Coming soon: Our first e-book

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/12/coming-soon-our-first-e-book.html

Right now we are at work on an e-book for English teachers in Japan. 

New Issue of ELT in Japan (Issue 5, OCTOBER 2012)

ELT in Japan Issue #5 (October 2012)

ELT in Japan Issue #5 (October 2012)

 ELT in Japan (Issue 5, OCTOBER 2012)

In this issue:

1. Pronunciation in the Japanese Elementary EFL Classroom: A Few Perspectives 
by Matt Hauca.........................................................pp. 1-5

2. Conceptualizing Phonological Awareness for EFL Learning and Literacy 
by CharlesJannuzi.................................................pp. 6-10

  
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View the entire publication at Google Documents or download the entire issue in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader program required).

Japan Times: Japan's top university aims for autumn school year start within 5 years

The hopes are that a fall start to the school year (instead of the April start that is the standard in Japan) will encourage Japanese students to study abroad more as well as draw more foreign students to Todai. However, such a move could put the university out of synch with the rest of the country. Although Todai may have little to worry about, universities and colleges which do not have huge numbers of surplus applicants may be reluctant to undertake such a major change.    

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120121a3.html

Excerpt:

As of last May, only 53 undergraduates at the University of Tokyo, 0.4 percent of the student body, were studying overseas, the report says.

Foreign students in the undergraduate program at the school, known locally as Todai, currently account for only 1.9 percent of the total, compared with 10 percent at Harvard University and 6 percent at Seoul National University, it says.

"I don't think the change will sharply increase the number of foreign students nor Japanese students going abroad to study. There are still many other factors," Hamada said. "But I believe by establishing this fall enrollment system, the process toward internationalization will move forward."

See also:


Is Japan's enrollment season really a problem?
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120303cz.html

12 universities to launch forum on fall enrollment
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120330a8.html

Japan's top university--Univ. of Tokyo--tries to recruit students from India

Chinese nationals dominate the 140,000 international tertiary students in Japan now. 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120228a7.html

excerpt:

The University of Tokyo opened an office in the high-tech Indian city of Bangalore on Monday to recruit local students. While about 1,000 Chinese and about 600 South Korean students were studying at the university as of May last year, there were only 35 Indians....Indians account for fewer than 600 of the 140,000 foreign students enrolled at Japanese universities.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120228a7.html

Japan public civil servants--including university faculty--hit with 8% pay cuts

But university faculty have never fully been given collective bargaining rights or the right to strike. See:

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120219-328806.html

excerpt:

The policy chiefs of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito have agreed to cut the salaries of national government employees by an average of 7.8 per cent for two years beginning in fiscal 2012. The cuts will include a retroactive 0.23 per cent cut extending back to April 2011, in line with a figure proposed by the National Personnel Authority. Funds saved through the salary cuts--totaling about 588 billion yen--will be used for the reconstruction of areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120219-328806.html

Japan Times: Japan's Universities Floundering at Reform and Revitalization

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120123ts.html

excerpt:

On Nov. 21, 2011, the Government Revitalization Unit (GRU) took up the issue of reform of Japan's university system. Five themes were presented by GRU members: [quality, greater access, falling academic achievement and standards, clear vision for the future, academic vs. real world gap in learning].

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120123ts.html

Japan Times: Top University in Japan Plans to Shift Undergraduate Enrollment to Fall

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120218f1.html

excerpt:

The University of Tokyo's move [to shift undergraduate enrollment from spring to autumn] would have a far broader and deeper effect on Japanese society and force authorities to amend long-established practices, notably the season when companies recruit graduates and the timing of various national examinations, such as those medical students take in February to qualify for a medical license.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120218f1.html