Next week we are going to talk about 3 issues in American education: desegregation, text revision and uniforms in public schools. After that we will watch a BBC news report about the issue of testing in British schools.
Please think about an issue in Japan or another country and tell me a little about it in the comments. Please be prepared to explain the issue in class to your group.
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I heard the news about "the problem of the first-year pupil at elementary school (小１プロブレム)" in Japan. It means some newly-entered pupils can't listen to their teacher calmly and 'thrash about' in the class with their friends, so the class doesn't go well. This problem may be caused by the puzzeld students because of the rapid change in study enviornment (, from 'carefree' kindergarten life to 'strict' elementary school life). And some people point out imperfect home training.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a pupil at private school, I didn't encounter such problem. But I also heard the issue of "monster parents" and teachers at public schools are suffering. So maybe these issues are increasing especially in public schools.
Sayuka Taniguchi
There are some issues in each phase of schools.
ReplyDeleteFor example, in elementary schools kids don't listen to their teachers. In junior high schools bullying is a serious problem. In high schools kids smoke and drink. In universities students take drugs and so on.
I heard that since Japanese kids don't show their emotions much, some schools decided to let the kids choose what they want to wear, so that they can show their personalities more freely. but I'm not sure if it is correct information. if not, forgive me.
takuto matsunaga
I wanna pick up the issue about English class in elementary school.
ReplyDeleteI heard that elementary schools started to give English classes to 11-12 (maybe) years old pupils. However, teachers have a problem about teaching English because they have to teach it suddenly without good skill of English and well-prepared instruction of it.
The mass media and public opinion say that the level of Japanese education, especially English is low, and I guess the situation won’t improve with this problem of English class in elementary school. :-(((
sachiho chihara
I want to talk about an issue in Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteIn 2003 the system that elementary school and junior high school studens learn mathmatics and sience in English was introduced by Mahatir. But preparing for it was not enough, so the score of mathmatics and sience was down.
That is why the goverment suggest that it must be abolished in 2012.Some agree it, some disagree it.
I don't know which is better, because there are many kinds of ethnics.It is difficult to decide.
Yukari Noguchi
When I was a high school student, my teacher told us about the problem in a high school whose discipline was disordered.
ReplyDeleteOne day a student told the teacher to come to the jym because he could see something interesting. Surprisingly, he saw students playing with burning firewoks! Of couse he scolded the students, but another teacher said that it was usual in this school. Teachers in the school had given up stopping their strange actions. I couldn't believe it!
It is a very unusual case, but through this incident I understood some school couldn't keep order and teachers gave up doing some improvement. For some schools, it is very important to reform the consciousness of not only students but also teachers.
Yuna Suzuki
Wow, only 5 people did their homework???
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an education issue!! Why can't teachers get students to be motivated? What can they do? Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to these questions... ;)
I want to pick up an issue about the level of native language of the students in elementary school are lower than before in Taiwan. In recent years, in Taiwan the parents always let their kids to learn English from kindergarten. They hope their kids could be a bilingual. But when the kids who went to the kindergarten which is 100% English class have lower native language(Chinese) ability than other kids. It is an issue of the education of Taiwan and a change of the thinking about the parents who want their kids to become more international but ignore the level of native language become much lower and lower.
ReplyDeleteEnji
I want to taik about an issue in my country-China.When I was a student at school in China,it was a big problem about learning English.At school,we did many exercises about English words,grammar,reading and listening.So we could get high score on English subject.But most of us can not speak English very well.We call this "silent English".Because we learned English just for test but not to use.
ReplyDeleteko(female)
I am sorry.`taik` is `talk`
ReplyDeleteko(female)
I hear that some public schools in Tokyo are so unsettled that many students go a privete school.
ReplyDeleteWhen I entered this university, I was surprised that there were many friends who had graduated from private one.
However it cost much to go to a private school.
Whether he or she can go there often depends on their parents' wealth. This situation is too unequal.
I think that what goverment can do is financial back up and so on.
Megumi SAITO
The new course of study which was given by the Japanese government is one of my concerns.
ReplyDeleteAccording to it, English teachers in high schools will have to teach English in English from 2011.
