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stormsewerI've been frustrated again with Matchan this week. Not news, I know. But I did sit down Tuesday and write out a letter to her saying everything I'd really like to say to her. I won't give it to her, but I did write as if I was going to give it to her, doing my darndest to make it objective and unemotional. It was cathartic, though, and helped me clarify a bunch of thoughts that were indistinct before writing them down. Tomorrow night we're meeting for dinner, see. 'Cause she never has time to talk to me for more than 15 seconds at school (and usually I have to initiate the conversation). But see, she needs to explain the Japanese education system to me or whatever, and I need to get a few things off my chest, as well, so... We're gonna have a chat. Writing this letter helped me organize my thoughts a bit... Here 'tis:
I want to give you my opinions about foreign language education. I will do so candidly, because that is the nature of both my culture and my personality. I do not like things to be vague and undefined, so that everyone has to guess at what is expected. I like things to be clear and plain, so that everyone knows what is expected. I understand that this is not the Japanese way, but I am still very clumsy at navigating the Japanese social environment, and in any case I don’t feel any need to abandon my own cultural and personal values in order to conform to the rules of a society which will never accept me as a member, no matter how well I adhere to its rules.
On the other hand, instead of wondering why I’m bringing this up in this way you may wonder why I have not brought it up before now. Again, I can only attribute it to my poor understanding of Japanese social structure. Using my weak understanding, I have come to have the impression that you are not interested in hearing my opinions. I have this impression because you never ask me for my opinions. You never ask for any input on lesson plans or any input at all. What little input I have tried to give of my own initiative has mostly been ignored. Your statements that I seem not to understand the Japanese educational system also seem to have a subtext stating, “Your opinions on education are not relevant.” That is fine, I suppose. You are the boss, and ultimately my job description is to do what you want me to do. Thus I have so far refrained from directly expressing my opinions.
However, I believe my opinions are relevant, at least to some extent, and thus I want you to be aware of them. Whether or not you choose to accept them is your prerogative, and I will accept your decisions. I wouldn’t feel I was doing the best job I am capable of as a teacher if I didn’t tell you my thoughts, however. But first, let me tell you why I think my opinions are relevant. For one, I speak English very well and I know a great deal about it. I feel I understand and use the language much better than the typical native speaker. Also, I have a great deal of experience in studying foreign languages. Besides Japanese, I also speak French, and in many ways I speak French better than I speak Japanese. I have invested a great deal of time into studying foreign languages, and I am not disappointed with the results. I may not know Japanese education, but I do know foreign language education, and I know what methods work well and what methods don’t. I feel you could get a lot more use out of me than you currently do. But again, how to use or not use me is at your discretion, not mine.
I think you do explain difficult grammar concepts very well, and in terms of explaining English in Japanese, you are certainly much more qualified than I. However, as a native speaker who has spent a fair amount of time thinking about the mechanics of the English language, I occasionally have insights that may help clarify certain difficult points or help in using a given grammatical form in the proper context when communicating with native speakers. I would appreciate it if, after explaining a grammar point, you would ask me if I have anything to add. I promise to keep it short.
I like the way you start and end class in English with the first year students, and generally use more English with them in class. Why don’t you do that with all the classes? In order to gain proficiency in a foreign language, it is essential to be exposed to it constantly and practice it regularly. This does not happen when English class is conducted exclusively in Japanese. I understand that the students’ ability to understand English is limited. However, the only way to increase that ability is by using English. It’s not necessary to speak exclusively in English, and especially when introducing new grammar patterns it will be necessary to use almost entirely Japanese. However, I feel effort should be made to use English in class as much as possible, focusing on using grammar patterns that the students have learned.
On a similar note, I have noticed that the students’ ability to engage in English conversation is very limited. Beyond simple questions of “How are you?” and “What’s your name?” most students, even the best of the third years, are hard pressed to manage even the simplest conversation. Even the question of “What are you doing?” will leave nearly all of them scratching their heads. However, the students, especially the third years, have all studied the grammar patterns and vocabulary necessary to engage in simple conversations about everyday concepts, but they are almost completely unable to do so. Even you yourself seem to have some difficulty engaging in natural English conversation.
