On September 20 Professor Kensaku Yoshida and Dan Frost discussed the question of how much English can be used to teach English in Japanese primary and secondary schools to a packed room of JTEs, ALTs, JALT members, and other interested parties. Dr. Yoshida argued that it is possible to use English only in beginning level classes, from primary through to the first year or so of junior high school, but as language becomes more abstract, scaffolding in Japanese becomes necessary. He offered several examples. Mr. Frost countered by stating that even if true, the textbooks used by primary and first year junior high school students are heavily dependent on Japanese from the beginning. Moreover, first year junior high textbooks start introducing grammatical terms in Japanese, suggesting that there is a set policy to teach English by using Japanese, rather than English. Dr. Yoshida further argued for the sensible use of Japanese in the classroom, especially when explanations if given in English would risk overshadowing the objective of a task; and for developing English as the lingua franca so that students can express themselves in English in their own way rather than adhering to a native speaker ideal. Mr. Frost said that Dr. Yoshida’s view sounded reasonable, but that having an open-ended policy of using Japanese whenever it seemed necessary might well inhibit the full use of English, leaving learners ultimately dependent on their L1.

Dr. Yoshida was on the Central Education Committee responsible for creating the Course of Study 2009. Its aims, in theory, have been implemented in Japanese high schools as of 2013.

*As an afterthought, it was interesting to learn that only two people out of the 50+ (mostly JTEs) had read the Course of Study for English, which, as Dr. Yoshida pointedly stressed, encourages teachers to use modern pedagogy and methodology and does not constrain, as some believe.

Reported by Dan Frost and Sue Sullivan / *Afterthought: Gregg McNabb