TEFL FORUM: Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to EFL learners: a lexical approach (parts 1-3 final)

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2011/06/teaching-english-r-and-l-to-efl.html


Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to EFL learners: a lexical approach (parts 1-3 final)
Charles Jannuzi
University of Fukui, Japan

excerpt:

Introduction


English /r/, /l/ and contrasts across these two categories of sounds are often cited as pronunciation and listening perception problems for a variety of EFL learners, most from E. Asia. The language backgrounds most often associated with these problems are Japanese, Korean, Chinese and some languages of SE Asia (e.g., Thai but also Cantonese Chinese). Other language speakers have also expressed an interest in improving their pronunciation of English /r/ and /l/, including Russian and German EFL learners.


Perhaps the most well-known group to have a problem with the two categories of sounds is Japanese EFL learners. This could be because their native language background creates the most difficult problems to overcome, both in terms of listening perception and spoken production. It could also be because Japan attained affluence before most of the rest of Asia and hired native speakers of English to help teach and model the language. So a lot of information based on knowledge and experience of Japanese and Japanese learners of EFL has been exchanged and discussed in 'global ELT'.




Rest of article here:
http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2011/06/teaching-english-r-and-l-to-efl.html

TEFL FORUM: Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to Asian EFL learners: a lexical approach (Part II)

This is the second part of a series on teaching English /l/ and /r/. The piece published below incorporates the first installment and then discusses possible sequences for teaching English /l/ and /r/.

Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to Asian EFL learners: a lexical approach (Part II) 
Charles Jannuzi
University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

English /r/, /l/ and contrasts between these two categories of sounds are often cited as pronunciation and listening perception problems for a variety of EFL learners, most from E. Asia. The language backgrounds most often associated with these problems are Japanese, Korean, Chinese and some languages of SE Asia (e.g. Thai but also Cantonese Chinese). Other language speakers have also expressed an interest in improving their pronunciation of English /r/ and /l/, including Russian and German EFL learners.

Perhaps the most well-known group to have a problem with the two categories of sounds is Japanese EFL learners. This could be because their native language background creates the most difficult problems to overcome. It could also be because Japan attained affluence before most of the rest of Asia and hired native speakers of English to help teach and model the language. So a lot of information based on knowledge and experience of Japanese and Japanese learners of EFL has been exchanged and discussed in 'global ELT'.

What is the issue for Japanese learners of English?

In the case of Japanese learners of English, just what is the issue? The most common account is based on a simple 'contrastive analysis'. Japanese is said to have one categorical sound (or phoneme) whereas English has two. The Japanese sound is often referred to as a type of [r] that is tapped, flapped or trilled.  The Japanese sound never closes a syllable and has a very limited distribution in Japanese. One form of the Japanese /r/ helps to form the syllables used in grammatical inflections (such as verb forms which are suffixes). Also, word-initial Japanese /r/ is limited to words of foreign origin (e.g., ramen, the type of Chinese noodles now a national dish in Japan, or ramune, a soda the name for which seems to be derived from the English word lemonade).

English-speaker descriptions of the Japanese sound or of the Japanese learner of English's sound represent the Japanese sound as variably resembling English /l/, /r/, or /d/ (especially [d] in the middle of a word, like in the word 'middle'). Phonetic descriptions have also said that the American medial voiced [t] of words such as little  are quite like the Japanese /r/.

However, it is not really clear how useful a cross-linguistic, contrastive analysis of phoneme inventories is in diagnosing the problems or in helping Japanese learners of English to overcome them. For one thing, the often-read argument that Japanese has only ONE phoneme, Japanese /r/, is arguably wrong. That is because, using structuralist criteria for determining what is and what is not a phoneme, we can isolate at least two Japanese [r] sounds that are distinct: initial [r] in the word rou  (candle) from palatalized intial [r] in ryou (dormitory).

It is also misleading to teach EFL learners that there is one English /r/ and one English /l/. That is because they will hear native and fluent speakers of English make a wide array of both sounds in actual speech. In terms of articulation, there is a wide variety within both categories of sounds. Interestingly, the distribution in the lexicon of English [r] sounds strongly parallels English [l] sounds: word-initial (right vs. light), word-initial cluster unvoiced (crime vs. climb), word-initial cluster voiced (grow vs. glow), post-vocalic (fear vs. feel), medial (correct vs. collect), and unstressed syllabic (batter vs. battle).

There is some complementary distribution if we consider clusters: [tr-] as in true but no [tl-], [sl] as in slide but no [sr-], [shr-] as in shred but no [shl] (except some loan words), and [l] can cluster with [r] post-vocalically, as in girl or world, but not vice versa. Moreover, since both of these sound categories tend toward 'vowel-like', it is not surprising that in some cases they might reduce to a vowel or vowel lengthening in some accents, dialects and word contexts (such as post-vocalic [r] in London, Boston and NY Englishes, or the lost [l] of the word chalk).

Given the variety of English /r/ and /l/ sounds and how they parallel each other in the lexicon of English, it is little wonder that EFL learners, even after they have practiced making an English /r/ vs. /l/ distinction, lose the ability when actually communicating orally. Therefore, it is best to teach--over a period of time and through a variety of activities--the full parallel variety of English /r/ and /l/ sounds as found in the most frequent words of the lexicon. A proposed sequence is this: first the variety of English /l/s, then the variety of English /r/s, then /r/ vs. /l/ contrasts in common words, then a follow up on the variety of post-vocalic [r]s in rhotic accents, such as US and Canadian Englishes.

What sequence should be used to teach English /l/ and /r/?

