English will be taught once or twice a week to third- and fourth-graders, and three times a week to fifth- and sixth-graders.

It's always facinating to see that the solution to a problem is 'piling up' more of the same instead of changing the method, which isn't working that well to begin with. Having said that languages are best learnt early.

You can have all the lessons you want, but as long as schools in Japan continue using unskilled foreign "teachers", nothing is going to change. At the very least, foreign English teachers in Japanese schools should hold a teaching qualification in their country of birth; one which would allow them to work as a full-time teacher there. Most ALTs/JETs here are just having a laugh, not serious about the job.

If you look at it honestly, few Japanese people actually need English in adult life. I'm not sure that spending more time studying English at the expense of other subjects is the best way forward. I work at a large manufacturing company where those who need English speak it well, and those who don't generally can't. If people want or need English skills, there are plenty of schools where they can go to learn it. It should be optional in High School ( many Japanese people disliked English at school and graduated unable to have a basic conversation about the weather ). This is not an essential skill for the vast majority.

OK, I see you got your time-tables set up, like the kids're already sponging up English. But the real question is tho,

Will they be taught English good?

JimizoOct. 27, 2013 - 11:47AM JST If you look at it honestly, few Japanese people actually need English in adult life.

With all due respect Jimizo, you're dead wrong. I work a lot across Asia and all the big, SUCCESSFUL companies like Samsung, Hyundai, etc. require high English scores to even be CONSIDERED for a job. Applicants for these companies need to be nearly fluent in English.

Why? I could give you many examples, but just consider "around the clock" software design, a new model of software design where companies employ teams of 3 software Engineers, an Engineer in Thailand, another in England and another in Japan. The Japanese Engineer works 9am to 6pm local time (GMT 00h00~08h00), the English Engineer picks up at 8am to 4pm local time (GMT 08h00~16h00), then the Thai Engineer takes over from 9am to 17h00 (GMT 16h00~24h00).

... except that no-one can work with Japanese software Engineers since few of them speak English, so they're using Chinese software Engineers for this time zone (and no, it isn't about cost, they'd love to use Japanese software engineers, but the language barrier makes it impossible).

Lack of English is KILLING Japan in the global economy. Wise up and think globally.

@Frungy With all due respect, you're not addressing my point. I'm being practical here and your baffling post has absolutely nothing I don't agree with. Japanese schoolchildren are forced into learning English up to the age of 18 with generally shocking results, wasting hours upon hours doing multiple-choice grammar tests and being unable to hold the most basic of conversations. How is that a valuable use of education or preparing them for life in an English-speaking environment? The majority will not be working in the environments you describe anyway. Those with an interest in the language should be encouraged by all means, but those who haven't could be spending their time better. I'm sure most of us here can remember wasting our time 'learning' a subject we had no interest in and absolutely no intention of pursuing or using in the future. All staff in my department speak excellent English ( all of them have a genuine interest in the language and other cultures - a key factor ) which certainly wasn't learned at school but at language classes which were subsidized by the company and all staff in my department speak to me in English at all times. Of course Japan needs good English speakers and I find it bizarre that you seem to think I was suggesting otherwise. I'm being realistic here and pointing out that Japanese schools fail miserably in producing fluent English speakers, turn many off learning languages for life, and a few extra hours of lessons isn't going to change that. The empty platitudes of inspiring children through dynamic teaching methods are getting very tiresome.

Will they be taught English good?

Aye C watt ewe deed their well!

Jimizo - "...at the expense of other subjects...." you stated and here lies the twist. At the expense of what? More maths, more science, more Japanese, more social studies...more what?

Learning a language (and I mean learning a language, not an abstraction of hieroglyphics) can have a multitude of benefits for the learner. Extending the understanding of one's own language and it's myriad of nuances, exercising lateral thought processes, discovering other cultures & customs, having fun by taking risks in the unknown, building confidence, widening your communicative threshold etc etc.

The study of English(or languages) if properly executed can be a wonderfully fulfilling exercise for people of all ages and talents.

Panning English because it's English is rather naive. How many leave school with elevated pragmatic skills in mathematics or biology or geography or whatever, that can enable the holder to immerse him/herself in that field in the real world with confidence and flair?

The problem is not English but the manner in which it is considered, contrived & convoluted in the name of education.

JimizoOct. 27, 2013 - 06:02PM JST @Frungy With all due respect, you're not addressing my point.

You seem to be making two different points in your last post:

Japanese schoolchildren are forced into learning English up to the age of 18 with generally shocking results, wasting hours upon hours doing multiple-choice grammar tests and being unable to hold the most basic of conversations. How is that a valuable use of education or preparing them for life in an English-speaking environment?

