Guest Speaker

2005年春学期に開講している「英語コミュニケーション1」に、今年の3月まで小学部で英語を教えられていたメアリ−先生(現在は中学部で教えられています)をお招きしました。メアリー先生はスコットランド出身ですが、英国に引っ越したそうです。3歳の時はフランスの学校に行き、英語が日常語、歌はフランス語という経験をしたそうです。フィンランドのシュタイナースクールの幼稚園で教えた経験をお持ちです。

当日の内容

多くの人が勘違いしていますが、「小さい子供は、外国へ行けば、英語がしゃべれる」と思ってはいけません。子供も大変な苦労をしています。英語教育に熱心な日本で私が驚くのは、日本の子供達がどの子も同じパターンにはまったセンテンスで答えることです。"How are you?"に対して、たいてい"Fine thank you, and you?"と返ってきますが、こんなきちんとした文章で答える子供は英語圏の国ではほとんどいません。学校で習ったパターンの文章なんでしょうが、英語圏の子供でこんな答え方をする子がいたら、とても不自然で子供らしくないと感じます。子供には子供の言葉があるので、中途半端な言い方でも、子供のその時の気持ちや状況を表現しているのであれば、それで充分だと思います。なので、小学部では、子供達には色々な気持ちや気分の表現の仕方を紹介しています。自分の気分を表す簡単な表現には、Fine, Good, Super, O.K., Not bad, happy, sad, hungry, sleepy, Super-doper great, bad, cool, so so, など、たくさんのシンプルな表現があります。全員が一斉に同じ答で返ってこないような言い方のバリエーションに気がつけるようにしたいです。

 

Teaching Children:

私がシュタイナースクールで困ったことは、シュタイナースクールでは本も絵も使わずに子供達に教えるということです。30人ほどのフィンランド人の子供達ばかりでしたが、絵本も絵も使えない時に、皆さんならどうしますか?そうです、"Only thing to keep children's attention was to sing."だったのです。そして幼い時に歌うということはとても大切なことです。私は、11歳の時にフランス語を勉強し始めましたが、その時に何も覚えていないはずのフランス語のはずなのに、3歳の時に歌った歌だけは出て来るのです。それだけ、幼い時に歌った歌というのは身体に残るということです。

英語の歌では、Lorry Porryの歌は手をつかえるので、子供達は喜びますし、この歌はRとLの発音の練習にも最適です。でも、だからと言って、先生が発音にこだわることはありません。Finger play(指遊び)も単純な動作から多くのことを子供は学びます。日本の先生は、えてして英語の歌を日本語に訳そうとしますが、音、メロディ、シンプルなvocabularyなので、訳さなくても子供は楽しく歌います。英語圏の子供だって、有名なマザーグースに出て来るマルベリーブッシュの歌はよく知っていますが、そのマルベリーブッシュが一体どんな木なのか知っている人は少ないと思います。私自身、玉川大学のロンドン留学プログラムづくりに関わっていた時に、はじめてマルベリーブッシュというものを知りました。

子供に英語を教える際に気をつけることは、1つの単元で教える新しい単語は10〜12個くらいにしておくことです。もちろん、一度に10〜12個を教えるのではなく、3つくらいづつに分けて教えていきます。子供は夢中になると、何度繰り返しても飽きません。子供が飽きずに、どんな言葉を学習したかを確認するのに、私はよく"Magic Bag"を使います。このMagic Bagには毎回色々なものを入れて、子供達に実際に手を入れさせて、何が入っているのか感触で確認した後に新しい単語を覚えさせます。子供達は、「先生のバック」の中に手を入れるのが大好きです。他によく使うゲームは、BingoやCardですが、Bingoは必ず授業の最後の所でしかしません。とにかく盛り上がるので、Bingoの後の授業は難しいので、最後にします。Cardもたまにしか使いません。Pre-teach(事前学習)として、本を読み聞かせる前に登場人物をカードにしてゲームをしたり、ビデオやGiant Bookなどでお話を紹介したりすることもあります。子供に単語や動作を教えるのに便利なのが、cookingです。子供の大好きな食べ物の名前も教えられますし、「好き/嫌い」の表現も教えられます。私が日本語訳を入れてもいいと考えるのは、複雑な活動をさせる時のみです。大切なのは、順序よく、子供に理解できる量で充分に準備して授業をすることです。難しい動詞などについて動詞の使い方の感覚を覚えさせるためには、Verb Uno(Mary先生が考えた動詞Unoゲーム)をやります。暗記せざるおえないものはゲームにして、暗記をゲーム感覚でさせていくこともできます。Playing game is not a waste なんです。

