Training Teachers in Elementary School English Activities

Abstract

English activities became a part of the Japanese public elementary school curriculum in 2002. As a result, teacher-training courses to meet these new needs have been established at universities and private companies. In this paper I take a look at how this training is conducted, using research and questionnaires from case studies in extension courses I've conducted since 2003. First, I consider the preparation of teachers for elementary school foreign language programs based on the theory of Curtain & Dahlberg (2004), Elementary School (K-8) Foreign Language Teacher Education Curriculum of North Carolina teacher Preparation Project and Practical Handbook for Elementary School English Activities of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. Secondly, I outline current teacher-training practices for English activities in Japan. Thirdly, I go on to make some suggestions for the training of teachers based on my observations of teacher-training courses and experience in teaching such courses. I state my views on what I feel constitute the essential aspects of lectures on the topic.