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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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 Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 6:26 pm Post subject: Demand for native EFL teachers increases |
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Native English speakers in demand as Japanese teachers hone their language skills for new curricula
Japan Times | 13 March 2018
Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/
FUKUOKA – More and more elementary school teachers in Japan are turning to English language schools with native speakers, as they seek to gain confidence in teaching the language before it is formally added to their curricula in the academic year starting April 2020.
Many teachers admit to lacking confidence in their English, in areas from vocabulary to grammar, expressiveness and pronunciation. Elementary school teachers, such as Yuko Shigematsu, say they are afraid of teaching their students “the wrong thing.” Now the ministry of education is providing a road map to foster more competent English teachers, and a growing number of local boards of education are expanding their teacher training programs through outreach to foreign language institutes.
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Last year the guidelines were further revised to start English education from the third grade as part of foreign language teaching, and make English a formal subject from fifth grade, starting in 2020, in an effort to enhance the nation’s global competitiveness. The education ministry has also called for the number of English teachers to be increased, while hiring 20,000 native speakers and Japanese fluent in English as assistant language teachers by fiscal 2020.
See the full article. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, great. We’ll see a flood of young grads, and few of them TESOL or SLA specialists, willing to work for a fast food wage....
Unless Monkasho boosts the JET Program we will see ブラック企業 proliferate, gobbling up our tax money, and we get poorly prepared, under supported and low paid random people.
More than the JET Program, Japan’s educators need a program to develop an understanding of SLA. So many teachers I’ve met have ridiculous ideas about language learning, and they often overtly teach these bung-headed ideas to their students. |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
Oh, great. We’ll see a flood of young grads, and few of them TESOL or SLA specialists, willing to work for a fast food wage....
Unless Monkasho boosts the JET Program we will see ブラック企業 proliferate, gobbling up our tax money, and we get poorly prepared, under supported and low paid random people.
More than the JET Program, Japan’s educators need a program to develop an understanding of SLA. So many teachers I’ve met have ridiculous ideas about language learning, and they often overtly teach these bung-headed ideas to their students. |
It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes during the meeting (Interac) when the company outlined MEXT's plan. You know they will set these lofty goals and then give the schools no support. When they bumped JHS English classes from 3 a week to 4 a week, I did not see any new English teachers hired. But yeah, the dispatch companies and eikaiwas are licking their chops. I'm afraid that all this extra work is just going to get dumped on the ALT, and there is only so much we can do in 29.5 hours a week........
That being said, it's a worthy goal in and of itself. Since the 5th and 6th grade "Hi Friends" program started, I have notice my students come to JHS with more proficiency than in the past. Used to be the 1st 3 weeks were ABCs, numbers, colors, the basics and now they pretty much know that stuff already and can dive straight into "this" and "that". And I know the BOE I work at has increased the ES ALT position from 3 days a week to 5. (I think, need to check again.) So it's not all doom and gloom.
It's a big change, and it will be a rocky road I fear.
@Tokyo Liz- you work in a private school, right? You seemed surprised by the news. Does MEXT treat private schools in a pretty hands-off manner?
And as I remember from my JET days, were were all pretty much a selection of recently graduated, random, poorly prepared people with only occasional education training. We just were not poorly paid. But yeah, I am with you. If only the government would invest in foreign language teachers, like they do in foreign nurses....(sarcasm alert) |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 4:29 am Post subject: |
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Marley’sghost wrote
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| Since the 5th and 6th grade "Hi Friends" program started, I have notice my students come to JHS with more proficiency than in the past. Used to be the 1st 3 weeks were ABCs, numbers, colors, the basics and now they pretty much know that stuff already and can dive straight into "this" and "that". And I know the BOE I work at has increased the ES ALT position from 3 days a week to 5. (I think, need to check again.) So it's not all doom and gloom. |
When Gaikokugo Katsudo started in ES in 2011, I was with a BoE that built curricula and trained the ALTs. I’ve been at a private HS for the last five years, and see the effects of the ES programs. At first, the programs were inconsistently delivered, so students from different cities and regions had different levels of exposure. But sure, now I can count on incoming JHS students to have greetings, numbers, sight words, verbs and “daily activities” like school related vocabulary.