One line of reasoning might say that, since English /r/ is typically the last consonant acquired by native speakers, it might be best to teach English /l/ first to EFL learners because of the inherent difficulties with the English /r/ group of related sounds. A different line of reasoning that might support this first approach might be based on interlanguage analysis. If Japanese has its own /r/ sound, the argument goes, then Japanese learners of EFL would find it easier to differentiate and master English /l/ first. However, as noted above, Japanese /r/ and Japanese learners' interlanguage /r/ and /l/ sounds are often described as sounding more like English /l/ (or /d/ or medial voiced tapped [t]) than English /r/. If all these arguments are considered together, the issue of which sequence to follow starts to look rather difficult to decide.

One compromise might be to conclude that the Japanese /r/ and palatal /r/ are not acceptable substitutes for either English /l/ or /r/ and to start an instructional sequence with English /l/ first. The strongest justification for English /l/ coming first is that even English native speakers acquire /r/ rather late in their language development and this complex set of sounds actually often requires remedial practice.

So one possible proposed sequence of instruction (as a pronunciation segment of a longer class, such as 20 minutes out of a 90 minute class period) is as follows:

First class: English /l/
Second class: Review of English /l/, English /r/
Third class: Review of English /l/, /r/, contrast of English /l/ vs. /r/
Fourth class: Review and revise as necessary

English /l/ should be taught using the most frequent and useful words of English as possible (and teachers should be prepared to provide an L1 translation in the case of less common words) and should cover the following types of /l/:

Word-initial [l]: like, lake, let, lot, low, lamp, leap, last, etc. 
Unvoiced cluster [l]: clean, close, clock, place, play, please, slide, slow, slip, etc. Voiced cluster [l]: blue, blow, blood, blame, glad, glue, glow, glass, etc.  
Post-vocalic [l] (dark l): feel, fall, fail, call, sale, all, deal, tall, etc.
Medial [l]: follow, hollow, yellow, jello, hello, pillow, filling, collect, etc. 
Unstressed syllabic [l]: settle, beetle, battle, riddle, middle, puddle, little, tunnel, etc. 
-rl cluster: girl, world, whirl, hurl, curl, twirl, swirl, unfurl, etc. 

Then, English /r/ should be taught using the most frequent and useful words of English as possible and should cover the following types of /r/:

Word-initial [r]: right, raise, rise, risk, rose, run, red, road, etc. 
Unvoiced cluster [r]: cry, cream, crazy, tree, true, try, pray, praise, prize, three, throw, etc.  
Voiced cluster [r]: broom, bring, British, grow, grass, great, dry, draw, dream, etc. 
Post-vocalic [r] (reduces to or alternates with 'schwa' in many dialects and accents): car, fear, far, tear, fair, form, farm, dear, hear, more, war, etc.  
Medial [r]: correct, Korea, porous, preferring, occurring, recurring, referring, transferring, etc. 
Unstressed syllabic [r]: ladder, litter, batter, motor, runner, sadder, madder, heater, etc.  
-rl cluster: girl, world, whirl, hurl, curl, twirl, swirl, unfurl, etc. 

In the next part of this series, we will look at actual classroom activities that might be used to teach and practice English /l/ and /r/, both in terms of listening perception and language production.

TEFL FORUM: Another way to integrate more vocabulary practice and learning into TOEIC lessons

Another way to integrate more vocabulary learning into TOEIC lessons
Charles Jannuzi
University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

Today's third period class (after lunch, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.) was Comprehensive English Communication II. This course  emphasizes reading, vocabulary, and TOEIC reading and is complementary to Comprehensive English Communication I (which focuses on listening, vocabulary, and TOEIC listening).

The TOEIC reading practice unit that we were doing was themed on 'Health', and this theme then selected vocabulary related to that theme (e.g., patient, symptoms, surgery, dentist, etc.). Each unit in the textbook starts off with a list of key vocabulary items and asks students to translate them into L1 (for most, that's Japanese or Chinese). However, rather than simply start out the unit with this vocabulary activity (which is typical of many of the TOEIC practice books marketed for EFL in Japan), I thought it would be beneficial to elicit vocabulary from the students in a whole class activity, with the hope that their own vocabulary and phrases would ANTICIPATE much of the vocabulary that was being practiced and tested in the textbook unit. This was acheived by holding  whole class activities that went as follows:

Whole Class Activity One

I handed out sheets of blank B5 paper to all the students and told them to fold theirs in half. Next, I divided the board up into two equal halves. At the top of the left half I wrote, "How can we prevent colds and the flu?" Then I wrote an example response below the heading. For example, "Eat a balanced diet." On the top of the right half I wrote, "How can we recover better from colds and flu?". Then I wrote an example response for this heading. For example, "Drink lots of fluids, like water, tea, chicken broth, sports drinks, etc.". Then I got 6 students to respond to the 'prevent' heading and 6 to write something for the "recover" heading.

Then I corrected and read out loud all the responses that were on the board under each heading. I also added some information that I thought might interest students but had not been written on the board yet (e.g., Studies now show that many people don't get enough Vitamin D in the winter and this could be a reason why we get sick then. So we might improve our health by taking Vitamin D supplements in addition to Vitamin C).

