The books all teachers in Japan should read Part One- The best books about Japanese language and education
I’m sitting here mourning over the 100 or so books about Japan that I will be leaving on the school bookshelves rather than taking with me, and wondering quite how many books I have managed to read in 5 years. I don’t think there are any other countries that you can find so many interesting books about, especially ones that tell you as much about the world and human nature as they do about the country name in the title. Being the person I am, the books have been one of the best things about Japan for me. However, if you aren’t such a reader, do not despair- the five books below will be enough to make you aculturally sensitive teacher and keep you stimulated by understanding the things around you for at least a year or two:
1. Learning to Go to School in Japan
Working with Japanese preschool age kids can be an almost manic depressive swing between thinking they are the cutest, nicest kids in the world and wondering how they get away with stuff like hitting their teachers. This book not only explains how those two seemingly contradictary things are connected, but also explains how preschool education in Japan affects and reflects the whole society. Reading this book was the first time in Japan I thought “If you look at it that way, it all makes sense”, and inspired me to try and explain everything else on my JapanExplained blog.
2. Japanese English: Language and Culture Contacts
Not Engrish.com the book, but a serious and yet suprisingly readable examination of how English is used in the Japanese language and what that can tell us about Japanese society and languages in general. It can also help you misuse English expressions in the right way when speaking Japanese and understand and correct your students when they bring them into English.
3. Tuttle New Dictionary of Loanwords in Japanese
As you can imagine from the title, this is not a book to read through. Nonetheless, I did (!) and found it improved my Japanese, my teaching and led to loads of Japanese English worksheets. The introduction also gives a short introduction to the surprisingly systematic changes the Japanese make to English pronunciation, helping you gain the ability to change any English word into understandable Japanese. You’ll also learn a few words of some other languages or find out how you can use the languages you know in Japanese.
4. Preschool in Three Cultures
… being the US, China and Japan. Not only does it tell you quite a lot about all three societies, but also introduces a whole new way of doing research- asking teachers and parents to comment on what goes on in the other countries too.
5. The Japanese Educational Challenge
Although written when the marketing department of Free Press wanted a Japan-catching-up-panic book back in the 80s, the author has managed to turn it into more of general examination of the differences between Japanese and American society and education, and what if anything they can learn from each other.
Also worth a mention
Safety and Challenge for Japanese Learners of English
Although I don’t still use any of the activities in this book, it did inspire me to try and find my own principles for teaching in Japan and prompted some interesting pondering on how much you can generalise by nationality.
Teaching English to Children in Asia
Written by David Paul, director of David English House and founder of the great ETJ (English Teachers in Japan) teachers’ association. He can be a bit dogmatic about his child-centred ideas and you’ll almost certainly hear the same things if you go to one of his workshops, for example as part of the Introductionary Certificate in Teaching English to Children (recommended), but again it is guaranteed to prompt some serious reflection on how much change you need to make to CELTA-type techniques in a place like Japan.
Dictionary of Japan’s Cultural Code words by Boye LaFayette De Mente
Try to ignore his claims to explain the “uniqueness” of Japan (and certainly ignore all his other books), but have at least a flick through this book for the kinds of words your students will get stuck on when trying to explain themselves in English because there are no real English equivalents. Also good for painless Japanese study and appearing to be a Japan expert/guru/unbearably pretensious prat when you drop words like wabi sabi into conversation back home.
