The Latest News in ELT

May 2006

Authors & Illustrators Networking Night
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Tokyo, is presenting their first SCBWI Authors & Illustrators Networking Night to be held at The Pink Cow, Shibuya in June. Writers, illustrators, publishing professionals, SCBWI members and non-members are welcome to attend and take along any copies of books, portfolios and other materials.
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(May 31, 2006 )

English Opponent States Case
(Japan) Keio University's Prof. Yukio Otsu stated recently that "Introducing English education at the primary school level won't produce positive results, no matter how many resources we secure for it. It's a knee-jerk reaction to push for this just because our neighboring countries are already doing so." Otsu, a psycholinguist, editor and author, believes that while parents may have great expectations for their children, many parents do not understand clearly what making English mandatory would mean. Otsu also stated "It's crucial that children first establish a firm foundation in Japanese as their mother tongue and learn its structure."
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(May 30, 2006 )

Asahi Shinbun Features English, eigoTown Podcasts
The Asahi Shinbun on Sunday featured an overview of English learning podcasts and prominently featured eigoTown.com's TIME magazine podcast, along with their Classic Story Series podcast. eigoTown President Russell Willis was quoted as saying "the Internet allows us to compete with NHK on quality -- NHK controls TV and radio and has a corner in every book shop. But now, with the broadband Internet open to us, we can deliver content to a mass audience on an almost equal footing."
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(May 29, 2006 )

New Children’s English Picture Dictionary
(Japan) Gunma Kokusai Academy (GKA), which was launched in 2005 to offer a 12-year English immersion program, has recently written 'Kodomo Eigo Ejiten A' (Children's English Picture Dictionary A) in conjunction with major publisher, Obunsha Co. The dictionary incorporates about 250 basic words that are required learning for American children from ages 4 to 7. Approximately 300 copies have been purchased by the Ota Municipal Board of Education for distribution amongst 26 primary schools to be used as part of English studies. GKA and Obunsha Co will evaluate and refine the dictionary based on feedback from teachers, aiming for public release in the 2007 school year.
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Test Center Helped Entrance Examinees
(Japan) University entrance examinees that omitted or incorrectly entered their identification numbers on exam answer sheets, still had their sheets scored anyway it was revealed recently. The National Center for University Entrance Examination, whose center officials "felt sorry" for the examinees, has adopted this practice since 1984. Some officials felt that it would be cruel not to score examinees on the once a year exam. "We understand that some people consider entering one's ID number to be part of the exam," a center official said. "However, we decided to treat favorably those who made mistakes in places other than the answer section, mainly because the purpose of the test is to see how much the examinees have learned during their three years of high school."
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(May 26, 2006 )

Japanese Wins English Toastmasters Event
(Japan) A Japanese woman, Setsuko Fujiyama from Hiroshima Prefecture, has won the District 76 Toastmasters Japan English Speech Contest which was held recently. Fujiyama, one of eight speakers which included four native English speakers, discussed the importance of respecting all people as individuals given that every person is unique. "What I learned from my children is that we must not compare one person to another," said Fujiyama. Second and third prizes went to Tokyo residents, James Coleand and Robert Burnside respectively. Japan Toastmasters which was modeled on the American equivalent, was established in 1954, and now has 75 clubs with over 2,000 members.
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(May 25, 2006 )

Bill to Protect Consumers
(Japan) Some English conversation schools and other organizations may need to review their refund policies and rules of payback for cancellation of contracts in the near future. The Diet is currently discussing a bill to revise the Consumer Contracts Law which may empower consumer associations to file lawsuits on behalf of individuals who have been the victims of questionable, pushy or unfair business practices. Currently, many individuals experience difficulty in filing law suits due to the high costs involved in pursuing legal actions. One consumer association, the Consumers Organization of Japan (COJ), handled a case where it was demanded that an English conversation school amend its contract cancellation payback rules which were judged to be unfair.
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(May 24, 2006 )

English Advocate States Case
(Japan) Mineo Nakajima, 69, the President of Akita International University, is a firm advocate of English being taught in primary schools. Nakajima also serves as chairman of the Central Council on Education's sub-committee, which proposes that English should be made mandatory at primary school. According to Nakajima, "When it comes to cultivating aesthetic sentiments as well as language education, it's necessary to start when children still have a flexible brain. It's best to start teaching them English by age 9, but too late at middle school. Frankly, it's ideal to begin with preschoolers."
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(May 23, 2006 )

ESUJ - English Debate Competition
The English Speaking Union of Japan (ESUJ) is hosting another popular 'English Debate Competition' in June 2006. This particular competition is for adults and 13 teams have applied to join the competition, the largest number so far, it was reported. Participants will include businessmen (and women!), high school teachers of English and non-Japanese. The competition will be held in the newly renovated and re-opened premises of the International House of Japan in Roppongi.
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(May 22, 2006 )