I agree that English education in Japan is not terribly good and there is considerable room for improvement, however moving from this to stating that all English education should be abolished is ... mind-boggling.

The majority will not be working in the environments you describe anyway.

As I stated before, these are just a few examples. Almost every company with more than a dozen employees requires at least some degree of English skill. The only way you can work in Japan and not need English is to work in a Mom and Pop Udon shop.

It goes without saying that all English teachers should be fully qualified to teach the subject. But these teachers are expensive and so Japan goes for the backpacking crowd to whom they can pay totally piss poor salaries without complaint. My friend runs a small 3 school English conversation school chain . He told me he recently advertised for 2 full time teachers, offering a monthly salary of 160,000 yen and no insurance and still received a flood of applications! Half jokingly he said he would offer only 150,000 yen a month next time. With such low wages no wonder English education in Japan is so mediocre.

@Frungy Where did I say 'all English education should be abolished'? I clearly said 'it should be optional in High School'. Please read the posts before shooting down things I clearly didn't state. 'The only way you can work in Japan and not need English is to work in a Mom and Pop Udon shop'. I'm not sure you really believe that. Less than 10% of Japanese workers use English on a daily basis. Not all of whom are low-paid or unskilled. @Browny1 Yes, all very nice but Japan does reasonably well in terms of literacy, mathematics and science - compulsory subjects which are delivering good results. Geography is optional at High School as far as I know. The level of English is abysmal and I've heard the usual 'what Japan needs in teaching English is....' since I came to Japan 15 years ago and it's getting us nowhere. The younger generation are studying abroad less than before and It's time for a rethink.

JimizoOct. 28, 2013 - 01:11AM JST @Frungy Where did I say 'all English education should be abolished'? I clearly said 'it should be optional in High School'.

... that's pretty much abolishing English education in Japan. You're arguing that 0.0000001 doesn't equal 0. Technically you're correct, in any other sense you're wrong.

. 'The only way you can work in Japan and not need English is to work in a Mom and Pop Udon shop'. I'm not sure you really believe that. Less than 10% of Japanese workers use English on a daily basis. Not all of whom are low-paid or unskilled.

... and 79.58% of statistics are made up on the spot. That statistic you just quoted is highly suspect. Even if it is true that's 10% of all workers in Japan using English on a daily basis... I speak Chinese less often than that and it was regarded as essential for my job. Using a language on a DAILY basis is your criteria for dismissing English as a necessary subject at school? I know plenty of people who can go a whole day without speaking at all beyond grunts and gestures... does this mean that they shouldn't have wasted their time studying Japanese at school?

Jimizo

Yes, Japanese need English. Or Spanish. Or Chinese. Most educated and/or business people on the planet can communicate tolerably well in one of those three languages.

And no one learns Japanese outside japan.

If Japan wants to compete in the world, its gotta learn foreign languages.

I read the entire story in last Thursdays paper. The 3rd and 4th grade classes mentioned in this clip will not be real "lessons" but only English activities like games, dancing etc. The 5th and 6th grade classes will be real 45 min lessons. Schools will have the option of 2 45 min classes and 3 15 min (no joke) classes per week. But why wait till 2020? This "plan" will probably be forgotten by then.

sensai

I taught English in a private elementary school in Japan for 5 years. Grades 1 and 6 got one lesson per week. The rest got two. The program was ok. Pretty basic stuff. By the six grade, most the students could read, write and speak simple exchanges such as "Can you bla bla bla? Yes, I can, and "Have you been to bla bla bla. I always felt I didn't accomplish enough. But...

The attendant junior high, where most the elementary kids fed into, had an ok program as well. And the students I taught engtered junior high with pretty good command of basic grammar, speaking confidence and an ear for the language. They tended to outperform the ones who did not have an equivalent elementary school experience.

Interested students, begining in grade 9, or the last year of junior high, could enroll in the International program, that emphasized advanced communication( Y'know, actually speaking English). By the time they entered college, they could speak english. Not that well,l but head and shoulders above the average schlub who suffers through the grammar-translation treadmill.

My take from all this is not particularly revolutionary: the problem is not more english, but better english. Particularly form juniour high onward. If Japan really taught english, and not the engrish they teach now, twice a week in elementary school would be more than adequate to get students properly oriented.

Has nothing to do with the teachers. Its the system ie. Dont have to pass anything, sleep in class, no consequences for poor effort or behaviour, silly games etc. Stop blaming ESL teachers that dont have an education degree. Thats nonsense. Had many licensed crap teachers over the years.