More than 70 percent of public elementary school educators believe teachers specializing in English should instruct English at elementary schools rather than homeroom teachers, according to a survey conducted by Benesse Corp.
Kensaku Yoshida, professor at Sophia University who participated in the survey, pointed to the need to create a system to lessen the burden on individual teachers.
“A system should be created to prevent homeroom teachers from shouldering excessive burdens, such as in-house training programs and cooperation with assistant language teachers (ALTs),” he said.
When asked what challenges teachers face in instructing English, 58 percent of curriculum coordinators at schools already teaching English cited the time required to compile teaching materials and to prepare for lessons, while 40 percent cited the time needed to consult with ALTs as well as other outsiders cooperating in English teaching. The English proficiency of teachers who instruct English was cited by 34 percent.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110216p2a00m0na006000c.html