Innovations in writing curricula in the Japanese post-secondary English language classroom: Instructor and learner perspectives and responses
Marlen Elliot Harrison, University of Jyväskylä
Tomoko Oda, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
If innovation can be defined as a new method or idea, how do learners in the Japanese post-secondary classroom respond to innovations in writing curricula? Likewise, how do instructors develop and implement such innovation? Despite the plethora of studies documenting developments in the teaching of EFL writing, few studies exist that examine either the Japanese context as a unique environment or the lived experiences of learners and instructors in that environment. This manuscript focuses on the narratives of both these groups, in the Japanese EFL context, in order to consider the above questions. Inspired by the work of Cumming and Owen (2001), one of the main objectives of this inquiry is to make more transparent what instructors actually do to implement writing curricula innovations in the local Japanese context. As such, the information collected will help instructors and learners gain insight as to what is necessitated when implementing such innovations, the realities of teaching and learning in the Japanese post-secondary English language writing classroom, and the unique nature of writing curricula as a form of silent communication that speaks volumes.
Of particular focus here is what Oda (2008) refers to as “cultural gags”, cultural norms of silence that may influence learner performance. Oda, a Japanese bilingual, explains that she recognized her own cultural gag while studying EFL in Japan with instructors from predominantly English-speaking countries. Oda felt that Japanese and native English-speakers utilize different modes of self-expression; the reflective writing curricula employed by her native-speaking EFL composition instructor allowed her to identify alternative means of self-expression through writing (as opposed to speaking), an innovative approach that she had not encountered elsewhere. Oda’s story speaks to the myriad ways students might understand and apply their own English language writing experiences as potentially empowering and transformational modes of self-expression and communication.
Harrison, an EFL instructor in Japan from 2002 to 2006, provides another perspective on writing curricula innovation by exploring the development of writing activities for Japanese post-secondary EFL classrooms. Harrison traces the development of, and learner and administrative responses to, a computer-assisted penpal (also known as “keypal”) project that required learners to use their writing skills for real-world communication. Though he focuses mainly on the experience of the instructor, of particular interest is Harrison’s discussion of student responses to the project.
In order to further highlight a range of perspectives on and affective responses to innovations in writing curricula, the researchers also examine the narratives of current EFL writing instructors teaching in the Japanese post-secondary classroom and English language learners themselves (in Japan) to learn more about how both learners and instructors navigate the implementation of “innovative” approaches to the teaching of composition. A number of factors that influence adaptation to innovations emerge from participants’ stories: The identities of the instructors and learners; methods of instruction; the relationships between the learner and instructor; learner histories; and the significance of various cultural norms that may affect how learners and instructors navigate the EFL writing classroom, norms that may be characteristic of the Japanese context, specifically.
References
Cumming, J. & Owen, C. (2001). Reforming schools through innovative teaching. Australia: Deakin, A.C.T.
Oda, T. (2008). Negotiating Identities in Class Participation: Experiences of Japanese Females in the United States. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania.