This is also a good time to cover cultural similarities and differences. For example, the E. Asian equivalent of the American 'cold cure', chicken soup, is often rice gruel, which could include many of the same ingredients (if the broth is a chicken-based one). Also, Japan is a country with many different types of citrus fruits, so it is always an interesting area of vocabulary to see if we can find translations and/or western equivalents. For example, there is the Japanese mandarin orange called 'mikan', but also citrus fruits like 'hassaku', 'iyokan', 'yuzu', 'shikuasa', etc. During this particular class, a student from Korea also pointed out that the Korean dish, 'kimchee', (made from fermented cabbage) is a very good source of Vitamin C. I then observed that in the US I was used to eating a lot of the German dish 'sauerkraut', which is also made from fermented cabbage and contains a lot of Vitamin C. Also, many Japanese try to eat one pickled plum/apricot (Japanese 'ume') a day to get enough Vitamin C. 

Whole Class Activity Two

Activity I was followed by another whole-class activity on the board. This time I asked students to list the typical symptoms of a cold versus the typical symptoms of the flu. After students listed the most typical symptoms under each heading, we could then as a whole class isolate and discuss the similarities and differences between colds and the flu. For example, both might start with a feeling of  'general malaise'. That is a similarity. However, high fever, nausea and severe joint pain are more typical of the flu. These are differences.

Conclusion

After the two whole-class activities, students then did the TOEIC Reading unit that was themed on 'Health'. Much of the vocabulary that came up in the two activities did anticipate the vocabulary selected for the unit.

See also the earlier article:

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2010/11/basics-of-vocabulary-study-in-toeic.html

TEFL FORUM: Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to Asian EFL learners: a lexical approach ( Part I)

Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to Asian EFL learners: a lexical approach ( Part I)
 

Teaching English /r/ and /l/ to Asian EFL learners: a lexical approach
Part I


Charles Jannuzi
University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

English /r/, /l/ and contrasts between these two categories of sounds are often cited as pronunciation and listening perception problems for a variety of EFL learners, most from E. Asia. The language backgrounds most often associated with these problems are Japanese, Korean, Chinese and some languages of SE Asia (e.g. Thai but also Cantonese Chinese). Other language speakers have also expressed an interest in improving their pronunciation of English /r/ and /l/, including Russian and German EFL learners. 

Perhaps the most well-known group to have a problem with the two categories of sounds is Japanese EFL learners. This could be because their native language background creates the most difficult problems to overcome. It could also be because Japan attained affluence before most of the rest of Asia and hired native speakers of English to help teach and model the language. So a lot of information based on knowledge and experience of Japanese and Japanese learners of EFL has been exchanged and discussed in 'global ELT'. 

In the case of Japanese learners of English, just what is the issue? The most common account is based on a simple 'contrastive analysis'. Japanese is said to have one categorical sound (or phoneme) whereas English has two. The Japanese sound is often referred to as a type of [r] that is tapped, flapped or trilled.  The Japanese sound never closes a syllable and has a very limited distribution in Japanese. One form of the Japanese /r/ helps to form the syllables used in grammatical inflections (such as verb forms). Word-initial Japanese /r/ is limited to words of foreign origin.

English-speaker descriptions of the Japanese sound or of the Japanese learner of English's sound represent the Japanese sound as variably resembling English /l/, /r/, or /d/ (especially [d] in the middle of a word, like in the word 'middle'). Phonetic descriptions have also said that the American medial voiced [t] of words such as 'little' are quite like the Japanese /r/. 

However, it is not really clear how useful a cross-linguistic, contrastive analysis of phoneme inventories is in diagnosing the problems or in helping Japanese learners of English to overcome them. For one thing, the often-read argument that Japanese has only ONE phoneme, Japanese /r/, is arguably wrong. That is because, using structuralist criteria for determining what is and what is not a phoneme, we can isolate at least two Japanese [r] sounds that are distinct: initial [r] in the word 'rou' ('candle') from palatalized intial [r] in 'ryou' ('dormitory').

It is also misleading to teach EFL learners that there is one English /r/ and one English /l/. That is because they will hear native and fluent speakers of English make a wide array of both sounds in actual speech. In terms of articulation, there is a wide variety within both categories of sounds. Interestingly, the distribution in the lexicon of English [r] sounds strongly parallels English [l] sounds: word-initial ('right' vs. 'light'), word-initial cluster unvoiced ('crime' vs. 'climb'), word-initial cluster voiced ('grow' vs. 'glow'), post-vocalic ('fear' vs. 'feel'), medial ('correct' vs. 'collect'), and unstressed syllabic ('batter' vs. 'battle').

There is some complementary distribution if we consider clusters: [tr-] as in 'true' but no [tl-], [sl] as in 'slide' but no [sr-], [shr-] as in 'shred' but no [shl] (except some loan words), and [l] can cluster with [r] post-vocalically, as in 'girl' or 'world' but not vice versa. Moreover, since both of these sound categories tend toward 'vowel-like', it is not surprising that in some cases they might reduce to a vowel or vowel lengthening in some accents, dialects and word contexts (such as post-vocalic [r] in London, Boston and NY Englishes, or the lost [l] of the word 'chalk').

Given the variety of English /r/ and /l/ sounds and how they parallel each other in the lexicon of English, it is little wonder that EFL learners, even after they have practiced making an English /r/ vs. /l/ distinction, lose the ability when actually communicating orally. Therefore, it is best to teach--over a period of time and through a variety of activities--the full parallel variety of English /r/ and /l/ sounds as found in the most frequent words of the lexicon. A proposed sequence is this: first the variety of English /r/s, then the variety of English /l/s, then /r/ vs. /l/ contrasts in common words, then a follow up on the variety of post-vocalic [r]s in rhotic accents, such as US and Canadian Englishes.

In the next installment, we will look at an instructional sequence which includes explanation of basic classroom procedures and many examples from the beginner's lexicon of English.   

