It seems like it's a cultural thing (memorization, memorization!!) AND the teachers are freaking out because it's a new subject.
If I had free reign over helping to plan some "preparatory" ES lessons, I'd really focus on phonetics. that seems to get skipped for a lot of kids, or it's not taught thoroughly by the JTE. I'm in JHS and ES, and my ES kids are so much more receptive to practicing the correct pronunciation... my JHS kids just won't quit saying "ando" instead of "and" and writing katakana 'translations' of their textbook passages. It drives me nuts.
Katakana English, the bane of all ALTs (and ultimately the kids, even if they don't realize it). How I hate it.
I had complete control for my first three years (having that suddenly changed has certainly been an experience). But thanks to MEXT saying, for some insane reason, that ES students shouldn't be taught reading and writing, I wasn't allowed to focus on it. I would sneak them in, especially for things like Th and certain consonant endings that show up a lot and are obvious, like T. And I teach them very dramatically, since I know that my kids will stop using them. My hope is that as they start to fade, it will become correct.
Phonetics/syllablesaveragesmartguyFebruary 14 2010, 21:06:54 UTC
Just because we're not supposed to teach reading and writing doesn't mean we can't teach pronunciation.
Use the random sentences in the texts to focus on pronunciation, and by pronunciation I mean getting them at least in the ballpark. I instituted teaching phonics and syllables at all of the schools I visited, including of course how to actually contort one's lips/tongue/teeth to make said sounds. Or in the case of vowels, comparing it to the (American English) pronunciation of the 'a' in 'hat' being somewhere between the あ and え sounds
( ... )
My teachers seem convinced that the textbook must be Followed To The Letter, so for most lessons we have to do exactly what is in the teacher's manual, which is somewhat maddening
( ... )
Whole-word reading is terrible in Japanese English classes. Despite a half-assed nod toward phonics at the beginning of their first year, that's pretty much how all the JHS students go about learning words, as if they're kanji or something, and the results are ridiculous. Students write "sleepy" when they mean "school" because they both start with s and have a double letter in there somewhere, and they've memorized the motions of writing both without real understanding of what those "strokes" mean.
Students write "sleepy" when they mean "school" because they both start with s and have a double letter in there somewhere, and they've memorized the motions of writing both without real understanding of what those "strokes" mean.
...... oh dear. Sorry, I'm at SHS, so the worst I have to deal with is someone saying "She listens to me when I'm spicy" because 'karai' and 'tsuranai' have the same kanji. Man, that's ... oh dear.
Lol, I can see your frustration. (And feel it; I've got two ESs I visit once every two weeks-- and at one, they have me teach the same lesson on numbers three times in a row to all grades 1-4. These kids will have had the same lesson no less than 12 times by the time they are 5th graders!). Whether you start on the first day of fifth grade or sometime at the end of fourth, at some point you have to have a Day 1 where all the material is new. And if you're required to be on Page 1 of Eigo Noto on Day 1 of 5th grade, it seems pointless to do that lesson sometime in March of 4th grade.
I can see their likely justification for it, though. Probably what they are worried about is the students not being able to learn the Eigo Noto material in the allotted time, and so they want to get a jump start on it to give some of the slower students a chance to master it before they're tested on it. (Despite it being mindblowingly boring for the other kids). Repetition and review is a natural part of any curriculum-- and certainly not something you
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I'm only seeing the forth graders twice, but "my name is ____" is something I started the very first time I saw them in first grade (I only work in three schoos, so before the mandatory curriculum, I saw each class about six times a year). They can do that in their sleep. Moods are a primary focus in third grade. And this particular time I have been told to focus on names so that they know it when they come into fifth grade. And I just can't wrap my head around that.
Repetition is a good thing, I don't disagree there. However, each chapter in the textbook is divided into either four or five lessons, depending on the chapter. So there is some repetition already (and "my name is ____" isn't exactly difficult), and with things the kids already know...Heck, most of my first graders already know names coming into elementary school, having learned it in kindergarten or off the many, many TV programs for kids with mini-English lessons.
Regarding your question: I'd definitely say it's both.
If you do end up doing some sort of "prep lessons" with your younger kids, I'd actually take that opportunity to focus more on prepping the HRT than the students. My classes with obviously anxious/awkward HRTs during English lessons are way more likely to not put forth any effort, walk all over me and their teacher, and/or decide English is worthless. My classes with HRTs enthusiastic about the new English requirements and obviously putting forth effort, even if their English is crap, are absolute superstars. So maybe do a series of fun but easy games for the kids whose secret purpose is to practice team teaching. That way you pay lip service to the cultural "teach-before-teaching" thing AND assuage the teachers' worries
( ... )
But I'm not sure how much of the "too easy" problem will be true next year
Yes, that is the sad thing. The stuff in the 英語ノート１ may very well be well-suited to kids who haven't seen English before. I don't know since mine have had ALTs, either me or my predecessor, since first grade. I still think the activities are meant for much younger kids, though. Getting my fifth graders (and sixth, at one school which decided to start everyone with book one) to play the gesture game was an exercise in torture for me, my HRTs and my kids. While I have a few kids who will say it's too hard to learn even the most basic things, 98% of my kids prefer to be challenged with something that's a little too hard than to be patronized with Ten Steps.
I have been hearing a lot of debate about whether or not 英語ノート is even going to be around next year, though. The new government has been making a lot of noise about throwing the curriculum out completely, supposedly to cut costs or something.Wait, so there is going to be mandatory English, but no
( ... )
Wait, so there is going to be mandatory English, but no curriculum? Or they're trying to get the mandatory English cut?
