How should teachers deal with young children who come to live in Japan without being able to speak Japanese?

It's not up to the teachers, it's up to the educational authorities to provide language and culture classes. It's what first world countries do.

Japan has to figure this out on their own. It's not like other countries have had to learn to integrate kids who don't speak the local lingo. It's not like other country's schools have ESL programs they could refer to. It's not like anyone has ever taken kids to live in other countries than Japan.

What Strangerland said.

Don't spend any money on them. Spend it on Japanese kids.

Hey, I get that many folks are flat-out opposed to immigration, though I always find it ironic when foreigners here make such arguments. But if the government is welcoming these people in, for however long, then they damn well better offer sufficient support for children. Do you think the thousands of Japanese kids in public schools in America or England, to take only a few examples, are not having money spent on them?

Average Score of PISA Mathematics, Science and Reading:

1.Singapore 551.7 2.Hong Kong532.7 3.Japan 528.7

Do you see The USA or Europe in the top three?

PISA tests well the things it tests and that suits the relentless nature of education in these countries. They are not to be ignored, but only weigh one element of education.

You will know that the first two are city states, so pretty unrepresentative. You will also be aware that a number of European countries are just behind Japan yet do so with far fewer days per year in school.

there are not thousands of Japanese Kids in public schools in the US or the UK.

all the Japanese kids in the US or the UK are expat kids abd they go to either private schools or Japanese schools

Dunno about the US, but there are plenty of Japanese kids in the UK school system. According to Wiki, Many state and independent schools in the United Kingdom serve Japanese children. As of 2013 about 10-20% of Japanese school-age residents in the United Kingdom attend full-time Japanese curriculum based international schools. - which means the other 80~90% are in state and independent schools.

My nephew's partner teaches in a state primary school, and she tells me that every year they have several new (=speaking little to no English) Japanese children come in.

@alwaysspeakingwisdom

Is that so? Because I lived in a really rural town in the Bible belt and we had 5-10 Japanese students per grade who all came during elementary school knowing no english. For the first year or two they attended parallel classes conducted in Japanese along with ESL classes until they picked up English and were integrated into the regular classes. In a public school. In Nowhere Indiana.

Second, all the Japanese kids in the US or the UK are expat kids abd they go to either private schools or Japanese schools.

Speaking from experience I can assure you there are plenty to Japanese kids in UK state schools. many go to state schools and go to a Japanese school on Saturdays. There are a couple of private Japanese schools, that have Japanese teachers who teach the Japanese cirriculum, but their Ofsted ranking is poor. I wouldn't send my kids there.

When I went to my inner London state schools we has kids from all over the world speaking a variety of languages. They had special classes until they we're able to catch up with the rest of us, but they did attend some lessons with us to aid inclusion - PE, games, art, music, drama etc

This points up the basic flaw in an education system that doesn't make any allowances for individual tastes or abilities. Japanese "education" is the pits!

Let's be honest, Japan can't even figure out how to deal with Japanese returnee kids who get Japanese language at home and are truly Japanese first language speakers. Many end up at international schools or private Japanese schools that cater to these kinds of kids.

I once taught at a JHS who had a newly arrived Chinese kid. Kid spoke ZERO Japanese but HAD to sit in my English class even thought Japanese classes would have been more beneficial. "Kids in JHSs in Japan must take English classes." When I asked about Japanese as a second language classes I was told her got an hour or so every few days. The kid at least knew kanji so would fair better than say a Vietnamese or Brazilian kid but Japan is just not ready, nor willing, to deal with this yet. It is one reason why I really do not support mass immigration into Japan. Kids will not be supporter language wise and it will result in a cycle of poverty for non-Japanese who move here.

juku programs.

Firstly, not only teachers but also each and everyone of us should change our thinking. For example, we have to deal with them as one child, not as a foreigner.

Second, the government need to reduce the teachers workload so that they have enough time to prepare for the problem.

Finally, our community as well as teachers need to support them.

So, We should think about this probblem, instead of giving a pressure to teachers to deal with.

 "As of 2013 about 10-20% of Japanese school-age residents in the United Kingdom attend full-time Japanese curriculum based international schools. - which means the other 80~90% are in state and independent schools."

First those stats are pretty old.

Second, wiki said those numbers include British citizens of Japanese ancestry. so they don't count.

"Do you think the thousands of Japanese kids in public schools in America or England, to take only a few examples, are not having money spent on them?"

First, there are not thousands of Japanese Kids in public schools in the US or the UK.

Second, all the Japanese kids in the US or the UK are expat kids abd they go to either private schools or Japanese schools.

Third, they are not here for the long term, so the question is really moot.

"it's up to the educational authorities to provide language and culture classes. It's what first world countries do."

Not very well, given the poor state of education in America and Europe.

Average Score of PISA Mathematics, Science and Reading:

1.Singapore 551.7 2.Hong Kong532.7 3.Japan 528.7

Do you see The USA or Europe in the top three?

Q)How should teachers deal with young children who come to live in Japan without being able to speak Japanese?

A) Don't spend any money on them. Spend it on Japanese kids.