Why do some students say their purpose in learning English is to teach foreigners about Japan?
They are taught that at school
Why do Japanese students in London always want to go down a level?
My latest theory is not that it is just a lack of confidence, but that the Japanese have the idea that English is something that is in their brains somewhere but just isn’t coming out. Being in a lower level saves them from new language, which is not a priority while they think the problem is not being able to get out the language they already know.
Why do some rabidly nationalistic middle aged men decide to take English lessons?
Why does the Japanese government not worry about how little English language is being learnt from ALTs?
They are more concerned with what the parents think than with learning (which mainly goes on in juku cramming schools anyway), or the real reason for the JET scheme is to make the kids less scared of foreigners and/or to educate a steady stream of foreigners about Japan
Why does Berlitz use Eastern European models to advertise English conversation lessons?
Why do some Japanese students get upset and/or confused if you skip an exercise in the book, change the instructions or mix the order around?
Why are most of my Japanese students slow at following the transition between different activities?
In a Japanese school or business more predictable at predictable time and clearer transition. For example British meetings tend to move smoothly from small talk to business, but Japanese businesses (and society more generally) like to show clear distinctions.
Why do Japanese students often switch off during explanations of games or grammar?
In Japan modelling is always used after/instead, so the explanation is not important. In some schools, explanations in English are also followed by the same explanation in Japanese, so it is unnecessary to listen to the English version
