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Ken Robinson’s latest talk
Ken Robinson, the most popular speaker on the TED website, and someone who talks about education to boot. I’m guessing many of my readers have seen this talk already, but just in case I’m putting it on here.
Ken Robinson is one of my favourite speakers. He is incredibly skilled. Notice how he speaks for 20 minutes in the video above, with no notes, no slides, nothing to support him, and still manages to be compelling and stay on track. I can only imagine the hours of practice that went into that one off-the-cuff seeming talk.
This particular talk struck a chord because it seems to go against everything I’m working on at the moment in terms of setting standards and expectations at my university. However, once I thought about it, our programs involve setting expectations but then giving students a lot of leeway as to how they meet them (which books they choose to read, how they talk about articles, which websites they choose to use). We don’t expect the same from all students, but we expect all students to put in similar amounts of time and effort (or understand the consequences of not doing so).
Having watched the talk, do you see any connection to your own teaching practice?
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If I ruled the world… the JET Programme
So the story I wrote about yesterday seems to have caught the eye and the imagination of people I know. I have yet to see a positive response, even among former JETs.
There are various reasons for that, but the most important one seems to be the opportunity cost of this plan -there are probably much more effective things that could be done with the money. I’d like to put all that aside and just focus on what could be done to make the JET Programme and wider ALT utilization more effective.
1. Make JET an up or out program
Almost all ALTs are excited, happy, enthusiastic, and motivated when they first arrive in Japan. That energy and enthusiasm, combined with not knowing anything about Japan, is hugely beneficial for students. However, after a year, depending on how their year has gone, how they have been treated by teachers and schools, and how their particular ALT community is, they will change. Some will pick up bad habits and stagnate in the computer room, some will settle into a comfortable existence, and some will learn as much as they can about teaching and work hard to improve themselves.
At that point I believe most ALTs should move on. JET is, as many have mentioned, an exchange program, a way for Japan to increase its soft power, and a way to internationalize smaller and out of the way communities. I think it works very well in these respects, but most of the benefits are in the first year.
A small number of ALTs should be chosen for promotion, given extensive training and more responsibilities, and put on a career track to become special teachers (with possible tenure, a normal pay scale and benefits, and the ability to teach by themselves). These special teachers would then assist with managing regular ALTs as well as be assigned to schools as English teachers.
This way the current goals of JET programme would be met while allowing it to serve as a source of high-quality native speaker instructors.
2. More oversight
Make schools and boards of education submit plans for how they intend to train and utilize ALTs, and follow up to ensure that they do. Schools that fail to find a useful and productive role for their ALTs should not receive one. The huge variation in how ALTs are treated is probably one of the worst problems with the system, and a lot of it is due to the ‘hands-off’ nature of the ‘recruited centrally, employed locally’ approach currently in use.
3. More training and guidance for schools and teachers
In many cases, teachers and schools aren’t quite sure what to do with ALTs. I would like to see the Ministry of Education provide more training and examples of best practice to schools and teachers. Often, the youngest teachers are assigned to be ALT supervisors, whereas in many cases the head of English would be more suitable.
Many ALTs are stuck in ‘tape-recorder’ team-teaching situations where they basically sit in on another teacher’s class and participate sporadically. This is not particularly useful or fulfilling. Instead, ALTs could take small groups aside for speaking practice (like the Spanish, French, and German language assistants in my own secondary school did), mark and check written work, help with creating written, audio, or online materials, or provide after-school teaching for students.
Having trusted and experienced native teachers as described in 1. above would also help here.
Conclusion
I don’t think the JET programme is all bad. Yes, I would rather see some of the money go towards training Japanese teachers or creating more effective teaching materials (particularly online). However, I think the JET programme provides some very positive results for Japan, and I would be sad to see it eliminated completely.
Finally, one potential positive for this plan is that it may go some way to reversing or even ending the trend towards outsourcing ALTs or teachers, which I think has no redeeming features. It is very possible that the new JET ALTs will not be adding to the total pool of ALTs, but rather replacing assistants provided by dispatch companies. That would be a fine result in my opinion. The sooner the parasitic ALT dispatch companies are driven out the better.
I look forward to your comments!
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by sendaiben
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36,000 JET ALTs a year?
I saw this mentioned in the news last week, and a post on Mutantfrog Travelogue reminded me of the story just now.
I have a lot of history with the JET Programme. I first came to Sendai on JET, had three great years in junior high schools and an elementary school, then was involved in running the Miyagi program as the Chief ALT Advisor for four years. I think I saw the best and the worst of JET.
The best thing about JET is that it has the potential to take intelligent, educated, energetic, and motivated people and put them in a position where they can interact with, inspire, mentor, and befriend Japanese children and teachers. When this works it works incredibly well, and I have had the pleasure of working with some exemplary JETs in my time.
