Learning Learning 学習の学習 20 (2): Language Learning History

Language Learning History
言語学習歴
From a learner of English at school to a learner ascountries. Although I cannot remember exactly how

an English user and teacher

I learned English at that time, I can recall the scene

Sumie Saito

where my classmates and I read the textbook aloudin class. Reading aloud is a way of learning known

Saitama Prefectural Ageominami

as “ondoku.” I studied hard not only in class but

Senior High School

also at home, so I got a good score on the tests andEmail: ssaito2012@nifty.com

English became one of my favorite subjects. How

Until the point of mywas my listening ability then? I remember one
unforgettable episode in particular. One day after

compulsory retirement last spring, I had beenschool, I had a chance to listen to an English song.

teaching English at a public senior high school for

While listening, I noticed I could not sing alongmore than 30 years. Now I am still working using awith it though I was looking at its lyrics. A longre-employment system because I still have aninterest in teaching English to young learners and I

time after that, I understood the reason. I needed
more practice because English has its uniquewould like to help them improve their English

characters of sound. However, shock alone stuck to

proficiency and broaden their horizons andmy mind.

possibilities.

""
As a non-native speaker of English, I feel,as many other non-native speakers of English wholearning became more difficult, but I still liked it
and studied it hard. Through studying English, I

teach English in Japan probably do, that there are

could continue to know about people and culture

two important aspects to my connection withwhose backgrounds differed from mine. In

English. I am a learner as well as a teacher of

addition, studying English was crucial for me to

English, and learning is a lifetime work.
"
My initial contact with English was when I

pass the university entrance exam. I remember how
we students learned in two main types of class:

was at the age of 15. Like most young people in“Reader” and “Grammar and Composition.” In theJapan, English was the subject for me to learn atformer class, the teacher read us an English passage

junior high school for the first time. English

we were expected to study, explained someattracted me because it was quite different from mynative language, Japanese, and I found it interesting

grammatical matters, and asked us to put eachsentence into Japanese one by one. After theto study various things about the new language.

meanings of all the sentences were confirmed, my

Also, to me, English was like a window open toclassmates and I read them aloud after the teacher.

different worlds. One of my favorite books then

When I reflect on his way of teaching reading, it

was (and still is) “Anne of Green Gables.” Although
the book was written in Japanese, it inspired me towas very simple. After I became a teacher, I realizedthat such a “yakudoku” approach has been astudy English hard in order to travel to different

common approach in EFL classes in Japan for a

In senior high school, I felt that English

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Learning Learning 学習の学習 20 (2): Language Learning History
long time. We were not taught other effective ways

but in order to get a license as an English teacher. I

of reading such as grasping the main ideas of a text.

was studying with students whose major wasThat teaching way may be what could not be
helped.

English. Almost all the classes I was allowed toattend were lectures through Japanese, but there"

In the “Composition and Grammar” class,

was a class which was quite different. There I was

I acquired fundamental knowledge about grammar.

taught by a native speaker of English for the first

The teacher was an attractive young woman whotime in my life. In those days, he was probably the

spoke English very fluently. The contents of the
textbook were arranged focusing on grammar

only native speaker of English at the university. I
remember the day when I first attended his class. I

items. We were expected to understand the

could not listen to him and say anything at all

explanations about them, memorize sample

except for some simple expressions. After the class,sentences including the target grammar items, andI trudged my way back to the dormitory as I had

work through different exercises. The main part ofeach exercise was to translate Japanese sentencescompletely lost confidence in my English
proficiency. My roommate in the same dormitory

into English ones. We did not practice writing any

advised me to develop my listening and speaking

essays. However, later I found this class was veryby listening to an English conversation program

helpful in my English learning history. The teacher

broadcast by NHK. I bought a radio-tape-recorderencouraged us to memorize five key sentences as
our homework and in the next class gave us a quiz.

and began listening to it. However, graduallylearning English was becoming very stressful to me

Even now I can recall some of the sentences that I

with tough studies in my major. In my senior year, I

learned. I spent a lot of time learning at home inrepeatedly wondered what job to choose, andorder to prepare and review classes and studied

eventually I became a police officer because

more by myself using materials made for students
who wanted to enter university. I was able tojuvenile delinquency was another interest of mine.
"
After graduating from university, I had aimprove my abilities high enough to enter aseven-year career as a police officer, which was anational university. My reflection on learning in myreally valuable experience. However, a few years

senior high school days let me notice that myafter I got the job, I recognized that because of alearning was unbalanced in developing four skillsof listening, speaking, reading and writing. My

personnel matter it would be impossible to work in
the field related to juvenile delinquency which I

classmates and I were rarely given a chance to use

wanted to get involved in. In addition, I recognized

English in situations as in the real world. However,that I was more interested in teaching. After some

my English learning at senior high school as well as

more years of consideration, I finally decided toat junior high school built the base of myknowledge about grammar. I really appreciate thatchange jobs and become an English teacher. This
was a turning point in my life. As I was not keeping

because since then I have often recognized thatin touch with English very much after I graduatedwhat I gained then remains firmly in my mind.

from university, I started to learn English again to"

be an English teacher. I had difficulty in recalling

After graduating from senior high school, I

entered a national university to become an English
teacher. However, soon I recognized my choice ofthe vocabulary I had learned in my school days, but
I persevered and I even studied by using textbooks

major was wrong. I had chosen to study education,for junior high school students. My knowledge of

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Learning Learning 学習の学習 20 (2): Language Learning History
the grammar I had learned long time before turned

various programs, I like Mr. Toyama’s program best

to be very helpful in learning English again.