I was a JET a long time ago, too, but already teaching ESL for years. My weaknesses were lack of Japanese language skills, no K-12 preparation, and poor understanding of the EFL situation here. I learned the hard way. These days, I get the impression a lot of JETS come over with Japanese language skills, and teacher training/experience.
The application process for JET is much more stringent than anything the recruiter vultures do. While the bar for JET may not be terribly high, meeting the requirements, gathering your references and other paper work, writing a statement of purpose, and enduring the long wait demands initiative and perseverance. Recruiters think, “Suit, degree, pulse - check.” I’ve seen some scary (fake degrees, criminal records, even violent) recruited ALTs show up at BoE orientations.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to with Monkasho hands off with private high schools. The private schools answer to prefectural BoEs, writing reports, meeting standards and receiving some funding.
Edit: got interrupted there... |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
I was a JET a long time ago, too, but already teaching ESL for years. My weaknesses were lack of Japanese language skills, no K-12 preparation, and poor understanding of the EFL situation here. I learned the hard way. These days, I get the impression a lot of JETS come over with Japanese language skills, and teacher training/experience.
The application process for JET is much more stringent than anything the recruiter vultures do. While the bar for JET may not be terribly high, meeting the requirements, gathering your references and other paper work, writing a statement of purpose, and enduring the long wait demands initiative and perseverance. Recruiters think, “Suit, degree, pulse - check.” I’ve seen some scary (fake degrees, criminal records, even violent) recruited ALTs show up at BoE orientations.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to with Monkasho hands off with private high schools. The private schools answer to prefectural BoEs, writing reports, meeting standards and receiving some funding.
Edit: got interrupted there... |
I don't think I've had a chance to chat with a live in-the-flesh JET in years. From what I've gathered on the boards, JET is a lot pickier than they have been in the past. And good for them.
I was just asking if MEXT treats the private schools in a more hands off manner than public ones. You seemed surprised by the new course of study and it has been in the pipe for a while now. Maybe I misread your post. So, I was wondering if the new course of study was not something private schools had to worry about, and so it was news to you.
But anyhow, sounds like the privates have to follow the same basic guidelines as the public schools. Thank you. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
Oh, great. We’ll see a flood of young grads, and few of them TESOL or SLA specialists, willing to work for a fast food wage....
Unless Monkasho boosts the JET Program we will see ブラック企業 proliferate, gobbling up our tax money, and we get poorly prepared, under supported and low paid random people.
More than the JET Program, Japan’s educators need a program to develop an understanding of SLA. So many teachers I’ve met have ridiculous ideas about language learning, and they often overtly teach these bung-headed ideas to their students. |
I agree, it's not the money nor amount, it's the quality and implementation of the ALTs. I feel that it will be more business as usual. Who is willing to come here AND stay for 20-220,000 a month? Yeah, some will come for fun, and stay a year or two, but with no teacher training nor degree, you're getting very unprepared people.
You couple that will more Filipinos and other non-native speakers, and you will see wages continue to go sideways at best. I don't dislike the Filipinos, but they are our low wage competition. It's hard to justify what I charge, when they can do it for 1/4 of what I charge.
Yes non-native speakers can teach English, but the ones I have met have had pretty poor English skills. I interviewed one from the Congo, and his English was at best conversational.
Oh and yes, English Ed here is beyond stupid, by 9th grade the grammar is so hard, that the students really can't read most of what is in their texts. I mean like 20% reading comprehension being good here. They literally could not find the answer to a reading comp question, that was basically 'find this sentence and write it down'.
Basics are the foundation to learning, and they do a Gulliver and try to built a house top down. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 9:42 am Post subject: |
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Marley’sghost wrote
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don't think I've had a chance to chat with a live in-the-flesh JET in years. From what I've gathered on the boards, JET is a lot pickier than they have been in the past. And good for them.
