In Japan, some students are diving into a world of English

TOKYO: English villages - experimental facilities at which primaryandmiddleschoolstudents learn while having fun in English -arebeingsetupinvariouslocations in Japan.

Under the direction of native English speakers, children are studying practical English and foreign cultures in the programs, which provide experiences similar to studying overseas. “Let’s start English class!” Upon hearing this, about 70 fifthgrade students at the Neyagawa municipal Seibi Primary School in Osaka Prefecture began singing at the city’s education training and development centre on a January morning.

Six instructors from the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada guided the students into the world of English. The students appeared to be nervous in the beginning, as they were told not to speak Japanese, but they began speaking English with big smiles as they played games involving physical action.

Starting from their first year, students at all municipal primary schoolsinthecityofNeyagawatake special classes in the International Communicationcategory,focusing on exchanges in English.

The city set up the so-called English village in May last year, hoping students could experience the pleasure of using the English they learned in classes.

“We want the children to find more motivation to study and sharpentheircommunicationskills ataspecialplacewhereonlyEnglish isallowed,”saidHideoTai,thechief of the centre.

The centre is normally used to provide training for teachers. But on this day, an English village had been created by decorating the rooms with the flags of various nations. Posters and other Japanese-language materialnormallyfoundinsidethe building were switched to English materials.

This academic year, fifth-grade students at the 24 municipal primary schools are each using this English village for one day per school. Native English teachers play a central role in the English village, and citizen volunteers also support the project.

OntheJanuaryday,thechildren sang songs and played games. Then they were divided into groups and learned how to order at a restaurant by using pictures of dishes.

At the end of a five-hour programme held only in English, each teacher talked about their countries to the students. Vincent Wang, a 31-year-old Canadian, told children that the inventor of basketball was Canadian. Wang occasionally asked questions, too.

He said he tried to explain carefully because he wanted children to listen and understand what he was saying. Naho Itaba, 11, listened carefully to what Wang said. “I had a good time because I could speak English all day,” she said. “I want to go abroad in the future, so I’ll study harder.”

Mahiro Matsuyama, 11, said, “I want to be able to talk to lots of different people in English by the Tokyo Olympics.”

“The students appeared to be a bit anxious, but they did their best to communicate using gestures,” said Michiko Kayano, a teacher at the Seibi Primary School. “I think they’ve learned the joy of using English.”

Kinki University’s Village E3, which was launched in 2006, is the pioneer of the English village program. The city of Kyoto will also set up an English village at the municipal Hiyoshigaoka High School in spring next year.

The Tokyo metropolitan government is scheduled to open an English village in fiscal 2018, partlymodelledonEnglishvillages in South Korea. Some of them are said to resemble theme parks that reflect a British town.

“We want to make a facility where people can experience overseas life and foreign cultures while in Tokyo,” an official at the metropolitan board of education said. — WP-Bloomberg