 

Assessment:

I access myself when I access children. 私は、子供を評価する時に、自分自身を評価します。そのためには、自分なりの評価システムを持たなくてはいけません。私はCheck Listを使います。例えば、Listening Activityでは、子供達が聴き取れたものをワークシートに描かれた買い物バックに絵で描いていくようにします。そこに描かれている絵から、子供が本当にその単語の意味を知っているかどうかを確認します。また、Listening gridをつくり、表の縦にはモノの絵を、横には動作の絵を描きます。そして、先生が英語で話すお話と一致するところに印を付けます。そうすることで、「何がどうした」のか、きちんと子供が理解していることを見ることができます。子供なので、スペルで正しく書けるかどうかが大切ではありません。その単語の概念を頭に持っているかが大切なのです。ですから、大人のように単語テストでチェックすることでは測れないものを、子供の時には測れるように工夫が必要なのです。驚かれるかもしれませんが、英語圏でない子供も(日本の子供も)英語でジョークを言って先生を楽しませようとするんですよ。その、人を楽しませよう!という気持ちが言葉を学習する上で非常に大切な資質です。

 

Questions from students:

1. Are there any difference between Finish Children and Japanese Children? How culture affects your teaching?

国によって子供どうしの関わりかたなどは違います。フィンランドの子供達は日本の子供達よりも静かで、子供どうしで何かをさせるのが難しい印象を持っています。日本の子供は、たいてい一緒に行動したがる傾向があります。これは、Learning Style(学習スタイル)の違いだとおもいます。どちらがいいということではなく、子供の学習スタイルや文化にあった活動にしていくことが、子供がよりよく学んでいけるポイントだと思います。なので、子供に合わせて、教え方や活動を変えます。

2. How do you stop fighting in your class?

I stop it before it starts. It could be fighting or chatting, but children start something when they get bored. ケンカだろうと、おしゃべりだろうと、それが始まる前にストップさせるのが大切です。つまり、よく子供達を観察し、何か予兆があれば見逃さないことです。おしゃべりが始まりそうな気配がある時は、子供達がその活動に飽きてきているということ。そんな時は、どんなに時間をかけて張り切って用意したアクティビティでも潔く止め、別のアクティビティにします。そうすることで、子供達が飽きて別のことに気がいくことを防ぎます。

 

Answers from Mary-sensei:

These are my answers to the questions from the students' reports.

Ayumi
I think all children prefer classes that have something interesting like songs, pictures and games. As young children cannot read, they need to see or hear something to become motivated. Children enjoy stories with only a few words on each page and with lots of pictures. Children look at the pictures much more carefully than adults and notice tiny details. It does not matter if they do not understand all the words and the grammar. I usually pre-teach the important nouns and verbs before reading the story. The children like something exciting and fun. They love books like the Berenstain bears. They also like traditional fairy tales like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I think English teachers say'How are you?' because it has always been taught to adult learners. It's not so useful for children as children are not usually addressed in this way. However, it's a good way to learn emotions like'happy, sad and angry'. It's not natural for children to say,'I'm fine thank you, and you?'

Sachiyo
I think your comments about teaching English through song, pictures and games shows that you can teach English without speaking perfectly. The children will have fun and that motivates them to learn. You can use CDs as well as your own voice for singing although I think children like hearing the teacher sing.

Tatsuya
Children are much better at guessing than adults. If they do not understand every word they don't really care. They are good at hearing the key words and the words they already know. Of course, they cannot have a conversation but they can have fun communicating in English. Some students do not have confidence even when they are young and they do not really try to have conversations.

Takano
I feel happy teaching English when the students are happy. It is easy to feel happy when you are teaching young children as they try very hard all the time and they usually like learning English. I try not to have situations in the classroom which let the children run around and move too much as then the children can get wild.

Akiko K.
I think every teacher sometimes has a problem with some children. Sometimes the children have behavior problems and this has to be discussed with the other teachers. Other children are just a little bit naughty and it's important for them to know that the teacher decides what is acceptable and what is not. As I only speak English in the classroom, I have to notice any trouble that is starting and control it before it gets out of hand. Some children dislike English but most small children seem to enjoy it.