I was just asking if MEXT treats the private schools in a more hands off manner than public ones. You seemed surprised by the new course of study and it has been in the pipe for a while now. Maybe I misread your post. So, I was wondering if the new course of study was not something private schools had to worry about, and so it was news to you.
But anyhow, sounds like the privates have to follow the same basic guidelines as the public schools. Thank you.
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Recently, I have helped a JET applicant prepare a statement of purpose, and advised others on the application process. All of those applicants had at least conversational Japanese, a strong reason to be in the region they chose (a Japanese partner waiting for them, a cultural pursuit to commit to, etc), and teaching experience/ teacher training. They all got accepted.
Private high schools receive the Mokasho guidelines, and our particular school attempts to exceed them. With some success. Our 6 year cohort at the high school level doesn’t miss a thing in class, and uses inter language effectively to communicate with me and classmates, while our three year cohort could be at any level from “Hai, my namu izu Taro”, to “If you got a minute, I want to tell you about Paris”. So the conditions and expectations are really different in private 6 year schools. I hear about public JHS teaching from some teacher colleagues, but I didn’t know what it would all entail. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 9:48 am Post subject: |
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Rxk22 wrote
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Yes non-native speakers can teach English, but the ones I have met have had pretty poor English skills. I interviewed one from the Congo, and his English was at best conversational.
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This. Do we really need random people with conversational English? I’m teaching my high school students functional English as part of their communication program, and my junior high school students are working on paragraph writing, reading for gist and detail, and summary writing. Because that’s what will get them through the university hoop-jumping. |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 5:50 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
Marley’sghost wrote
Private high schools receive the Mokasho guidelines, and our particular school attempts to exceed them. With some success. Our 6 year cohort at the high school level doesn’t miss a thing in class, and uses inter language effectively to communicate with me and classmates, while our three year cohort could be at any level from “Hai, my namu izu Taro”, to “If you got a minute, I want to tell you about Paris”. So the conditions and expectations are really different in private 6 year schools. I hear about public JHS teaching from some teacher colleagues, but I didn’t know what it would all entail. |
Sounds nice. You would think that after 6 years, they should be able to do the English class all in English. That's one of the goals for the new curriculum for the high schools if I recall.
rxk22's comment about, "building the house down" reminded me that I had heard there were some changes in the wind accompanying these new elementary and secondary guidelines. They can make any goal they want for the lower grades but until the center tests are re-vamped it will mean nothing. I know from folks who administered them that some universities are starting to use STEP tests as part of their exam. If the unis demand that applicants can speak, then and only then will we see real changes down in the trenches.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/11/06/language/lets-discuss-entrance-exam-reforms/#.WvPKyzO-mUk |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 7:10 am Post subject: |
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Afraid not as the speaking part will be optional. But apparently Eiken needs more examiners so at least that is something.
If there is a writing section, we should be in demand.
But so many schools just want to save money and want to hire the cheapest person possible. I think only some private schools would hire a qualified person.
Tokyo has so many part-time ALTs. |
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kzjohn
Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 1:41 am Post subject: |
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| marley'sghost wrote: |
| ... I know from folks who administered them that some universities are starting to use STEP tests as part of their exam. ... |
Here's an article that says universities are abandoning STEP:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180409/p2a/00m/0na/017000c
In contrast, I've read elsewhere of a proposal that anyone with a TOEIC score 780 points and over, or with Eiken pre-1, who takes the Center Exam for university admission would automatically get full marks for the English section.
So who knows? (Personally, I think STEP/Eiken should disappear and become a fossil--I'd rather have a group of students with 780 than a group with pre-1.)
Also (apart from the biggest names), private uni take just about anybody these days, so for a good portion of high school seniors what happens on the center test is not a crucial hurdle. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| TokyoLiz wrote: |
Rxk22 wrote
This. Do we really need random people with conversational English? I’m teaching my high school students functional English as part of their communication program, and my junior high school students are working on paragraph writing, reading for gist and detail, and summary writing. Because that’s what will get them through the university hoop-jumping. |
As a teacher, I don't like it. But seeing how English Education works here, why bother paying for quality?