TEFL Forum: Japan's Rakuten, Uniqlo opt for total immersion in global English

Japan's Rakuten, Uniqlo opt for total immersion in global English

The Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER) has published a report about how two new 'new economy' companies in Japan, Uniqlo (casual clothing similar to the Gap) and Rakuten (a web-based 'shopping mall'), are making English the official language of their company.

These bold, controversial decisions come about mostly because their executives see overseas markets as the key to future growth. Moreover, Uniqlo is a retailer centered in Japan, but its clothing and accessories are almost entirely manufactured overseas, in China.

Japan, with its low birth rate and aging society, has actually started to record decreases in population. Although the economy has been alternating between government-subsidized low growth and stagnation for the better part of two decades, Uniqlo and Rakuten have both experienced rapid (if at times uneven) growth. Long before this, Sony Corporation, an OLD 'new economy' company (they still relied on hardware manufacturing for most of their sales) said that it was going to use English as its primary language for international operations, but it didn't ban Japanese.

The JCER piece is here, and can be downloaded in .pdf.

http://www.jcer.or.jp/eng/research/pdf/maeda20100715e.pdf

Japan Times ran an article on the phenomenon, found at the link and excerpted below.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20100822bj.html

Why so drastic an approach? Rakuten says English skills will be critical to achieve its plan of entering 27 overseas markets, where it expects to become the leading player, particularly in the field of online shopping. That part of the plan isn't so surprising. Many of Japan's major corporations are eyeing overseas markets, having largely given up on Japan's, which has been stagnating for the last decade or so and where the population is graying rapidly.

Nor is Rakuten's take-no-prisoners approach to English unique. Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., purveyor of Uniqlo casual clothing stores, announced its own in-house English-only policy this spring. Meetings with at least one non-Japanese in attendance are all to be conducted in English, and internal reports will need to be written in the language. Staff are being asked to achieve a score of at least 700 on the Test of English for International Communication, or TOEIC.

CNN recently ran TV and online stories also, link and excerpt below.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/11/15/ilist.japan.englishization/index.html?eref=rss_latest&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+Most+Recent%29

By 2012, Mikitani's pledge is to make Rakuten an English-only corporation. All communication, verbal and email, would be sent not in Japanese, but in English. It's a daunting task for a Japanese company headquartered in Tokyo.

Last year's Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) rankings showed Japanese test takers scored second worst in the East Asia region, below North Korea and Myanmar. Only Laos ranked lower than Japan.

More multimedia coverage is available at Japan Probe.

http://www.japanprobe.com/2010/08/12/english-only-at-rakuten/

JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK: TEFL FORUM: TEN REASONS WHY ENGLISH LEARNING IN JAPAN FAILS

This is one of the most visited articles up at ELT-J. It was originally a 'TEFL Forum' piece done for Japan HEO.

JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK: TEFL FORUM: TEN REASONS WHY ENGLISH LEARNING IN JAPAN FAILS

TEFL Forum: ELT in Japan, Issue #3 (Aug-Sep 2010)

ELT in Japan, Issue #3 (Aug-Sep 2010)

 
Article 1: Schema theory: Is this set of concepts relevant to TEFL?

Article 2: Truespel - the English-based phonetic notation  for both ESL and EFL

Article 3: Writing systems across languages and cultures: Implications for language teaching and learning 

Article 4: Japanese publishers of EFL books for self-study/ 自習のための言語・英語材料の出版社

Article 5: Key concepts in EFL literacy: Phonics vs. whole language

Article 6: Three phonics, spelling and whole word activities for EFL learners

Article 7: Should the JET Programme be axed?

TEFL Forum: ELT in Japan, Issue #3 (August 2010)

27 August 2010

ELT in Japan, Issue #3 (August 2010)

Feature 1: Schema theory: Is this set of concepts relevant to TEFL?

Feature 2: Truespel - the English-Based Phonetic Notation  for ESL and EFL as Well

Feature 3: Writing Systems Across Languages and Cultures: Implications for Language Teaching and Learning

Feature 4: Japanese publishers of EFL books for self-study/ 自習のための言語・英語材料の出版社 

 

Overview of original content published at Japan Higher Education Outlook

• A brief look at academic freedom in HE in Japan
• An extended look at academic freedom in Japan HE
• Are universities in Japan accredited?
• Breaking down the 'theory vs. practice' distinction
• Demographic disaster for Japan higher education Pts. II-III
• Demograpic disaster for Japan higher education Pt. 1
• ELT in Japan online publication now launched
• End of Japan's National Development State for Higher Education
• End of the national development state for HE in Japan
• Follow-up: Japan and Malaysia to establish a joint university of technology
• Getting Information on Japan's Higher Education IN ENGLISH
• How many universities are there in Japan?
• Is University of Tokyo Japan's only world-class university?
• Japan aims for world class universities
• Japan and Malaysia to establish a joint university of technology
• Japan's tertiary education system: Developments in the Koizumi era of reform
• Over half a million take university entrance exams in Japan
• Pork barrel boondoggle in the Ryukyu Islands
• Profile of Japan's top university--U. of Tokyo (Toudai)
• Teaching as a Foreign National at Japanese Universities
• TEFL Forum: Do Japanese EFL students need 'katakana eigo to learn and to read English?
• TEFL Forum: Native writing systems: Positive transfer or interference for EFL learning?
• TEFL forum: Ten reasons why English learning in Japan fails
• Ten reasons why English learning in Japan fails
• The end of Japan's national development and reform eras for higher education
• The Facially Salient Articulatory Gesture as a Basic Unit for Applied Phonology in ELT
• Try free open-source run-anywhere software
• Why is 'research' in ELT/TEFL/TESOL/AL/SLA so irrelevant?

