The Latest News in ELT

November 2005

Rock for Human Rights
Amnesty International Japan will hold a charity concert in Tokyo in December to raise awareness of human rights issues. "Rock for Human Rights" will feature local group The Beautiful Losers and will be held at What the Dickens pub in Ebisu on Sunday, December 11. Doors open at 6pm and music is from 7pm. Admission is ¥2,000 and all proceeds go to Amnesty International Japan. There are also prize giveaways.
Amnesty International Japan, Group 78
Event poster (PDF file)
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Leave it to Akko
Veteran singer and TV celebrity Wada Akiko gave her English skills a rare public workout on Sunday. Following a visit to New York last year, she took up the idea of helping encourage people of her generation to start learning English. She took English lessons at the Tameike Sanno branch of Nova for two months, and studied at home using a video/TV learning system. This was tied in with occasional features on her Sunday morning show "Akko ni Omakase" (Leave it to Akko) on TBS. But after six months, she began to lose interest and let her studies slip. Then two weeks ago producers proposed doing an interview with Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, soon due in Japan to promote his popular TV series "24." Wada spent the next two weeks studying and finally interviewed the star without the help of an interpreter. While waiting for Sutherland in a hotel suite, she grew increasingly nervous as she repeatedly went over her English notes and practiced her questions. Unable to calm her nerves, she started the interview with "May I smoke?" This had the unexpected benefit of also putting Sutherland at his ease as he is a heavy smokder himself. He was quite affable, despite the sad predictability of the questions (Can you use chopsticks? What do you think of Japanese girls?)
Discuss this on our message board (November 29, 2005 )

Teaching Tots English in Kagawa
The growing trend to start teaching English to children even before they enter elementary school is visible in Kagawa Prefecture, according to RNC, a local broadcaster. A recent article reports on two hoikuen (childcare centers) that started English immersion programs in the spring, one in Takamatsu and one in Marugame.
Article in Japanese (includes video)
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Kurobe City Approved as English Zone
Kurobe City has been approved for deregulatory zone status focusing on English education from the elementary school level, according to the Chunichi Shimbun. The city will merge with the town of Unazuki next March and the two municipalities drew up a plan that calls for one class a month at first and second grade, once a week for third and above in elementary school, with an emphasis on songs and games. In junior high school, there will be one "eikaiwa" lesson a week. Assistant teachers who specialize in English will be employed as well as native English-speaking ALTs at all levels. The two BoE's formed a planning committee in May and a group of 17 teachers are creating the curriculum. Kurobe is one of six municipalities focusing on English out of 105 zones approved in the latest round, the 9th so far. The deregulatory zone scheme was launched in 2002.
Article in Japanese
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Mini Marathoners
Nothing to do with English, just a surprising story! Of the thirteen who entered, eleven kindergarten kids recently ran a full marathon in Shijonawate City in Osaka. They took short 5-10 minute breaks along the way but completed the full 42.195km course within the regulation eight hours. All are 5 or 6-year-olds attending the Seishi Kindergarten, run by a former long-distance runner. The children start every day with a run, and while the younger kids walk some of the way or stop to play on the swings, the older ones run 4 or 5 kilometers around the kindergarten grounds. The 68-year old principal also takes the children hiking or mountain climbing about 20 times a year. He started the running program 30 years ago to counter what he saw as young children's lack of strength and tendency to tumble for no apparent reason.
Discuss this on our message board (November 25, 2005 )

Happy iPod Winner
"Dear ELT News,
Thank you for the iPod. I love it! I have always wanted an ipod! It's great! Thank you very much!"
Margaret Takeuchi
Human Resource Manager, Kanda Gaigo Career College

Margaret was the winner of an iPod Shuffle from ELT News at the JALT National Conference in Shizuoka in October. (November 24, 2005 )

