TEFL/TESOL講座を受講しました

人類学を専攻しカナダの大学を卒業。言葉や態度を通した人間同士のコミュニケーション方法と、その向上に興味がある私は、日本帰国後も、英語でより良く交流できる方法を模索し続けています。その中で、特に注目してきた学問が、TEFL/TESOLという英語教授法です。生徒の皆さんに、より楽しい効果的なレッスンを受けて頂きたい思いから、今まで、様々な方法で英語教授法を学び、スミス英会話大津校で実践してきました。そして、２０２１年。やっとTEFL/TESOLプログラムを受講することができました！私が受講したのは、全てオンライン。計４７０時間のプログラムで、１２０時間TEFLコース、児童英語教授法コース、ビジネス英語教授法コース、ディプロマコースで形成されています。教科書はもちろん、講座修了に必須のテストやエッセイなどの課題も全て英語です。この講座で学んだことを日々レッスンで活用し、生徒の皆さんと英会話コミュニケーション力を伸ばす過程を楽しんでいます。

TEFL/TESOL講座のエッセイ課題

TEFLプログラムを修了するには、教科書を読み、課題をこなし、テストで合格点を取らなければいけません。さらに、指定されたエッセイのテーマから一つを選択し、自分の意見をまとめたエッセイを提出しなければいけません。今回は、私が提出したエッセイの一つをご紹介します。

エッセイのテーマ

“Should a parent learn English too?”

私のエッセイ表題

“Three daily English activities parents can do with their children learning English in Japan”

主要ポイント３つ

1. Talk to them in English
2. Read to them in English
3. Listen to English music and/or watch English movies

エッセイ本文

I live with my husband and two sons in Japan: a country where the concept of it being a mono-cultural and monolingual society still prevails. Even though many people in this society communicate daily in English or many other languages, people in general still say things such as “I live in Japan so I don’t need to learn other languages.” And if you stayed in Japan for a day or two, you would realize that people in general only use Japanese for day-to-day communications at home and/or work. Because of how the society is, in reality, after having studied English for 6 or more years in school, many people who grow up in Japan still lack confidence in their ability to communicate in English.

With this background in mind, if parents wish their child to acquire English while living in Japan, I would argue that parents play an important role in helping their child learn English. Children learn to express what they need and want by crying when they are babies. Then as they grow, they start to pick up necessary words and expressions for communications from their caregivers. In this paper, I am defining “parents” as the main caregivers for their child, not daycare teachers nor grandparents. In order for the child to acquire English in the similar way to how he learns his native tongue, the parents need to adapt their lifestyle to be more appropriate for their child’s English acquisition. The goal here is to help the child grow up to be a good communicator, not a good test-taker.

I would like to introduce three daily English activities that parents can incorporate into the family life as soon as a child is born. First, parents can talk to the child in English everyday, all day if possible. This could be challenging since people surrounding the parents and the child are usually communicating in Japanese everywhere. Second, parents can read to the child in English, using English picture books which can be easily bought at bookstores in Japan. Third, parents can listen to English music and/or watch English movies. Thanks to the technological advancement, it is quite easy to find fun English songs and movies to enjoy with children.

The question people may have is, “How challenging is it for parents to use English with their child in Japan?” In fact, it is VERY challenging. When the child is a baby, parents can try talking to him in English and it is not too difficult; however, once the child is old enough to go to school, he will be using Japanese all day with his friends and teachers. In order for parents to create and maintain the English-speaking environment for the family, it is necessary for parents to set a clear rule about who is using which language, when and where from the beginning of the child’s life and always be consistent with the rule.

In my household, I am dedicated to talking to our children only in English and do not use Japanese. My husband uses English and French with them. After they turned 4 and entered kindergarten, they naturally picked up Japanese not from us but from their teachers and friends. When they need our help with Japanese homework, we translate everything into English. Yes, it is challenging!

The second English activity for parents and their child to enjoy together is reading English stories. This can be done throughout the day whenever the child is in the mood. However, it is recommended to make a habit of reading at least one story at a set time every day; for example, at bed time. In my case, I read an American children’s book called “Goodnight moon” by Margaret Wise Brown (1947) every night while I was pregnant with both of my children and continued to read the same book and other various books after they were born. Currently my 11 year-old son and 7 year-old son both enjoy listening to their father reading an epic fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings” written by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954). We can discuss the stories after finishing them and also enjoy watching the movies related to the books if we feel like.

As I mentioned above, many stories are made into TV shows and/or movies. It is highly recommended for parents to watch them with their child and talk about them afterwards. This encourages the child to use English in expressing what he saw and heard. At the same time, he could learn what his family members thought of the stories. Sharing ideas and opinions verbally is great not only for acquiring communicative skills but also for developing good relationships among family. Moreover, those shows and movies usually have good music and songs with English lyrics. If parents encourage their child to sing those songs and if the child likes it, it is also a great way to improve his English. My older son, for example, catches English lyrics and memorizes them much better than me. I am envious of his ability!

Even though both of my sons were born in Japan and go to public school here, they are native English speakers. They are also native Japanese speakers. Those three activities I introduced can be adjusted and adapted to each family’s needs and life-styles. As parents raising bilingual children in Japan, my husband and I have faced many challenges. However, I am confident in stating that as long as we consistently show our support and care, our children grow to enjoy their life, using English and possibly many more languages.

エッセイのテーマ

"Should a parent learn English too?"
「親も英語を学ぶべきか？」

私のエッセイ表題

"Three daily English activities parents can do with their children learning English in Japan"
「日本で英語を学ぶ子どもと親ができる3つの日常的な英語活動とは？」

主要ポイント３つ

1. Talk to them in English 英語で子供と話す
2. Read to them in English　英語の本を読み聞かせる
3. Listen to English music and/or watch English movies　英語の歌を聴く/英語で映画を観る