Innovation without Borders: The 1st English Immersion IB Authorized National School in Japan

1
Innovation without BordersThe 1st English
Immersion IB Authorized National School in Japan

• Dr. Mike Bostwick
• Katoh Gakuen
• Global Language Convention, CASIE
• April, 2008

2
First Immersion Class in Japan
In monolingual countries where there are fewer
natural opportunities to acquire a second or
third language, the role of the school takes on
immense importance.

April 1992
March 2004
3
Numazu-cityShizuoka-prefectureJapan
Katoh Gakuen
4
Immersion Regular Programs

• Program began April, 1992 (K-12)
• Current enrollment (K-12) 570 students
• 99 Japanese nationals
• Dual track school (Regular Immersion)
• Japanese Curriculum (Same curriculum as the
  regular program)
• National prefecture tests

5
Cooperative Teaching

• Two classes at each grade (22-25 students in each
  class)
• 32 foreign staff
• Japanese and immersion classrooms side-by-side.

6
The Goal of the Program

• To provide Japanese students with functional
  competence in the English language while
  maintaining their cultural identity and high
  standards in Japanese language and scholastic
  achievement

7
PROGRAM MODELS
Early Total Immersion
8
PROGRAM MODELS
Early Partial Immersion
9
Katoh Gakuen
Elementary School
10
Katoh Gakuen
Secondary School
11
Katoh Gakuen
12
Subjects Taught in English
13
Secondary School Curriculum (grades 7-12)
Class taught in English Class taught in
Japanese
14
Katoh School Course Options
Elementary
Junior Senior High
Foreign
Immersion Course
Bilingual Course
Regular Course
Regular Course
Japan
Alpha Course
15
Translation of the Japanese Curriculum Textbooks

• Math
• Science
• Geography
• Economics

16
Unique Feature of the Program Dual Accreditation

• Mombukagakkusho Accreditation
• International Baccalaureate
• (Middle Years Program for grades 7 10)
• (Diploma Program for grades 11-12)
• The integration of both is a first in Japan

17
Some major differences from most dual-language
schools

• Few students in most immersion programs do
  post-secondary studies in their L2. (a majority
  of our graduates do.)
• Distance between languages and differences in
  writing systems greater.
• Few teachers are bilingual.

18
MYP
ENGLISH
19
Studies done at Katoh Gakuen
20
Comparison Groups Data on the following
variables was collected.

• Socioeconomic Status
• After-school Study (juku, aka-pen, private
  tutors)
• IQ

21
Shizuoka-ken Test Results(Average Scores for
Grades 1-5)
No statistical difference between regular
immersion, 1999
22
Shizuoka-ken Test Results(Average Scores for
Grades 1-6)
No statistical difference between regular
immersion, 2004
23
Gaibu Test Average Scores in Junior High (grades
7-9)
April 2004
24
Shinken Moshi Test Average at High School
(Grades 10-12)
April, 2004
25
TOEFLOctober/2004

• Grade 10
• Class
• Average
• 195
• (525)

• Grade 12
• Class Average
• 228
• (565)

Grade 11 Class Average 206 (540 )
26
Oral English Assessment Results

• High level of listening comprehension
• Functional oral proficiency
• Good but not always native-like pronunciation
• Common grammatical errors in tense, agreement,
  prepositions
• Restricted oral vocabulary

27
Full IB Diploma
Success rate

• Over 90

28
Universities Accepted (2004 - 2006)
29
Sense of Japanese cultural identity within an
English partial immersion programme Should
parents worry?

• Downes, S. (2001).
• International Journal of Bilingual Education and
  Bilingualism.
• Vol.4,3 pp. 165-180

30
Sense of Japanese cultural identity within an
English language immersion program Simon
Downes, Tsukuba University
31
Conclusion of the Identity Study

• the immersion experience not only promotes
  positive attitude towards other cultures but also
  seems to foster a heightened sense of identity
  towards the childs own culture.
• Source Sense of Japanese cultural identity
  within an English language immersion program
• - Simon Downes, Tsukuba University

32
Challenges

• Issues, concerns, problems that must be addressed

33
School/Program Major Challenges

• Finding qualified, capable teachers.
• Fairly high student attrition
• Fairly high teacher attrition (training)
• Japanese curriculum
• Few teachers come bilingual bicultural

continued
34
School/Program Major Challenges

• Dual track (school within a Japanese school)
• Fairly weak integrative motivation of students
• The Japanese school year begins in April
• Distance between languages / writing systems
• Cultural differences expectations among staff

35
What have we learned about Immersion Education in
Japan?

• No negative effects on Japanese development
• No negative effects on academic achievement
• Students maintain a strong Japanese identity
• Most immersion students develop very positive
  attitudes towards English and other cultures

continued
36
What have we learned about Immersion Education in
Japan?

• Students do not experience unusual stress
  students have very positive attitudes towards the
  program
• Parents strongly support the program but also
  have high expectations for the program
• Students develop high levels of English
  proficiency but do not become native-like
  speakers
• Immersion is VERY difficult to implement
  successfully

37
Cautions in Planning a Program

• Teachers need sufficient language skills and
  training in teaching a foreign language to young
  students.
• Programs need to be carefully designed and
  provided sufficient funding.
• Program goals need to be appropriate and
  realistic.
• Program needs to be coordinated and well
  articulated across levels of instruction and in
  alignment with program goals.

continued
38
Cautions in Planning a Program

• Appropriate teaching methodologies for young
  students need to be employed by teachers.
• Teachers need adequate and sufficient
  instructional materials.
• Thorough evaluation procedures for students,
  teachers, and the program need to be in place.

39
Parents Concerns

• Transient teachers
• Quality of teachers / deliver content
• Teachers with more expertise in Immersion
• Prep for top Japanese colleges

40
Reasons for Student Attrition

• Not interested in English / Wants to pursue other
  interests
• Met English language goals
  (e.g., Eiken 2 kyu)
• Able to transfer into elite schools
• Inadequate English skills needed to continue
• Restricted selection of courses (high school)
• Restricted friendships (same class K-12)

continued
41
Reasons for Student Attrition

• Restricted opportunities to speak in class or use
  English outside of class
• Heavy workload / homework
• Belief that in high school the Japanese medium
  course will best prepare them for college.
• Peer pressure / friends not continuing in program
• Money

42
Key Instructional Strategies

• 1. Comprehensible input
• 2. Comprehended Input
• (Comprehension Checks)
• 3. Comprehensible (Pushed) Output
• (and the Role of Language Functions)
• 4. Noticing (Focus on Form)
• 5. Consistant Error Correction Feedback
• 6. Extending Students Thinking
• 7. Planning Clarity

43
Video Clips (Grades 1-12)

• Grade 1 - Math Pair Work (Lang. Functions)
• Grade 1 - Shared Writing
• Grade 2 - Tapestry Reading
• Grade 3 - Conflict Resolution (in the L2)
• Grade 6 - Science Experiments Reports
• Grade 8 - Debate
• Grade 11 - History (Jigsaw Expert Groups)
• Grade 12 - Chemistry (study guides, video)
• Grade 12 - Community Service Speech

44
My world is as large as the languages I speak.
45
Thank Youbostwick_at_gol.com