Gov't unveils new English education textbooks for elementary schools

Friday 04th April, 05:45 AM JST

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greenteaonsens at 10:52 AM JST - 4th April

You're all wrong. Children need rote memorization and a thorough grounding in grammar before the age of 6.

Only last night I spent 3 hourse educating my 4 year old on the need for the present perfect and past perfect in English. I made him memorize 200 common verbs and conjugate them properly or it was no supper. We then moved onto Latin diclension and the importance of the dative case in German. I let him go to bed about 11:00pm.
sarcasm123 at 11:24 AM JST - 4th April

cleo, with all due respect, I disagree. While "many many people" might be able to perfectly master second and third languages at a very early age, due to their own ability or because of the chance of being in a suitable environment, many others will not, I think.

We are talking about public elementary education here. It should be planned in a way that it is optimal for as many students as possible. Being able to learn the languages in a bilangual environment is NOT the norm, and certainly not in Japan. Many students will thus have to spend time on studying a language which they might never have the need to speak for later in their lifes. Meanwhile, times for other courses will be decreased. This means probably less time for their own native language, and other fundamental courses which might be far more important for the majority of the students.

Let me finish by telling how it went in my case in more detail. My second language is from a different family of languages than my native one. All students have to learn both in my country, starting the second language around age 10 or 11. Many have at that time not yet the ability to use their native language without making very basic mistakes. At age 13 to 14 English language courses start, and let me say that for me, being what I would call "not good at languages" or "better at sciences and maths" it was not easy to study 3 different languages. Thinking about it now it caused mainly frustration and a lot of wasted time. As a result, I mainly ignored the fourth language that was then thaught to us (from about age 16). The result at age 18 was, in my case: 4 languages taught for many many hours a week, native language OK, English OK, the two others: very basic knowledge and one that I could not speak at all. The result a few years later was that I had basically forgotten everything I was taught for the 4th language, and my second language - AFTER 8 YEARS of studying - was still very basic. I might not be the brightest guy on the planet, but I know that for many students it must have been ever harder than for me. Nevertheless, I managed to get a fairly good command of Japanese later.

I just wonder if this "the younger the better" way of thinking is really good. I feel Japan is exaggerating now. Soon people here will learn English first, and then Japanese.
Patrick Smash at 11:49 AM JST - 4th April

sarcasm

In England most of my friends can't speak English properly, and they're in their late 30s. I think starting English here around 8 is fine. Most children are "fluent" in their own language between age 5 and 7.
cleo at 12:35 PM JST - 4th April

sarcasm -

Every child with the ability to learn its native language has the ability to learn two or even three languages at a very early age, given the right environment. It's once the crucial learning window has started to close that they hit trouble and decide that they aren't 'good at languages'. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. I know some very intelligent people who are total dunces when it comes to language, and some thick bricks who can chatter away in two or three languages. What they have to say may be rubbish, but they say it fluently.

I fully agree with you that students ie. older teenagers should not be forced to 'spend time on studying a language which they might never have the need to speak'. Give a child a good grounding in second-language learning at an early age, and the crucial learning window remains open so that teenagers (for whom study time is at a premium) aren't forced to spend time cramming the more subtle grammar points of a language they're never going to be able to use. Little kids have (or should have) more leeway in their school day to allow for a bit of exposure to a second language. Note that I am not suggesting that tinies should be memorising lists of irregular plurals or analysing the verb to be, simply familiarising themselves with the feel of the language, experiencing the pleasure of communicating in simple sentences and most of all having fun in a language-learning environment. Enjoying language is a big part of 'being good at languages'.

The problem is, as Farmboy mentioned, that the system currently employed in Japanese secondary education simply doesn't cut it. It's a bad way to teach teenagers, and a dreadful way to attempt to teach the tinies. The aim in introducing language learning to little children should be to make it fun and stimulate their interest, not cram their little brains with verb tenses. If the new textbook is more aligned to the needs and abilities of little children, it is to be welcomed.
electric2004 at 12:45 PM JST - 4th April

greenteaonsens:

Some comment for comparison. I am happy that my 3 year old boy can read the Alphabet and also most hiragana. Now I am trying to practice with him first steps in writing. He has his Hiragana practice book (introduction for 3 year old). There he has to connect same things by lines. When he finishes one page, he gets a ganbaru seal. Learning ABC ... there are enough Doraemon DVDs to practice the English ABC from 2 or 3 years old on. For the German ABC, I had to get Maus-DVDs via German Amazon.

