,000 in hospital fees after suffering an injury at work. A Berlitz spokesman said, "Many foreign teachers stay in Japan for only a short time and don't want to join the schemes. But we intend to abide by the agency's directives." (from an Asahi Shimbun story)
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New Teaching Award From Cambridge ESOL
Teachers of English in Japan will soon have another feather they can put in their cap. The Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is a new teaching award from Cambridge ESOL that focuses on the core knowledge needed by all teachers, whatever their background and teaching experience. Although a certain level of English ability is a requirement, no previous teaching experience or qualifications are necessary. Launched in April, the test for teachers of primary, secondary or adult learners worldwide aims to increase teachers' confidence, enhance job prospects and open access to higher-level qualifications and professional support materials. In Japan, it will be administered by the British Council.

The test consists of three modules, which can be taken separately or all three on the same day. Each module consists of a test of 80 questions, lasting 80 minutes, which require candidates to select the correct answer: module 1 – Language and background to language learning and teaching; module 2 – Planning lessons and use of resources for language teaching; module 3 – Managing the teaching and learning process. Each module of the test costs ¥5,250.

The first TKT session in Japan will be held on July 28 at the British Council's Tokyo and Osaka offices, and there will be a further three sessions within the academic year. According to an article in the Daily Yomiuri, "administrators expect about 200 teachers to take the test during the first year and more than 2,000 in the first five years in Japan."
Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards, TKT
Cambridge test to gauge skills of English teachers (link will expire)
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Ryan Takes His Students on the Air
The Daily Yomiuri ran a feature yesterday on a program being run by former ELT News editor Kevin Ryan. An associate professor at Showa Women's University Associate, Kevin and his students recently launched their own bilingual radio show on FM Setagaya (83.4MHz) in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. What's Up Setagaya!, a 15-minute weekly show that airs on Sundays at 8:55 a.m., brings local listeners an original selection of interviews, readings by the students and insights into various aspects of Setagaya. Though the time in the studio is fun and challenging for the students, the real educational benefits come from the many hours spent in preparation. None of the 16 students taking part have any broadcasting experience, so cooperation and dialog - all in English, of course - are essential to avoid on-air disappointment. "I feel simulation is more effective for learning because it puts students in a real life dilemma," Kevin says. "The radio show takes this idea a step further when the simulation becomes reality every Sunday morning. You know people are listening and you don't want to disappoint."

In order to take part in the program, students had to "apply for the job" and undergo interviews, which is in keeping with the university's participation in Gendai GP, an education ministry "initiative to provide students an experiential English-learning environment." The show has appeal not only for English-speaking listeners but also for language learners. Student Marie Sakurai says, "It should be encouraging to listen to us and say, 'Hey, they are only students but they are doing a radio show.'"
Take English to the airwaves (link will expire) ()

ECC Tie Up With ZAQ
Major English school chain ECC has tied up with cable Internet provider Kansai Mutimedia Service (KMS) to launch a new online English content service. Starting yesterday, "Dokodemo Study English" is available free to the 350,000 households that subscribe the KMS "ZAQ" service, a brand that covers a wide range of free and paid online contents. Accessible by computer and mobile phone, the emphasis of the new service is on English listening and pronunciation, using the "ECC Listen! Club" and "Ryokou de Tsukaeru Kaiwashuu" (Travel Dialogs). Mobile phone users can download the text of lessons while commuting and prepare for computer-based study. Various school lessons and textbook materials provided by Osaka-based ECC are also available at discounted rates for ZAQ users.
(June 07, 2005 )

Aichi Library Supports Extensive Reading
The current growing popularity of English extensive reading is behind a new lending service set up in a library in eastern Aichi Prefecture, according to an article in yesterday's Daily Yomiuri. Gamagori Municipal Library purchased about 1,400 books, including those designed for learners of English as a second language, and launched the service to help people learn English more comprehensively. The service is in keeping with the ideas of Kunihide Sakai, associate professor at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo and president of the Extensive Reading Association in Japan. He advocates reading 1 million words in English as a benchmark for learning to think as a native English speaker does. The three rules of his method are: use no dictionaries while reading; skip over difficult words and phrases; stop reading the book if it is too content-heavy. The new library service was proposed last year by Hitoshi Nishizawa, a professor at the Toyota National College of Technology in Aichi Prefecture.
Library pushes English, 1 mil. words at a time (link will expire) ()