because the contents of its textbooks have a rich"
I became a teacher in the early 1980s andsoon I recognized that situations around English

and attractive variety. Moreover, he is always
cheerful and encourages us to continue learning,teaching and learning were beginning to change—

saying “Keep listening, keep practicing and keep on

to greater emphasis on English as a tool ofsmiling!” He teaches us listeners the joy ofcommunication in English education. The trend has

language learning. He also teaches me as a teacher

continued, and all the time I have been making
efforts to be a better English teacher—attending

the importance of creating a relaxing atmosphere inlanguage-teaching classes. If learning is notseminars, watching TV or listening to the radio,

enjoyable, it will not last long, and we know thatreading books or magazines for English teachers

language learning requires a large amount of time

and/or learners, and so on. At the same time, I

in school days and in the following days.

myself have been learning English in various ways
trying to be a better English communicator with"
Information and knowledge from books
and magazines for English teachers and/or learners

well-balanced skills in listening, speaking, reading,are important resources as well. For example, one

and writing. Despite all my efforts, I sometimes feelday I learned about “shadowing”, which is one ofthat I am not spending enough time on developing

the techniques for people who want to be an

my English because of different challenges in myprofessional and personal life. That makes me feelinterpreter. Some high school teachers were alreadyusing it in their classes. I tried it at once and sincethat I need a stronger will to keep on learning.

then it has been one of my important ways of"In turn, my ways of learning English forEnglish learning. In my English classes, I

myself have a lot to do with my teaching in class.

sometimes encourage my students to try

English pronunciation is quite different fromJapanese pronunciation. It is important for teachers

shadowing too according to their proficiency.
Another piece of information I got fromto be able to show good pronunciation to their

publications is the effectiveness of extensive

students. I joined an English teachers’ group whose

reading. Until then, I had usually read texts

aim was to help teachers to gain English

intensively and rather slowly. However, I

pronunciation articulate enough to teach in class.
There, I started my learning by practicing

recognized the importance of reading easy,interesting texts at a rapid pace and reading a lot of

abdominal breathing, and my English sounds

them. This way of reading showed me another way

became good enough as a non-native speaker. Theof how to interact with English texts. I later

experience in this group has been very helpful tointroduced extensive reading into my classes

me as a teacher. As a non-native speaker, I
understand what difficulties Japanese learners havethough it was done at a small scale. My students
enjoyed choosing and reading easy texts. As forin making English sounds, and based on thiswriting, I learned mapping as one way of how toknowledge and the training I had, I have beenorganize ideas, then began using this technique inteaching English pronunciation to my students.

my English writing, and also introduced it into my"
Various English programs through media
such as NHK have also proved very useful toclasses.
"
These experiences are some examples ofimprove my listening and speaking skills. Among

how I have tried to improve different English skills,

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Learning Learning 学習の学習 20 (2): Language Learning History
mainly focusing on listening and speaking skills,

stage was rather unbalanced in terms of improving

for myself as an English user and teacher. What I

skills though it benefitted me in that it gave me thewill focus on next is not related to such skills, but
related to learners’ managing learning on theirbasis of grammatical knowledge. In the second
stage, taking the point of view as an English teacher

own. Once I attended a certain seminar for people

has been added to my language learning. I have

who wanted to get a higher TOEIC score. There,

introduced various ways which I used in mythere were some English teachers as well as many

learning and thought effective for my students’business people and some university students. The
seminar leader showed us how to train ourselves

learning into my EFL classes after adjusting such
ways for them.

and pointed out the importance of self-training. I"

was a little surprised because what he emphasized

have been learning English and I will keep learning

more was the idea of learners’ developing their

it in the future. As a teacher of English, I have threemotivation and learning autonomously. His
concern was adults’ learning, but it reminded me ofimportant reasons for doing so. One is that I would
like to be able to use English more accurately andreports about practices by some high school

appropriately in order to make my teaching better. I

teachers. They also insisted on the importance ofwill be able to help my students interact with me

their students’ self-studying. This made me begin

and the classmates more effectively, make moreto understand that the concept of self-training andself-studying is related to autonomy, which I

suitable materials, and so on. Another is that inclass I can show them a better model of an English

learned about later and now recognize much moreuser as a non-native speaker. I hope that they feelas significant.

that they will be able to become good users of"English in the future. In addition, by keeping on

Although I had been attending different

In the end, I would like to reflect on why I

seminars in order to improve my teaching, I felt thenecessity of studying current theories of language

learning I can show them a model of what it means
to be a life-long learner. It is apparent that it takes aand second language learning and teaching so that

lot of time for language learners in EFL contexts

I could think further about and reflect on mysuch as Japan to become good communicators.

practices considering such theories. Therefore, I

Therefore, teachers play an important role inentered Teachers College Columbia University
Japan Campus. At that time I was in my early 50s,

encouraging their students to learn not only at
school but also after graduating from school. As abut I thought I was never too old to learn. At TC, I

non-native English teacher in Japan, I believe that

attended various kinds of courses related to TESOL,

my attitude toward learning will have a positive

spending a lot of time in reading, writing, listening,

effect on my students. In the future even after

speaking, and thinking about things critically,
which resulted in improvement of my language

retiring from my teaching job completely, as just a
user of English, I will keep on learning in order toproficiency. Since I began studying at graduate

expand my possibilities and enjoy my life more. So

school, I have come to be able to see bothmy language learning in many different senses ispractically and theoretically how I have been

endless.

learning English.
"
When I look back at my language learning
history as a whole, learning as a student in the first

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