TEFL in Japan Forum: ELT in Japan's next two issues

A look ahead: ELT-J Issues #3 and #4

ELT in Japan's next two issues

This is what will appear in issue #3 of ELT in Japan, which, if published on schedule, ought to appear in June.  The article titles may be revised, but these will give you an idea of what the articles will cover.


1. Textbook selection for university EFL classes in Japan

2. Directory of EFL publishers for the Japanese market

3. The Visual Pronunciation Dictionary (VPD): An introductory overview

4. Teaching and learning English /l/s and /r/s

5. Introduction to Truespel--a phonetic alphabet based on the principles of English pronunciation and spelling conventions   

This is what will appear in issue #4 of ELT in Japan, which, if published on schedule, ought to appear in August-September.  The article titles may be revised, but these will give you an idea of what the articles will cover.

1. Phonemic Awareness is a native literacy concept, but does it have applications for EFL?

2. A overview of schema theory for EFL teaching and learning 

3. Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) adapted to the EFL classroom 

TEFL in Japan Forum: Japanese publishers of EFL books for self-study/自習のための言語・英語材料の出版社

Japanese publishers of EFL books for self-study

Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

Self-study is really a potential growth market for many publishers, including the ones who dominate university textbooks. So there is potential for overlap with the list of publishers of Japanese EFL university textbooks.　More companies will move into self-study materials to try and offset the declining cohorts of young people. Even if university and tertiary enrollment hasn't started to decline yet, it is somewhat stagnant. Perhaps the decline in enrollment has been delayed by the final expansion of the tertiary sector opening up more enrollment slots combined with the fact that more young people stay out of the full-time workforce and in education or training longer. 

I have listed here mostly publishers who didn't make it into the previous list of textbook publishers. English-language pages are rare at these websites, although there are some.

Sunmark even has an online and downloadable catalogue of English-language titles, usually in the areas of 'inspirational' and 'self-help/self-improvement'. Kodansha is a renowned publisher of English-language titles for Japanese language and cultural studies, but is also a major publisher in the Japanese language. The NHK listed here is the publishing arm of the national broadcaster; NHK produces EFL programs for both radio and TV and these have text magazine and textbooks or supplementary materials associated with the program (such as the Dr. Corpus materials). 

ALC, DHC (the publishing arm of the cosmetics and nutritional supplements company) and Z-Kai have carved out niches in correspondence courses, and these have stand-alone self-study books (e.g., on English listening, English reading, TOEIC, etc.) that can be bought and used separately (such as adapted to your own EFL courses).


I have tried to list useful links to get you into the parts of the online listings of EFL-related titles in order to save you time in navigating Japanese-language sites.

The benefits of adapting some of these materials to your university, college and other tertiary-level EFL courses include the following:

(1) These materials will be understood by all students because explanations are in Japanese; 

(2) such materials often contain a lot of tips, hints, coaching advice and motivational material in the language that all students will understand; 

(3) these titles tend to be more practical than the university publishers', although there is a lot of overlap and the trend is toward convergence under the category of 'edutainment' and 'infotainment'; and

(4) these materials are self-contained and self-sufficient (with CDs, DVDs, answer keys), so the learners who are more keen can continue to use them after the course is over.

I have used such self-study materials for TOEIC study classes, and I use bi-lingual screenplays in some General English classes in order to add extensive reading and listening components, areas that have long been neglected in TEFL in Japan.   

ALC
アルク
http://www.alc.co.jp/
http://www.alc.co.jp/eng/index.html
http://shop.alc.co.jp/cnt/bunya/?afcd=leftjs_bunya_top

Chukei 
中経
http://www.chukei.co.jp/
http://www.chukei.co.jp/language/
http://www.chukei.co.jp/language/news.php
http://www.chukei.co.jp/search/index.php?search=1&obj_type=obj_3&category=2&sub_category=211

Cosmic - includes Bi-lingual Screenplays w/DVDs
http://www.cosmicpub.jp/shopdetail/006008000009/
 
英語とEnglishをつなぐDHCの英語講座
English Language Education of DHC
http://www.edu.dhc.co.jp/
http://www.edu.dhc.co.jp/fun_study/
info@edu.dhc.co.jp

DHC English language study materials
http://www.dhc.co.jp/goods/cagoods.jsp?cCode=11218000

DHC English language study materials - bilingual screenplay books
http://www.dhc.co.jp/goods/cagoods.jsp?cCode=11218009

Diamond
ダイヤモンド社
http://www.diamond.co.jp
http://book.diamond.co.jp/

J-Research
有限会社　ジェイ・リサーチ出版
Jリサーチ出版
http://www.jresearch.co.jp/
http://www.jresearch.co.jp/category/books/107/
http://www.jresearch.co.jp/category/books/106/

Kodansha
http://www.kodansha-intl.com/
http://www.kodansha-intl.com/contents/categoryBookList.php?cid=114&c2id=11401
http://www.kodansha.co.jp/
http://www.kodansha.co.jp/english/

Natsume Publishing
ナツメ出版

http://www.natsume.co.jp/
http://www.natsume.co.jp/book/index.php?keyword=%B1%D1%B8%EC&S_FIND_x=%B8%A1%BA%F7&x=31&y=3
http://www.natsume.co.jp/book/index.php?action=show&code=004464
http://www.natsume.co.jp/book/index.php?action=show&code=004491
NHK
https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/shop/main.jsp?trxID=0010
https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/shop/main.jsp?trxID=C1010101&htmlPageCode=08.html
https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/shop/main.jsp?trxID=C2010101&bookCategoryCode=23002
https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/shop/main.jsp?query=&whence=0&sort=score&reference=off&max=10&result=normal&searchCategoryName=01&targetWords=%89p%8C%EA&trxID=C0020101

