Job Discussion Forums

[alexcase]

How can the general level of English teaching by native speakers in Japan be improved?

Any ideas, whether general or specific to one kind of English teacher, gratefully accepted

[matador]

Just off the top of my head: Observe other teachers. do a CELTA (or similar), do a DELTA, do an MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics and have an open mind to critical feedback that you might receive from others.

You might also think about doing a teaching journal that records your reflections on how you feel your lessons went and how you might seek to improve them next time.

[alexcase]

All good suggestions. The next question is: what can the teachers, the industry, the schools, the publishers, the teacher training institutions and/ or the government do to make more of those things happen in Japan?

[zorro (3)]

The government can put teachers through a rigorous teaching boot camp before their arrival in Japan. What happens in this boot camp would be up to you Alexcase. The number one objective should be for prospective teachers to share your vision of an English language teaching utopia. Any who are slightly dubious should be packed onto the next plane home.

Good luck with your crusade.

[Glenski]

Since you don't seem to care which sector you get answers for, this thread is going to turn into another mishmash of replies and frustration.

What can the government/industry in Japan do to improve things? Well, what would you suggest? You have been here for 4 years.

I think most people would say the government would have to perform a miracle and totally change the way it thinks/operates. Same with the general education system, which operates only to get kids to pass college entrance exams. As for eikaiwa, to get skilled, trained, and qualified teachers (if they are even needed in such a field), more miracles would have to happen: a regulatory board would have to be formed to require certain degrees and qualifications. But, miracles won't happen, so you are wasting your time on this thread.

[partialtone]

[jwbhomer]

Test the FTs' grammar and spelling every six months, and fire anyone who doesn't get 99%. That should raise the quality...and lower the number of FTs...dramatically.

[matador]

[alexcase]

Thanks matador, I would need it to do any of that on my own!

Here are some ideas off the top of my head (still very much in the brainstorming mode) about what could be done:

The government could:
- Change the visa requirements to demand some kind of teaching certificate
- Have a general requirement for all (large) companies on the amount of training they have to provide per year (Spain has this, I believe), which would also count for eikaiwa etc.
- Set up and fund national or regional training for all ALTs for public schools before they get training from their dispatch companies/ schools
- Use STEP Eiken to set up a local version of the CELTA

Schools:
- Are unlikely to anything they aren't forced to do or realise they can make some money out of. Hopefully with the low level of the yen, Japan will get cheap enough that they can start to make some money off selling CELTA courses

Teachers/ teachers' associations can:
- Collect data on the number of people who would do a DELTA if the British Council offered it. At the moment I believe we are a catch 22 situation of no one applies because it doesn't exist and it doesn't exist because no one applies

And that's all I've been able to come up with at 8:45 in the morning...

People do have the option of ripping these ideas to shreds, of course, but I would suggest more that we continue with brainstorming more ideas for a while

[matador]

[alexcase]

Thanks for your support, matador. Your comments have given me a similar but unconnected idea that I am following up right now...

[Vince]

Alexcase, what is your goal? Are you going to publish a paper? Are you going to come to Japan and try to implement your proposed methods of improvement?

[partialtone]

[alexcase]

Just trying to make conversation... I was hoping it could be "discussion question" that could promote a stimulating dialogue and help me and maybe some others come up with some fresh thoughts, and with the added bonus that we could maybe come up with some practical ideas that we could put into practice. Is that not what a forum is for? (genuine question from forum newbie- only found out what OP meant two weeks ago).

Anyway, it has helped me come up with 3 ideas I hadn't had before, 1 of which I will put up here soon for you all to analyse, tear apart, support or ignore as you wish

[Hoser]