The Latest News in ELT

September 2006

Professor Caught Stalking in Tokyo
An American Professor, employed at Atomi University in Tokyo, was recently arrested for allegedly following a girl home and attempting to enter her apartment. Apparently he had been stalking the girl more than once, and in his own words, "I fell in love with her at first sight and I just wanted to meet her". He had a rope and was wearing a mask over his eyes at the time he was caught, according to police. The professor, identified as Christopher Drake, has since admitted to following home random girls he encountered on the street on several occasions.

Read the full article at Japan Today
Discuss this on our message board

(September 29, 2006 )

English in Elementary School: Unnecessary
Bunmei Ibuki, Japan's new Education Minister, has been quoted as saying that mandatory English education is not necessary at the elementary school level in Japan. "There is no use studying English unless children speak beautiful Japanese", he noted. He went on to say that, "Those who want to study English from elementary level [sic] can do so individually. I believe (elementary) schools only have to make children develop an interest in foreign countries."

Read the Kyodo News article at Yahoo! Asia News
Nikkei Net Interactive article (subscription required)
Discuss this on our message board

(September 28, 2006 )

English Education in Japan: Which Skills Need Focus?
We've all heard the refrain about how English language education in Japan has been somewhat lacking over the years. Students learn for tests, the focus is not on communication, high school graduates, with six years of language lessons under their belts, often find simple conversations difficult. Agreed? Not, apparently, by everyone.

Shinichiro Noriguchi, an English teacher with 40 years experience, has the answer to what ails English language education in Japan, according to a recent and very interesting editorial he has written for the Asahi Shimbun. He points to the TOEIC exam, as well as the development of "communicative" skills, as two popular yet ineffective solutions to the dilemma. The TOEIC exam, he notes, is not a true test of one's English ability. And the development of communication skills, he says, has come at the expense of developing strong English reading and writing skills. In order to improve high school and/or university English education, a stronger emphasis needs to be placed on reading and writing.

Read the full editorial at the Asahi Shimbun
Discuss this on our message board

(September 27, 2006 )

Action Research: Influencing Classroom Practice
This event will be held on Sunday. October 22, 2006 on the campus of Temple University Japan, and has got to be considered a must-attend event for ELT professionals in Japan, given the impressive list of presenters who will be speaking. The title seminar will be presented by Dr. David Nunan, Chair Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong and President of Anaheim University. He has been an action researcher for over 30 years. In his presentation, Dr. Nunan will examine action research as a professional development tool. Curtis Kelly, a frequent contributor to ELT News, will give a presentation on unconventional methods to research your teaching. Dr. Kelly is a professor of English at Osaka Gakuin University, and has a doctorate in adult education. He co-authored Significant Scribbles and Writing from Within. Other presenters include Stan Pederson, Andrew Boon, and Don Maybin.

The event is co-sponsored by JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching), Macmillan Language House, Cambridge University Press, and Thomson Learning. The cost is 3,000 yen, however JALT members can get in for half price, and the event runs from 10am to 5:30pm. RSVP (required) and relevant contact information follow.

e-mail inquiries
RSVP contact URL
Map to Temple University Japan

JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching)
Macmillan Language House
Cambridge University Press
Thomson Learning Asia

Discuss this on our message board

(September 26, 2006 )

ELT News / eigoTown International Party: Saturday, September 30
Yurakucho is quickly becoming the place to be at the end of each month! The next ELT News/eigoTown International Party will be held on Saturday, September 30th, from 6:30pm to 9pm at the prestigious Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. Located on the 20th floor of the Yurakucho Denki Building, the venue offers a breathtaking view of the city.

Attendees, however, won't spend much time looking out the window. This party is always an excellent opportunity to mingle and meet new people. There's lots of food and drinks to go around, and some lucky guests receive gifts! Stop by - you'll be glad you did. The link below leads to more information on the party, a map to the venue, and the registration page for attendees.

More Info / Map to the Venue / Registration Page
Discuss this on our message board

(September 25, 2006 )

TOEFL iBT: Off to a Sluggish Start?
The TOEFL iBT exam hasn't been without problems, a spate of recent articles have announced. Apparently, there have been instances of testing centers around the globe shutting down on a given day because of technical glitches. This forces affected test-takers to have to reschedule their tests. As college and university application dates approach, tensions are liable to rise if such closures continue.

One of the primary changes between the new TOEFL iBT (internet based) test and the old CBT test (computer-based) is the introduction of a speaking component, which requires test-takers to either answer a question directly or react orally to listening and/or reading content. Their responses are recorded simultaneously.