If this is not of concern to you, then you don’t need to bother to read much further. In the past Japan has focused more on translating English into Japanese than on actually communicating in English. While this is certainly a valuable skill and I think the students here are fairly good at it, it is not especially relevant to me and all the other native English speakers in the world, with whom most Japanese students of English have an overly difficult time communicating. As a native English speaker who has been brought to Japan to teach English, it only makes sense that I would want my students to learn English in a manner that is relevant to communicating with native English speakers. Again, if you do not wish to take this focus, that is your prerogative, but I do know that the 文部科学省 is currently engaging in an effort to overhaul English education in Japan in order to focus more on actual communication than on translation.
Anyway, I feel that the students’ inability to engage in even the simplest English conversation is because the students spend very little time actually practicing the use of the English grammar and vocabulary that they are taught. Rote repetition of the readings in the textbook does not fill this role. It does serve as an aid in pronunciation practice, which is certainly an important topic for Japanese students of English to work on, but pronunciation is only useful insofar as it aids the greater goal of communication. If practice in communicating is sacrificed for pronunciation practice, the pronunciation practice itself has little value. Pronunciation itself can be practiced at the same time as communication exercises, and thus rote repetition exercises should be employed in moderation.
Another important point is that repetition is a passive exercise, but communication (for instance, practicing new grammar patterns by using them to talk to your neighbor) is an active exercise. Students generally find more stimulation (and are therefore less “bored”) doing active exercises than when doing passive exercises. In addition, actually using the vocabulary and grammar patterns that have been studied in class will make it easier for the students to remember them, which will improve their performance on tests. Not to mention, if the students enjoy English classes they’re more likely to study and remember English outside of class, which will also increase test scores.
Yes, these exercises will be harder for the kids than the rote repetition exercises. But it doesn’t have to be perfect. The main goal is to get the point across, to communicate. Perfecting grammar and pronunciation can come later. The first and most important goal is to get the kids to communicate in a foreign language. They may not be very good at it in the beginning, but the only way to improve is by doing.
A good example of a communication exercise is the one you had the first years do on Tuesday: having them compose questions in English, ask their friends these questions in English, and then record the responses (in English). If you would have the students do exercises like these more often, I feel sure that you would see an increase in the students’ ability in and knowledge of English.
But these are just my opinions. Do with them what you like.
So, whaddya think? You'd think all that stuff was common sense, wouldn't you? Well, apparently it isn't. Not in Japan, anyway.
So yeah. Tomorrow night, we dance, she and I. Though I'll do my darndest to keep it non-confrontational. And I am actually curious to hear what she thinks I should know about education in Japan. Wish me luck.
I want to give you my opinions about foreign language education. I will do so candidly, because that is the nature of both my culture and my personality. I do not like things to be vague and undefined, so that everyone has to guess at what is expected. I like things to be clear and plain, so that everyone knows what is expected. I understand that this is not the Japanese way, but I am still very clumsy at navigating the Japanese social environment, and in any case I don’t feel any need to abandon my own cultural and personal values in order to conform to the rules of a society which will never accept me as a member, no matter how well I adhere to its rules.
On the other hand, instead of wondering why I’m bringing this up in this way you may wonder why I have not brought it up before now. Again, I can only attribute it to my poor understanding of Japanese social structure. Using my weak understanding, I have come to have the impression that you are not interested in hearing my opinions. I have this impression because you never ask me for my opinions. You never ask for any input on lesson plans or any input at all. What little input I have tried to give of my own initiative has mostly been ignored. Your statements that I seem not to understand the Japanese educational system also seem to have a subtext stating, “Your opinions on education are not relevant.” That is fine, I suppose. You are the boss, and ultimately my job description is to do what you want me to do. Thus I have so far refrained from directly expressing my opinions.
However, I believe my opinions are relevant, at least to some extent, and thus I want you to be aware of them. Whether or not you choose to accept them is your prerogative, and I will accept your decisions. I wouldn’t feel I was doing the best job I am capable of as a teacher if I didn’t tell you my thoughts, however. But first, let me tell you why I think my opinions are relevant. For one, I speak English very well and I know a great deal about it. I feel I understand and use the language much better than the typical native speaker. Also, I have a great deal of experience in studying foreign languages. Besides Japanese, I also speak French, and in many ways I speak French better than I speak Japanese. I have invested a great deal of time into studying foreign languages, and I am not disappointed with the results. I may not know Japanese education, but I do know foreign language education, and I know what methods work well and what methods don’t. I feel you could get a lot more use out of me than you currently do. But again, how to use or not use me is at your discretion, not mine.