Rie
I wanted to teach in Japan because I had really enjoyed teaching Tamagawa University students in London and also many private Japanese students. I lived in Finland, not Sweden, and I will be visiting Finland this summer to find out more about English teaching in Finland. I will write a report about it when I get back so I can send a copy to your department.

Naoko
There is sometimes a problem if some children do not understand English. I try to make all the activities based on the fact that I won't be speaking Japanese in the classroom. I have learnt which activities will work and which won't by experimenting. In addition, the children who understand quickly will usually explain to those who don't understand. Small children do not learn very quickly so they cannot give their opinion for a long time. However, they can answer many questions like,'What's the weather like today?''Who is in your family?' and'What does your daddy do?' They love answering questions like these.

Yuko
I try to move around the class as much as possible as the children really like having individual attention. It is very important for the teacher to know who understands and who does not and moving around the classroom makes this much easier.

Yuichiro
Children like games that they can understand easily and they can have fun. I do not like to have very competitive games as children who do not win can get upset. I do not like running around games either as the children get wild if they get out of their seats. I usually put the children in groups of two or four and play games like turning over cards and matching them, and collecting sets of cards like Happy Families. There is a good game company called'Orchard Toys' and their games are really popular with young children I think it's natural that some children use English more than others. In every subject some children are better than others. It is the teacher's job to help the slow students more.

Kahoru
There will always be a small number of children who do not like English very much but very few really hate English. I try not to put too much pressure on young children but let them take their time. The problem with older children is sometimes, if they have been taught English using grammar/translation, they think too carefully before they speak. Native speakers do not mind if you make grammar mistakes when you are speaking. People all over the world, in America, England Australia etc., use different grammar but we can understand each other. For communication, good pronunciation is more important. If you want to speak English fluently, do not worry so much about grammar mistakes. Just speak! Of course I think grammar is important, but may be in a Japanese grammar class everything has to be perfect so students have no confidence in their English which is a pity.

Marika
I find an original melody which is simple and often familiar to children and I change the words to fit in with the theme I am teaching. I don't know why, but I find this very easy to do but some teachers think it is a bit difficult. The main thing is that the children can understand the key words and add actions to make it fun.

Shozan
I think children should not depend too much on their mobiles but maybe that's because I'm quite old! The language they use in text messages is a sort of'shorthand' so sometimes this makes their spelling worse. I am surprised that even very young children have mobiles in Japan. In England this is not safe as someone might steal it.

Yuki
With young children nothing really troubles me as it's quite easy to gain the confidence of young children and then they listen attentively. With older children they can be very noisy and sometimes disruptive. As I said, I try not to shout but to talk to the'bad' students calmly and patiently. This is not always easy! I don't use Japanese in the class as small children listen carefully and are good at guessing things. With Junior High School students, I sometimes use a few words in Japanese but very rarely.

Kaori
I do teach only English words. I don't think young children think in a way that involves translating. They can see a picture and remember the word that goes with it. That is why it's easier to teach nouns, verbs and adjectives. It's surprising that some young children pick up'a' and'the' just through natural listening. You cannot really teach articles to young children. I don't think you can teach a conversation because a natural conversation does not follow a set pattern You never know what the other person is going to say. I like children to use English naturally. When you teach writing, then accuracy is much more important as you have time to plan.

Natsumi
You must always remember that if the children know only a very little English you must find another way to communicate other than through language. Smiling naturally to the children is very important as a way of communicating as it helps the children to have confidence in you and they can trust you. With kindergarten children you can play chasing games and other activities that they enjoy. This is a form of communication and you can speak in English at the same time. Kindergarten children love listening to stories and don't usually mind what language they are in. Small groups of three or four children will sit around the teacher on the floor for quite a long time listening to stories. Communication using language develops slowly but children really try hard to use the few words that they for communication.

Miho
In order to study English more effectively it's important to move away from grammar books and exercises and try and listen to and read natural English. Don't worry if you don't understand every word. Read magazines and books that interest you and only look up words in the dictionary if they seem to be really important for the meaning. This will only work if you choose texts that are not really, really difficult for you. If you go to a good bookstore you can find magazines in English for young people and they might be nice to try. For listening materials you can use the internet and find the BBC website ミ bbc.co.uk ミ and tune in to many different radio programs. Radio 5 has good phone-in programs where you can hear many different people speaking on lots of different subjects. With listening, even more than with reading, it is important to realize that you do not need to understand every word.