The TOEFL iBT exam debuted in Japan this past July. At least one testing center in Japan has been forced closed for a day because of technical glitches, although further statistics have not been reported. The test is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service), a non-profit organization.

Read a related Washington Post article
Discuss this on our message board

(September 22, 2006 )

Nellie's to Hold ELT Workshop and Book Fair
ELT materials supplier, Nellie's Group, will hold its 6th annual ELT Workshop & Book Fair this year in five locations: Osaka (October 15), Yokohama (October 29), Nagoya (November 12), Tokyo (December 3) and Fukuoka (January 21, 2007).

According to the organizers of this event, participants will be able to browse the publisher displays of ELT materials for both children and adults, or attend presentations by authors and ELT professionals. Visitors to the Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo events will apparently also have the opportunity to learn to sing gospel music. Special discounts will apply to items purchased or ordered on the day. Admission to each event is free, however it is necessary to register in advance. Contact information is provided below.

Contact e-mail address
Nellie's Group, Ltd. website
Discuss this on our message board

(September 21, 2006 )

Are Students Becoming More Violent?
According to a recent survey, the answer to this question is a resounding yes.

A 2005 survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology showed that elementary school teachers appear to have been particularly victimized by this growing violence. Assaults against elementary school teachers grew by 30 percent for the third consecutive year.

The Asahi.com editorial in which this survey is mentioned identifies two traits common to children who exhibit such violent tendencies. One is an abundance of stress and frustration, presumably with no viable outlet for those emotions. The second is reportedly weak self-control in preventing these emotions from reaching a point where hostility may ensue.

Read the Asahi editorial
Discuss this on our message board

(September 20, 2006 )

Extensive Reading Foundation Announces its 2006 Language Learner Literature Award Winners

Introduction to TESOL Seminar by David Nunan: Saturday, September 16th
David Nunan will give an introductory presentation on the field of TESOL at the Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo this coming Saturday, September 16th at 1:30pm. This free seminar is the first in the Anaheim University TESOL seminar series.

Dr. Nunan is a world-renowned linguist as well as author of many extremely popular student and teacher training textbooks for such publishers as Thomson Learning, Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. He is also the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Anaheim University. He received his Ph.D. in Education and Linguistics from Flinders University, and as a past president the world's largest language teaching association, TESOL International, he has been involved in the teaching of graduate programs for such prestigious institutions as Columbia University, the University of Hawaii, Monterey Institute for International Studies, and many more. In 2003, Dr. Nunan was selected as one of the Top 20 Australians in Asia by Business Review Weekly.

This event is highly recommended for not only newcomers to the field of language education but also veteran language instructors. The presentation runs from 1:30pm to 4:00pm. Call 03-3498-1005 for more information, or click on the e-mail link below.

e- mail for more information
Discuss this on our message board

(September 14, 2006 )

Ena, Gifu Adopts a Second Language
Almost 2,000 foreigners are registered as living in Ena, Japan. They come from many diverse countries, including South Korea and Brazil. However, when it came to selecting a common language for which to provide information on the city website, English was chosen. The real story, however, is that it is local high school students who are providing the English content.

Members of the local city government had been trying to find effective ways on passing on information to the foreign community. The Ena Agricultural High School came to the rescue, volunteering in May of 2006 to help out by starting and maintaining an English-language site.

Read the full article at asahi.com
Discuss this on our message board

(September 13, 2006 )

Japan Times President Touts Immersion
Yukiko Ogasawara, the new president of the Japan Times, is interested in the concept of immersion as a particularly effective way of encouraging development of a second language. 'Students learn English for 15 or 20 years (at schools), but when they face foreigners, they freeze. One week of immersion can change all that", she noted in a recent article published by the Korea Herald.

The context for this quote and article, was a meeting between representatives of the two papers. The purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm ways in which each paper can learn from each other in terms of how to encourage language education in their respective countries. The parent company of the Korea Herald (Herald Media Inc.) is already a self-proclaimed leader in English immersion camps in Korea. Perhaps the Japan Times has some designs on the local market?

Read the full article (Korea Herald)
Discuss this on our message board

(September 12, 2006 )

Mediaseek Introduces the Camera Dictionary
Mediaseek has announced a new mobile phone application, which it is calling a camera dictionary, or "kamera jiten" in Japanese. The application will allow users to translate English words to Japanese simply by turning on their mobile's camera, and scanning over the words they wish to understand. Words are recognized instantly by the application, and the reader can click on additional information related to any given translation.