The worst thing about JET is when teachers and schools are not supportive, don’t provide clear working guidelines or support their ALTs, and host institutions are unwilling to actively manage JETs and provide feedback and discipline where necessary.
Assistant Language Teachers on the JET Programme are assistants. They are able to help, support, and contribute to classes when their colleagues and schools work to make that possible. Like many things in English education in Japan, training and implementation are going to make most of the difference, not spending more money or deciding to put an ALT in every school (whether they want one or not). There seems to be an expectation that ALTs should be radically improving English education in Japan, but to me that is like saying that the new textbooks should magically do that. It’s not going to happen unless the teachers and schools facilitate and allow it to.
In the spirit of my ‘if I ruled the world’ blog posts from last month (on elementary school, junior high school, high school, and university English education in Japan) I am going to come up with some suggestions for the JET Programme on the blog tomorrow.
In the meantime, what do you think about the proposal to double JET numbers? Any good or bad experiences with JET? Please leave a comment below.
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If I ruled the world… university English education in Japan
This is the fourth and final post in a series talking about specific ways to improve English education in Japan. You can see my thoughts on elementary school English, junior high school English, or senior high school English in these links.
The Current Situation
Almost all students in Japan continue studying English and perhaps a third language at university. Classes tend to be either a continuation of high school (‘academic’ text analysis or test preparation) or general (almost ‘eikaiwa’ style) classes. Universities have a lot of flexibility with regards to goals, class sizes, materials, etc. In many cases individual teachers decide the content of classes within a loose framework provided by the institution. It is very difficult to generalize effectively about university English.
Right now students can work extremely hard to get into university, but once they get there there is much less pressure leading to graduation. For many students, graduating from university is a given, and the real hurdle is securing decent employment.
In recent years graduate employment has become extremely competitive, and students start looking for a job any time after their second year, often spending much of their third and fourth years on job-hunting activities such as attending seminars and interviews. Some companies, most notably Rakuten and Uniqlo, have started prioritizing English skills.
My Thoughts on the Current System
The biggest changes I would like to make at university do not originate here, but rather at the earlier levels. For example, a lot of my time at university is spent trying to encourage students to develop self-study habits of reading and listening to English, and help them practice expressing themselves in written and spoken English. Most of the students can’t do that when they come to us, so my first priority is to build this foundation. My classes are basically extensive reading, presentation skills, discussion skills, and online independent study.
In an ideal world, students would have already gained these skills and habits in junior and senior high school, and would come to university already able to read and write, listen and express themselves in English. They should know how to study English, and be able to do so effectively should they choose to do so. We could then spend our time at university developing more advanced skills (oral presentation, academic writing, online correspondence, social media management) that would serve students in the future.
My Recommendations
I only have four things I would like to say about university English in Japan. Given my position as an English lecturer, it may seem as if I am shooting myself in the foot here, but I really think this is the way we should be thinking (you can see more of my thoughts on university English in this video).
- Remove English from university entrance tests
I can think of no reason for any student who is not applying to an English or linguistics course to have to take an English test for university. The fact that almost all students do have to take these tests is incredibly harmful to both motivation and achievement at the high school level. Because university entrance tests are designed to select students based on their academic potential, they have become a kind of arms race. The tests get harder and harder, the students study more and more vocabulary and complex grammatical forms, and then the tests are made harder again. As all students have to take the tests, they are forced to study English that is far beyond them, an exercise in discomfort and futility. No wonder that surveys show most students hate English by the end of the first year of junior high school.
If students didn’t have to take an English test as part of university entrance, they would be able to work towards developing their practical English skills, working at an appropriate level. The certification system I mentioned in my thoughts on senior high school would come into play here, giving students a reason to continue with their English studies. - Eliminate compulsory English classes
English classes at university still mostly consist of 20-60 mixed-ability students in a classroom once a week. Why? This is a colossally inefficient way to teach and learn a language. Instead of forcing students to take specific classes, universities should allocate a number of credits for foreign language study, and allow students to customise their own program. This could involve a mix of independent monitored study and formal classes, in English or other languages. Even better, remove all elements of compulsion. Don’t require any language credits. - Create robust language centres
University language programs should consist of language centres that provide access to information, training, resources, and certification. Ideally students would determine their own goals and programs based on their interests and future needs. A variety of courses should be offered through the language centre, as well as opportunities for group study, short courses abroad, intensive courses in the university holidays, etc.
If language skills are valued and recognized by companies, relevant and practical training will be appealing to students. There should also be support for students to take various tests and certifications during their time at university.
Of course, the language credits eliminated in 2.) above could be allocated to independent study and elective courses here if institutions are timid. - Remove barriers to study abroad
Right now, most students wanting to study abroad must take time out of their studies, pay for both their university in Japan while they are not attending it and the institution they are attending abroad, make up lost credits when they get back, and potentially miss out on getting a job due to the incredible 2+ year job-hunting season. No wonder 60% of high school students have no interest in studying abroad, it’s actually a bad choice under the present system (even more so if you consider how ill-prepared students are in terms of their language skills).