Keeping Students on Same English Track
Tuesday's Daily Yomiuri ran a feature on the English program at schools in the city of Tokai, Aichi Prefecture. With Aichi seeing the recent opening of an international airport and hosting the World Expo, Tokai officials decided to implement a comprehensive early English education program two years ago. English was introduced to the curriculum at all elementary schools as part of the "sogoteki na gakshuu no jikan" (general studies), and students have 20 class hours per year. The municipal government has been encouraging collaboration between elementary and junior high schools and has developed comprehensive curriculums that cover elementary and junior high schools in the same catchment area. So students enter a new school having covered the same ground. The article focused on Yokosuka Middle School, which uses its general studies classes to help students improve their English communication skills and learn about world cultures.
Middle schools make connection in English (link will expire)
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Labor Thanksgiving Day
Today is the Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi) national holiday. I hope all you teachers out there are feeling sufficiently appreciated for all your hard work! (November 23, 2005 )

Portable English
Sony Style Japan recently announced the launch of its "e-EnglishGym Portable" software for the PlayStation Portable console. The program uses the original e-EnglishGym video content developed by NHK Educational and Sony Marketing. It is the first English language learning content available in the downloadable "memory stick video format." The content focuses on business English, with topics such as office conversations, sales negotiations, and trips abroad. The content consists of 10 programs, divided into 60 sections and 219 sequences (scenes). Users can buy one section at a time, with the cost varying between ¥210 and ¥735. If they buy one whole program at a time, the rate is discounted by about 10%.
Sony Style website
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Seeking Compensation from Bing Bang Boom Bankruptcy
The Akahata Shimbun (Red Flag), a newspaper run by the Japan Communist Party, ran an article last Friday on Bing Bang Boom Club. Run by Aube Education System, the service which sent English teachers to children's homes recently went bankrupt with outstanding debts of over ¥800 million. It also owes over ¥110 million in wages to about 2,700 teachers. The article quotes several parents who are trying to organize to retrieve large sums of money paid in advance for tuition fees. ELT News ran a story on the bankruptcy on November 2, and there is a thread on the story on our message board.
Newspaper article (Japanese)
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Is Teaching Conversation a Myth?
Mike Guest has a problem with standard ELT terminology. In his latest Indirectly Speaking column in last Friday's Daily Yomiuri, Guest asked whether teaching conversation is in fact "a myth." His reasoning is that much of what is taught in so-called English conversation classes should be more correctly termed "discourse," with conversation ability being more correctly used to describe an individual's communicative and interactional skills. He points out that what is usually taught in these classes is usually focused on or built around specific grammar and vocabulary, with students usually following the PPP (presentation-practice-production) model, rather than having real, meaningful conversations. Guest points to the common result: learners subjecting native speakers to the "textbook question" attack.
Is Teaching Conversation a Myth? (link will expire)
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TOEFL iBT Seminar
Next Generation TOEFL® (TOEFL® iBT) is scheduled to be introduced from May, 2006 in Japan. The "Structure Section" in TOEFL® CBT (computer-based test) will be abandoned and replaced with "Integrated Tasks", which involve combining the four language skills, reading, listening, speaking, and writing. International Language Centre, Tokyo (ILC Tokyo) will soon introduce its "TOEFL® iBT Preparation Course" and is running a seminar this weekend in advance of the course. Dr. Randolph Thrasher, president of the Japan Language Testing Association and an advisor to ILC, will give the two-part seminar in English. The morning session for instructors runs from 10am to 12pm, with a second session, from 1pm to 3pm for test takers. The fee for the morning session is ¥5000, and for the afternoon session, ¥1000.
See here for more information
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ELS First Language School to Open Job Center
ELS Japan is to open an employment support center at its Language Center in Yoyogi, Tokyo. It is the first language school in the country to start such a service. The center will provide assistance in creating an English resume, job interview training and general support and counselling for those seeking work in an English-speaking environment. Representatives from major corporations will be invited to give seminars for job seekers twice a month. The new center is scheduled to open on November 21. The company aims to achieve a job placement success rate of 90%. Since its establishment in 1998, ELS has provided language training and support for those aiming to study abroad or work for a company that requires English language skills.

