The Bank Machines are Open, But the English Shop is Closed: attitude versus resource allocation in regards

to English education in Japan Kevin David Stein

Having spent 12 of my adult years in Japan, it struck me recently just how often I talk about just how much Japan has changed over that time. When I arrived here in 2000, the bank machines

closed for the weekend. Not the banks. The bank machines. And I never got a very satisfactory answer as to why that might be. In the summer of 2000, there were still many homes without a computer and internet connections were dial-up at best and non-existent in many places. Now Japan has one of the best broadband networks in the world. And when I came to Japan, I almost never saw a person eating on the train. If someone did munch, they would cover the food with one hand as if hiding the food could ease their shame. And now, not just kids, but people of all ages seem to enjoy a sandwich or bag of chips during their commute back home. All of this change cultural, technological, life style. And yet I rarely remark on how

much English education in Japan has changed over the same 12

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years. My first job was teaching English in a rural high school in Ishikawa Prefecture. The school was a "general" high school, which basically meant it offered no specific course of study and as such rarely attracted students who were looking for an academic

challenge.

I was charged with teaching a course on "International

Communication" for third year students. Out of the 17 students in my class, none were planning to attend university. And none, as far as I could gather from our after class conversations, were planning to use English in the work place. The two hours a week of "International

Communication" was simply two hours of class time that needed to be filled. But on the whole, I do not believe that this had anything to do with a pervasive attitude in Japan, or even at the school, towards English learning. It was simply a reflection of the very real lack of educational goals in general for both the students and school. But, being an English teacher did bring me into contact with other English teachers and people who were extremely interested in the future of English education in Japan. The principle of my high

school was a Japanese scholar who had written a number of books on "The Tale of Genji." When we discussed English, he often would point out that if a student could not speak Japanese, there was little reason

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for them to learn English.

And standing in front of my 17 seniors,

trying hard to get them to see a glint of value in an "International Communication" class, part of me agreed with this witty, erudite, Engish speaking principle. Especially after we had drank off a glass or two of Japanese whisky. And yet, I think that this principle, fell into the trap of seeing languages as a type of zero-sum game. Improvement in one

language could only come at the expense of a similar deficiency in another language, potentially the student's first language. Indeed,

there was a sense in Japan that the movement towards "Yutori" or Relaxed Education since the mid 1980s, with its less stringent guidelines, focus on the individuality of students and abolition of classes on Saturdays, had resulted in a group of young Japanese without the native language skills necessary to succeed. This

heightened sense of anxiety resulted in a number of very astute educators recommending that the limited classroom time should be reserved for Japanese language education. Of course, one might ask why anxiety about a program that seemed to be failing the students should result in a move to protect the structure of the program at the expense of an English education. For this I have no answer. I was also lucky enough to teach one day a week at the towns

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junior high school. The classes were grammar based. The teacher would write out a series of sentences onto the blackboard from the dialogue in the text book. The teacher would then ask the meaning of each and every English word and write the meaning in Kanji over the English word. After all the words and grammar structures had been explained in Japanese, it was then my job to read the dialogue to the class. The teacher often explained to me that he did not want the students to be influenced by his poor pronunciation. I can only guess that this means he refused to allow his students to be influenced by his pronunciation the other 4 days of the week when I was not available to teach in the junior high. I realize that I am being disingenuous. The English teachers at the junior high school were using the translation method to teach English and, while perhaps not my personal choice as a foreign language teaching methodology, there were reasons, both social and pedagogical for the choices that were made in the classroom. And the desire to expose students to "standard pronunciation" or "native English" is far from rare in the language classroom. I am also sure that if I asked one of my Japanese counterparts to write an essay discussing the trends in English language education amongst foreign teachers, quite a few would write about the lack of an clear classroom

