There has been argument about whether the subject of English should be learned at primary school or not in Japan for resent years.
Japanese compulsory education system has mainly two parts like primary school for about six to 12 years-old students and junior high school for about 12 to 15 years-old. Then most of them choose to go high school for three years afterwards. English is required subject in the six years of junior high school and high school but not in primary school. It might be one of reason why, as a rule, Japanese people is said to tend to weak in English.
The main worry of some people about learning English in primary school would come from the “fear of losing some Japanese identity”. From this point of view, people are nervous because it may affect even the study of Japanese subject which they believe is still in an immature stage at the time and the furthermore language would be pressure on students.
However, Gardner suggests that there would be a certain advantage if English is started to learn in an early stage because when he taught his students English as a second language in high school he discovered the fact that they apparently have more difficulty in leaning it than their siblings who were studying in primary school.
Personally, I think Japan should make new curriculum for English study in primary school, which would bring positive affects on students as the writer indicates that many studies have revealed that knowing other languages and cultures help Japanese identity to make it stronger. A case of point is Korea which adopted English program in primary school ten years ago. Besides, New Zealand Education minister considers about leaning second languages such as Chinese and Pacific Island’s language as well though it is worried because it may be high pressure on students.
If it is adopted, there would be some problems, but I still hope that English will be started to learn in early age. It must contribute to especially the ability of speaking and listening
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I agree with you that English as a second language learning for Japanese at earily stage is necessary, because normally children could learn from while they are playing around and it may easy for them to accept and having a good basic level of learning second languages.
When I was 5 years old, my dad always pushed me to learn Japanese language, memorise lot of words. I was feeling so sad about that hard studying time I had, but nowadays, I am an university student who is studying Japanese at university, I found it was really lucky to learn basic Japanese when I was a little girl, so it is earier for me to learn it at advanced level at university now.
That's right. Learning as children are playing around could be effective way for them. Though I'm not sure wheter it is good to force children to study in early age like your father, I think it is important to make children get used to studying languages including English before it become pressure on them.
good points chie:D
in norway we learn english from we are about 9 years old, i often wish i had started learning other languages at the same time, because it is always a bonus to be fluent in more than one language.
However, there are really boundaries for how much pressure you should put on a small child, but i guess they could quite easily start the teaching of a language when the child is young, but focus more on learning things like words, and phrases and then focus on grammar and such when the child is old enough to understand why it is learning this? then it might be a better chance they will remember it later in life as well.
very good points in your post chie:D
looking forward to more.
Hi Chie!
Thought of u when watching the rugby match between Japan and Fiji this morning. Japan did extremely well. They have four Kiwi's in their team and r coached by an ex All Black. They r a team to watch closely in 2011!
Re your blog: Very interesting topic. I recently read that many Japanese kids go to formal school until 4pm, then attend private English classes and then go home to study. Sometimes their (learning)day ends only at 10pm. I think the Japanese work ethic is admirable.
We studied teaching methods in Alice's class last term (Intro to Language Study)and I was critical re the research that found that the best age to learn a foreign language was adolescence (14yrs). Decided to put this to the test and got my 15yr old son to do Mandarin lessons with me. Neither of us had prior knowledge but believe me, it is quite an embarrassment - he is miles ahead (and 15yr olds from my culture r naturally lazy).
The debate on whether English should be compulsory in Japanese schools is also interesting. In South Africa kids from my culture do English, Afrikaans and Xhosa as compulsory subjects from the first grade. Many parents in Cape Town also prefer to send their kids to the Deutsche Schule Kapstadt where the medium of education is English but cultural events and sports are German-orientated. The result is that they speak four languages when they finish high school.
Re ur last paragraph: Personally I do not think that one can even BEGIN to understand a culture if u cannot speak the language. Maori should perhaps be compulsory in schools and for all migrants?
Am reading "River Town" by Peter Hessler about two Princeton and Oxford graduates who taught English to high school students in Fuling on the Yangtze River. It is quite hilarious. Ur welcome to borrow it if ur interested.
Oh I didn't know that japanese rugby team has kiwis! should be interesting. I must watch next match. thanks cristel.
I think now that it is a common idea that 'the younger the better' when you study a language. But as Ida said it would be big pressure on children and also they wouldn’t understand why they are learning it. we have to think carefully how much is proper amount for children to learn language at the ages.
your point was good, cristel. I don't think little children are ole enough to study cultural background. it probably should be learned at older age like secondary school.
But anyway, to study language in early age would be good just for make children get used to it without grammar stuff so that they might get fluency or some merits.
I'm interested in the book you are reading, I'll have a look after this break, thanks cristel.
I have started to learn English since I was in Kindy(3 years old), at a Christian School back in my home country(Thailand), the principal is a nun who was highly educated. I would say the principal had studied overseas and that makes it difference from other schools in my hometown. I still learned other subjects as the Thai curriculum but English is an extra subject that I had to learn. English is always my favorite subject and I always got good grades, my parents never pushed me to study anything that I don't like. That was kind of lead me to where I am right now doing BA in Arts.
New info to me, Jan. Can u pse tell us a little more re the other languages in Thailand - official languages, lingua franca etc.?
Yeah, I would like to know more about Thai's language curriculum. Is it usual to learn second language from kindergarden like you?
I think its very interesting point, as from my point of view different languages changes your way of thinking and the way you view life, but i guess if done by a "japanese" proffisional in that case i guess, the child could learn new languages and keep the same set of ideas and values.
Good point. I agree your opinion.Honestly Japan has discussed the topic( we might lose our identity by learning forein languges in early stage)for such a long time. But We wouldn't lose if it is done by Japanese after all.
It is really interesting Chie.
Korean education system alsmost the same as Japan. As you said, Korean primary school have had Enligh class since the years ago. However, it doen't mean that students can speak Enilgh well. The problem is that we leran only vocab, grammarm listeing and writing. So, i personally think the method of teaching language is more important than when learing language starts. But this things are getting better nowdays because people realise why people can't speak English although they learnt for such a long time and they got a high or full mark at the English test like TOEIC. In the past, when people try to job interview they are required to have a TOEIC test but recently that test is not as important as before. The company have a job interview in English.
Hoestly, i don't understant why every company think that people need to speak Enligh even though English is totally not used when they are working in Korea unless that is internation company.
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