Discount Eikaiwa Service Uses Skype
"Internet solutions company" e-communication has launched a new cut-price version of its English conversation-learning service. "e-com Eigo Net" uses the popular Skype IP telephone system to offer lessons online, and the latest version links students in Japan with teachers in the Philippines. The lower expenses incurred allow e-com to offer "man-to-man" lessons for just ¥1,900 per hour, half the rate charged to study with American teachers. The new service was started on June 1, while the e-com service was first launched in March. The Delaware-based e-com established its Japanese branch in Nagoya in February of this year. Skype is a free Internet telephony system that has over 30 million users worldwide.
e-communication web site (Japanese)
Skype web site (Japanese) (June 06, 2005 )

College Teacher Goes Solo on the Shakuhachi
American English teacher John Daly (54) gave his first public solo performance on the shakuhachi on Saturday. An English conversation teacher at Sano Junior College in Tochigi Prefecture, he performs under the stage name of Deirii Eishun. Though his repertoire consists of traditional Japanese tunes and the occasional western classic, such as "Greensleeves," the Philadelphia native says he'd like to improvise in a blues style. "I'd like to change the image most Japanese people have of the shakuhachi, that's it's old-fashioned and boring." Daly first came to Japan in 1980, attracted to Asian culture through the works of Hermann Hesse, and worked at an eikaiwa school in the prefectural capital of Utsunomiya. He first encountered the shakuhachi when working as a part-time lecturer at Nihon University in the Shizuoka Prefecture city of Mishima. He started studying with a teacher of the Tozan school, and reached the level of apprentice teacher. Since his return to Tochigi to teach at Sano J.C. in 1990, he has studied under Nishimura Tekizan. ()

SELHi in Action
In its latest article on Super English Language High Schools (SELHis), the Daily Yomiuri looked at Onomichi Higashi High School in Hiroshima. The school is one of the 18 that were designated as the originaL SELHis when the pilot project was launched in 2002, the same year that the school started its global communication course. The 3-year SELHi program finished in March, but Onomichi Higashi is one of the few to continue with a new 3-year plan, with its aim being "to deepen collaboration between English- and Japanese-language classes." Basic communication skills are taught in both language classes, starting from simple question and answer games. It is hoped that the students will develop debating skills, "express their opinions and convey Japanese culture, especially the local culture of Onomichi, to the rest of the world." In December, all students on the global education course will attend a 3-week language training course in New Zealand.
SELHi in action / Making lessons mutually reinforcing (link will expire) (June 03, 2005 )

Little Ambassadors
Elementary school students are working as "tourism ambassadors" for Gifu Prefecture. The project involved 79 sixth graders from Saigo Elementary School on a 2-day school trip to Nara Park and Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto. Working in groups of four or five and using English-language pamphlets, the youngsters had to spend about 30 minutes explaining about their home prefecture to any foreign tourists who would listen. They used phrases practiced during five hours of weekly English lessons, such as "Gifu is in the center of Japan" and "We have traditional ukai (cormorant fishing)." One student said, "I was nervous on the first day, but on the second day I could look people in the eye and speak naturally." Another added that she was delighted when foreigners listened attentively to her. (June 02, 2005 )

2006 Center Shiken
The first details of next year's national university entrance examinations have been announced. The exams will be held on January 21 and 22. It will be the first exam to be sat by students who have studied the new curriculum. It will also mark the first time that the English exam includes a listening section. Application details will be published on September 1, and the application period will open from October 3. Preliminary results will be announced January 25, and final results on February 8 following make-up tests on Januray 28. (June 01, 2005 )

Continuous Education Schools on the Increase
According to the education ministry, there are currently 173 schools nationwide that provide continuous education for the six years of junior and senior high school. The number is an increase of 20 over last year and is up from just 4 schools when the system was introduced in 1999. There are now such schools in 42 prefectures. The schools fit into one of three patterns: those that combine the six years into one continuous curriculum at one school; those where junior high school students don't need to take entrance exams for the high school; and cases where municipal middle schools share resources and faculty with prefectural high schools. One example is the Odate Commercial High School in Akita Prefecture. A new junior high school, Odate Kokusai Jouhou Gakuin, was opened this spring in affiliation with the existing high school. The school emphasizes international communication and has a short study abroad program for junior high students. ()

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