Read the PhoneMag.com article
Discuss this on our message board

(September 11, 2006 )

Terrie Lloyd on Foreign Owned Businesses in Japan
Terrie Lloyd, an active promoter of entrepreneurship in Japan, has written an excellent article on selling a company locally. During the current period of growing interest in mergers and acquisitions, he attempts to estimate the number of foreign owned companies in Japan at the moment. His estimate - approximately 450 foreigner-owned locally-headquartered companies in Japan - shows just how successful a lot of foreign entrepreneurs have become here. His article goes on to mention the key points entrepreneurs need to keep in mind when considering selling, and is certainly a must-read for current, or future local business venturists.

Read Terrie Lloyd's article on CrissCross.com
Discuss this on our message board

(September 08, 2006 )

Buying Food in Tokyo
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries conducts an annual survey of the prices of 29 different food items, including milk, bread, chicken, and other items. Of annual interest is the comparison between Tokyo, New York and Paris, three cities notorious for their high cost of living. The 2005 study marked the first time since 1991 (when these kinds of surveys apparently began) that Tokyo was actually ranked as the cheapest place to live amongst those three.

Using 100 as a base for Tokyo, the price of food in New York stood at 109, and that of Paris weighed in at 105. Both fluctuating currencies as well as a fall in the price of fresh vegetables in Tokyo accounted for the results. Geneva came in at 123, and that was after a fall from the previous year. London was at a relatively thrifty 83.

Mainichi Daily News
Discuss this on our message board

(September 07, 2006 )

The ALC IPO: Two Weeks Later
ALC is a well-known English-related book and magazine publisher with a significant internet presence via its portal site. The company recently went public. On the 25th of August of this year, they were listed on the JSE (JASDAQ Securities Exchange). Many people have been watching intently to see how this rare instance of an English-related IPO in Japan would fare.

Their stock price opened at 82,500 per share, and over the first few days of the listing, the stock price swelled dramatically, topping out around the 150,000 yen mark. The fall was quick though, and judging from the steep drop in trading volume over the last few days, the price may be ready to stabilize at about the 100,000 yen mark. This story is, of course, an ongoing one.

ALC's Listing on Yahoo! Finance (in Japanese)
ALC website
Discuss this on our message board

(September 06, 2006 )

Who Owns Language?
Linguapax Asia will host the 3rd annual International Symposium entitled "Who Owns Language?" on Saturday, October 7, 2006 at the University of Tokyo. Speakers include Charles De Wolf of Keio University, who will discuss "Multilingualism and Multiculturalism", and Arudo Debito, a professor at Hokkaido Information University, who will discuss the question of language and nationality.

Registration for this event is reasonable (1,000 yen), and cannot be done in advance: potential attendees must register on site the morning of October 7, between 8:30am and 9am. For more information please see the official website of Linguapaz Asia and the symposium (link follows).

Linguapax Asia website
Discuss this on our message board

(September 05, 2006 )

Travel to the USA? Only With Thane Camus, Please!
The Goo Ranking website recently published the results of the following poll: which famous person born outside the country but currently living in Japan would you like to travel abroad with? Details as to why this poll was actually undertaken are not available, and likely never will be, but it's interesting to note a few people who managed to score high.

Thane Camus weighed in at number one, with a score of 100 (which, presumably, is as good as it gets). Other notables: Yoon Son Ha (tv personality) was number 2; Takeshi Kaneshiro was number 3; Kane Kosugi - commercial talent - came in at number six; Dave Spector at number 12; Konishki was at number 13; Carlos Ghosn.. yes, Carlos Ghosn, at number 15; and Bobby Ologun at number 21.

Full poll results available via the links below.

What Japan Thinks (in English)
Goo Ranking
Discuss this on our message board

(September 04, 2006 )

English as a Compulsory Subject: The Debate Continues
Should English language education be mandatory at public schools? The debate continues, and recent statistics show opinions remain as divided as ever. According to a recent Kyodo news article, out of 471 people who expressed their opinion on the subject earleir in the year 55% favored the proposal, 40% were against it, and presumably, the remainder had no strong opinion either way. Reasons for the proposal included the idea that language studies would help young Japanese students with their English and even Japanese abilities. One reason against the proposal was that Japanese primary teachers don't have enough experience teaching English.

Read the full article here
Discuss this on our message board

(September 01, 2006 )

Top