現実の英語と学校教育での英語

質問

• 日本の英語教育の現状と課題について
• 学校教育で教わる英語と現実の英語の違い
• 日本の英語教育の問題点と改善策

回答No.5

googoo1956 · ベストアンサー

＞そこで、このような例をどんどん挙げて日本の英語教育を嘆きましょうという趣旨の質問です。加えてどうしてこの様な状態で延々と今まで続いて来たのでしょうか?

　I feel it very interesting to know that you are worried about the English education in Japan. It is certain that there are lots of problems which cannot easily be solved.

　For example, it is often said that Japanese students usually have difficulties in comunicating with foreign people even after they have learned English for more than 10 yeras.

　Some people say that it is because of the poor abilities of Japanese teachers who teach English in Japanese high schools. I suppose that you are almost of the same opinion, but I'm not ceratin that I can totally agree to those ideas.

　It may be true that there are some teachers who cannot use English well enough, but I believe most of them are not only earnest but also skillful at least in teaching the basic usages of English to their students. The two examples that you showed in your question may be, I guess, exceptional cases.

　Of course, we cannot completely deny that their abilities of using English are limited compared to those who work in the international companies or the professional interpreters, but such a high-level English is not always needed in teaching at junior high schools or senior high schools in Japan.

　There are some people who say that the education system itself has problems. The Japanese government seems to have thought the subject "English" as a culture, a means to be familiar witrh foreign countries, foreign people, their way of thinking, and so on, not as a tool for communication.

　Though they have just begun to change their ways, it will take a long time to get desired results.　So I don't think it's any use only complaining about the situation of Japansese Englsih education system.

　A language is something which we improve only by using in our daily lives. All we have to do is to change our ways of thinking. School is a place where students should learn the basics of English.

　In order to be able to speak English fluently in our daily lives you must use it every day, but you have only four or five English classes a week at school. It's obvious that's not enough.

　If you want to learn suffucient English conversation skills, you should learn more at other educational facilities than usual schools or universities after graduation.

　I hope all the Japanese teachers of English have enough knowledge or abilities and they try to improve their skills.

　However, human beings sometimes make mistakes, and so do the Japanese teachers of English. If they are too afraid of making mistakes, they will hesitate to use Englsih just like other ordinary Japanese peole.

　I think it is imporatant for not only students but also the teachers to use English as often as possible without being afarid of making mistakes, even if some of of their English are wrong. That's the secret to improving their English skills. That's the way they should be.

Hope this helps.

PS: With the questions you quoted, it's not appropriate to think that you have only one correct answer. What to use or how to use it depends on the situsation.

　With the question No.1, you can put "than Tamori" after "I like Sanma better." The teacher should have answered both aswers are correct.

　With the question No.2, you can put either "the" or "a" before "lake". In this sentence "a lake" means "any lake", and it makes sense in a particular situation.

お礼

Hello googoo1956,

I appreciate your reply, because you mention everything we need to think concerning this issue.

As you mentioned, I can imagine what kind of person wants to be an English teacher, so that this might be an exception. However, I do not know the real situation.

Talking about the abilities of Japanese teachers, there are two types of abilities: English itself and leading students in the right direction. Thus, it is true that they do not need such high skills to deal with business negotiations.

I am just wondering why this is happening. Can they avoid such a mistake by teaching skills or techniques to create tests?

In terms of learning the western culture, it is controversial. Why do students need such details of English for the purpose. There must be more direct way.

....well, I can not continue my comment for ever, here.

Thank you