- How old were you when you had your first English lesson? Did you enjoy it? Why?
- You are studying English now. Do you see this as a hobby, as a necessity or as both? If you answered “as a hobby”, why do you enjoy studying English? If you answered “as a necessity”, why is it necessary in your life? If you answered “both” please explain.
- There are many approaches to learning English available to learners in Japan. These include cram school courses, vocational training courses, Eikawa courses, undergraduate courses, self-study (podcasts, tv, radio and books) and compulsory education courses at high school. Which experiences have helped you the most?
- What has been your worst experience (losing time or money and getting no-where)?
- Japan spends over $40 billon dollars a year learning English yet only 3% of the population could give directions to the station. Why is the system so inefficient?
- Do you think there is a generation of learners who are young now who will do better than your generation at learning English? Why?
Question 1
I think I must have been in the fourth grade when I had my first English lesson. Prior to that, it was more about forming letters and spelling words. I don't remember my first lesson exactly but I remember enjoying the work. We used to do a lot of reading comphension and creative writing. Of course, long before my first lesson, I was practicing speaking English in my home with my family.Question 2
In my case, it's a necessity. As an English teacher, especially to those who don't speak English as their first language, it is important for me to understand the language. That's why I'm studying it now. That said, I enjoy studying and I enjoy the English language in generalQuestion 3
I can't speak to which approaches have helped me the most as I haven't really used any of them myself, except self study. The most effective in my opinion are schools and courses have an established curriculum, focus on four skills learning, and provide the students plenty of opportunities to speak. If that sounds like English-Please!, that's not a coincidence!Question 4
My worst experience as a teacher was probably with my previous employer, which I won't name here. I enjoyed teaching the students and I learned a great deal about teaching kids while there, for which I am grateful. That said, they didn't have a curriculum to speak of and they didn't provide us with a lot of resources. That made the job so much more difficult than it needed to be.Question 5
Plainly put, the system is inefficient because it is broken. Schools traditionally have waited until late in the students' school life to introduce them to English. It has been mostly taught by Japanese people in Japanese using outdated methods and textbooks. Also, there isn't enough emphasis placed on speaking, and students don't have a sense that learning English can be fun. All of this is starting to be addressed now but the country has a long way to go yet.Question 6
Absolutely. See above!Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| prior to that | それ以前は |
| I can't speak to | 本当に言えない |
| my previous employer | 私の前の雇用者 |
| nothing to speak of | 印象的ではない |
| outdated methods | 時代遅れの方法 |
| emphasis | 重視 |
| no sense of | 感覚がない |
| a long way to go | 長い道のり |