A model for Japanese people to converse on equal terms with native English speakers
Learning other country perspectives through ALTs
What roles do the Japanese instructor and ALT have in a team teaching class?
Ms. Homura:
Lesson progression is set to a format to a certain extent. I mainly handle progression, while the ALT joins in here and there and stimulates the students to speaking English. Also, ALTs are representatives of a culture outside of Japan, so I'll send a bunch of questions their way, such as, "This is normal in Japan, but how is it in your hometown?" Doing so lets students realize little by little just how limited their common knowledge is. What's more, British and American teachers have different accents, so I think the students are lucky to be able to learn a diverse set of viewpoints from a diverse group of teachers.
What are the merits of team-taught lessons?
Ms. Homura:
You can immediately show a model of conversation between a native speaker and a Japanese person. When we tell students to have conversations like this, showing a model gives students an idea of how Japanese people can converse with a native speaker, and gives them the feeling that they can could do it themselves. Also, you get to show them the real thing. Textbooks always get rewritten, but experiencing the real thing, the living subject matter right in front of you, is the biggest motivator for students to use English. There's also the merit of my also getting to listen to real English, and being able to ask things directly, like if an expression is really natural.
Have you had any difficulties with team-taught lessons or creating educational programs?
Ms. Homura:
I wish there were more time for the Japanese teacher of English and ALT to talk about how to use material in subsequent classes, but both parties are busy outside of class, too, so it's a hard thing to do. All ALTs have their own ideas, so I'd like to discuss how to insert the activities they think of, but as of now I struggle with being unable to integrate the ALT's opinion entirely.
Do you share team teaching practices with teachers in your school or other schools?
Ms. Homura:
In this school, teachers go to observe each other's classes. And once a month we have lesson workshops, where we watch videos of other teachers' lessons and hold discussions among participants. Watching and analyzing all sorts of videos ends up making us reflect on our own lessons. I have my own lessons observed at these workshops once in a while, and it's very helpful.
The will to convey something in English is important
You have implemented team teaching in English lessons at Ryogoku High School, and currently most of your classes use this system. What has changed, and what has improved since introducing team teaching?
Ms. Homura:
In lessons before the inclusion of ALTs I would often get students speaking in Japanese. I wanted to fight against that somehow. At that time ALTs started coming, and they started to think things like, "speaking in a language the foreign teacher can't understand is rude," or "it's rude to the foreign teacher, so let's speak entirely in English." As a result, I feel that even more students felt the need to converse in English more resolutely than before. Even if I make some sort of mistake when I talk, the ALT still tries to understand, fostering the feeling that speaking something is better than nothing, that they should try their best to convey their ideas.
Forrest, the ALT in this lesson, is quite popular with the students, isn't he?
Ms. Homura:
Good question. Forrest speaks loudly, and always at a natural pace. To be honest, in the beginning the students were intimidated by him. But being in contact with him every day, they realized that he's a good person and started to communicate with him. If the native speaker only comes a few times a year, that intimidating image will last until the end, but letting students experience their personality and see what kind of person they are is a positive aspect of having the native speaker work here all year round.
In conclusion, do you foresee any challenges related to team teaching going forward?
Ms. Homura:
There are cases of Japanese instructors leaving the entire class to their ALT. Saying it's the ALT's time and leaving the entire hour to them leads to the dissatisfaction of the ALT. They think, "The Japanese instructor understands the students, so why won't they speak up?" This mood influences the students, too, making them think things like: "The teacher can't speak English, so they can't talk to the ALT." "How are we expected to speak English when the English teacher can't speak himself?" That's why the Japanese instructor has to have the mentality to speak with the ALTs on a regular basis to set up classes, and to always put on a game face showing that mistakes are okay, that students out to try speaking English.