Obunsha
旺文社
http://www.obunsha.co.jp/
http://www.obunsha.co.jp/shoshi/index.php/search/doSearch?cx=006468615939608868044%3Ayalzetngdoq&cof=FORID%3A9&q=%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E#1521
info@obunsha.co.jp
pr@obunsha.co.jp

Sunmark
サンマーク出版
http://www.sunmark.co.jp/
http://www.sunmark.co.jp/eng/index.html
http://www.sunmark.co.jp/eng/general_catalog.pdf
http://www.sunmark.co.jp/01/rc/genre15.html

Screenplay - Bilingual screenplays, listening, conversation materials
スクリーンプレ
http://www.screenplay.co.jp/

Takarajimasha - Includes Bilingual screenplays w/DVDs
宝島社
http://tkj.jp/
http://tkj.jp/search/?cs=u&fw=%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB
http://tkj.jp/search/?cs=u&fw=%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E3%81%A7%E8%8B%B1%E4%BC%9A%E8%A9%B1%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA

Z-Kai
Z-会
http://www.zkai.co.jp/home/index.html
http://www.zkai.co.jp/top/daitop.html
http://www.zkai.co.jp/books/index.html
http://www.zkai.co.jp/books/search/list_3.asp
http://www.zkai.co.jp/books/search/list_5.asp#BookInf1
https://www.zkai.co.jp/ca/g/catalog/index.asp

 

TEFL in Japan Forum: Japanese publishers of EFL textbooks and materials

A two-year retrospective on 'Japan Higher Education Outlook'

This is more or less a re-post from last month in hopes of it being found by a few more people who come in the front door and very quickly leave by the same door. So it is being re-posted to put it at the top and front of the blog for a while.
--------------------------------------------------- 

Japan Higher Education Outlook  has been in existence for over two years now. So it might be a good time to look back on some of the original content.

Here is a list of key feature articles that appeared here. These are articles that are for the most part exclusive of the ones that appeared under the 'TEFL Forum' title series.

But first, here are a few comments on some of the news and trends analyzed in the past two years of articles:

-Instead of getting more universities into the world's top 30, Japan's one top 20 university, Tokyo U., dropped out of the top 20.

-The new research university being founded in Okinawa has faltered, hitting budget limitations due to the ongoing fiscal crisis of the national government.

-The often-predicted demographic disaster awaiting Japan's large HE sector still awaits--offset by the fact that more and more young women are continuing onto four-year programs and graduate school.

-Meanwhile, the lines drawn across terms like 'university', 'college' and 'special training school/college' are being blurred: Two-year colleges have got into vocational programs and four-year programs in order to stay in business. It also seems that 'special training colleges' will hook up with universities and colleges because they need students, but their administrations have something the universities need as well: management skills in running vocationally relevant programs that lead to graduates getting certifications, qualifications, careers.

-And while the continuance rate from senior high to universities and colleges hasn't hit 60%, it is rising and for many students there are more and more ways to get into the programs of their choice (most students choose 2 or 3 institutions to apply for).

-And the top-rated universities like Toudai have more applicants than ever because many are hopeful that the demographic decline favors their chances to win the placement lottery. .    

Links and introductory excerpts have been dug out from the archives for your convenience.


Original feature articles at JHEO:

1. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/12/profile-of-japans-top-university-u-of.html

16 December 2009

Profile of Japan's top university--U. of Tokyo (Toudai)

Recently Toudai dropped out of the THES-QS top 20 ranking of universities worldwide. I thought this would be a good time to run an alternative version of an earlier piece on the University of Tokyo.

---------------------------

Is University of Tokyo Japan's only world-class university? 
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

It is unique and elite

When the university system of Japan is compared internationally, one institution is most often cited as Japan's best example of a 'world-class' university. This is, of course, the University of Tokyo (Toukyou Daigaku' or 'Toudai' for short). Toudai is perhaps most famous for graduating and networking elite bureaucrats and politicians, including prime ministers; however, the supposed lock on leadership in top government has waned over the past two decades. For example, this century's most popular prime minister of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi, and many of his advisors were graduates of the private elite Keio University.

2. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2009/04/end-of-japans-national-development-and.html

10 April 2009

The End of Japan's National Development State for Higher Education
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

Japan's vast higher education system has around 5,000 institutions, with the count still growing. This includes a tertiary level of about 1,300 government-certified, degree-awarding colleges and universities. Seven hundred forty-five of these are designated as 'daigaku'--a term which refers to any institution that has received government sanction to award four-year degrees equivalent to a baccalaureate. These four-year universities along with junior and technical colleges enroll close to three million undergraduate students, including about 120,000 foreign nationals, the vast majority of whom are from China.

3. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/10/demographic-disaster-for-higher-ed-in.html

27 October 2008

Demographic Disaster for Higher Ed in Japan? Parts II-III
by Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui

Introduction

In early September 2006, I gave a presentation at a conference in Langkawi, Malaysia. The conference, which focused mostly on educational management issues in higher education, was hosted by the South East Asian Association for Institutional Research (SEAAIR) and the Open University of Malaysia. My talk was titled, "Japan's Tertiary Education System: Developments in the Koizumi Era of Reform".

In the resulting paper (which was published in the proceedings of the conference), I attempted to sum up twenty years of university reform with the following:

Those two prior decades of changes in tertiary education leading
up to the creation of the NUCs [Japan's 87 national universities
were re-chartered as 'national university corporations' in 2003-4]
comprised many profound developments....:

-the establishment of a handful of new research universities and
institutes, decision-making at which flows from a central
administration....