Tomo
You have to be careful that you are not doing everything too quickly. It is easy to think that everyone has understood something when only a few have. For example, if you ask the whole class a question, it often sounds as if they all shout out the answer together correctly. However, it's usually only the good ones you hear and many do not really know the answer. That's why it's important to go round the class and check up if everyone has understood. This is easy to do if all the children are doing an activity like drawing or coloring. The most difficult thing is to design a lesson that is challenging for the good students and at the same time the slower learners can learn something too. This is very difficult to do.

Haruka
You do not have to speak perfect English to teach young children. However, you should have confidence in your English. Children learn mostly words. It takes them a long time to put words together into sentences. This means you do not have to use complicated English with them.'What's this?''It's a tree.', is the sort of English you need. Speaking clearly at a natural speed I very important to develop good listening skills in the children. It takes a little bit of time to feel relaxed and happy in the classroom just as any new thing takes time to get used to. Don't be put off if your lessons go a bit wrong sometimes. This is normal.

Yoshiko
I became a teacher by chance. When I was living in Finland I used to walk past a kindergarten every day and one day I walked in and asked if it would be possible to work there and that was my first job teaching children. One of the parents then asked if I would like to teach at the university and so I left the kindergarten and started work at the university. I did not have any teacher training qualifications at that time. I know many, many songs. I used to love singing and playing the piano with my children when they were young and I bought song books all the time. In England, infant school is from 4-7 years old. It is part of the elementary school which we call primary school. Primary school is from 4-11. The part from 7-11 is called the junior school. In Primary school children learn to read, write etc. Day-care or pre-school is before the age of 4/5. Almost all primary schools now have a pre-school section for 3 year-olds which is free. Private day-care is quite expensive.

Aki
We should make our lessons interesting and fun but at the same time we should make sure we have clear learning goals. Sometimes children do not realize that they are learning but all the time they are absorbing English. Sometimes I think, and research has also shown, that there are not huge benefits to teaching English to young children. They do not learn nearly as fast as older children because their cognitive skills are not as developed. However, research also shows that children who start learning when they are young have better pronunciation and listening skills. I think children also benefit from having contact with a different culture and this comes through learning another language.

Kunihiko
In my opinion, the most important thing when you teach to students is that you show a positive attitude and kindness to them at all times. They are then more likely to respond and learn. Children really like it when you smile at them. They also notice if you are being genuine or not so you must really enjoy being with children if you are a teacher.

Chie H.
I change activities several times in one class so that the children do not get bored. Of course all the activities are linked in some way to make the lesson complete. I usually start with new vocabulary, then have an activity, for example listening, and follow it up with a song. If they seem to be getting restless I often sing old songs that they have learnt before. If we sing three or four songs they can release lots of energy. I emphasize listening and speaking skills most in the class. As the children get older, I introduce words with the pictures and a little bit of writing. If I have to scold children I go up to the child's desk and speak in a little bit of a strict voice but not a loud voice. Even if I say English words like'Stop now!' they know how I am feeling and what I mean. It is harder with older children. You have to win their confidence early on and try and stop bad behavior before it starts. If I do extra-curricular classes with young children I allow more action than in a regular class because the class is smaller. I sometimes do cooking or planting seeds and the children use English and listen while they are doing the activity. It is boring to do a regular style of class on these occasions.

Tomohiro
The culture in Japan is very different in Japan compared with Scotland. Japanese children are very polite to the teachers. They bow and show respect every time they see a teacher. They also help to clean the school which would never happen in the U.K. My daughter is a junior high school teacher and she says the school she works in is really messy when the children leave. The Principal says it is not the responsibility of the children to clean up even if they made the mess. Children in the U.K. do not eat their lunch in the classroom. They have a special lunch hall. I came to Japan to experience Japanese culture because I had taught many Japanese students in London. I have a very good impression of Tamagawa students. I am really enjoying my time here.

Haruo
The hardest thing about teaching is that you need an enormous amount of energy. If you do not feel very well, it is very difficult to teach many classes in a row and present good lessons. I think it is really important to always be cheerful. The children really notice this. You should also have a clear idea about what you expect the children to learn each lesson and have some way to check up if they have achieved it. It's not enough just to have fun.