All universities should have wide-ranging study abroad programs that give students credit for the time they spend overseas. Students should not face financial penalties. Companies should not penalize students who are not in Japan during their third year. If these three factors were improved and students were given adequate language skills in school, I think we would see very different numbers on that poll.
So that’s the end of this series on improving English education in Japan. I have really enjoyed writing this and hearing your comments here on the blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Please let me know what you think of this one.
Am I way off the mark?
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If I ruled the world… high school English in Japan
This is the third of four posts on reforming English education in Japan. You can see my thoughts on elementary school here, and on junior high school here.
High school is a crucial step within Japan’s English educational system. It is the gateway to university, and currently has the most powerful external incentives for students. Get into the right high school, and you’ll have a shot at a good university. Graduate from a good university (and let’s face it, once you get in it’s not very difficult to graduate) and you’ll be set for life.
That’s how the script used to go. It’s shifting now, which is why we are seeing change on the horizon. Here is my take on high school English education in Japan.
The Current Situation
Most students attend junior high school then go to a separate senior high school. Entry is competitive, and students take the high school test or take advantage of a parallel ‘recommendation’ system (suisen). The system is designed to select candidates based on academic achievement and potential.
Once in high school, students focus on preparing for university entrance tests (if they attend an academic-track high school) or on getting vocational qualifications (if they attend a vocational high school).
From this month all high school English classes are supposed to be taught in English (something that was also part of the 2003 Course of Study but was not successfully implemented) but we will have to wait and see how widespread this turns out to be in practice.
My Thoughts on the Current System
High schools have a lot going for them. They select students based on academic ability. High school teachers are better qualified than junior high school teachers (see MEXT figures for English teachers here). Students are more mature and more conscious of their goals -sometimes 😉
Ironically, English classes at vocational schools are often more practical than classes at academic schools. Freed from the pressure of cramming huge amounts of vocabulary/grammar for the university tests, teachers are free to work at the students’ level and have them work on their communicative competence. Sadly many teachers instead do an ‘academic lite’ class, reviewing junior high school vocabulary/grammar.
The falling number of children due to demographic change is putting a lot of pressure on high schools. The best public and private schools still have students competing to get in, but other schools are becoming less able to select as they only get as many applicants (or fewer) as they have places.
The governments plan to use TOEFL to screen applicants to university (which I disagree with) also has the potential to shake up SHS education.
My Recommendations
These are the things I would most like to see changed in high school English education (many are similar to my requests for junior high school):
- Increase English input for students
This has three parts: teach students why input is important and how they can access it, expect students to do a certain amount of input-based self-study per week, and monitor their progress. Done well, this can have a significant effect on practical English ability, as well as helping students become independent learners. This should include extensive reading with graded readers, as well as online listening and watching videos.
- Increase meaningful English output from students
Students should be speaking and writing ‘real’ content regularly. Writing their reactions or ideas, giving speeches, and having discussions about topics of interest will help them build up their language proficiency. - Introduce content-based lessons
Give students the opportunity to interact with news and current issues through English. This can include reading online, simplifying news stories for the classroom, and using contemporary stories as the basis for output activities as described above. - Create meaningful English qualifications
I would like to see the government create meaningful English qualifications that students could take to demonstrate their ability. At the moment, the STEP Eiken, the TOEIC, and to a limited extent the TOEFL tests fulfil this role at the moment, but they don’t do a very good job of measuring overall English proficiency, particularly with regards to speaking and writing. Perhaps some kind of language portfolio would be the best way of achieving this. The qualifications would ideally be recognised by universities and employers, and provide incentives for students to work on developing actual English skills. - Provide online courses
Based on best practice worldwide (see the Khan Academy or online university courses for examples) create online content using the best teachers. By flipping the classroom in this way, students can use class time for practice and interaction, and learn concepts for homework, in an environment where they can repeat or rewind as much as they need. This would have the welcome side-effect of reducing the importance of cram schools for university entrance. It would also reduce the influence of unqualified or unskilled teachers (only 50% of senior high school teachers hold intermediate English qualifications).
I struggled writing this one. By the time students get to high school, they’ve already had five years of English at school. Any problems have been compounded and it is unlikely that high school alone will revolutionise their experience. For the same reason, changes here will probably have less effect than they would do in elementary school or junior high school.
Still, the fact that students are academically streamed should make it easier for teachers to deliver content appropriate to most of their charges.
Many young people I speak to were profoundly disappointed when they started high school and found that the classes were a continuation of what they had been doing in junior high school. They had honestly been expecting to have things step up a notch and become more challenging/practical.
What do you think? Is senior high school English a lost cause? What practical steps could we take to improve English classes?