The Nagoya Players - English Theater
(Japan) The Nagoya Players, an English-language community theater group, begins its 2006 season by presenting Arthur Miller's chilling and cautionary tragedy The Crucible. Set in 1692 Salem Massachusetts, The Crucible is a devastating portrait of a town gripped by fear, suspicion, and mass hysteria. The play features a 17 member international cast including Biagio Cristiano, Paddy O’Brien, Rachel Price, and Yuma Murakami. The Crucible, directed by Patti Gage commences in June 2006 at the Aichi Arts Center Mini-Theater, Sakae
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(May 19, 2006 )

Continued EFL Growth Despite Challenges
Despite the challenge of less than favourable trading conditions in a number of core markets, the Saxoncourt Group continues to grow it was reported recently. Saxoncourt is the holding company of a number of group companies including; Independent Publishers International (IPI), Shane English Schools and Shane Global Language Centre chain. Current operations span a diverse range of EFL related markets such as language instruction (English and Chinese), publishing and bookselling, teacher training and recruitment as well as the running of younger learner examinations. “Saxoncourt is involved in all areas of the English language business” stated Mr. Shane Lipscombe, Founder of the group.
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Beat the Lingo!
(Japan) Stories about non-Japanese speaking foreigners experiencing; bad service, difficulty getting a decent hair cut, finding a place to live or complaints about not getting the same level of service at cafes and retail shops are numerous. Two enterprising Canadian entrepreneurs, Marc Beardsley and Dave Mori decided to address the problem. 'English OK' was created in November 2004 and is dedicated exclusively to improving cross-cultural communication in the service industry. The company offers everything from customized English classes; assisting restaurants with English menus to helping English-friendly businesses get noticed. One popular resource is the English OK Web Directory which highlights English-capable businesses in Tokyo. Prior to 2004, after experiencing difficulty in finding appropriate 'start up business resources', Mori and Beardsley also formed the Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo, a nonprofit organization supporting entrepreneurship in Japan.
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Ainu World in English
(Japan) An English-language picture book showing how Japan's indigenous Ainu see the world was released recently. "The Ainu and the Fox," written by Ainu Shigeru Kayano, is based on a folktale and puts forward Ainu beliefs regarding coexistence with nature. Kayano, a former House of Councilors member, wrote the story in 1974 for elementary school children. According to Tokyo-based R.I.C. Publications, the book will be distributed in Australia, Britain, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
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Teaching English Certificate
(Japan) The Daily Yomiuri in conjunction with, Oxford University Press and David English House are presenting a Japan-specific certificate course for teachers of the English language. To obtain the Full Certificate, participants must attend two separate courses and write two reports. Course content will vary in alternating years. To gain the Introductory Certificate, participants must attend a one-day training course and write a report based on the training sessions attended. Certificates will be issued under the names of internationally renowned organizations; Oxford University Press and David English House.
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Errors in English Text Books
(Japan) Sixty-five new junior high school textbooks released this April contain 208 combined typographical and factual errors, it was revealed recently. Twenty errors were found in textbooks for studying English, fifty-six in Japanese-language studies books followed by thirty-two in civic studies textbooks, according to a recent education ministry report. Some basic mistakes include spelling errors such as the word "something," being spelled "someting." The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry have stated that it will ask publishers to conduct stricter checks.
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Allen Say - 'Accidental Career'
Popular children's author and medal winner, Allen Say will share tales from his accidental career as an author and illustrator of children’s books at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Tokyo May event. The discussion will include the development of Say's illustrations over the years and current directions. Say’s often autobiographical picture books tackle social and personal conflicts, many within an intercultural context. Works to date include; 1994 Caldecott Medal winner Grandfather’s Journey; The Sign Painter and Emma’s Rug, Home of the Brave, Music for Alice, Tea with Milk and the recent Kamishibai Man about a kamishibai storyteller.
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(May 11, 2006 )

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Japan
A conference on 'English for Specific Purposes' (ESP) in Japan: "What it has been and what it can be?" will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2006 in Kyoto. Topics to be covered include; the rationale for ESP (participation in the social construction of knowledge), concepts underlying its current internationally accepted approach (discourse community, genre analysis, needs analysis, task), and useful ideas from other fields, including second language classroom research, critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. The presenter Judy Noguchi of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Mukogawa Women's University, holds a M.Ed. (TESL), Ph.D. (applied linguistics) and specializes in teaching and research on English for specific purposes, particularly in science and engineering fields.
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(May 09, 2006 )

New “Audio Magazine”
Stateside Sounds, Inc. is making available to educators a free demo of its new “audio magazine” for adult ELLs. Stateside Sounds, A Subscription to Better English, is produced every other month and includes at least two hours of “real life” dialogues (and supporting exercises) on current events and other subjects. The dialogues can be used in the classroom to add spice to the current curriculum. They are also said to be an effective tool (along with the exercises) for the language lab.
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(May 08, 2006 )

"Unknown Andersen" Illustration Show
A John Shelley "Unknown Andersen" Illustration Show is to be held from Monday 15th to Saturday 20th May 2006 in Tokyo. Published to coincide with the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the 4-volume selection of stories "Anata no Shiranai Andersen" (Hyoronsha) has been visualised by British born illustrator John Shelley. With stories ranging from "The Shadow" to "The Little Mermaid", a large number of originals from the books are on view in this key exhibition, which matches Shelley's unique style with the timeless vision of Andersen.
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