I'm not really sure, it's like a national game of telephone right now. I've heard that one proposed compromise is to ditch all the books and distribute print-outs electronically.
That might not be so bad, or to distribute a single book with printouts to each school for reproduction, the way a lot of them already are.
The book is certainly expendable given how little it is actually used. The curriculum, while occasionally entirely inane and sometimes downright baffling in content, is going to be important. Especially as more and more schools are having to cut their ALTs for budget reasons. Most ALTs, including myself, aren't certified to teach English, but at least they all have a good grasp of the English language (...hopefully. I wonder about a few)
I always thought that was the point, too, till I started my teaching internship. The point of school is to teach kids how to fill in multiple choice bubbles sheets. I hate it.
And this is why I'm having a crisis of career. These four years in Japan have been the most amazing, rewarding in my (admittedly short) life. Despite earlier life plans to be a zookeeper, I kind of want to go back to school for an education degree. And, yet...I'm terrified of this kind of thing. I want to be able to teach, not appease a bureaucracy, and I don't think that is the way things work.
I intend to teach when I get back, too. Some of it depends where and what you teach; in some states, many high school subjects (art, music/band/orchestra, foreign language) aren't subject to standardized exams. For instance, something like a Japanese teaching position in a Midwest high school might be hard to find, but if you found one you'd likely be the only Japanese teacher in the school (or even the district) and would get to call most of the shots; you'd only need to prove you were keeping to state and national standards. Maybe you'd be asked to offer an AP prep course, but there wouldn't be the yearly dance of getting a certain percentage pass rate out of all enrolled students. No standardized testing = more freedom as a teacher. (Can you tell what route I've decided to take? Lol
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Comments 38
If I had free reign over helping to plan some "preparatory" ES lessons, I'd really focus on phonetics. that seems to get skipped for a lot of kids, or it's not taught thoroughly by the JTE. I'm in JHS and ES, and my ES kids are so much more receptive to practicing the correct pronunciation... my JHS kids just won't quit saying "ando" instead of "and" and writing katakana 'translations' of their textbook passages. It drives me nuts.
Reply
I had complete control for my first three years (having that suddenly changed has certainly been an experience). But thanks to MEXT saying, for some insane reason, that ES students shouldn't be taught reading and writing, I wasn't allowed to focus on it. I would sneak them in, especially for things like Th and certain consonant endings that show up a lot and are obvious, like T. And I teach them very dramatically, since I know that my kids will stop using them. My hope is that as they start to fade, it will become correct.
Reply
Use the random sentences in the texts to focus on pronunciation, and by pronunciation I mean getting them at least in the ballpark. I instituted teaching phonics and syllables at all of the schools I visited, including of course how to actually contort one's lips/tongue/teeth to make said sounds. Or in the case of vowels, comparing it to the (American English) pronunciation of the 'a' in 'hat' being somewhere between the あ and え sounds ( ... )
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...... oh dear. Sorry, I'm at SHS, so the worst I have to deal with is someone saying "She listens to me when I'm spicy" because 'karai' and 'tsuranai' have the same kanji. Man, that's ... oh dear.
Reply
I can see their likely justification for it, though. Probably what they are worried about is the students not being able to learn the Eigo Noto material in the allotted time, and so they want to get a jump start on it to give some of the slower students a chance to master it before they're tested on it. (Despite it being mindblowingly boring for the other kids). Repetition and review is a natural part of any curriculum-- and certainly not something you ( ... )
Reply
Repetition is a good thing, I don't disagree there. However, each chapter in the textbook is divided into either four or five lessons, depending on the chapter. So there is some repetition already (and "my name is ____" isn't exactly difficult), and with things the kids already know...Heck, most of my first graders already know names coming into elementary school, having learned it in kindergarten or off the many, many TV programs for kids with mini-English lessons.
Reply
If you do end up doing some sort of "prep lessons" with your younger kids, I'd actually take that opportunity to focus more on prepping the HRT than the students. My classes with obviously anxious/awkward HRTs during English lessons are way more likely to not put forth any effort, walk all over me and their teacher, and/or decide English is worthless. My classes with HRTs enthusiastic about the new English requirements and obviously putting forth effort, even if their English is crap, are absolute superstars. So maybe do a series of fun but easy games for the kids whose secret purpose is to practice team teaching. That way you pay lip service to the cultural "teach-before-teaching" thing AND assuage the teachers' worries ( ... )
Reply
Yes, that is the sad thing. The stuff in the 英語ノート１ may very well be well-suited to kids who haven't seen English before. I don't know since mine have had ALTs, either me or my predecessor, since first grade. I still think the activities are meant for much younger kids, though. Getting my fifth graders (and sixth, at one school which decided to start everyone with book one) to play the gesture game was an exercise in torture for me, my HRTs and my kids. While I have a few kids who will say it's too hard to learn even the most basic things, 98% of my kids prefer to be challenged with something that's a little too hard than to be patronized with Ten Steps.
I have been hearing a lot of debate about whether or not 英語ノート is even going to be around next year, though. The new government has been making a lot of noise about throwing the curriculum out completely, supposedly to cut costs or something.Wait, so there is going to be mandatory English, but no ( ... )
Reply
I'm not really sure, it's like a national game of telephone right now. I've heard that one proposed compromise is to ditch all the books and distribute print-outs electronically.
Reply
The book is certainly expendable given how little it is actually used. The curriculum, while occasionally entirely inane and sometimes downright baffling in content, is going to be important. Especially as more and more schools are having to cut their ALTs for budget reasons. Most ALTs, including myself, aren't certified to teach English, but at least they all have a good grasp of the English language (...hopefully. I wonder about a few)
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