June 29: Compulsory English Education in Japanese High Schools

While I could easily write 500+ words describing the delicious delicacies of our bento boxes, I was most struck by what I learned in one of the English classrooms at Tokorozawa high school. I really loved seeing Tokorozawa high school today- right away I was surprised by the warm welcome we received from an age group that is infamous for their apathy in the United States, and especially enjoyed seeing English classes to take advantage of the opportunity to ask the students some questions as well. 

From the international students in my cohort along with the Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese students from Miramar this past semester I learned that ESL courses in Asia (and perhaps other places, but I do not have that knowledge) are geared towards solely passing the TOEFL or other entrance exams. It seems that Japan is trying to make a shift towards communicative English language instruction focusing on speaking and listening skills in order to provide students with a more practical model for language instruction. This shift appeared justified to me because students were unable to speak or understand 60% could do just fine with worksheets. I really liked that the teacher I saw today had the students turn to their partner to grade their work- how constructivist! #piagetisbae

I hope the above, reformed model of English instruction would provide learners with more useful (will be used beyond the entrance exam,) material that could actually benefit their daily life instead of serving only for a University’s entrance exam would be more practical and authentic for students, in the way that they are equipped with the language they need to “get by” and live their life. From that foundation students easily reach grammar concepts, not solely because of my personal opinion, but because of a small Q&A conversation a few of us had in an English classroom today.

Compulsory English education seems to be just that: compulsory, and therefore somewhat meaningless.

When asked who wanted to learn English (in both English and Japanese, so there was no language barrier), not a single hand in a room of almost 30 students was raised. Granted that this is based off of a small interaction with one group of students, it still echoes a larger issue (which we can all relate to) of learning solely to pass a test. Students are preparing for the University Entrance Exam, and must perform well in order to attend their preferred school. When I asked why they wanted to learn English, or even if they had a desire to learn English, the overarching response was silence and "no," respectively. Consequently, I think learning a language must be very boring and tedious for these students if they have different linguistic goals than their school or professor. I must say, the teacher was instructing an extremely difficult lesson topic calmly and effectively: the dreaded modal auxiliary verbs…(can/could/may/might/will).

One thing I found to be very special about Tokorozawa school is that the school’s leadership values the students’ freedom of expression and therefore does not impose uniforms and allows students to show their individuality and identity through fashion, hair dye, etc. On a deeper level, I liked this because, to me, it sent the message that someone does not have to look a certain way (wear a uniform, suit and tie, etc.) or fit a certain “type” to be well educated and driven- they can simply be themselves.


We were welcomed with gifts and tea upon arriving at Tokorozawa high school:

We had the opportunity to observe two separate English language instruction classes:

Two of the ESL books being used:

But, alas, some days you do what you gotta do (aka sleep through class) which shows some things about high school are universal.