Yutaka
The teacher needs to have trust in the student and the student needs to trust the teacher. This is a relationship that starts to build up from the first time that the teacher enters the classroom. The teacher must look upon all the students as individuals and not as a group and respond to the needs of each student. If this happens then the teacher can understand the students and know if they are being lazy or not understanding what they should do.

Ayaka
I have had many, many happy times as a teacher. One of the best things about being a teacher is that every day is different and children can make you feel very happy. When very young children put a few words together in English so that I can understand their meaning, I am very happy. When a whole group of beginners at Junior High School responds really well to a class ,t makes me every happy. There are so many occasions that I can't describe them all.

Shunsuke
Japanese pupils are very respectful towards the teachers. When I teach returnee students in Japan, I can notice a big difference between their behavior and pupils who have not lived outside Japan. The ones from America and England are much noisier and do not listen to the teacher carefully. On the other hand, sometimes Japanese students are too quiet and it is difficult for the teacher to have a discussion with the pupils. It takes time for them to have the confidence to speak and express their opinion. This is not a problem with small children.

Hikaru
I think'praise' is always more successful than scolding. I have never taught the word'perfect' to small children but when I say'perfect' about their work they quickly learn this is positive. Sometimes they ask me'perfect?` They are so happy when I use that word. When children want to be praised they behave well. Of course sometimes they do not behave well. The I must notice what they are doing before the situation gets bad. This is a skill that comes with experience. Teachers need to have 'eyes in the backs of their heads'!

Tomoe
I almost never use Japanese in class. Sometimes to check if the children have understood I ask them what a word means in Japanese and usually they know. Small children learn quite quickly that there is no point speaking to me in Japanese. It's only if something serious has happened that they use Japanese a lot. I think teaching English to young children makes them realize that learning a language can be fun. It also helps their pronunciation and listening skills. The classroom is not only a place to teach. A teacher should always be ready to respond to children's needs and sometimes that means abandoning the lesson plan and doing something else. The teacher must always listen to what the children have to say. There are so many happy times it is impossible to list them all. It is sometimes hard with anew class to remember the names of all the children. The children are very unhappy if you do not remember their name. Sometimes I look at their notebook or their shoes to check the name!

Yuka
I was offered the chance to come to Japan by one of the Tamagawa University students who I taught in London. She worked in the K-12 office. I had never taught in an elementary school before but I had taught many children privately. I love teaching young children. I sometimes wonder why some Japanese parents want their children to speak English so much that they teach them from infancy. I think you should speak to your children in your mother tongue if possible as your real emotions come from your mother tongue. I don't think it's a good idea to send babies to English schools. I try not to speak Japanese in class as then it is easy to become lazy and the children are really good at understanding things like instructions in English. I don't think you can teach spontaneous conversations. You can help to develop listening and speaking skills which are needed in these conversations.

Sakata
The most popular books among the elementary school pupils were traditional fairy tales and books about the Berenstain Bears. The books about the Berenstain Bears are very funny for small children as the father bear always gets into some difficulty and the small bear is always rescuing him. Traditional fairy tales remain popular even if you read them over and over again. The pictures are also important. Some adults like books that children do not like at all, so you have to see the story from a child's point of view, not an adult's. Sometimes children like books which seem really boring to adults. There is a series of books about twins called Topsy and Tim. They are about ordinary events in our lives like going to the doctor. Small children love these books. When a book is not written in the mother tongue, I think children need some guidance when choosing books. The book should not have too much text as this can be boring. Children also enjoy books which use rhyme as the sounds are then more exciting to listen to.

Akiko
I think it is important for the teacher not to have great expectations about what the children will be able to achieve. Every little achievement is very special in a child learning a new language. It is similar to when a baby is learning to speak. Children always want to please the teacher and so they will often try to look as if they have understood something even if they have not. The teacher must always try to listen and look for clues about the children's understanding and never rush too fast through new words. Children need lots of time to practice and they must recycle vocabulary all the time so that they don't forget. I'm sometimes really surprised how quickly they forget words but they almost never forget songs. If you understand Japanese, this can be very helpful as you can notice what the children are saying to each other. This can give a big clue about their ability to understand what is going on in the classroom. Never be led by the best children. It is easy to think that everyone has understood something when it is only the good ones who have understood.