accommodating the new “foreign language …a085/niigata...accommodating the new foreign language...
TRANSCRIPT
Accommodating the new “foreign language activities” class
University of Niigata Prefecture N.E.A.R Conference Sean Mahoney
Fukushima University [email protected]
25 May 2013
What are Foreign Language Activities (FLA)?
• Generally, primary-level English
• Aim: to foster desire to communicate.
• sounds & basic phrases, creating foundation
for later skills (cf. Korea since ‘97).
• Focus: richness of languages & joy of use
Mahoney&Inoi, 2013 n=2,873
• 学習・指導の一致性 continuity/harmony and
links in teaching and learning FL between primary (FLA) and secondary (English) classes
• 1802 Primary homeroom teachers (HRT) • 515 Jr high English teachers (JTE) • 387 Primary ALTs* • 169 Jr high ALTs*
Grade 5&6 HRTs
• April 2011: 35 hours/year of FLA
• experienced teachers with varying levels of English ability and interest in it
• 31.7% confident teaching FLA (Benesse, 2010)
Homeroom teachers’ English?
If they had the time…
• Training in progress
• Still, 9.5% have licence to teach English
• In-service training & conferences
• Assistants: Licenced primary teachers (university, or the new J-Shine), ALTs, volunteers, JTEs, EAAs
Survey Results
• Almost 60% said they taught with ALTs at least half of the time
• But: almost 30% of HRTs teaching over half their FLA classes alone
• Just 20% with ALT all the time
Textbooks?
• Optional
• Government produced text changed from “Eigo No-to” to “Hi, friends!” in April 2012
Hi Friends! (recommended text for grade 5, p.16)
Ibid., p.17
Connections to junior high
• … make sense (?) – but there are different aims and children.
• Analysis of link types (Matsukawa&Ohshita, 2007)
Re: Links with jr high
• About 37% or HRTs want more links (cf. 61% of JTEs)
• 55% of HRTs say a linked curriculum’s necessary (JTE: 76%)
• 21% say it’s actually possible (JTE: 52%)
The HRT counterpart: JTEs
• Can/do JTEs help? 38.3% of JTEs have taught FLA at local primaries
• Are JTEs aware of curricula at local primary school(s)?
JTEs: Do they know what’s coming?
Back to HRTs: Concrete link types
• We asked HRTs about specific primary to secondary (English) link experiences
• Categories adapted from Matsukawa & Ohshita, 2007
n=788 Helpful for 601
Not Helpful for 187
Cf. Jr high JTE opinion
n=375 Helpful for 352
Not Helpful for 23
n=488
Helpful for 395 Not Helpful for 93
Cf. Jr high JTE opinion
n=292 Helpful for 254
Not Helpful for 38
n=296 Helpful for 198
Not Helpful for 98
Cf. JTE
n=188 Helpful for 152
Not Helpful for 36
n=1120 Helpful for 1102
Not Helpful for 18
Cf. Results from JTEs
n=177 Helpful for 147
Not Helpful for 30
n=261 Helpful for 197
Not Helpful for 64 *****No equivalent for JTEs*****
n=260 Helpful for 185
Not Helpful for 75
Cf. JTEs
n=164 Helpful for 132
Not Helpful for 32
How are new FLA classes going?
Do junior highs note a difference?
Conclusions
• Ideal linking activities are perceived differently between school levels.
• Until it’s a core subject, in-service training will remain limited.
• Training of new primary teachers will not include much reference to FLA classes.
• New ALT role: as valuable link (Japanese skills)
• Little support for HRTs until FLA is a core subject→ No core English without trained teachers→ Little support without making English a core subject
• EAA roles increasingly important
• TIME for teachers to communicate & improve
References • Hashimoto , K. (2011). Compulsory ‘foreign language activities’ in
Japanese primary schools. Current Issues in Language Planning. 2011, 1–18.
• Koster, Cor. (1986). English FLES in The Netherlands: How good must a teacher be? The modern language journal, 70(1), 8-12.
• 西子 みどり。 (2011)。『 韓国に学ぶ英語教育―小学校の英語教育導入への提案』。 東京図書出版。
• 松川禮子・木下邦辛（2007）。『小学校英語と中学校英語を結ぶー英語教育における小中連携―』。高陵社書店。
• バトラー後藤裕子。（2005）。『日本の小学校英語を考える：アジアの視点からの験証と提言』。三省堂。
• ベネッセ。（2010）。第２回 小学校英語に関する基本調査（教員調査）。http://benesse.jp/berd/center/open/report/syo_eigo/2010/