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goals or the fact that foreign teachers favors such games as "Simon Says" and English Rock Paper Scissors when there is clearly no evidence showing that either of these "English Activities" end up doing anything to bolster a student's English language abilities. And to be fair, I spent the next 2 years work at a small board of education in Shiga Prefecture and there was a true desire to provide elementary school students with positive exposure to English from the first grade (6-7 years old). I worked in tandem with a lead teacher at the school and we devised a series of lesson plans that would at the very least, introduce a series of key phrases and concepts (colors, numbers, expression of likes and dislikes,

introducing oneself, introducing one's family) in English. Still, in many respects it was like when the "Art Lady" would visit my elementary school to introduce us to "Great Paintings from History". My students in Shiga Prefecture were exposed to English in a manner, eerily similar to how I was exposed to expressionism. The issues addressed so far, for the most part, have been systematic. It is not the fault of any one person that the number of hours allotted to English education are too few, and it can not be seen as any individuals personal beliefs about language itself that is holding back English education in Japan. On the contrary, when we

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look at the actual individual level, the general feelings about English and its importance are overwhelmingly positive. In conversation after conversation with parents, I was met with expressions of gratitude and respect. Most parents commented that English was necessary for their children's future. They were of the opinion, very common in

Asia, that English was no longer an advantage, but merely one of the necessary tools necessary to people hoping to find work in the 21st century. Because similar attitudes towards English can also be found in India and China, it is safe to say that the attitude is quickly leading to the reality. If a large proportion of parents feel that English is a

necessary skill and take steps to ensure that their children can speak English, then English will no longer be an advantage in the global economy. But not speaking English will be a clear disadvantage. From 2005 to 2009 I worked as the head English teacher and later Director of the Language program at a large international center in the Kansai region. The students I taught could not be considered representative of Japanese adults in general as they had shown the motivation and desire necessary to learn English by enrolling in and paying for the classes held at our institute. But their general

attitudes towards English were similar to most of the people I had met

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in a non-classroom setting. They saw English as an important tool for economic advancement as well as success in the workplace. And in some respects they were highly prescient. Within the past few years, a number of large corporations in Japan have begun to require a certain level of English aptitude in order to attain a higher level management position. And two large companies, Rakuten and Uniclo, will soon be changing the language of the business place to English. Rakuten, with its focus on internet

sales, and Uniclo with an aggressive expansion of stores overseas and a need to import goods from various countries, highlights one of the most prominent changes in how English is being used now in Japan. Communicative abilities in English are now necessary to conduct business within Asia amongst other Asian trading partners. Indeed, I had three adult students who were studying to get a Japanese to English technical translator license, the purpose of which was not to translate into English for native language markets, but for the Asian market. This situation highlights one of the specific English language needs faced by Japan. In a still depressed economy, where Japanese companies are targeting the Asian market, it might not be

economically feasible or practical to secure a native English speaker

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with high level Japanese skills to translate into English. While some might argue the merits of this position, and the sometimes labyrinthine instruction manuals for turbines I helped edit for my students do not instill me with confidence, the shift from native speakers to Japanese speakers for translation services will arguably increase for the foreseeable future. For the past three years I have worked as the International Course Director for a private high school. I am happy to say that out of the 13 senior students currently enrolled in the program, 7 are planning to continue their English education at university and 4 are planning to study English in conjunction with attending vocational school and see their English skills as a positive factor in being able to obtain employment. Still, there are still serious structural issues to address. The International Course, an "English Intensive" program,

only offers a total of 7 hours of foreign language instruction per week and only during the students second and third years of high school. So on the one hand there is desire and a recognition of the importance of English in a global economy, and yet the resource allocation does not quite guarantee that the expectations that go hand in hand with desire will be adequately met. And I think, in the end, it is the lack of movement when it

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comes to resource allocation which has, for the past 12 years, kept me from looking back and seeing clear changes in the state of English Education in Japan. The Ministry of Education has required schools to implement English Education for all 5th and 6th grade elementary school students from 2011, but has not guaranteed any resources for the classes in way of money or special teacher trainings. Schools

have the option to use materials produced by the Ministry and many teachers have expressed relief that they will be able to insert a CD and avoid having to negatively influence students with their poor pronunciation. In a country where people are increasingly focused on the massive budget deficits, with an aging population retiring at an alarming rate, and an economy which like most of the world is still stuck in the doldrums, it is hard to for me to castigate the entire country of Japan for not spending more of their resources on English education. Still, if they do not, what will happen in Japan is that only children of parents who have the means to supplement their children's school English education will acquire the skills necessary to work on a level playing field with their Asian neighbors. And that is a zero-sum game in which all of Japan will be the loser.

Kevin David Stein kevchanwow@google.com