Discuss this on our message board (November 18, 2005 )

NHK to Use English Shows to Lure Back Boycotters
NHK is to make some of its back catalog of English language-learning radio programs available on the Internet. As part of its ongoing efforts to repair its tattered reputation, the national broadcaster will make 24 episodes each of "Bijinesu Eikaiwa" (Business English) and "Kiso Eigo 2" (Basic English 2), along with several other popular radio and TV shows, available for a limited period starting on November 28. The content is free, but users must register and one condition is that those who have not paid their annual subscription fee must agree to receive telephone or personal requests for payment by NHK. A series of scandals involving NHK staff has led to over a million households refusing to pay their subscriptions. The fees from over 38 million viewers account for 97 percent of the public broadcaster's aggregate revenue.
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English Software for Oyaji's in Trouble
Software maker Media Kite recently launched a new software program aimed at middle-aged men traveling abroad. "Otoko no Tsukaeru Eikaiwa" (English Conversation for Men) is part of the company's "Oyaji Series", using the often demeaning term for middle-aged men. It focuses on "Self-protection English," phrases that can help get people out of difficult or dangerous situations while traveling. It includes 55 lessons and such useful phrases as "Stick 'em up!" and "I feel sick." The software is available for Windows only and retails from today for ¥1,980.
Otoko no Tsukaeru Eikaiwa (Japanese)
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Teaching in Mind with Henry Widdowson
Oxford University Press is holding seminars with the renowned Henry Widdowson in Osaka and Tokyo this weekend. "ESOL Teaching in Mind with H.G. Widdowson" is designed to give teachers an opportunity to explore and exchange ideas about their own teaching. Widdowson, professor emeritus of the University of London, will be at the Osaka Minami YMCA in Tennoji Ward, Osaka on Saturday and at the British Council in Kagurazaka in Tokyo on Sunday. Both sessions run from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Admission is free, but registration through the OUP website is required.
Oxford University Press website
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The Next Wave: Video Podcasts
We've already reported on the growing number of podcasts aimed at English language learners. But the technology has already stepped up a gear. The next wave: video podcasts. With the latest iPods from Apple Computer capable of storing and viewing video, language-learning content is right there on the leading edge. For example, station81.com's weekly "Nichijo Eikaiwa" (Daily English Conversation) is "broadcast" from Los Angeles and, rather than sticking to textbook-like mundane topics, has a subversive "street" style. Examples include interviews with homeless people, a look at the city's underground scene, and people's views on the war in Iraq. We can expect to see a whole lot more of these kinds of podcasts very soon.

Meanwhile, other new locally-produced audio podcasts include Inter FM's "Better English with Catherine" and one that ties in with the Mainichi Weekly.
Station81.com
Better English with Catherine
Mainichi Weekly Podcast
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Life in the Village
Yesterday's Daily Yomiuri ran a report on Language Village, the country's first "dormitory-style language school" situated at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The school is run in what used to be a holiday home for employees of a large corporation, after the villa in which it opened in Narusawamura, Yamanashi Prefecture last year became too small to meet demand from students. Students stay at the school from one to four weeks and must speak English at all times. The majority of students are middle aged or elderly, with younger students coming during school vacations. There are four native English-speaking teachers, two of whom are brothers, and all from Australia.
'Villagers' immersed in English (link will expire)
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Bringing the World to Toyama
This weekend will see the end of a popular 10-class program for young children and their parents in the city of Nanto, Toyama Prefecture. "Ciara to Issho ni Eigo de Asobo" is a bi-weekly program based around English games and songs for third and fourth graders, and is run by Ciara Angela Janetta, an ALT at Fukumitsu High School, and her students. Janetta said she hoped the 90-minute classes would help the children develop an interest in the world and give them a chance to communicate with foreigners. Those who attend 70% or more of the classes receive a certificate from the local Toyama Kenmin College, where the classes are held. The Fukumitsu school is the first in the nation to be based on a cooperative of high schools - four in this case - in the city, and this year became the first school in Toyama to set up an international studies department. The school is said to be attracting interest as a model case of how to handle the demographic changes underway nationwide.
Article in Japanese
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Todai Teams With Princeton Review
The Princeton Review of Japan office recently announced a new TOEFL course aimed at juniors and seniors in the School of Engineering at Tokyo University (known as Todai). The engineering department introduced an English-language section to the entrance exam for its graduate school this year, in conjunction with the university's new "Special English Lesson" program. The aim of the TOEFL course is to help prepare Todai engineering students who are planning to study abroad, in particular for an MBA in the US. The course, for third and fourth-year students, is optional and will be taught by Japanese lecturers. Running for approximately three months (20 2-hour lessons), it will focus on language aspects specific to TOEFL, test techniques, and general ways to improve test scores. With a new speaking section being introduced to the TOEFL next year, Japanese universities are having to deal with the shift in language-learning needs of their students. The Princeton Review of Japan was established in 1989 and helps students prepare for tests such as GMAT, GRE and SAT as well as TOEFL. The distinguishing feature of its TOEFL course is its focus on "strategy" for improving test scores in a short period of time.
The Princeton Review of Japan website
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Yohan Continues to Sever ELT Ties
Yohan, Japan's biggest distributor of foreign-language books, is no longer distributing ELT books published by Oxford University Press. The move, made at the end of October, further indicates Yohan's change in business focus, which began when the company merged with Tuttle Shokai in June, 2003 (earlier story) and Tuttle Shokai President Hiroshi Kagawa became President and CEO. Macmillan and Thomson stopped dealing with Yohan last year and Longman severed ties earlier this year. The latest move comes on the heels of a recent Yohan decision to cut ties with other smaller publishers, and currently Cambridge University Press is the only major ELT publisher still being distributed by the company.