-the expansion of graduate program and their enrollments,
including American-style professional schools of business,
law, and accounting;

-growth in doctoral and post-doctoral programs....

-a steady increase in the number of international students
hosted, to over 120,000 annually, about 25% enrolled in
graduate schools;

-more public funding of the entire tertiary sector...with a
target of 1% of GDP;

-increased funding for research (including more basic
research) to compensate for its decline in private industry...
with a target of 7-8% of annual national budgets, and a
national goal approaching 3% of GDP for ALL scientific R&D
(with national government spending accounting for 1% of GDP);

-legislative and regulatory changes that allowed the national
universities to tie up with other entities to pursue research and
expand course offerings....

-parallel changes that allowed national university academics
to serve on the boards of NPOs and for-profit corporations;

-internal and external systems of evaluation, independent of
national government certification....

4. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/04/japans-tertiary-education-system.html

18 April 2008

Japan's Tertiary Education System: Developments in the Koizumi Era of Reform
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

With this first JPN HEO blog post of April 2008, I am using this forum to publish an article that was delivered as a paper at the SEAAIR conference in Langkawi, Malaysia, in September 2006. It will serve as something of a retrospective on happenings in higher education during the Koizumi years of 2000-6 and the preceding years that set up the reforms of what now could be called a political era for Japan.

News posts on the demographic crisis and reasons for the failure of English education will follow in the remaining days of April.


Japan's Tertiary Education System: Developments in the Koizumi Era of Reform
by Charles Jannuzi

Abstract

This paper will survey the major developments and changes that have taken place during the past decade in Japan's tertiary education system and put them into international (comparative) and historical perspectives. It also will attempt to assess critically the impact of major reforms on the national and public universities (and the response of the more numerous private universities to these reforms as well). For example, as of 1 April 2004, Japan's 87 national universities were 'denationalized' and incorporated into 'autonomous institutions'(or 'juridical persons') giving them, at least in theory, wider discretionary powers over personnel management, teaching and research assignments, program and curriculum development. The new status was supposed to result in more local autonomy within each institution over the allocation of money for their mandated missions in teaching, conveying public services to their regions, and conducting basic and applied research in science and technology. Have such top-down reforms proven effective, and have their effects matched the government's stated intentions? It is the author's contention that, not only are the reforms a classic case of reform over-reach, but that Japan's overbuilt university system will face demographic, financial and socio-cultural crises that the current Koizumi era of reform, now coming to its close, has utterly failed to address.

5. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/03/teaching-as-foreign-national-at.html

10 March 2008


Teaching as a Foreign National at Japanese Universities: Shifting Terms of Institutional Status, Employment, Work Conditions and Related Concerns 
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

The Japanese tertiary system consists of some 1250 national, public, and private four- and two-year institutions. At these degree-awarding universities and colleges, the terms 'foreign lecturer' or 'foreign instructor' refer to any non-Japanese personnel teaching below the status of professor. Most typically though the terms refer to full-time foreign language teachers who are 'native speakers' of the language they teach.

The vast majority of these foreign nationals teach English as a foreign language (EFL), but the number teaching other important languages, especially Asian ones, such as Mandarin Chinese, has also risen significantly during the past two decades. The non-Japanese teaching EFL in Japan are often assigned general English classes as part or all of their teaching duties. General English refers to service course English required as part of general education requirements of tertiary education.

6. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-university-research-centers-to.html

02 March 2008

From university research centers to international research hubs?
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan


In the post-bubble Japan of the 1990s, the private sector's ability to finance scientific research and development went into stagnation and then decline. So from 1995 on the government has pursued an expanded role in the management and funding of scientific R&D at annual levels that equal or exceed 1% of GDP. In great part this has been through the dominant role of its super-ministry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and its five-year 'Science and Technology Basic Plans'.

In order to increase public subsidy of scientific research-- while at the same time forcing research universities and research institutes to compete for funds--MEXT established a 'Centers of Excellence' program. However, this turned out to be a fairly diffuse program, paying for the construction of dozens of new research facilities all over the country at the former national universities and a handful of elite private ones. While this did a lot to help refurbish the appearance of the visibly deteriorated national universities, its actual boost to important scientific results is questionable.

7. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/02/demographic-disaster-for-higher-ed-in.html

10 February 2008

Demographic Disaster for Higher Education in Japan? Part I
by Charles Jannuzi

Introduction

This will be a three-part series for the Japan HEO Blog. This first installment will be a short introduction of the series and then follow with an analysis of Anglophone news coverage of Japan. This is, after all, an English-language blog on Japan.

Part two will consist of analysis of recent articles which appeared in the FT, New York Times, Guardian and Kyodo News Service which have covered the 'demographic disaster' that is supposed to be looming over higher education in Japan. Going straight to the strong points of the argument for a disaster scenario for HE in Japan, I will try to point out some of the flaws and gaps in the analysis.

The third and final part, which will most likely appear late in March 2008 (when the single correspondent of the Japan HEO Blog doesn't have to teach classes), I will put forth a different analysis in an attempt to answer the puzzling question, "Why, if high school graduate and university-eligible populations are in steady and unrecoverable decline, is Japan building still yet more universities?" Does someone in the HE sector here know something that everyone else doesn't? Or are they delusional?

8. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/02/extended-look-at-academic-freedom-in-he.html

03 February 2008


Academic freedom in Japan's higher education--a more in-depth look
by Charles Jannuzi

Introduction

Many attempts at analyzing the nature of government in post-war Japan tend to emphasize continuity with 'old' Japan and its conservative nationalism. However, such analysis does not insightfully refer to tendencies that are ancient or even old by historical standards. Instead, any connection with past rule has to be made with early modern Japan, from the start of the Meiji era (1868) to the start of the second world war.

Sweeping political, social and cultural changes in the last half of the 19th century opened up Japan to outside ideas, knowledge and technology. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 was actually a political revolution which swept away most elements of the old shogunate government and its prestige culture. New factions of elites capable of leadership and rule emerged during a time of great social unrest and change.

9. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/02/pork-barrel-boondoggle-in-ryukyu.html

03 February 2008

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology: Pork barrel boondoggle in the Ryukyu Islands?
by Charles Jannuzi

Introduction

In December 2006, the Japanese government (at the ministry level) decided to put the construction and certification of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) on a privileged fast track. The OIST was conceived in the 1990s and put forward as an official proposal in June 2002 to help mark the 30th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa from US control to become the 48th prefecture of Japan. Its proponents within the national government and in Okinawa had hoped that the proposed institute would open for teaching and research by September 2006--or earlier. That target has long been been missed, and efforts to speed up the process have been clouded by serious oversight issues involving the specification of research program, taught curriculum, and codes and regulations. Construction of the campus, currently in progress, could also cause considerable environmental destruction because of its location in what is now a communal forest near the coast.

10. http://japanheo.blogspot.com/2008/02/japan-aims-for-world-class-universities.html

03 February 2008

Japan aims for 'world class' universities
by Charles Jannuzi

Introduction

The government of Japan is pushing for a consolidation and revitalization of the university system, formulating specific targets. Of the hundreds of universities here, 30 are supposed to emerge competitively as truly 'world-class' institutions. From amongst this group of 30, a very select group of five are supposed to attain a top 30 global ranking. And at the top of this super group of five, one of these must make it into the global top 10.

TEFL Forum: ELT-J Issue #2 (March 2010) as .pdfs you can download

ELT-J Issue #2 (March 2010) as dowloadable .pdfs

ELT-J Issue #2 (March 2010)

I. Folder of three .pdfs that can be viewed as GoogleDocs or downloaded as .pdf

II. As separate articles:

A. Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests


B. Semantic Mapping Activities for the Speaking Class


C. Semantic Mapping Activities for the Writing Class

TEFL Forum: ELT-J Issue #2 (March 2010)

Note: the previously proposed article on pronunciation will run as a two-part series (preview) at the ELT-J homepage and will then be re-published in final form in ELT-J Issue #3. The entire issue #2 of ELT-J will be made available later this month in downloadable .pdf. Watch for future posts.    

01 March 2010

ELT-J Issue #2 (March 2010)

ELT in Japan Issue 2 (March 2010)

Contents

(1)  Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests
(2)  Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class
(3)  Semantic mapping activities for the writing class

TEFL Forum: ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles in Downloadable Form

Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles: (1)  "Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom"; (2) "Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests"; (3) "Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class"; and (4)"Semantic mapping activities for the writing class". 

Articles (2) and (3) are now available as a preview of the full issue. 


You can now download the two preview articles for ELT J #2 in .pdf. The best way from Firefox browser is to left-click the link and save the file. It should download through your browser or default downloader program.You might have to right-click your mouse if the left-click loads the document. However, if you have the correct Adobe Plug-ins, the pdfs can be viewed from your browser and then saved from there as well.

Two articles as PDFs.

1. Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests. pdf

2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class.pdf

Alternatively, you can view them first as GoogleDocuments and choose to download them from the download feature there (upper left of page).  

1. Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2aIR7UspFzpMDMxYTVkNmMtYzdlMS00ZmZlLWJjOTEtYTU5M2IyMmJmNTlk&hl=en

introductory excerpt:

In this article we will look at how to introduce students to 'English-only' multiple-choice questions and then how to use such questions to assess students and evaluate courses. The focus here will be  specifically on using multiple-choice questions to construct tests that assess vocabulary learning drawn from the syllabus, materials, and content of specific EFL classes--i.e., the classes you have to teach and your students have to attend. It is hoped that these explanations and examples will serve, for example, teachers who have to give grades to hundreds of students each semester and have limited time to do other types of testing (such as oral interviews or projects, which can be too time-consuming to manage if you teach hundreds of students).

2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2aIR7UspFzpNDk0M2I0YzItOTVmMC00ZDEyLWFiOTEtMjQ1Mjc2YjBhYzIx&hl=en


introductory excerpt:

In TEFL situations, when we say 'vocabulary study', the two activities that most often come to mind for students quite likely are (1) looking up words in a bi-lingual dictionary and (2) compiling and studying bi-lingual word lists. If this is what is meant by vocabulary study, it hardly could be called 'systematic'. The weaknesses of such an approach to vocabulary are many. For example, students may use an L1-L2 dictionary to confirm the meanings of an L1 meaning in L2, and then forget the L2 item. Also, bi-lingual word lists are hard to organise; indeed, they lack any organising principle except that an L1 word should be matched with an L2 counterpart and that such items, once translated, should follow each other on a list. Little wonder then students do not find time to study and review them. What is more, the input of vocabulary to be learnt, revised, or reviewed is too limited to items (words, phrases) encountered in the textbook or specified by the teacher. Finally, and most importantly for the purpose of this introduction, the most obvious flaw is that there is very little communicative or social linguistic activity required to use a dictionary or make a bilingual word list.  An alternative to this is using a semantic mapping activity.