JAPANESE primary school teachers have been struggling to find techniques for conducting English classes. As the mandatory introduction of compulsory English lessons for fifth- and sixth-graders gets closer, many teachers are turning to training programs to improve their teaching skills, The Daily Yomiuri has reported.
When Seigakuin University in Saitama prefecture offered a training program on teaching English at primary school level during this year’s summer vacation, for example, it attracted 264 participants — the highest number since the institution began offering the program in 2001. Workshop sessions have proven particularly popular, because teachers were eager to learn practical techniques.
One of the participants was Yasuhito Morimoto, who works at a public primary school in Tokyo. At his workplace, he serves as a “core teacher” to develop the school’s English lessons. Representative teachers at various schools, like Morimoto, have to take training programs offered by regional education boards on teaching English, so they can lead in-house training programs at their respective schools. “No one at my school feels confident of his or her English skills. I’ve just spoken a little English when traveling abroad,” Morimoto explained, adding that he took the program in an effort to get as many ideas and techniques as possible.
But even some of those who already have certain English skills are at a loss regarding how to teach the language. Sayaka Hata, another primary school teacher in Tokyo, for example, attended an all-English program at the Japanese campus of Columbia University a few weeks after Seigakuin’s program. “Even if you can speak English, it doesn’t mean you can teach the language. It’s quite a different thing. We have to adopt a special teaching approach,” Hata said. “Some children find it difficult to express themselves in front of their classmates. We also have to keep an eye on each student so that they won’t develop a dislike of the language,” another teacher added.