The traditional book distribution business in Japan has been in decline for several years, particularly with the advent of online distributors led by Amazon. This has both shaken up the bookstore industry, with major store operator Maruzen in particular facing financial difficulties, and presented opportunities. Yohan bought the failed Aoyama Book Center in 2004 (earlier story) and has plans to open new stores across the country - an ABC store opened in September in Fukuoka was the first outside the Kanto area. Yohan is also focusing more on publishing its own books, such as the recently published "Yohan Ladder Readers", a library of English readers aimed at beginner to intermediate students. (November 09, 2005 )

Prepare For the iBT With Longman
Longman recently published a program to help learners prepare for the new computer-based TOEFL test. "The Longman TOEFL Preparation Course for the iBT" is a thorough program that consists of a textbook, audio to accompany the textbook, and a CD-ROM. The textbook and audio together serve as a basis of a classroom course to prepare for the TOEFL iBT, while the CD-ROM provides authentic practice of iBT-style questions using authentic screens, format, timing, buttons, and clicking sequences of the actual test. According to author Deborah Phillips, "The CD-ROM is a vital component. It is with the CD-ROM that students get authentic practice of the iBT." The Longman program focuses on 48 language skills that are necessary for success on the iBT and reviews these 48 language skills in 4 Complete Tests as well as 16 Mini-Tests (shorter versions of the iBT). The audio program that is used in conjunction with the textbook includes 10 hours of audio material. The program retails from ¥4,200 to ¥5,200 with the CD-ROM and audio components. The new computer-based test began in the US in September, and will be launched in Japan in May, 2006.
Longman's online store/catalog
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Oxford University Press English Seminars
Oxford University Press and the Daily Yomiuri are co-sponsoring a series of seminars featuring two leading figures in English language usage. "Grammar and Dictionaries with Henry Widdowson and Michael Swan" kicked off last Thursday in Tokyo and visited Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka over the weekend. Today's seminar is at Hokkaido University in Sapporo from 6pm to 9pm, and the series finishes tomorrow at Dokkyo University in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, from 6pm to 9pm. Widdowson (photo) is a professor emeritus at the University of London, and Swan is the author of the definitive "Practical English Usage." (November 07, 2005 )

Big Growth in Young English-Learning Market
A recent survey has put a figure on the growth in the young English learner market, according to Kyodo News. The survey carried out by a research department of education provider Benesse Corp. shows that over the last five years, the percentage of preschool children attending English conversation lessons has almost tripled. 14.2% of children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years are learning English, up from 5% in 2000. By age bracket, the figures are: 1-year olds - 3% (up from 0.6%); 2-year olds - 7% (from 2%); 3-year olds - 10% (from 4%); 5-year olds - 21% (from 6%). The survey was taken in March by 2,980 parents in and around Tokyo. It also included other lifestyle indicators, such as how much time children spend watching TV or playing video games (down slightly), whether fathers help with housework (cleaning up after dinner and putting out the garbage were the only areas of improvement), and how much families spend on the children's education (¥8,771 per month, up from 2000 and similar to the 1995 level). ()

