ERIC Number: EJ1139937
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1750-1229
EISSN: N/A
Backward Yakudoku: An Attempt to Implement CLT at a Japanese High School
Thompson, Gene; Yanagita, Mayuno
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, v11 n2 p177-187 2017
How can Japanese teachers of English go about introducing more communicative activities suitable for their contexts? This article discusses an attempt by a high school teacher to implement communicative language teaching (CLT) in her classes while responding to institutional pressure to use "yakudoku" (a traditional grammar translation methodology) and focus on test and exam preparation. The article explains how the teacher, working with a mentor, rearranged the format of her classes to encourage more interactive activities, with translation activities used as review to prepare students for tests. This paper introduces the changes made over two cycles of the project, and suggests implications from the project which could be tested in other contexts, such as using outside mentors to help teachers to innovate, and focusing training experiences on getting teachers to experiment with CLT in their contexts.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, High Schools, Program Implementation, Communicative Competence (Languages), Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Grammar Translation Method, Secondary School Teachers, Educational Practices, Action Research, Statistical Analysis, Qualitative Research, Reflection
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A