@Begin
@Participants:	NS009
@Age:	28
@Sex:	M
@L1:	AmE
@FatherL1:	AmE
@MotherL1:	AmE
@AcademicBakground:	PhD
@OtherLanguage:	French=8;Japanese=3
@Topic:	school education
@Comments:	NoTitle
@Coder:	2006-10-19 DataInputBy MURAO Remi;
@Version:	2.0
*NS009:	English language education in Japan has a reputation for being unsuccessful.
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*NS009:	Although there are many reasons for this, related both to the type of education received in school and to cultural factors, in this essay we will focus on the teaching methods used, the ability and attitudes of the teachers themselves, and the high school and university exams which determine the course curriculum.
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*NS009:	First, it is common for teachers in Japan to teach English in the way that they were taught ? using the so-called grammar-translation method.
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*NS009:	This method, heavily criticized by researchers and educational experts throughout the world, involves reading sentences in the foreign language (L2), analyzing them grammatically, and then translating them into the students' native language (L1).
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*NS009:	The reverse is also common.
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*NS009:	This method turns the classroom into a venue for decoding and problem solving, and virtually ignores the ideas of language as a tool for communication and a product of culture.
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*NS009:	Another problem with exercises like these is that they build the habit of attempting to find a one-to-one correspondence between grammar and vocabulary in the two languages.
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*NS009:	Language, of course, is not so simple.
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*NS009:	This approach reinforces the idea that there is only one correct answer, making language appear like mathematics.
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*NS009:	Furthermore, it ignores differences in culture which determine the suitability of specific words and phrases in a given context.
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*NS009:	For the majority of students, the grammar-translation method is not engaging, and is even downright boring.
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*NS009:	Since motivation is a key factor in language acquisition, a teaching method which undermines that motivation can hardly be desirable.
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*NS009:	Next, many teachers do not actually use English in the classroom.
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*NS009:	One of the reasons for this is confidence.
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*NS009:	Although many younger teachers today have spent time learning English in an English-speaking country, it is still not uncommon to meet a Japanese teacher of English who has never left Japan.
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*NS009:	Though oftentimes they have studied the language diligently, most of them lack the confidence to use it, or fear making mistakes in front of their students.
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*NS009:	As a result, students have few role models for speaking English.
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*NS009:	Some teachers even confess to their students (as if bragging) that they cannot speak English at all, or treat the ability to speak English with disdain.
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*NS009:	This kind of attitude surely must have a negative influence on students.
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*NS009:	The last major reason we will discuss here is the entrance exam system.
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*NS009:	Most schools center their curriculum on preparation for high school or university entrance exams.
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*NS009:	Traditionally these exams only incorporated reading and writing.
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*NS009:	Recently, a listening element was added; however speaking is still not a part of the testing.
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*NS009:	As a result, the English classroom in Japan still focuses little on developing conversational skills.
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*NS009:	Students spend their time, for example, cramming vocabulary from test preparation books without ever seeing it in a real context.
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*NS009:	Because the studying done in these cramming periods tends to be poorly reinforced, much of the memorized material is lost soon after the exams finish.
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*NS009:	In the mid 1980's the Japanese government began to take steps to improve English language education in junior and senior high schools by putting native English speaking teachers in the classroom alongside the Japanese teachers.
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*NS009:	Although this was a commendable step, real improvement in English education will require the Japanese teachers themselves to reexamine their teaching methods and attitudes, and for the high school and university entrance exams to include a conversational element.
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@End