It's the end part that is insane, and like a blackhole it bends the rest of English Ed here to it's warpedness. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| marley'sghost wrote: |
rxk22's comment about, "building the house down" reminded me that I had heard there were some changes in the wind accompanying these new elementary and secondary guidelines. They can make any goal they want for the lower grades but until the center tests are re-vamped it will mean nothing. I know from folks who administered them that some universities are starting to use STEP tests as part of their exam. If the unis demand that applicants can speak, then and only then will we see real changes down in the trenches.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/11/06/language/lets-discuss-entrance-exam-reforms/#.WvPKyzO-mUk |
Exactly, the fact that their goals are focused on something so insane, it makes it impossible to have a real curriculum, and impossible to implement it.
I started my own business recently, and was an ALT again after many years of not being one. They managed to pack a lot into a lesson, and teach each grammar point only once, and use maybe 2-3 examples total. Then move on with no review of previous grammar and the such. Same thing in Elem.
Doing something doesn't mean you know how to do it. You could go to a BJJ school and learn every move over the course of a day, and then wouldn't be able to do any of them the next.
Same with me, teach me art all day, and I won't be able to do any of it the next.
Basics and practice are sorely missing in Japan.
Plus I read about how the new standards are basically 1500 hours or so of study time. While they only get 600 hours or so now. So, a lot more kids falling dramatically behind, plus kids having to do more cram school. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 3:35 am Post subject: |
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| kzjohn wrote: |
| marley'sghost wrote: |
| ... I know from folks who administered them that some universities are starting to use STEP tests as part of their exam. ... |
Here's an article that says universities are abandoning STEP:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180409/p2a/00m/0na/017000c
In contrast, I've read elsewhere of a proposal that anyone with a TOEIC score 780 points and over, or with Eiken pre-1, who takes the Center Exam for university admission would automatically get full marks for the English section.
So who knows? (Personally, I think STEP/Eiken should disappear and become a fossil--I'd rather have a group of students with 780 than a group with pre-1.)
Also (apart from the biggest names), private uni take just about anybody these days, so for a good portion of high school seniors what happens on the center test is not a crucial hurdle. |
Yeah, who can get a 780 by college in Japan? That seems really unlikely.
And as you said, they take almost everyone.
This whole system is a great example of unintended consequences |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 4:53 am Post subject: |
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| kzjohn wrote: |
| marley'sghost wrote: |
| ... I know from folks who administered them that some universities are starting to use STEP tests as part of their exam. ... |
Here's an article that says universities are abandoning STEP:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180409/p2a/00m/0na/017000c
In contrast, I've read elsewhere of a proposal that anyone with a TOEIC score 780 points and over, or with Eiken pre-1, who takes the Center Exam for university admission would automatically get full marks for the English section.
So who knows? (Personally, I think STEP/Eiken should disappear and become a fossil--I'd rather have a group of students with 780 than a group with pre-1.)
Also (apart from the biggest names), private uni take just about anybody these days, so for a good portion of high school seniors what happens on the center test is not a crucial hurdle. |
Thanks for pointing that out. It really does seem like things are up in the air. Interesting times.
I'm not an expert on TOEFL and Eiken and whatnot, so I can't say which would be better.
But it seems to me that unless all universities have some sort of communication/interview component that gets weighed as heavily as the writing/reading/listening, in whatever test they use, it will be just more of the same.
Like it or not the house is getting built from the top down.
If there is no real reform at the top, I do worry that all this change that is starting at the ES and JHS level will just amount to typical, "Our system is not working. We need to do more of it harder."
And good point with the comment on the low hurdle. With the declining birthrate, schools will be scrambling for warm bodies to fill those seats. A friend of mine at a private high school said told me they recently lowered their entrance requirements in an effort to boost enrollment. Economics may end up making any test reform irrelevant anyways.
Last edited by marley'sghost on Fri May 11, 2018 5:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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