A RECENT survey shows that less than half of Japan’s public middle school teachers know what English-language programs are offered at their surrounding primary schools. This comes in spite of the fact that a new curriculum requiring fifth- and sixth-graders to study the language will take effect in 2011, The Daily Yomiuri has reported.
Benesse Corporation, an educational service provider in Japan, sent questionnaires to English teachers at 9,300 public middle schools across Japan. It included questions on attitudes toward primary-school-level English, teaching methods and desired training programs. More than 3,600 teachers, or 39 percent, responded. About 49 percent of the respondents said they knew what kind of English lessons were offered at primary schools whose graduates enter their schools.
When asked about the amount of class time used for lectures, as opposed to activities, 52 percent said they spent at least two-thirds of the time lecturing, while 27 percent said their students were engaged in activities the same amount of time. The survey categorized the former group of teachers as “lecture-oriented”, and the latter as “activity-oriented”. These data were also examined in relation to the respondents’ ages. The study found that the older they were, the more likely they were to be categorized as “activity-oriented” teachers — 29 percent among those aged 51 and older, in contrast to just 22 percent among those under 30. As to the kind of training programs they wanted to have, 61 percent called for more “practical programs that discuss specific teaching methods or materials”.
With the revised teaching guidelines for primary schools set to take effect in 2011, middle schools will no longer be the official starting point for English education in Japan. Sophia University professor Kensaku Yoshida, who was involved in the survey as an expert on English education, is concerned about the fact that only half of the respondents were aware of the English programs offered at their respective primary schools. “If middle school teachers still consider English education at the two school stages to be unrelated, it will be difficult for them to take advantage of what primary school graduates know and to help them further develop their skills,” he said.
