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teaching English

Anime girl English teacher Ellen-sensei to star in written-in-Japanese light novel series

Ellen Baker expands her (New) horizons.

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Over half of Japanese students in nationwide test score zero percent in English speaking section

But that number might not tell the whole story of why so many were at a loss for words.

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Japanese karaoke rooms become live concert venues for otaku and oshikatsu

A place where you can dance with your idol like no one is watching.

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English for otaku – New book provides fans with skills to internationalize their oshikatsu

Because the Japanese school system isn’t going to teach them how to say “The set list is lit!”

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English conversation school in Japan has clever reminder that students don’t have to be perfect

But is there such a thing as too much confidence?

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Street Fighter II characters appear in Japanese English textbook, drawn by famous designer

Cosplayer conversation in junior high text features cameos by World Warriors.

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Newest tool to help Japanese people learn English: An all-English isekai light novel

Fantasy tale provides best of both worlds with a story that students both can and will want to read.

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Foreign English teacher in Japan caught hitting 2-year-old child at daycare facility 【Video】

Reports say the Canadian teacher regularly spanked children and shoved books into their mouths.

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“We wasted so much time in English class” — Japanese Twitter user points out major teaching flaw

One simple chart could have made all the difference.

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“Don’t worry, he is a docile pervert” and other useful phrases in Japanese and English

Get ready to impress/terrify your Japanese friends!

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English language education in Japan: Are native speakers essential?

Like so many foreigners living in Japan, I first entered the country as an eigo shidou joshu, more commonly known as an Assistant Language Teacher, or ALT for short. Although terms like “grass-roots internationalisation” and “globalisation” are uttered during ALT training seminars and by boards of education across the country with such frequency that you’d swear they’re being sponsored to use them, in reality an ALT’s role at a Japanese junior high school (where the majority in Japan are employed) is to go along to class with a non-native Japanese teacher of English (or JTE) and, as their job title implies, assist in teaching. The idea is that students, particularly those from rural areas, will benefit from the presence of and instruction from a native English speaker.

But are native speakers entirely vital to English language education in Japan? And should native English speakers, rather than Japanese teachers of English, be the ones taking the lead role in the classroom?

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