The government wants it because peaople think that Japanese students lack the English skills which serve in future practically because of lack of opportunity of using English or listning English.
But it includes so many problems and it will cause many confusions, I think.
The first problem is: It is not surely said what it is "to teach English in English"?
It wants to say that the teacher will explain all of things in English?
Or, it wants to say that English have to be taught with oral interaction?
To improve the practical English skills of students, the class which lay stress on oral interaction in English is important.
But, at the present moment, how many teachers have the skill of oral interaction?
And how many teachers understand the true meaning of "to teach English in English"?
Second, to the teachers who are accustomed to teach English in almost only Japanese and who have taught almost nothing but grammer, It is hardly possible to teach English in English Because, after long no-using-English times, it is not sure that they remember how to communicate in English or how to pronounce.
If they speak in wrong way or with wrong pronounciation, teaching English in English in good for nothing.
Bisides, "teaching English in English" can be misunderstood as "neglecting teaching grammer".
If teachers misunderstand the meaning, in this Japanese society where we must survive on the competition of entrance examination, students could think that the English class of school is useless.
Again, the meaning of "teaching English in English" is asked.
The Japanese government have to show the concret detailed meaning or way of "teaching English in English". And thinking the way to support the teachers who can not speak English so well is sooooooo important!!!!
Kaori MORI
I would like to write about the issue of German educational system.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany, though the compulsory education lasts 9 years, students choose and go to different schools after 4 years education depend on their marks. Some with good ones can take a high level education and have a chance to go to a university, but some can’t and will learn something technical, so that they can get a job just after graduating high school. People criticize that it’s too early and unfair to separate students only by their score, but I still haven’t heard any change until today. I know that there are some good points, but I agree with the idea of change it.
Yoshimi Minoda
I would like to write about the issue of German educational system.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany, though the compulsory education lasts 9 years, students choose and go to different schools after 4 years education depend on their marks. Some with good ones can take a high level education and have a chance to go to a university, but some can’t and will learn something technical, so that they can get a job just after graduating high school. People criticize that it’s too early and unfair to separate students only by their score, but I still haven’t heard any change until today. I know that there are some good points, but I agree with the idea of change it.
I heard about the issues at elementary schools.
ReplyDeleteNot all of elementary schools but some elementary schools have problems about swimming lessons.
Because of the fussy parents ( we call them "Monster Parents"), male teachers can't wear swimming suits and touch students(girl).
Swimming lesson is very dangerous and sometimes teachers need to touch the kids.
But some parents insist it is a sexual harassment.
This is an example of the problems of MONSTER PARENTS.
Shoko NAKADA
I think, about Japanese education, the big problem is bad cooperation between parents and teachers.
ReplyDeleteChildren spend a lot of the time at school, so if childrens have some problems such as behavior or bully, some parents think these are due to the school and their teachers.
Parents like this are called "monster parents" and this is the one of the big problems about japanese school.
In the circumstance, children can't concentrate in study.
Mamina Kanezashi
I want to talk about English education in Japan.
ReplyDeleteIn Japan, it is said that English class should be done from early stage of elementary school and some schools have already started. Many people think that the best way to be able to speak English very well is to start studying English earlier.
But I think it is not perfectly true. More important point is "how to teach" than "when start".
Now, in Japan we have English education program which is not so good to improve "using English".
In junior high school, students study "basic grammer".
Then in high school students study mainly for "大学受験(examination for enter university)".
So when students study "how to speak English"??
It is necessary to change the way of teaching English not in elementary school, but in high school.Because in elementary school students don't know even "basic grammer", though in high school students know it quite well.So it should be effective to practice speaking harder in high school.
Hiromi
I'd like to pick up about one of the Japanese educational issue:the contradiction of national universities.
ReplyDeleteIt costs cheaper to go to national universities including TUFS than private universities.However,in many cases,it's harder to pass the entrance exam of national one than private one.
So people who want to go national one have to pay a lot of educational costs until they pass the exam.For example,people go to private high school or/and cram school.
In short, people who want to go to the university where costs lower have to pay more until they pass the exam.