I think you do explain difficult grammar concepts very well, and in terms of explaining English in Japanese, you are certainly much more qualified than I. However, as a native speaker who has spent a fair amount of time thinking about the mechanics of the English language, I occasionally have insights that may help clarify certain difficult points or help in using a given grammatical form in the proper context when communicating with native speakers. I would appreciate it if, after explaining a grammar point, you would ask me if I have anything to add. I promise to keep it short.
I like the way you start and end class in English with the first year students, and generally use more English with them in class. Why don’t you do that with all the classes? In order to gain proficiency in a foreign language, it is essential to be exposed to it constantly and practice it regularly. This does not happen when English class is conducted exclusively in Japanese. I understand that the students’ ability to understand English is limited. However, the only way to increase that ability is by using English. It’s not necessary to speak exclusively in English, and especially when introducing new grammar patterns it will be necessary to use almost entirely Japanese. However, I feel effort should be made to use English in class as much as possible, focusing on using grammar patterns that the students have learned.
On a similar note, I have noticed that the students’ ability to engage in English conversation is very limited. Beyond simple questions of “How are you?” and “What’s your name?” most students, even the best of the third years, are hard pressed to manage even the simplest conversation. Even the question of “What are you doing?” will leave nearly all of them scratching their heads. However, the students, especially the third years, have all studied the grammar patterns and vocabulary necessary to engage in simple conversations about everyday concepts, but they are almost completely unable to do so. Even you yourself seem to have some difficulty engaging in natural English conversation.
If this is not of concern to you, then you don’t need to bother to read much further. In the past Japan has focused more on translating English into Japanese than on actually communicating in English. While this is certainly a valuable skill and I think the students here are fairly good at it, it is not especially relevant to me and all the other native English speakers in the world, with whom most Japanese students of English have an overly difficult time communicating. As a native English speaker who has been brought to Japan to teach English, it only makes sense that I would want my students to learn English in a manner that is relevant to communicating with native English speakers. Again, if you do not wish to take this focus, that is your prerogative, but I do know that the 文部科学省 is currently engaging in an effort to overhaul English education in Japan in order to focus more on actual communication than on translation.
Anyway, I feel that the students’ inability to engage in even the simplest English conversation is because the students spend very little time actually practicing the use of the English grammar and vocabulary that they are taught. Rote repetition of the readings in the textbook does not fill this role. It does serve as an aid in pronunciation practice, which is certainly an important topic for Japanese students of English to work on, but pronunciation is only useful insofar as it aids the greater goal of communication. If practice in communicating is sacrificed for pronunciation practice, the pronunciation practice itself has little value. Pronunciation itself can be practiced at the same time as communication exercises, and thus rote repetition exercises should be employed in moderation.
Another important point is that repetition is a passive exercise, but communication (for instance, practicing new grammar patterns by using them to talk to your neighbor) is an active exercise. Students generally find more stimulation (and are therefore less “bored”) doing active exercises than when doing passive exercises. In addition, actually using the vocabulary and grammar patterns that have been studied in class will make it easier for the students to remember them, which will improve their performance on tests. Not to mention, if the students enjoy English classes they’re more likely to study and remember English outside of class, which will also increase test scores.
Yes, these exercises will be harder for the kids than the rote repetition exercises. But it doesn’t have to be perfect. The main goal is to get the point across, to communicate. Perfecting grammar and pronunciation can come later. The first and most important goal is to get the kids to communicate in a foreign language. They may not be very good at it in the beginning, but the only way to improve is by doing.
A good example of a communication exercise is the one you had the first years do on Tuesday: having them compose questions in English, ask their friends these questions in English, and then record the responses (in English). If you would have the students do exercises like these more often, I feel sure that you would see an increase in the students’ ability in and knowledge of English.
But these are just my opinions. Do with them what you like.
So, whaddya think? You'd think all that stuff was common sense, wouldn't you? Well, apparently it isn't. Not in Japan, anyway.
So yeah. Tomorrow night, we dance, she and I. Though I'll do my darndest to keep it non-confrontational. And I am actually curious to hear what she thinks I should know about education in Japan. Wish me luck.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-11 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-12 05:03 am (UTC)