Struggles with English Education in Elementary Schools～Helping Teachers Help Us～

Semboku High School Onaka Miyu Ueno Misaki

Many Elementary teachers are worried about introducing new English Education system...
In 2020, English will become an official subject in Elementary schools. Yet many teachers are not prepared.
Some teachers aren’t confident in their English teaching skills and others don’t have an ALT/NET to help them.

We want to support them!!
We wanted to find a way to help them transition into this new age of English in Japan but…
We found 4 key problems they are facing now:

英語教育改革への対応の現状①

英語教育改革への対応の現状①

5.4％Some elementary schools associatewith junior high schools,but it's difficult
to conduct that kind of support all theschools.

② Only 5.4% of teachers havean Elementary English license① Only 14% of all elementary teachers have taken
MEXT’s Elementary English Training

5%③ Many elementary schools andJHS are not connected④ Teachers are extremely busy
95%

This is a 24 hour breakdown of an averageelementary teacher’s day (in hours)

From MEXT

14％
Recently, universities in Japan and overseas have started
an Elementary English training course for teachers. Boards of Educationfrom around Japan want teachers to go but have only hosted a few events.
Also, teachers are so already busy with other required trainings, so only
14% of all elementary teachers have attended.

Elementary teachers are notrequired to have an English
teaching license until recently.
Many older teachers are nervous
about learning or teachingsomething new.

Time at Home

Morning Meetings

365
1
1

3.5
2

1

From MEXT

Morning Classes･
break time
Lunch･cleaning･
lunch break
Class meeting・
afternoon class
Conference
Preparation forclassHousework・sleeping

Our Solution

Create a Guidebook for all elementary teachers
英語教育改革への対応の現状①
If teachers are too busy to go to thetraining lectures and do not want to
get a new teaching license, then let’sbring the training to them.

Example of a Guidebook lesson

Motivation/
AggressivenessWe can give all teachers a standard
guidebook from based on current
students lessons.

It's difficult to grade of student’s speaking skill and takes
too much time to mark a whole class so we made an easy
to use marking sheet.
The students make pairs and have conversations.
Teachers mark the score with marking sheet whilestudents are talking.

ImagesScoring method: Mark score out of 9

Future Perspective
We are working towards testing the guidebook as a at local elementary school to research the pros and consand improve it. This guidebook is just example, so we want to take many English classes and make many
example lessons for the guidebook.
Referencehttps://www.efjapan.co.jp/epi/%E3%80%80/
https://osaka-kyoiku.ac.jp/foreducator/renkei/menkyo_english28.html
ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology "Heisei 29 NenndoEigokyouikujushuujyoukyouchousa no Kekka" Sakai municipal Fukuizumi Chuou Elementary school
Sakai municipal Fukuizumi Minami Elementary school Semboku nursery school

Developing and Validating the English SpeakingAnxietyScale: A Research for English as a Subjectof Elementary Schools in Japan Michiko Kumada,Toshimitsu Okamura
ECC Mr.Matt "Kodomono Eigoni Doumukiauka“
Kumiko Torikai"Kensyourensousuru Eigonyuusi speakingdounyuuto minkanitaku" Atsushi Okamoto