Yesterday evening, he came to me: "Papa, benkyoo shi-tai. Gambarimashou." Then he names the things he sees in mixed German or Japanese, and I tell him the missing translation. It is fun for both of us. Learning ABC ... there are enough Doraemon DVDs to practice the English ABC from 2 or 3 years old on. For the German ABC, I had to get Maus-DVDs via German Amazon.
cleo at 01:19 PM JST - 4th April

electric2004 - Sounds like fun! Being able to read the alphabet makes much more sense than being able to recite it, which is what most Japanese parents mean when they boast that Junior-kun 'knows' the alphabet. ganbaru seals - ah, I remember sticking those all over my kids' books. Happy days....
bpjapangaru at 01:37 PM JST - 4th April

i hope that native speakers actually had a chance of helping with this project - most textbooks ae riddled with errors and soooo boring - I also hope there will be an emphasis on speaking English rather than analysing grammar....
DeepAir65 at 02:10 PM JST - 4th April

In the fifth-grade textbook, students will learn how to greet people, count and introduce themselves, as well as culture-related information. In the sixth-grade textbook, students will learn the alphabet

The best bit of advice given to me learning Japanese was not to use the romaji books. I would say the same about English - especially if you want to learn proper prounciation - learn the alphabet first!
Dog at 03:23 PM JST - 4th April

. I would say the same about English - especially if you want to learn proper prounciation - learn the alphabet first!

You've got to love comments like this, what has the English alphabet got to do win English pronunciation? English has 25 graphemes (letters) to represent at the minimum 47 phonemes(sounds). English spelling is so irregular because of the loan words we borrowed from other languages, without changing the spelling. 'Correct' English spelling is a relatively recent phenomena, 150 years.

Don''t get you hopes and see this exercise by MOE for what it is 1. An exercise in amukedari. Sanseido will probably publish this book with a sure market amd MOE get a few more of their ex-workers employed on 'no turn up' jobs. 2. An earlier attempt than high school to convince Japanese youth that English is a language they will never get to grasps with - English in quotations!!!! 3. An earlier attempt than now to mystify the youth of Japan with their uniqueness, via the medium of a foreign language.
cdninkyoto07 at 04:05 PM JST - 4th April

The alphabet in grade 6?! Way to shoot for the moon Japan! Hell, I know 3 year old kids here in Kyoto that know the alphabet.
outhousejt at 08:24 PM JST - 4th April

The Japanese language is quite hard. To be able to read a magazine you need to be able to have studied kanjis for a minimum of 5,6 years. Where as languages using roman letters it is more or less a cake walk. With the exception of English most Europeans speak 2,3,4,5 languages. European languages are quite similar in many ways thereore it is easier to learn. Where as Japanese and English are 2 complete different type of languages. English people not being able to speak other European languages is pure laziness and ignorance. As for Japanese not being able to speak English I do not think it is a big issue.
curlygene at 11:52 PM JST - 4th April

Hey everyone,

So the title of this textbook is "English Note". That's good 'ole grammatically incorrect Japlish, isn't it?. Bet the rest of the textbook was written without a Native Englisih speaker within earshot as well. Keep it up Education Department! Thanks to you, conversation teachers will always be able to get a job in Japan. At least until their company goes cheeks up.
Desiderata1967 at 09:29 AM JST - 5th April

ways to discuss their dreams in life and ways to introduce others to Japanese culture.

Oh great, so now they're being told to fantasize before their minds are numbed by such crap on TV! Then they'll be expected to try and fill the minds of other countries with their crap!

It's bad enough that Japan is going down the tubes faster than a flight attendants hands on a pilot's central column, but this idiotic government continues to shove Japanese cultural ideology down the throats of its children and pass the buck to them for bringing about a better image of a messed up country and culture!

Hey Japan, here's a hint: if you want your culture to be something to be proud of, stop letting yourselves be pushed around by the crooks in your government! Simple really.
anderstungtwist at 02:33 PM JST - 6th April

Farmboy: I suggest the following inexpensive solution: 9:00 a.m. Turn on Sesame Street. 9:50 a.m. Turn off Sesame Street.

My kids are loving this. We watch on Youtube. Don Music writing the alphabet got the biggest laughs. Now, we mimic him constantly. There's the fun repetition they so badly need.
thepossum at 02:27 PM JST - 8th April

outhousejt...

"As for Japanese not being able to speak English I do not think it is a big issue."

Unfortuntely the J gov and the local citizens who invest millions on foreign language classes... "Disagree !!!"