Acutually, in Tokyo university, there seem to be lots of parents who work as a lawyer, doctor, president and so on.
Parents's occupation is so important to go to first-class national university.
It's so strange, isn't it?
Maki Kurimoto
I would like to think about the school lunch program in Japan.
ReplyDeleteMany parents don't pay for it recently. The reason why they do like that is various. A little of them are that they cannot pay because of poor, and other people are that they only don't want to pay for it. And because of a lot of the cruel parents, the lunch program of Japan is on the verge of collapse.
For poor chidlen, the lunch program is very important for growth, so we must pay for it and I think it is our duty.
Ikuko Takeuchi
Thanks everybody~
ReplyDeleteSee you in class in a couple of hours!!
I would like to talk about an education in France.
ReplyDeleteIn France , there are higher education oraganisations called ''Grands ecoles''.
Graduates from these schools are what is called ''Elites''.
And some of them dominate the educational sytem in France.
Then ,France is a ''Super education conscious society''.
Many normal university students often do strike because of it.
I think France is the mirror of Japan...?
Michiaki Hatakenaka
I would like to talk about the issue about English education system in Japanese elementary schools.
ReplyDeleteRecentry, Japanese government wants elementary school students to study English earlier(maybe since 1st grade). But teachers are not ready to teach it and don't have confidence. Second, there is a problem the level of English education is defferent each schools. Because that plan doesn't have clear set of rules and teachers should decide what and how they teach.
Miri Narushima
I would talk about the issue of Mongolian educational system .
ReplyDeleteMongolia is a developing country,
and therefore there are many children who cannot go to school.
I think that whether children are highly motivated or not, all the children should have the right to receive an equal education.
So I think Mongolian government should spend much money on education.
Akiko Itagaki
Recently, the japanese students respect their teacher much less than before and that would cause many problems. They don't listen to them, they don't care about what they say and there is even some students who take an attitude of defiance against their teachers.
ReplyDeleteATSUKO TAKEUCHI
I heard there are some students who retire school
ReplyDeletebecause their parents can't pay money. It seems that the more rich parents are, the more inteligent their children are.
I think this happens because Japanese government doesn't pay much for the public education.If we get more help from the government, more children can go to schools and more children can go to university.
Misato Fujii
I think the form of test has a big influence on children. In Japan, teachers are apt to focus on pepar score when they evaluate children's ability.
ReplyDeleteAs a result, students try to memorize words, complicated grammer to get high score. Some of them aren't interested in speaking English.
Moreover, it is difficult for teachers to evaluate oral ability. It depends on their ability, and they don't have enough times to do so because they must finish a year curriculum decided by Educational Committee.
Now, the educational curriculum is going to be revamped. According to New Educational Curriculum, English become required subject in elementary schools and teachers have to give lessons in English as long as possible in junior high schools and high schools.
But that curriculum doesn't refer to a form of test.
written by Kou GOSHIMA
I think the form of test has a big influence on children. In Japan, teachers are apt to focus on pepar score when they evaluate children's ability.
ReplyDeleteAs a result, students try to memorize words, grammer much harder than speaking.
Surely, it is difficult for teachers to evaluate oral ability because it depends on their ability. And they don't have enough times to do so because they must finish the year curriculum specified by Educational Comittee.
Now, old educational curriculum is being revamped. According to New Educational Curriculum, english is required subject in elementary schools and teachers have to give lessons in English as lond as possible in junior high school and high school.
But this curriculum doesn't refer to a form of test.
Kou GOSHIMA
Sorry, I have sent the comment twice.
ReplyDeleteI hear recently Yamagata University started a "Basic Japanese Literacy" class as a compulsory subject.
ReplyDeleteIn this class they teach students how to take notes in the class, a difference between written and spoken language.
It shows that recent Japanese university students are lack of reading&writing comprehension.
Shiori Wago
I think that Japan is full of educational issues. Bullying, "monster parents", differences in school curriculums,and so on. What's even more disturbing is that these problems only grow bigger as we move up from elementary school to junior high and on to high school. Suicide of students is becoming a major social issue in Japan. The government must pay more attention to these issues as much as they do to money and politics.
ReplyDeleteYuto Fukase