The Language Teacher
September 2001
Is It Change, or Is It the Same?
Brian McNeill
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
I like conferences. The atmosphere of gathering with my peers in celebration of our profession, seeing old friends and colleagues, of chatting and discussing over coffee and lunch boxes, listening to the plenaries and presentations, thinking about my own little world and comparing it to those offered by the people around me. A stroll through the display area brings familiar sounds. "These are the latest materials, sure to work well in your class!" "We've gone to four-colour production, and the pictures will capture the interest of your students." "Ours is the first book to include a picture of John Major! Up-to-date indeed!" "Grammar and pronunciation? We have the latest publications which will help your students smoothly acquire the basic forms and standard patterns." Next, a quick look through the guide to find the best sessions to attend. "Literature in the classroom, poetry too." "Promoting classroom interaction with stimulating materials." "Content courses." "Literacy." "Critical thinking." And more.
It is the enthusiasm that catches me. Everyone is full of energy and dedication to their students and their jobs. Infectious, it is, this drive to provide the latest and greatest classroom practices, the unending search for what works best, when, where, and with whom. Motivating to be sure, for I always return home with many new ideas and plans to continue the quest for my own development, to seek my own understanding of what materials are best to use, what techniques and topics will hold my students' attention, and how to find a level of satisfaction for fulfillment in my career.
It seems "change" is the word heard most often lately, the change of the millennium, the change in demographics, the change in language policy at the Ministry of Education, the changing course books, the changing approaches. As I rode the train home from last year's JALT conference, I recalled a book I had once found tucked away in my wife's grandfather's bookshelf, and arriving home I sought it out. With complete enjoyment I read again the preface of that book, and I reproduce it here in full. I hope that you find in it what I do:
Let education stand on a post-war basis!' This is the general, and justly voiced, sentiment of the Japanese public. We are glad to notice that this sentiment is being echoed by the teachers of the intermediate schools. In fact, a far-reaching drive has already been started for reforms in the teaching of English -- a subject that holds an important place in the curricula of those institutions.
In order to meet this educational need, the teacher and the teaching material should be up-to-date. The teacher must advance with the times, and know how to fit the pupil for the realities of life. Then, too, the text-book must be infused with fresh blood; it must not be a mere collection of pretty tales. In short, these two should be the essential factors in renovating schoolwork if it is to be of real value in the present day. It would be beyond the scope of this preface to discuss in detail the requirements of the teacher, but a few remarks about our present textbooks of English will not be out of place.
In many instances, unfortunately, the textbooks of English for middle schools have not kept pace with the general progress of the time. There is no substantial difference between the old readers, published ten years ago, and those now in use. Yet this should not cause surprise. One reading book must resemble another, if they are nothing but compilations of extracts chosen from the well-worn sources. As a matter of course, these stale extracts do not appeal to the young minds of today; nor can they furnish them with a working knowledge of spoken and written English. By no means is it possible for them to bring the learner into the right attitude to know his environment and adequately prepare himself for activities of real life.
We are not claiming too much when we say that the educational needs of the present day have been fairly met in the Treasure Readers. The text has been drawn from a wide range of quite recent publications, mostly educational, that have been prepared on an up-to-date basis. A glance at the contents of this series will convince the experienced teacher that an understanding of real life forms the keynote of the whole series. The subject matter broadens out from the many phases of the schoolboy's life of today treated in the early stages of the series, into practical and invaluable topics in geography, history, and civic as well as personal activity. In its advanced stages, the subject matter passes even to a contemplation of ethical standards which make for a truer and better understanding of life.
While the text breathes modernism, it is intended to develop a literary taste in the mind of the learner. Interspersed with the informational readings in each book, there are a number of literary selections in prose and also several in verse. We believe that the high literary quality of these selections and the unusual beauty of these selections and the unusual beauty of the illustrations will go a long way toward moulding the taste of the pupil while helping him to grasp ideas.
Last but not least, due attention has been paid to instruction in grammar and pronunciation; the exercises in both have been made up so as to keep pace with the text. It is hoped that the 'Grammar tables' in Book I will familiarize the learner with the basic types of English sentence-structure, and also cultivate in him the power of analysis.
In preparation of this series several foreign and Japanese teachers have shown the most kindly interest. Their invaluable counsel is here gratefully acknowledged.
The authors. Tokyo, July 1, 1926.
It pleases me to find that the same energy and enthusiasm for their work which led the authors to produce such materials in their time continues to fuel progress in ours. I find no distaste that apparently 'new' ideas today find mention in this preface of 1926. Rather, I find commitment to a profession in search of ways to advance itself, perhaps promoting the same ideas, but nevertheless seeking change, seeking to move forward in hope that the students will receive benefit from the effort. Perhaps the change is within, and the more we grow as individuals, the more our profession moves forward. Commitment to change may mean commitment to both personal and professional development, through trying something new in a class, through taking a course, or just through discussing something with colleagues. One might be hearing 'old' ideas, but there is always something one can learn, and there is no better place for it than at a gathering of like-minded peers. With renewed strength I have returned to my classrooms, and I look forward to my next conference.
References
Shinpo, S. (Ed.) (1926). Treasure Readers (1). Tokyo: Sanseido.
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