Univ. gets ahead of the debate English coming to primary level, officially or not
The question of whether to introduce English as a compulsory subject at the primary school level has provoked heated debate, but discussion of how to cultivate staff to teach children seems to be lacking.
In April, Konan Women's University started a new program on fostering English teachers for children. The university says the program is the first of its kind to comprehensively cover various subjects such as language teaching, child psychology and practical training.
Tomoko Kinugasa, an experienced teacher of English to children and also a scholar on language teaching, will be an instructor at the university from next spring to teach specialized subjects in the program.
Kinugasa gave a lecture in early November to about 100 freshman students, who can opt for the program if they wish.
"I had thought we study English because it's the most widely used language in the world. I didn't know studying English really is about providing opportunities to learn about other cultures and encourage children's development," one student wrote after the lecture.
Another wrote: "I took private English lessons when I was a child, and back then I was never embarrassed to speak English. From the lecture, I learned it's more difficult to teach children than to teach middle or high school students, but it's also true that children are more likely to be quick learners who can have fun learning English."
The students' enthusiasm was good news for Kinugasa as well as for the university staff.
"Many people who are against teaching English to children haven't seen real classes," said Kinugasa. "When the teaching method is right, children can have fun and learn English in accordance with their development level. That can open their eyes to different worlds and foster cross-cultural understanding in them."
According to Kinugasa, teaching English at the primary school level is not about getting children prepared for English classes at middle school. It is more about fostering sound minds and removing resistance to things that are different from what they know, she said.
Although Kinugasa had experience in teaching children as the head of a private English language institution, she decided to go to a graduate school at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. She completed her studies three years ago and obtained a doctorate in character formation through education. "I felt the need for a theoretical background in teaching children," she said.
"The university's new program is very well developed. It's true that there aren't many experts in this field, but with this program, students can learn the necessary basics," she added.
While much attention is paid in general terms to the issue of introducing English as a compulsory subject at primary school, the Central Education Council's committee on foreign languages in March discussed how to secure teaching staff for English classes at primary schools.
The committee said that English at the primary school level needs more in-depth discussion in terms of designing teaching methods, developing good materials, and providing training for current primary school teachers. It also said that since English at the primary school level is likely to be enhanced--although it may not necessarily be made into a compulsory subject--there is a need to discuss whether to implement curriculums for English teaching to children as part of university teacher training courses.
However, no progress has been made on the topic so far. An official at the Education, Science and Technology Ministry said: "It's something that's really important, but we don't know where to start now. Depending on whether English becomes a compulsory subject or not, the discussion will take completely different directions."
This is due to the teachers license system. If English becomes a compulsory subject, only licensed teachers will be authorized to teach it at primary schools, while if it remains as an open subject that can be taught during general studies classes, outside teachers can come in and teach.
With the ministry unable to even start a discussion on the issue, the attempts made by the women's university seem certain to outpace the government.
As students tend to be more and more career-oriented, the university has started a discussion on offering subjects or programs that can be advantageous to students in finding jobs or useful when they start working. The idea for the new program came up as many graduates have opted to teach English to children.
once we decided to create a new program, we wanted make a good one," Associate Prof. Noriyo Asai, who is in charge of the program, said. "There were similar programs offered by language education publishers or at other universities, but they often are only about language teaching and don't include on-site training or child development classes. We wanted to make a comprehensive program covering all study fields while also offering practical training."
The program basically covers eight fields: pedagogy, psychology, child development, linguistics, English teaching, cross-cultural communication, English literature and English language skills.
Language-related subjects will be offered by the Department of English Language and Literature, while psychology and pedagogy subjects will be provided by the Department of Childhood Development and Education.
But the university did not have anyone who could teach how to teach English to children based on a theoretical background. Kinugasa was recruited to fill this crucial vacancy.
Whether the government decides to include English as a compulsory subject at primary schools is not as big an issue for the university as one might think, Asai said. "Learning English at the primary school level will undoubtedly be more and more popular, both inside and outside school. That's a huge trend in society and it's not going to change any time soon. There certainly will be more demand for qualified teachers," she said.
Currently, no qualification is required to become an English teacher to children. But Asai said, "It's not just about increasing the number of teachers--we do need to increase the number of teachers, but [should focus on increasing] the good ones."
The university plans to issue a certificate to those who finish the program. Although it does not give students any legal qualifications, the university hopes the certificate will be recognized as a sign of good English teachers for children in the near future.
If English is introduced as a compulsory subject at primary schools, the university will have to change its curriculum as it currently does not offer courses for students to obtain primary school teachers' licenses.
In early December, Hong Hyo Ja, who graduated from the university in 1991 and now heads a private international preschool in Kobe, gave a lunch talk about her career to about 30 students.
Hong said during her talk: "There's a shortage of English teachers for children, and the demand will keep growing. Many teachers are native English speakers or Japanese who are good at English but do not know anything about children. So those who really know children and also are good at English will really be sought after."
After about a 45-minute-talk, Tomomi Nakamura, a junior majoring in psychology, said: "I love children and I like English. It'd be great if I can be an expert in the two things I like and make it a lifelong career."
The education ministry official expressed a similar view to that of the university, saying: "English is likely to be taught more and more at primary schools, regardless of it being a compulsory subject or not. For students who plan to become teachers, having knowledge in English and in child development will surely be a great advantage."