English Teacher in your Toolbox
There is an interesting article for students and teachers from any country today’s, The Korea Times. Rafael Sabio, an English teacher in a TESOL graduate program, touches on two main points in this second part in his series titled To Improve English Education. In this part he argues that
- pedagogy must be improved; and
- schools should recognise qualifications and experience and pay accordingly.
While the article is about English education in Korea, I know from my experience teaching in Japan that the dialogue between the author and the readers taking place in the comments is relevant to English education in Japan and, I would presume, other countries.
In my opinion, Sabio’s suggestions for improving pedagogy, although well-intentioned, aren’t realistic propositions, at least in Japan where I taught for six years. Sabio argues that Korean English teachers need to focus more on teaching English as it is used—specifically, teaching communication. In schools, however, students learn a lot of grammar translation which doesn’t help them when they need to communicate while away on holidays or business.
I would say too that Japanese English teachers would better serve their students if they could focus more on communication. However, there is a very good reason why this isn’t practical in Japan. There is simply too much demand for English teachers and English speakers in the workforce.
Someone with strong English skills can probably make more money in another field so this instantly removes many of the strongest candidates from the teacher pool. This leaves us with too many teaching jobs and not enough qualified candidates with strong English skills. As a result, many teachers have to stick to teaching grammar because they are comfortable teaching grammar and know their communication skills aren’t strong enough to serve their students.
Private and Public school administators, and the teachers themselves, know this is a problem and have a simple solution: hire native English speakers to teach. The problem with hiring all these native English speakers, again, is too many teaching jobs and not enough qualified candidates.
I will use myself as an example, although I know many others who have had similar experiences. When I first started teaching in a Japanese juku (cram school) my pedagogy was limited to an advanced TESOL certificate (a one-week intensive course, for the basic TESOL certificate they just check your pulse). I had a minimum of pedagogical training and many years experience coaching swimming and water-polo, which is more than many English teachers have when they start, but it took a few months before I was really able to properly serve my students. I did learn to be at least an adequate English teacher. But I don’t think it was really fair to my students that first year who had to suffer through my mistakes as I grasped the ins and outs of teaching English.
For many native English teachers working abroad, teaching is a short-term job: graduate from college, go abroad, and get paid. These people aren’t going to have a strong pedagogical background as long as the global demand for native English speaking teachers remains high.
The difficulties finding good teachers goes beyond experience and education. Some inexperienced and undereducated teachers will still be passionate about teaching and dedicated to their students and have plenty to give their students in spite of their lack of experience and education. However, as long as the demand for native English teachers is greater than their supply, there will also be exceedingly poor teachers who bring themselves, their countries, and their professions in to disrepute.
This is a Catch 22 situation. Many Japanese English teachers won’t be able to teach English conversation better until they learn English conversation. For that to happen, they need better English conversation teachers (native English teachers) which they won’t get because there is too high a demand for native English teachers.
There is at least one thing that might help improve the situation. The Japanese English teachers will almost always be more constant, more involved in the long-term progress of their students. On average they also have a much higher level of pedagogical education. Learning how to effectively use and manage inexperienced native English teachers with little or no pedagogical background should be an essential part of the non-native English teacher’s pedagogical education until such a time as inexperienced and undereducated English teachers are no longer needed.
These inexperienced and undereducated English teachers are an unfortunate necessity. Until, through experience and education, they become worthy teachers, they should be used as tools in the classroom; they need to be guided to most benefit students and it is their Japanese colleagues who are best positioned to guide them.