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In Japan there are many companies that sub-contract English teachers to public
primary and secondary schools. These companies offer no formal training nor logical
academic training for their ALT/ELTs, instead they instruct their new instructors to
make the classes fun and that the use of games is the teachers primary tool for teaching
English. In one sense a game method is useful in an educational setting in there is a
structural format. Herein is where the Japanese English Teaching System falls into a
great retroactive fallacy. Most ALT/ELT’s classes are centered on a game that bears little
or no meaning to the subject. The second farce is that the companies tell ALT/ELTs that
they have to be “Genki”. If you understand Japanese Genki means happy or in good
spirits but it takes on a different meaning as an ALT/ELT, in this content it means you
are about to be degraded so smile and keep your mouth shut.
That weekend I reread all of my teaching manuals but I came to no avail, then I
came across a DoD (Department of Defense) Instructor’s manual I had buried away.
This manual recounted various teaching techniques based in psychology and one system
in particular call ARC (Alpha Retention Core). ARC is a techniques for remember
specialized information and encrypted materials to be relay to Intel personnel. Out of
curiosity I called a friend of mine who still serves in the Army for more information on
the topic. He informed me that the ARC was first used by the Soviet Union in the early
70s to train Army and Navy personnel in foreign languages and that it was currently
used in the U.S. and British Armed Services in various courses from Navigation to
Linguistics. After gaining as much information as my friend could divulge I set to work
on a Jr. high English ARC. Using previous games taught by my company and the
current curriculum I created a highly effective system that doesn’t degrade or disappoint
me and the student retain 75 to 85% or the class. How is this and an example you are
looking for? I will get to that in a second. Let me give you the foundation for any
effective Second Language Class, you need four things.
Meaning-focused input
Meaning-focused output
Language-focused learning
Fluency development
Now I will explain the implantation of the game that is not a game or rather the
non game that is the game. Example; English battleship were the student write out
various words into a alpha-numeric grid. The standard version of this game goes along
the same line the normal battleship game, whoever gets the minimum hits wins and gets
a prize from the ALT/ELT. ARC version use the words within the textbook, words the
students have already seen and learnt. After you sink a word that student must stand and
answer in English an English question or translate a sentence from English to Japanese
or vice versa (using sentences or questions taught in that days lesson or previous lesson).
Continue the game until time runs out or everyone is sunk. Now you ask what the
success rate is, right? I have been using this technique and various games based on the
model for the last three years and in classes ranging from Jr. high to fifty year old adults
and my success rate has been nine out of ten, a 90% ratio. Now I feel self dignity and I
know I am doing my job because I can see and hear the results. Don’t believe me? Try
it.