Learning from Rain Man
Teachers may be able to learn a thing or two from Rain Man. In his latest Practical Linguist column in the Daily Yomiuri, Marshall Childs looks at the special language needs of children suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. A neurodevelopmental disorder, it is perhaps most familiar to people in the character of Raymond portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rain Man. Some of the difficulties experienced by sufferers of the disorder have parallels in the problems faced by second language learners, and there are insights to be had from the techniques used to deal with them. They include teaching how to interpret the minds and feelings of dialog partners to pick up and pass on language "cues", teaching speech patterns, and how changes in intonation can lead to different meaning. Childs says in summing up, "If...pragmatics is aimed a satisfying the human drive to achieve meetings of minds, then it can be a powerful force and should be the organizing principle of our language curricula."
Lessons from Asperger's syndrome (link will expire)
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Nellie's ELT Book Fair and Workshop
Nellie's is holding its fifth annual ELT Book Fair and Workshop in six different locations from October to December. The first two events in Osaka and Kanazawa were a big success with a total of more than 350 people attending. The remaining four dates for the events in Nagoya, Yokohama, Sendai and Tokyo are as follows: Nagoya - November 6, Yokohama - November 13, Sendai - November 20, Tokyo - December 4. At all locations, there will be displays from various well-known publishers, the latest in ELT materials and children's items available at a 15% discount, and a chance to take part in the many workshops being held by Japan's leading ELT professionals, all for free! Also, this year for the first time Nellie's will be featuring English rakugo (the art of Japanese sit-down comedy) at its Tokyo event. Come along and have a laugh! Admission to all events is free. Please register at the Nellie's website.
Nellie's website
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English on the Go
Software maker Holon has announced a new program for those who want to study English on the go. The "iPod de Dokodemo Eikaiwa" software uses the notes function and sound of Apple Computer's hugely popular MP3 player to create multiple choice quizzes. But perhaps the most effective use of the iPod device is the software's dictation exercises, which allow learners to practice both listening and writing skills. The new product is based on the company's existing software for computers. The software goes on sale on Novemer 25 and retails for ¥3,360.
Holonsoft website
Discuss this on our message board (November 03, 2005 )

Casualties of the Kid's Eikaiwa War
Two companies that ran a nationwide business sending English teachers to students' homes have gone bankrupt. Aube Education System, based in Saitama City, and Tokyo-based Educare System, which pamphlets describe as group companies, filed for bankruptcy at the Tokyo District Court on October 28 with combined debts of around ¥4.8 billion. They jointly ran the "Bing Bang Boom Club Kodomo Eikaiwa" service which, as of August this year, was sending teachers to about 21,000 homes. The companies are said to be very unlikely to be able to return about ¥800 million in tuition fees that some 4,300 customers paid for three years' tuition in advance. Another ¥110 million in outstanding payments is due to around 2,700 teachers, who only found out about the situation when notified by the court. Aube was established in 1995 and ran businesses in 16 prefectures. Educare was set up in 2001 and had operations in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Their eikaiwa service sent Japanese teachers of English to the homes of children aged from infancy to first grade, who generally took four 45-minute lessons a month. Parents paid on average ¥360,000 for three years.
Discuss this on our message board (November 02, 2005 )

Trick or Treating
Halloween celebrations seem to becoming more of a regular occurence in Japan. While the majority of Japanese adults or teenagers have never been to a Halloween party or enjoyed trick or treating, younger children are far more likely to have taken part in a Halloween event. Most Japanese may not know about the Celtic roots of the festival, but they are familiar with the pumpkins and witches that give it its commercial appeal, an appeal that is being exploited by English conversation schools across the country. For example, a group of eikaiwa schools in the Kobe-Hanshin area got together on Saturday to organize a trick or treat parade for about 80 of their young students in a shopping street in Kobe. They dressed up as witches and ghosts and went from store to store.
Article in Japanese
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Amnesty International Concert
Amnesty International Group 78 will hold a benefit concert in Tokyo later this month. The concert and dance party is titled "Children Need Hugs, Not Guns," and will feature popular local band The Hitmen. It will be held at the What The Dickens pub on the 4th floor of the Roob 6 Building in Ebisu from 7pm on Sunday, November 13. Admission is ¥2,000 and as well as the usual lineup of drinks, the famous hearty Dickens food menu will be available. For more information, call Chris Pitts at (090) 4952-7314 or send him an e-mail.
Amnesty International Group 78 website
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