Help students understand English Part 1

In this 3 part blog, I will talk about the importance of helping students understand English in Japanese schools.

Many people describe English as a subject to teach in Japanese schools. As a native speaker of English, I was taught the fundamentals of English in school, but the school did not teach me English. The school showed me how to make easy words more difficult. I was also taught what pronouns, nouns, adjectives, etc. This is the definition of being taught English.

I picked up English at home, emphasizing the words spoken to me. Everyone around me spoke to me in English. I picked up the sounds and started saying those sounds through baby talk. Eventually, I could say words, and the people around me told me to say this or that in situations. For example, the phrase” Thank you.” It was explained to us as children when we should say, “thank you,” and now, in those situations, we natural say, “thank you.”

In Japanese schools, the goal of English speakers is not to teach English. We must leave that up to the Japanese teachers, especially in junior high school and above grades.

We are here to help students to understand English. Next week, we will cover how you can do that!