2011/01/30

Title: Report on Gunma Seminar for Teachers of Young Learners of English (ぐんま児童英語指導講座)

Speaker: Yoko Kamo, Maebashi Kyoai Gakuen College

Gunma JALT member Kamo reported about a seminar organized by herself and her colleague Hitomi Iguma last November at Kyoai Gakuen College. The first of it's kind in Gunma, the seminar was modeled after similar seminars held in Tokyo and Saitama. As all public elementary schools in Gunma will begin mandatory English activities for fifth and sixth year students next year, Kamo and Iguma sought to address an apparent lack of teacher training in the area of English for young learners.

Three guest speakers were invited to the seminar. Tamotsu Fujita spoke on three points he feels necessary for Japanese teachers of English: vocabulary, the ability to paraphrase, and the ability to set activities in contexts relevant to young learners. Yoko Matsuka, touched on essential points of teaching English to children causally, keeping jargon to a minimum. Kiyohiro Koizumi persuaded teachers to make their classrooms student centered and warned against prematurely forcing students to produce target language.

Kamo's summation of the seminar gave rise to discussion between Gunma JALT members regarding the difficulties faced by elementary school teachers at this juncture. Members agreed that some sort of teacher training and certification should be implemented, and also that a universal curriculum guidelines should be agreed upon.