June's meeting was:

Date and Time: Sunday June 12, 2005 1.30-4.00

Topic: An Overview of Japanese English Education from the Meiji period to the present.

English education in Japan is sometimes incorrectly stereotyped as a static state of grammar-translation, coupled with the memorization of grammatical minutiae in order to pass The Entrance Exam. However, from the Meiji Era, to Harold Palmer, to the JET Program, to the ministry's recent plan to cultivate "Japanese With English Abilities," Japan's English education has been "dynamic." This presentation aimed to
provide an overview of important developments in Japanese English education and may be controversial with respect to future prospects.

The Speaker:

Gregg McNabb has been in Japan since 1992. Currently he is a lecturer at Shizuoka Institute of Science & Technology in Fukuroi. Previously he was in Kyoto at Kyoto University of Education, Ritsumeikan University and Kyoko Sangyo University. He also taught concurrently for three years at a high school and elementary schools in Kyoto. His background is English and French education, TESOL and French literature. At the moment he is interested in reading materials development and the effects of historical events on Japanese English education.

Place: Aichi University Bldg 5 - room 53A
members free; "One-day members" 1,000 yen.